Myrtleford's Anthony 'Tommo' Thomas is raising funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) by walking 120kms around town this October.

He said it's his way to give back to the RFDS after they came to his rescue when he suffered life-threatening burns in a barbecue accident in early 2021.

"I needed to be flown to Melbourne for treatment and with no medical helicopter available, hospital staff called on the RFDS to save my life," Mr Thomas said.

“I was flown from the Wangaratta Airport to Essendon Airport and then to the Alfred Hospital.

"Living in Myrtleford, I never really thought I’d ever have to use the service, but in cases where there’s no helicopters available, you do.

"If the option to fly by RFDS hadn’t been around, I could’ve lost my life."

Ever since, Mr Thomas has been donating to the cause himself, before seizing the opportunity to raise funds for the RFDS on a larger scale with their 'Oceans to Outback' program.

Participants can be sponsored to run, cycle or walk throughout October to ultimately deliver life-saving care across Australia.

"I’ve set a target for $300, but I’m hoping to raise more if I can," Mr Thomas said.

"My goal was to walk 87 kilometres for the month, but I’ve upped it to 120 kilometres.

"So far I’m at 26 kilometres: I take my dogs with me and we walk a loop around the showgrounds, which they love.

"I also walk the roughly six-kilometre round-trip walk of the Happy Valley Creek loop and rail trail; it's a beautiful walk."

Mr Thomas said the month-long trek would be challenging, as he has a chronic back injury, but he hopes his new walking routine will benefit that as well.

"I think it’s a really good cause," he said.

"If you’re in the outback somewhere, a lot of people definitely rely on them, not just for emergencies but for doctors as well.

"Something a lot of people don’t know is the RFDS is a totally free service and they only get a certain amount from the government, so they do rely on donations just to keep running."

For more information about Mr Thomas's progress and to donate, visit: https://www.oceanstooutback.org.au/fundraisers/anthonythomas/oceans-to-outback