First Published: 25th of November, 2021 by Patrick Carpen.
Last updated: September 23, 2024 at 0:06 am
British aviator, businessman, and philanthropist, Stan Brock, passed away in the year 2018. His body was cremated and his ashes were scattered over Dadanawa Ranch in the Rupununi Savannahs of Guyana.
Although Stan Brock spent nearly two decades of his life managing a cattle ranch in the Rupununi, he had traveled to many countries around the world during his long and purpose-filled life, and Guyanese should feel especially honored that he requested before his death to have his ashes scattered over Dadanawa Ranch in the Rupununi Savannahs of Guyana.
Stan Brock was the founder of Remote Area Medical – a non-profit organization which flies sick and injured people in remote and outlying areas to medical facilities in the city. The organization operated in Guyana and several other countries. Unfortunately, just one year after Stan’s death, Remote Area Medical’s operations in Guyana started to nosedive. In 2020, the organization announced that it would close its Guyana operations and in 2021, it was made official when they sold all their planes and ceased all airborne activities in Guyana.
This is truly sad since, for founder Stan Brock, the dream of Remote Area Medical was born in Guyana, but it just goes to show that sometimes, when someone dies, their vision also perishes with them.
“My vision for Remote Area Medical developed when I suffered a personal injury while living among the Wapishana Indians in Guyana, South America. I was isolated from medical care, which was about a 26 day journey away. I witnessed the near devastation of whole tribes by what would have been simple or minor illnesses to more advanced cultures. When I left Guyana, I vowed to find a way to deliver basic medical aid to people in the world’s inaccessible regions. So, in 1985 I established the non-profit, Remote Area Medical or, as most people know us, RAM™. RAM is the way I have kept that promise, not only to the Wapishana Indians, but to thousands around the world in similar conditions. In other words, there are Wapishanas everywhere.”
Stan Brock – Founder of Remote Area Medical
Below is an excerpt taken from the RAM website (www.ramusa.org) about the life of the late Stan Brock.
Stan Brock was born in Preston, Lancashire, England. From 1952 to 1968, he managed the world’s largest cattle ranch operation, a 4,000-square mile combination of rainforest and savannah in British Guiana. There, he became a pioneer bush pilot and subsequently acquired numerous ratings and certifications including airline transport pilot. It was during this time that his vision for Remote Area Medical® was born after he suffered a terrible horse-related injury while living among the Wapishana Indians and was an estimated distance of 26 days away from the nearest medical facility. He then vowed to bring medical care closer to the people who needed it.
In 1968, he began co-hosting NBC’s Emmy winning series, Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, one of the most watched television shows in the country, with more than 32 million weekly viewers.
In 1985, he founded Remote Area Medical – RAM® and continued to serve, without compensation, as RAM’s Founder and President until his passing in August 2018. Because of his work with RAM, Mr. Brock has been recognized as the pioneer of bringing free health care to people in need. Today, thanks to RAM’s corps of 120,000 volunteers, RAM has treated close to 1 million women, men, and children providing a total of $120 million in free medical care.
Mr. Brock was instrumental in the passage of the Tennessee Volunteer Health Care Services Act of 1995, which allows health professionals with out-of-state licenses to cross state lines and provide free care. He has been recognized as a CNN Hero in 2012, and most recently, in 2017, he joined the ranks of other prominent leaders like President Jimmy Carter and Mother Teresa when the Lions Club International Foundation recognized him with the Lions International Humanitarian Award.
RAM’s work has been covered by national and international news media including CBS 60 Minutes, NBC Nightline, New York Times, Washington Post, TIME Magazine, The Guardian, and The Times of London.
Stan Brock passed away at the age of 82 in Rockford, TN on August 29, 2018, after dedicating 33 years to his beloved organization, Remote Area Medical (RAM).
“RAM IS THE WAY I HAVE KEPT A PROMISE, NOT ONLY TO THE WAPISHANA INDIANS BUT TO THOUSANDS AROUND THE WORLD IN SIMILAR HEALTH CONDITIONS. IN OTHER WORDS, THERE ARE WAPISHANAS EVERYWHERE.”
-STAN BROCK
Update
On the 16th of September, 2024, I received the following correspondence via email:
–Begin Quote–
Dear Mr Carpen
I hope this email finds you well and I thank you for the time given to read this.
I have read your article of April 23, 2023 titled ‘Stan Brock, Founder of Remote Area Medical, was a Rupununi Pioneer’. I was compelled to write to you so I can clarify about the work being done to this day in the Rupununi under the vision of Stan Brock.
My name is Jacqui, I’m a long-standing and committed volunteer in Guyana’s Rupununi. Alongside our chief Mr de Groot, Rotarians and other overseas volunteers, we are in the Rupununi twice per year, every year, between the rains providing the health outreach work that Stan wanted us to do. I understand the article indicates that Remote Area Medical ceased operations in 2021-this is partly true and let me explain.
RAM’s work in Guyana was carried out by a separate group of volunteers who were under the auspices of RAM and therefore named RAM volunteers. March 2020 saw volunteers making the difficult decision not to travel to Guyana for the Spring RAM medical outreach due to the start of the pandemic. No volunteer wanted to take Covid to their beloved Rupununi.
The work restarted as soon as it could and in October 2022, after the pandemic hiatus of 2.5 years, the Rupununi volunteers were back to carry on the work. After the decision was made to sell the RAM plane in Guyana and as the Rupununi healthcare needs are uniquely and differently beautiful, there was much discussion about how the work in Guyana didn’t fit with the RAM USA Headquarters clinic vision any longer.
However, the volunteers involved in Stan’s work in the Rupununi were never going to stop the shared-learning work; not while the need was there. They quite quickly and smoothly regrouped, started forming their new organization called Remote Health Outreach Guyana and carried on with their dental and cervical cancer screen-and-treat programmes without missing a heart beat.
We now work directly with the local infrastructure to provide these services-which was always the ultimate goal. Same work, same vision, same life-enhancing and life-saving goals, same compassion, same inspiration from the same Stan Brock with the same dedicated volunteers…who always welcome any new volunteers if you ever find yourself looking for a week of compassion and adventure, Patrick!
We think about Stan in every cervix we screen, every tooth that’s filled, every hug that’s given to returning patients and every time we meet and overcome a logistical challenge.
We know he would be proud of our strong team, our strong work links with the local infrastructure and our dedication to overcoming healthcare barriers by bringing health services directly into the heart of Rupununi villages.
We are currently packing our donations into traveling boxes in preparation for October 2024 outreach.
Please do reach out if I can clarify anything further for you. Stan’s work in the Rupununi is safe. We Never Forget The Mission. Not Ever.
Thank you for your time,
Jacqui Doran, instrument-washer and Rupununi lover. Remote Health Outreach Guyana.
