Snowy Hydro SouthCare was a rescue and
aeromedical
Air medical services is a comprehensive term covering the use of air transportation, aeroplane or helicopter, to move patients to and from healthcare facilities and accident scenes. Personnel provide comprehensive prehospital and emergency and cri ...
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 ...
service based in
Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
from 1998 to 2017.
The area served covered the
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. ...
, as well as parts of
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 ...
including the
South Coast South Coast is a name often given to coastal areas to the south of a geographical region or major metropolitan area.
Geographical
Australia
*South Coast (New South Wales), the coast of New South Wales, Australia, south of Sydney
* South Coast (Q ...
,
Southern Tablelands
The Southern Tablelands is a Regions of New South Wales, geographic area of New South Wales, Australia, located south-west of Sydney and west of the Great Dividing Range.
The area is characterised by Plateau, high, flat country which has gene ...
,
Central West and
Riverina
The Riverina
is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation ...
regions as far south as the border with
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
. SouthCare operated a single
Bell 412
The Bell 412 is a utility helicopter of the Huey family manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It is a development of the Bell 212, with the major difference being the composite four-blade main rotor.
Design and development
Development began in the ...
(VH-NSC) through
CHC Helicopters Australia, with medical crews provided by the Capital Region Retrieval Service, a part of the
ACT Government Health Directorate. The service was backed by significant funding from Hydro-electric energy company
Snowy Hydro
Snowy Hydro Limited is an electricity generation and retailing company in Australia that owns, manages, and maintains the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme which consists of nine hydro-electric power stations and sixteen large dams connecte ...
. By the time the service ceased, SouthCare had conducted 6,963 missions.
Missions flown by the helicopter included primary, or rescue missions where patients are stabilised and transported to major hospitals from accident scenes. Secondary missions involved patient transfers between major and regional hospitals to access urgent specialist treatment. Other missions include search and rescue and aerial firefighting. The aircraft was based at a dedicated facility for emergency services helicopters located in
Symonston, adjacent to the
Monaro Highway
Monaro Highway is a highway in Victoria, New South Wales, and the Australian Capital Territory, in Australia, linking in Victoria to Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) via the Monaro region. From its southern terminus, it foll ...
.
In April 2017,
Toll Group
The Toll Group is an Australian-based subsidiary of Japan Post Holdings with operations in transportation, warehousing and logistics in road, rail, sea and air. It has two divisions; Global Forwarding, Global Logistics.
History
In 1888, Al ...
commenced operating an
Agusta-Westland AW139 from the Canberra SouthCare base as part of the NSW Ambulance's new statewide helicopter retrieval network.
History
Established in October 1998, the SouthCare helicopter service participated in a major maritime rescue operation in December of that year when the
1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
The 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race was the 54th annual running of the "blue water classic" Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. It was hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia based in Sydney, New South Wales. It was the most disastrous in the ...
fleet encountered severe weather conditions, resulting in the loss of 6 lives and 5 yachts. The SouthCare crews rescued nine sailors from two stricken vessels, ''Stand Aside'' and ''Midnight Special''. As recognition for their role in the rescue, the
Cruising Yacht Club of Australia
The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) was established in 1944 in Darling Point, inner-east Sydney. The club is known as one of Australia's premier yacht clubs, and is acknowledged as one of the leaders in ocean racing in the country. The ...
made a donation of $20,000 to the service in 2002.
In 1999,
Canberra International Airport
Canberra Airport is an international airport situated in the District of Majura, Australian Capital Territory serving Australia's capital city, Canberra, as well as the nearby city of Queanbeyan and regional areas of the Australian Capital Te ...
signed a five-year agreement to allow SouthCare to operate from the airport exempt from rent. The interim measure allowed the service to maintain its operations while planning and construction of a dedicated facility progressed.
On 13 January 2003, the helicopter was carrying
Chief Minister
A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...
Jon Stanhope
Jonathan Donald Stanhope (born 29 April 1951) is a former Australian politician who was Labor Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory from 2001 to 2011. Stanhope represented the Ginninderra electorate in the ACT Legislative Assembl ...
with the Territory's Chief Fire Control Officer surveying bushfires burning in the
Namadgi National Park
Namadgi National Park is a protected area in the south-west of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), bordering Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales. It lies approximately southwest of Canberra, and occupies approximately 46 percent of ...
near Canberra. The helicopter responded to an emergency call when a second helicopter involved in water-bombing operations crashed into
Bendora Dam
The Bendora Dam is a thin-wall, double curvature concrete arch dam across the upper reaches of the Cotter River, located within Namadgi National Park in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The impounded reservoir is called the Bendora Res ...
. Both Stanhope and Fire Officer Peter Lucas-Smith joined the SouthCare paramedic in the subsequent rescue, stripping down to their underwear and swimming to the sinking helicopter and pulling the unconscious pilot from the sinking aircraft. All three men received bravery medals for their role in the rescue. In the following days the helicopter was engaged in
water bombing
Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a s ...
activities during the
2003 Canberra bushfires
The 2003 Canberra bushfires caused severe damage to the suburbs and outer areas of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, during 18–22 January 2003. Almost 70% of the Australian Capital Territory's (ACT) pastures, pine plantations, and nat ...
disaster.
In June 2013, SouthCare successfully applied for a $500,000 grant from the
Australian Government
The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government i ...
's Regional Development Fund. The money was to be used to fund the construction of an administration- and training facility at the Symonston base.
From 2017, the service will be part of the NSW Helicopter Retrieval Network and will upgrade to an
AgustaWestland AW139
The AgustaWestland AW139 is a medium-lift twin-engined helicopter developed and produced by the Anglo-Italian helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland, later wholly owned by Leonardo S.p.A. It is marketed at several different roles, including V ...
. In November 2016, the entire board of Snowy Hydro SouthCare resigned over incoming Helicopter Provider
Toll's takeover of sponsorship arrangement for the service, include the naming rights sponsor.
Toll Air Ambulance began operating the ACT region's service on 3 April 2017.
Funding
In addition to
naming rights
Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of t ...
sponsor Snowy Hydro, the service is widely supported through local business and community sponsorship as well as volunteer participation to help raise awareness for SouthCare. In 2013, sponsorship raised just over $1,000,000 while donations from the community raised a further $623,000. Additionally, the service sells merchandise and holds regular fund raising events, such as public open days at its Symonston base.
Additionally, the ground infrastructure is jointly funded by both the ACT Government and
NSW Health
The New South Wales Ministry of Health, branded NSW Health, is a ministerial department of the New South Wales Government. NSW Health supports the executive and statutory roles of the Minister for Health, the Minister for Regional Health, an ...
who provide 24 hour medical staff as well as training facilities.
See also
*
Emergency medical services in Australia
Emergency medical services in Australia are provided by state ambulance services, which are a division of each state or territorial government, and by St John Ambulance in both Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Organisation
Land am ...
*
Air Ambulance
Air medical services is a comprehensive term covering the use of air transportation, aeroplane or helicopter, to move patients to and from healthcare facilities and accident scenes. Personnel provide comprehensive prehospital and emergency and cri ...
*
Southcare Base Heliport
References
{{reflist
Air ambulance services in Australia
Emergency medical services in Australia
Emergency services in the Australian Capital Territory
Emergency services in New South Wales
Organisations based in Canberra