I’m kept busy that’s for sure. As a crewman, there’s always something to do. That includes maintaining aircraft readiness, conducting passenger and patient briefings, assisting the on-board doctor and paramedic on scene. Then there’s conducting winch operations. I’ve always been fascinated by aviation so I enjoy working with the aircraft.
In 2014 we rescued a family of five from a sinking boat off the coast of Yeppoon. As you can imagine, that’s a traumatic experience for any family to go through. Once they were safely on board and receiving medical treatment, the gratitude just came pouring out. They were so thankful to the service for saving their lives. It’s moments like that that remind us why we do the job we do and why we love it so much.
The usual suspects – work was here, family was here and the lifestyle is second to none. I must be happy because I’m still here! It’s a great part of the world.
The Great Keppel Island group – sorry I’ve got to pick the whole group, can’t pick just one! Then there’s Five Rocks which I recommend people check out if they’re comfortable with 4×4 driving. Lake Awoonga is a top spot too.
People see the flight crew out and about and come up to say thanks. Which is awesome, obviously that’s really nice. But what people don’t realise is there’s so many people behind the scenes who don’t get the recognition they deserve. It’s a total team effort, from engineering to the front office staff, the volunteers, the sponsors and the board, we’re a big team. RACQ CapRescue only operates because we’re all contributing to the service.
Well it’s my job, which means it puts food on my family’s table and I can’t pretend that’s not important to me, because it is. But what’s really special is my job provides me with a genuine, powerful sense of purpose. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have that and I’m so grateful that I do. Each and every day I know I’m doing my best to help my community. I also relish working within a highly trained, professional and close-knit team. We all share the love of the job. That means a lot.