{"id":19374,"date":"2012-12-15T02:32:18","date_gmt":"2012-12-14T16:32:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=19374"},"modified":"2023-12-01T17:52:15","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T07:52:15","slug":"quota-clubs-support-rescue-helicopter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2012\/12\/15\/quota-clubs-support-rescue-helicopter\/","title":{"rendered":"Clubs Raise $9000 For Chopper"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FLASHBACK: Murgon Quota Club’s Heather Castle, Leanne Shedlock from AGL and Kingaroy Quota Club’s Marie Shaw receive the raffle paintings in April this year<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

December 14, 2012<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since April last year, two South Burnett service clubs have raised almost $9000 to keep the AGL Action Helicopter Rescue Service in the air.<\/p>\n

Representatives from the Kingaroy and Murgon Quota clubs presented the service with cheques totalling $2150 today, the result of their latest fundraising efforts.<\/p>\n

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<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ruth, who now lives in Townsville, had donated the paintings to the AGL Action Rescue Helicopter Service to help them with fundraising.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

At the dinner, presidents Heather Castle (Murgon) and Marie Shaw (Kingaroy) pledged that both clubs would use the paintings for fund-raising raffles.<\/p>\n

And today – true to their word – they handed over cheques to Brent Chamberlain, the service’s acting CEO.<\/p>\n

Kingaroy’s Marie Shaw said she the AGL Action Rescue Helicopter Service was vital to the South Burnett.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“I honestly don\u2019t know what our community would do without it,” she said.<\/p>\n

“Last financial year, the AGL Action Rescue Helicopter carried out 92 missions in the South Burnett region – a total of 179 flying hours.”<\/p>\n

Murgon Quota Club vice-president Bev Garrad, who performed Murgon’s cheque handover on behalf of president Heather Castle, agreed with Marie.<\/p>\n

“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.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Our contributions have given each of our members a real sense of pride knowing that we\u2019ve all had a part to play in keeping it in the air,” Mrs Shaw said.<\/p>\n

Thanking them, Mr Chamberlain said the service has had several names over the years and this sometimes caused confusion.<\/p>\n

“We were initially known as the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service, then the Energex Rescue Helicopter Service.<\/p>\n

“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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

“We really appreciate the support we receive from the South Burnett,” he said. “You help make what we do possible.”<\/p>\n

The raffle winners were Roslyn Barbeler from Kumbia and Anne Perkins from Murgon.<\/p>\n