Two decades ago, the first Qantas Pathfinders flight took off for Longreach as a unique way to support the work of NextSense.

Next month, the Pathfinders are heading back to where it all began, on an anniversary trip to the Qantas Founders Museum to celebrate 20 years of fundraising flights and tour Longreach attractions such as the Stockman’s Hall of Fame.

There are a limited tickets still available for this special Qantas regional flight, which is open to anyone interested in supporting people with hearing and vision loss reach their personal potential. ABC Weekends presenter Simon Marnie will be onboard host and MC for the 21 May event.

Two decades is an impressive milestone for any fundraising event, but the association between Australia’s oldest airline and one of Australia’s oldest not-for-profit organisations goes back even further. Pathfinders was established by Qantas staff more than 50 years ago as a volunteer fundraising committee to support the Royal Institute of Deaf and Blind Children as we were formerly known. Since then it has hosted all manner of events to help fund our valuable work.

The annual charity flight began in 2002 and has sent passengers on day trips to experience the best of Australia’s regional food, wine and attractions -- from Alice Springs and Hamilton Island to the Adelaide Hills and most recently, a long Italian lunch on the Murray River.

In 2022, Pathfinders is as strong as ever, bouncing back from COVID restrictions and giving supporters the chance to experience firsthand the story of Qantas and the important role it has played in connecting Australians with each other and the world.

NextSense, as an organisation that works to connect our clients with the services they need – no matter where they are in Australia—is proud to have this shared history with the generous staff of our national carrier.

Building expert teams around each person depending on what they need—from allied health, to education, cochlear implant and early intervention services—is at the heart of what we do. As demand for services around hearing and vision loss continues to increase, we are always striving to go further, reaching more people and helping them redefine what’s possible. We hope you can join us onboard.