The Monaro Post May 25, 2016

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WEDNESDAY May 25, 2016

THE NEWSPAPER OF THE SNOWY MONARO REGION

Careflight visits

The Moruya based Westpack Careflight Helicopter landed at Cooma North Public school last Friday for an exhibition for the students. The event was made possible by Melissa Shenton who nominated the school for the experience where the children were given a run down on the operations of the helicopter then allowed a Q and A with one of the crewman. The Moruya based helicopter is one of three aircraft in NSW and services the coast and inland NSW. The helicopter features a spotlight with 15 million candle power, meaning it could hover at a thousand feet above a football field and provide enough light to televise the game. It also has a 90m winch which can lift up to three people. Both of these devices help

aid the crew in their rescue missions both at sea and land. The aircraft is a frequent visitor to the Snowy Mountains region and was used in the Stuart Diver rescue in the 1997 Thredbo Landslide. It is designed to fit six people but during rescue operations the crew have fitted more than 10 people and a dog. The aircraft acts as a surf lifesaving helicopter but the crew are not limited in their operations. “We’ll do anything we can to help anyone who needs help in NSW,” said Euan McKenzie, one of the air crewman on board. Euan has been flying for 24 years and has been part of over a thousand rescues in that time. His most recent rescue involved winching

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down 60-70m of cable through tall trees to rescue a lady who had been missing for two nights. There are two other crewmen besides Euan, the pilot and the aircraft officer who co-ordinates the rescue. The crew work 10 hours a day and are on call at night for four days straight before they are relieved by another team. Euan also talked to the kids about how the crew on board the helicopter has a focus on safety and mentioned the importance of safety in their own lives, particularly when swimming between the flags and wearing helmets when bike riding. Pictured, the school with the chopper and at right, Euan addresses the students.

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