December 14, 2012
Since April last year, two South Burnett service clubs have raised almost $9000 to keep the AGL Action Helicopter Rescue Service in the air.
Representatives from the Kingaroy and Murgon Quota clubs presented the service with cheques totalling $2150 today, the result of their latest fundraising efforts.
The cheques were the proceeds of two raffles the clubs have been running over the past six months for paintings by Goomeri-born artist Ruth Heiner.
Ruth, who now lives in Townsville, had donated the paintings to the AGL Action Rescue Helicopter Service to help them with fundraising.
AGL, in turn, presented the paintings to the South Burnett’s two Quota clubs at their annual changeover dinner in April to thank them for raising $5000 for the service in 2011.
At the dinner, presidents Heather Castle (Murgon) and Marie Shaw (Kingaroy) pledged that both clubs would use the paintings for fund-raising raffles.
And today – true to their word – they handed over cheques to Brent Chamberlain, the service’s acting CEO.
Kingaroy’s Marie Shaw said she the AGL Action Rescue Helicopter Service was vital to the South Burnett.
“I honestly don’t know what our community would do without it,” she said.
“Last financial year, the AGL Action Rescue Helicopter carried out 92 missions in the South Burnett region – a total of 179 flying hours.”
Murgon Quota Club vice-president Bev Garrad, who performed Murgon’s cheque handover on behalf of president Heather Castle, agreed with Marie.
“The AGL Action Rescue Helicopter Service carries out a lot of missions in the Murgon area,” she said, “and we’re very happy to support such a worthwhile and vital community service.”
“Our contributions have given each of our members a real sense of pride knowing that we’ve all had a part to play in keeping it in the air,” Mrs Shaw said.
Thanking them, Mr Chamberlain said the service has had several names over the years and this sometimes caused confusion.
“We were initially known as the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service, then the Energex Rescue Helicopter Service.
“And a few years ago AGL stepped into the lead role, so we’re now known as the AGL Action Rescue Helicopter Service,” he said.
But he added that whatever the service was called, government and business only ever funded part of its running costs and the rest came from the community.
“We really appreciate the support we receive from the South Burnett,” he said. “You help make what we do possible.”
The raffle winners were Roslyn Barbeler from Kumbia and Anne Perkins from Murgon.
- Related article: AGL Rescue Helicopter Says ‘Thanks’
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