The Sunshine Coast Helicopter Rescue Service was an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

non-profit organisation A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

, established in 1979 to undertake vital rescue, medical and search missions throughout south-east

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

. The service was based at the Sunshine Coast Airport at

Marcoola Marcoola is a coastal town and locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Marcoola had a population of 3,173 people. Geography Marcoola includes part of the pristine Mount Coolum National Park, border ...

, on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. It merged with LifeFlight Australia in 2013.

History

The service began life as the Sunshine Coast Helicopter Rescue Service in November 1979. Local businessman Des Scanlan, alongside other local business people and heads of

Emergency Services Emergency services and rescue services are organizations that ensure public safety and health by addressing and resolving different emergencies. Some of these agencies exist solely for addressing certain types of emergencies, while others deal w ...

helped establish the Service with the purchase of a single

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

; a Bell 206 Jetranger, and operated from a base at the Big Cow on the

Bruce Highway The Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland, Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane, it passes through areas close to the eastern coast on its way to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The route is part of the Australian Nat ...

at Yandina. In 1983, the base was moved to Maroochydore Airport. The services' operations were extended in 1989 with the purchase of a second helicopter, a Bell 206L Longranger, with the help of a $450,000 grant from the

Government of Queensland The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended fr ...

. Major sponsorship from 1979 onwards came either directly or indirectly from the

Bank of New South Wales The Bank of New South Wales (BNSW), also known commonly as The Wales, was the first bank in Australia, being established in Sydney in 1817 and situated on Broadway. During the 19th century, the bank opened branches throughout Australia and N ...

and its successor,

Westpac Westpac Banking Corporation, known simply as Westpac, is an Australian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered at Westpac Place in Sydney, New South Wales. Established in 1817 as the Bank of New South Wales, ...

. The energy distribution corporation South East Queensland Electricity Board (SEQEB), began sponsorship in 1994 (the service would be renamed Energex Community Rescue Helicopter in 1998 following SEQEB's name change). The financial assistance from Energex and its customers (Energex consumers could nominate a donation to the Service from their quarterly utility bill) allowed the Service to purchase a third helicopter - a MBB/Kawasaki BK 117 - in 1997. The Rescue Service was able to broaden its operations when, in March 1998, an additional base was set up at the

Queensland Ambulance Service The Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) is the state emergency ambulance and patient transport provider in Queensland, Australia. QAS is part of the Queensland Government under the Queensland Health portfolio and is one of the largest ambulan ...

(QAS) Aerial Ambulance Hangar in Bundaberg, initially for a three-year trial period. In July 2001, with the realisation of the need for a second operational base, the Bundaberg Service was established on a permanent basis. At the same time the Minister for Department of Emergency Services increased the Queensland Emergency Service grants by millions of dollars a year for the service to provide bigger and better helicopters for the Bundaberg base. In 2006, having outgrown the Service's existing facilities, and thanks to a federal government grant of $500,000 as well as donations from sponsors and the local community, the Sunshine Coast operation moved to a new purpose-built hangar within the Sunshine Coast Airport site. A year later, in 2007, Energex announced a record $1 million-per-year sponsorship of the service over the next three years in order to maintain the high level of service. The service was professionally run, with 21 operational aircrew, four administrative staff and a number of dedicated volunteers, and works in close co-operation with Queensland Emergency Services and other Queensland community-based helicopter providers to provide helicopter rescue cover in south-east Queensland to assist

Queensland Police The Queensland Police Service (QPS) is the principal law enforcement agency responsible for policing the Australian state of Queensland. In 1990, the Queensland Police Force was officially renamed the Queensland Police Service and the old motto ...

Queensland Health Queensland Health is the name of the overall public health service in the state of Queensland, Australia. Like all other states and territories in Australia, the Queensland Government provides low- or no-cost primary, secondary, and tertiary ...

, Queensland Ambulance Service, Queensland Fire and Rescue Service, the

State Emergency Service The State Emergency Service (SES) is the name used by a number of organisations in Australia that provide assistance during and after major incidents. Specifically, the service deals with floods, storms and tsunamis, but can also assist in oth ...

(SES), AusSAR and other services and organisations, such as the Coastguard. To ensure a no-cost operation, finances are obtained through sponsorship, donations, government subsidy and charter operations. All assets of the Service belong to the community. In April 2009, Energex Community Rescue Helicopter became the AGL Action Rescue Helicopter as a result of a sponsorship deal with AGL. It merged with LifeFlight Australia in 2013.Rescue helicopter service merges with CareFlight
''

Fraser Coast Chronicle The ''Fraser Coast Chronicle'' is an online newspaper serving the Fraser Coast area in Queensland, Australia. It was started as the Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser. History Charles Hardie Buzacott first published the '' ...

'' 2 July 2013

Area of operation

The main area of operation for the service is from

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

in the south to

Miriam Vale Miriam Vale is a rural town and locality in the Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Miriam Vale had a population of 512 people. Geography The town is situated on the Bruce Highway, north of Brisbane, the state capital, and south ...

in the north and west inland to the

Bunya Mountains The Bunya Mountains are a distinctive set of peaks forming an isolated section of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland. The mountain range forms the northern edge of the Darling Downs in the locality also called Bunya Mountains ne ...

, although the service has ventured as far north as

Gladstone, Queensland Gladstone () is a coastal city in the Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia. Gladstone has an urban population of 34,703, and together with Boyne Island and Tannum Sands, had an estimated population of 50,317 at August 2021. This urban area c ...

, as far south as

Byron Bay Byron Bay (Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah)'' is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia on Bundjalung Country. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headla ...

inside

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and as far inland as Chinchilla. 652,800 people reside in the Service's primary area of operation which stretches from Brisbane North to Miriam Vale including

Fraser Island Fraser Island ( Butchulla: ) is a World Heritage-listed island along the south-eastern coast in the Wide Bay–Burnett region, Queensland, Australia. The island is approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane, and is within the Fras ...

and west to

Proston Proston is a rural town and locality in the South Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. Geography The town is located north-west of the state capital, Brisbane northwest of the South Burnett regions commercial centre, Kingaroy and south ...

, Eidsvold and

Monto Monto was the nickname for the one-time red light district in the northeast of Dublin, Ireland. The Monto was roughly the area bounded by Talbot Street, Amiens Street, Gardiner Street and Seán McDermott Street (formerly Gloucester Street) i ...

while 2.3 million inhabit the secondary area extending from Northern New South Wales to Proston and the area south of Gladstone. In 2007, the Service conducted 771 tasks during the year at an average of 14.8 per week. In that 12-month period a total of 1128 hours were flown and a distance of covered.

Helicopters

The service owns and operates three aircraft from its Sunshine Coast base: a MBB/Kawasaki BK 117 (VH-BKV), and a Eurocopter BK-117 (VH-EHQ). A Bell Longranger (VH-JOW) is based at Bundaberg. Kawasaki BK117 B2
Engines: 2 x Honeywell LTS 101-750B Turboshaft 700 SHP (510 kW) ea
Maximum speed: 133 knots (kn) (231 km/h)
Maximum Range: 292 nautical miles (nmi) (540 km)
Maximum Weight: 3350 kg
Empty weight: 1723 kg
Payload: 1670 kg
Overall length: 13.00 m
Cabin Length: 9.90 m
Height: 3.36 m
Rotor Diameter: 11.00 m Eurocopter BK117
Engines: 2 x Honeywell LTS 101-750B Turboshaft 700 SHP (510 kW) ea
Maximum speed: 133 knots (kn) (231 km/h)
Maximum Range: 292 nmi (540 km)
Maximum Weight: 3350 kg
Empty weight: 1723 kg
Payload: 1670 kg
Overall length: 13.00 m
Cabin Length: 9.90 m
Height: 3.36 m
Rotor Diameter: 11.00 m Bell 206L Longranger
Engine: 1 x Rolls-Royce 250-C30P Turboshaft 557 shp (415 kW)
Maximum speed: 110 kn (224 km/h)
Range: 321 nmi (594 km)
Max takeoff weight: 1520 kg
Empty weight: 1047 kg
Payload 473 kg
Length: 10.1 m
Cabin length: 2.74 m
Rotor diameter: 11.28 m

References

{{Reflist

External links

AGL Action Rescue Helicopter
Emergency services in Queensland Medical and health organisations based in Queensland 1979 establishments in Australia 2013 disestablishments in Australia

History

Area of operation

Helicopters

See also

References

External links