For more than 40 years, rescue helicopters have been saving lives on the Northern Rivers.
Create a free account to read this article
or signup to continue reading
Despite having several names throughout the years, these Rescue Helicopter operations have flown well over 10,000 missions locally.
MORE STORIES:
Helicopter rescue began in the region in 1982 when Surf Life Saving Australia commenced its fifth helicopter operation at Ballina SLSC with a Hillier UH-12E.
Today, air rescue in the region is supported by four AW139 helicopters operating from three bases at Newcastle, Tamworth and Lismore. They service 1.5 million people from the Hawkesbury River, north to the Queensland border.
"For what started out as a small operation at the Ballina Surf Club, it is amazing to be able to look back over the history of the Rescue Helicopters and see what the community's support has help them to achieve," remarked Zeke Huish, spokesperson for the Lismore based team.
The helicopter service says community fundraising and strong partnerships have always been integral to ensuring the quality, reliability and sustainability of its operations.
Today, the service operates under a ten-year contract with NSW Health and NSW Ambulance. Through this contract the NSW Government is the major funding partner of the service. The service is a registered charity and heavily reliant on community funding to support its operations. Leading the community funding, the Westpac Bank has been the naming rights sponsor since the service began in 1975.
In June this year, helicopter crews in Lismore responded to 31 emergencies, from as far south as Port Macquarie, west to Bingara, and north to the border.
Those emergencies included medical transfers, motor vehicle crashes, farm accidents, and searches.
Zeke said they would celebrate the 40th anniversary at the Rescue Ball, to be held on Saturday at the Ballina RSL Club.
"We are really looking forward to being able to showcase some of the highlights from the past 40 years and give our thanks for the generous support that has kept the Rescue Helicopters flying and saving lives".
