Article by Paul Starick courtesy of the Advertiser

 

Outback runways used by the Royal Flying Doctor Service are in need of upgrades, the country’s richest woman, Gina Rinehart, says, after unveiling the S. Kidman & Co logo on Medi-Jet 24 as part of a major sponsorship deal.

Mrs Rinehart and Shanghai CRED principal Gui Guojie, joined by Kidman board members, unveiled the logo at a function at Adelaide’s RFDS base on Sunday night.

Kidman sponsorship of more than $500,000 was announced by Mrs Rinehart in 2017.

“S. Kidman & Co and I are so very pleased to be able to have assisted to make the launch of this lifesaver for the people of the outback a reality, as we are to continue Kidman’s and our long association with the RFDS,” Mrs Rinehart told the Sunday Mail.

“The RFDS are heroes — they’re essential to those living in our outback and those in our outback are an important part of our nation. It was a very proud moment for all of us to see the Kidman name on the RFDS Medi-Jet 24.

“What I and others in the outback would now like to see, is part of the revenue that our outback people provide to our nation, used well to maintain and extend runways, so that more people in the outback and those visiting too, can benefit from this new lifesaving jet.”

Mrs Rinehart became Kidman’s principal owner and chairman in December, 2016, when her Hancock Prospecting firm and Shanghai CRED, a Chinese firm, took over the company.