CapRescue celebrated its 10th year of operation on 26 January. Since its inception, the service has rescued over 2,500 people over that time. The support of the community during the initial 10 years was nothing short of outstanding, and included small and large businesses, mining corporations, local governments, community service clubs and associations, as well as individual donors. The support received during the first 10 years of operation set a solid foundation for the next 15 years and beyond, allowing the service to provide rescues free of charge to the people of Central Queensland.
During 2006, not only did the crew carry out 295 rescues and 388 flying hours free of charge, three of them resulted in the patients being directly transported to the Royal Brisbane Hospital—a very costly journey that would likely be out of reach for most patients. The first transfer to the Royal Brisbane Hospital occurred early one Saturday morning in May. CapRescue was tasked to airlift a 66-year-old man from a Biggenden property whose foot was almost amputated in an accident. The man was working on a vehicle at his property when it rolled, and his foot became caught between the vehicle and a post. After freeing himself, the man crawled his way back to his home to contact family, who immediately called for help. An ambulance arrived on the scene first to provide first aid before CapRescue were called in. The CapRescue helicopter landed at a nearby sporting field to meet the ambulance and transport the man to Brisbane. Although in extreme pain, the man was still in good spirits, showing some signs that his foot could be saved.
The crew later went on to airlift a man aged in his early 60s following a car accident on the Capricorn Highway near Dingo. The man suffered head injuries after being thrown from the car and was stabilised at the scene by the CapRescue crew before transported to the Royal Brisbane Hospital.
Image: 2006 The CapRescue crew join QAS personnel at the scene of a farm accident.