WITHOUT stopping to think twice, any of us could probably rattle off the names of half a dozen charities that deserve ongoing government funding.
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Given how difficult it is to secure government money, it is incredibly heartening to read about one very deserving charity securing that vital government lifeline.
Snowy Hydro SouthCare rescue helicopter service has in the past relied on donations and the high-profile support of people like Paralympian Scott Reardon to keep flying, but those days are over, with news reported by The Daily Advertiser that the fleet of eight medical aid choppers are now completely state government-funded.
SouthCare Trust chief executive Carol Bennett told The DA the funding change was a wonderful success story for the emergency service.
She said each aircraft was now to be fitted with the latest aviation and safety technology, including single-engine performance and a greater range, night vision technology and a larger working space for the medical crew in the rear of the aircraft.
Ms Bennett said the facilities on board enable life-saving operations and major medical interventions to be carried out across the entire south-east of the state.
“Very few charities are in the position where they can say they’ve achieved their goal,” Ms Bennett said.
“The case has been made that it is a vital service.”
She said demand for the service was growing every year.
“We’re talking about complex operations requiring the very best technology. We now need something that is bigger, faster, more capacity and we now have that come April in this region.”
Mr Reardon knows first-hand how important the air ambulance service is, because he was flown to Canberra for life-saving after an accident in 2002, when he was just 12, resulted in an emergency amputation. Mr Reardon is to be commended for devoting his time to raise funds and support for this vital service.
At the same time as Snowy Hydro SouthCare is announcing its successful funding bid, another group of dedicated fundraisers have been lending a different kind of hand.
The DA also reported this week about the success of a social media campaign called Helping Hand for a Mate on The Land.
When Adam Manwaring of Uranquinty talked to The DA about the campaign, he was able to talk about 15 truckloads of hay being donated and readied for donation to northern NSW producers hit by recent bushfires.
But the campaign snowballed and 75 truckloads were driven north at weekend.
Mr Manwaring said there was still more hay to take up to Dunedoo this weekend because they simply couldn’t get it all delivered last Saturday.
We had so much interest, and so many people wanted to donate hay,” he told The DA. There was even a pledge of support from central Queensland.
”We had hay come in form Corowa, Yass, and Tumut. So much momentum came out of social media … it went nuts.”
Too often we focus on negativity and despair when, yet again, we have people demonstrating over and over again that they are happy to step up and lend a hand to others in the community.
We really do live in the heart of the country and are blessed with a great many people who continue to put the needs of others high on their priority list.