November 2, 2012
RACQ members have donated $59,000 to RACQ CareFlight to help keep the helicopter service flying and aid in the vital upgrade of equipment.
RACQ CareFlight Fundraising Manager Leanne Angel said in the lead up to the busy holiday period, the funding had come at the right time.
“The Christmas period sees a dramatic increase in the number of people needing to be rescued,” she said.
“During the school holidays more people are out and about on our roads, visiting friends or travelling interstate.
“It costs CareFlight more than $12,500 per mission, which means this donation has given us flying hours we never had before.”
RACQ Community and Education Manager David Contarini said RACQ CareFlight was a free service to Queenslanders that provided lifesaving services to those in need.
“Our members are incredibly generous and they understand that the sole purpose of the helicopter rescue service is to care for and support their community,” he said.
“This donation from our members is on top the motoring club’s annual sponsorship of CareFlight of more than $1 million.
“It’s not a cheap operation, and fundraising is so important, but RACQ believes you can’t put a price on lives. We are proud to have sponsored CareFlight since 1993.”
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The RACQ CareFlight chopper had a busy day in Kingaroy yesterday …
First up, it flew a woman in her 70s with suspected meningitis from Kingaroy to Toowoomba hospital.
Later, it returned to Kingaroy evacuate a 39-year-old Brisbane woman who had suspected head and neck injuries after a single-vehicle car crash.
Her condition is believed to be stable.
