Earlier this month, 40 years after it first took medical relief to the sky, Westpac’s Rescue Helicopter Service (WRHS) proved its worth in the region by visiting Gloucester and Nabiac four times over the course of four days. The chopper carried two seriously injured passengers from Nabiac to Newcastle after they crashed their car into a tree on the Pacific Highway; an accident that same day at Gloucester saw the chopper meeting up with a road ambulance to convey a motorcyclist to Newcastle after he was injured on Thunderbolts Way with fractures to his shoulder and ribs. Monday night a Nabiac local was airlifted to Newcastle after rolling his car on his driveway, and on Tuesday a Gloucester man was airlifted south when his car rolled on a property at Rookhurst.

So far this year the service has conducted 13 missions in total to the Gloucester region, and 21 missions in total to the Great Lakes.

“Everybody has been touched in some way by the service, whether it was for themselves or someone they knew,” Gloucester’s Support branch member Jo Fitzpatrick said, herself no exception. 

Jo’s own daughter was medically transferred between Newcastle and Westmead by WRHS twice, almost ten years ago. 

“I just remember standing at Westmead looking out the window at the pouring rain in the middle of winter. It was the ‘witching hour’ around 2am, and helicopters were coming in from everywhere. It’s manned 24/7 and the staff do it because they love it, I’ve seen that first hand,” she said.

“Knowing they are there, you know you have a chance.”

The Gloucester Support branch was first formed in 1998 and some of its inaugural members are still a strong part of its activities. Their annual dinner generally raises a reasonable amount, with last year’s total coming to $17,000 thanks to donations and raffles, but Jo said that fundraising every year in small communities can be a challenge due to the limited number of businesses.

“I’m not asking for miracles, but every dollar counts. It’s a great night and reminds people that the Westpac Rescue Helicopter is here, for everyone, for free.

Tickets for the dinner on September 5 at the Gloucester Soldiers Memorial Club are $50 each and can be purchased from Gloucester Health Food Store before August 31. For more information ring Robyn on 0427 582 013 or Jo on 0428 782 224.

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A free service, the WRHS completed 910 missions last year. With two Bell 412 choppers operating from Broadmeadow and two BK117 choppers operating out of Tamworth, the service requires around $15 million per year to stay afloat. Whilst 40 per cent of this comes from the NSW Department of Health, the 60 per cent is gained through community sponsorship and fundraising. Helicopters are not a cheap way to travel, costing approximately $3,500 per hour for a Bell whose rotor blades cost just over $200,000 each. And should the evacuation take place at night, night vision goggles themselves cost just under $30,000 each.