Big boost for West Coast Rescue Helicopter By: Georgia O’Connor-harding The West Coast’s emergency helicopter has received $14,000 of funding to ensure the continuation of its life-saving air service. Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue’s chief executive Christine Prince travelled over from Christchurch to Greymouth on Tuesday for a presentation after a huge fundraising effort by […]
Air Rescue Patient: Suzanne-Hūhana Carter Suzanne-Hūhana Carter was gardening at her home in Charteris Bay when she fell 2.5m and needed the assistance of the rescue helicopter. She and husband Shane were loading garden waste when she fell from the trailer. “We were putting the branches in, it was the very last load and one […]
Air Rescue Patient: Matt Aldridge Matt Aldridge was travelling at about 60kmh when he crashed into a rocky outcrop in Christchurch’s Port Hills. Matt was speed-flying – an advanced type of paragliding that uses a smaller, more manoeuvrable wing – when the accident happened in July 2018. He sustained severe injuries to his legs and […]
Air Rescue Ambassador: Willie McBride 15 year old aspiring pilot and fantastic fundraiser and ambassador for the Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust, Willie McBride, was featured on Seven Sharp recently. Willie has been a strong supporter of the Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust since 2017, running successful events in 2017 and 2019 to […]
Quarterly Mission Report- Canterbury The Rescue Helicopter Crew faced unfamiliar territory this quarter as the country transitioned through COVID-19 lock-down levels. Each level saw the crew adapt to a ‘new normal’ method of operating as an emergency service. The Rescue Helicopter crews were trained as part of the Government directive to assist and transport COVID-19 […]
Quarterly Mission Report- West Coast The West Coast Rescue Helicopter Crew faced unfamiliar territory this quarter as the country transitioned through COVID-19 lock-down levels. Each level saw the crew adapt to a ‘new normal’ method of operating as an emergency service. The Rescue Helicopter crews were trained as part of the Government directive to assist […]
First female West Coast Crew Member: Kirsty Mann Briefly describe your professional history (past education/jobs) I’m originally from Scotland and travelled to New Zealand in 2005 after finishing university. I began volunteering with St John ambulance in Queenstown the following year and started working full time as an ambulance officer in 2008. I completed a […]
Departing Canterbury Crew Member: Chris Harrison Briefly describe your professional history (past education/jobs) Diploma in Ambulance Practice Bachelor of Health Science; Paramedicine Post Graduate Certificate Advanced Resuscitation Post Graduate Certificate Aeromedical Retrieval Intensive Care Paramedic – Hawke’s Bay then Auckland Specialist Emergency Response Team Shift Supervisor 3x winter secondments to Mt Ruapehu Qualified Surf Lifeguard […]
High Country Pleasure Riders – Lawrence Fundraiser A huge thank you goes to the Julene McCorkindale for organising this fundraising ride in March 2020 to support the Rescue Helicopters. The ride raised over $2,000 and follows on the fundraising ride organised last year by the Pleasure Riders near Mosgiel. Julene said “it was a pleasure […]
New landing trolley for the H145 Westpac Rescue Helicopter The Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust and GCH Aviation were excited to take delivery of a new landing trolley for the H145 Westpac Rescue Helicopter. Purchase of the state-of-the-art motorised trolley with hydraulic vertical lift function was made possible by a generous grant from Air […]