August 15, 2024
LifeFlight hosted a free lunch in Kingaroy on Thursday for members of the many community groups which have raised funds for the service over the past 12 months.
LifeFlight regional advisory committee chair (Sunshine Coast & South Burnett) Brendon Murray said he wanted to thank everyone in person, rather than just sending out a letter.
“Unfortunately this area is some of our best customers,” Mr Murray said.
“And that’s why we pick up so much support from small community organisations that bat well above their weight in helping to keep the LifeFlight service exactly where it needs to be.”
A short video explaining the 45-year history of LifeFlight … from the days of the Sunshine Coast Helicopter Rescue Service and the Gold Coast-based CareFlight chopper to the merger of the two organisations in 2013 and the renaming to LifeFlight in 2016.
More than 81,000 people have been assisted by the combined service since 1979.
Mr Murray said that for the first time in 30 years, people would notice the RACQ branding had disappeared from LifeFlight.
“That’s because for the first time ever, the Queensland State Government have stood up and guaranteed $1.2 billion for LifeFlight over the next 10 years,” he said.
“So that means that the base core service is, for the first time ever, funded by Queensland Health.
“They only do that because LifeFlight is the best aeromedical retrieval service that you can possibly get in Australia.
“If Queensland Health thought they could do better themselves, they would have done that … but they recognised that LifeFlight is at the pinnacle of best practice around the world for aeromedical rescues.”
He said the State Government had also funded an $18.6 million new hangar at Maroochydore Airport which should be operational in 12 to 18 months, which would mean two helicopters could be stationed there as well as a Challenger medical retrieval jet.
Mr Murray said that the South Burnett region had 50 per cent more rescue cases in the past four years.
“In the last year, our local rescue helicopter service … has helped more than 150 people in the Kingaroy and South Burnett area,” he said.
“There is a large proportion of those people who would not have made it without this rescue helicopter.”
He said the State Government funding meant the charity was now looking beyond day-to-day operations to the future to see how it could make its rescue service even better.
Mr Murray said LifeFlight wanted to recognise the community support by naming the South Burnett region as a “Local Legend”.
A plaque to honour the community would be installed by LifeFlight at its new base.
He invited residents, community groups and businesses to also become “Local Legends” and buy a plaque at the base.
“We couldn’t do this without you, and we honour your support and fundraising immensely,” Mr Murray said.
[UPDATED with correction]
