The small community of Minyip swelled on Sunday, February 25, to celebrate the 40-year milestone since the popular Royal Flying Doctor television series was filmed there.
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A spectacular Show and Shine, food stalls, and a market, all to the background sounds of saxophone busker Lisa Wanderers, completed the setting for the crowds to enjoy the anniversary and relive some memories.
Renamed Coopers Crossing for the series, many Minyip buildings still carry the name Coopers Crossing
Former locals returned to Minyip for the event, including the on-screen mayor John Lawler.
John 'Mayor' Lawlor travelled from Nhill for the celebration and relived memories of some of the very hot days he was on set in full mayoral robes.
"We had to stand around waiting our turn, and it was about 40 degrees sometimes, and boy, was it hot in those robes, but we did it, and it was okay," he said with a smile.
His wife Shirley wasn't lucky enough to get a part on screen, but their son Brendan had a short stint in a regatta segment.
"He was still going to school; he was about 15, I think," she said.
Both agreed it was fun to be a part of the series.
The hotel used in filming hadn't been operating for some years but was opened especially for the event, with tea and biscuits on offer over the front bar.
Memorabilia and a small theatre to watch the original series were set up in a former dining room.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service TV Series by Channel 7 is an Australian drama series centered around workers' lives for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and was set in the heart of the Australian outback.
RFDS is an air medical service in Australia , that provides emergency and primary health care services for those living in rural, remote, and regional areas of Australia who cannot access a hospital or general practice due to the vast distances of the Outback.
