Donation funds essential gear for trust

A recent donation of more than $18,000 will go towards essential equipment for a southern helicopter rescue service.

The Lakes District Air Rescue Trust, which has its headquarters in Queenstown and covering the wider southwestern region of the South Island, took receipt of the donation from the Rural Contractors Association at its Te Anau operating base on Saturday.

Trust spokesman Lloyd Matheson said donations were essential to the continued successful operation of the organisation.

‘‘We provide a 24-hour, tier-2 helicopter rescue service to a wide and varied geographical region, covering everything from police support to search and rescue and patient transfer. This incredibly generous donation we’ve received today from the Rural Contractors Association is one of many we accept throughout the year, that are fundamental to the way we exist and operate,’’ he said.

Tier-2 rescue services were equipped and qualified for all aspects of helicopter rescue, and provided backup to the tier-1 services in Christchurch and Dunedin.

This, latest donation would go towards new gear purchased recently, including specialised safety harnesses for operators and patients and new helmets.

‘‘We have a rolling programme of replacement and upgrade of essential gear, so the costs soon mount up.’’

The Rural Contractors Association, which had 550 members nationwide, also donated $18,000 to St John, having raised $36,000 total through an auction at its annual conference in Queenstown earlier this month.

The sum raised had been one of the largest in recent memory, association vice-president David Kean said.