Stories
Do you have a story?
It is always fabulous to highlight the difference the service makes, so if you have been rescued by the Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter Service and you would like to share your story, please contact us.
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Mac's Story
In October 2020 then-14-year-old Mac crashed off his mountain bike on a huge jump under the clock hill in Alexandra. He landed from height fully on his head, instantly unconscious with a Traumatic Brain Injury. His friends and a passing adult called 111 and soon the Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter landed on the road between a cliff and trees, just over the vehicle bridge to the clock hill to respond to him.
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Colin's Story
Colin and his wife, Diane, kindly shared Colin’s story and recorded their gratitude to everyone involved in responding when Colin suffered a cardiac arrest in July this year. They said the response provided by the 111 operator, St John Ambulance and the Fire Service, the Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter Service, and the teams at Southland and Dunedin Hospitals was both professional and very kind.
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Tom's Story
We recently received a note of sincere thanks and details of Tom's amazing rescue and rehabilitation. We wish Tom all the very best for his ongoing recovery.
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Ferg's rescue
We had never appreciated how remote and vulnerable we were until we desperately needed the rescue chopper, your service saved my life
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Thank you Mandy!
Mandy was injured while riding her horse, and the rescue helicopter was called to get her to Dunedin Hospital for surgery.
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Supporting the service that saved his life
Dunedin man David Lont has a very good reason to support the Westpac Chopper Appeal — the emergency rescue service saved his life.
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Support from Calder Stewart Coastal Classic
Committee members of the Calder Stewart Coastal Classic at Taieri Mouth visited the Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter base on Wednesday to present a donation of $8,400 from the proceeds of the running and mountain biking event that was held in November 2022.
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Life-saving flight inspires Landpower backing
Herby Whyte is sure his son-in-law would not have survived a heart attack without the help of the Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter Trust.
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Lake Ōhau rescue
Lex Coutts tells us about his accident and the great sound of the helicopter arriving
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Life saving rescue flight to the 45th parallel
I wanted to send an email to say a huge thanks to your team for saving my husband Rob’s life on 8th March this year.
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Recovering and grateful for rescue
Suzanne Prentice life saving helicopter flight
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Rescue chopper helipad to help save lives and time
A new, community-built helipad may help save lives, project leaders believe.
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Rotary Club of Wanaka - Upper Clutha Winter Cropping Competition
The Rotary Club of Wanaka held its 2022 Upper Clutha Winter Cropping Competition and awards night in June. Impressively, the event raised more than $50,000 with the Otago Rescue Helicopter Trust selected as one of the recipient charities.
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Rescue helicopter routes to be extended
Life-saving new flight routes are in the works to enable "otherwise impossible" missions for the Otago regional rescue helicopter service, thanks to funding from the Otago Service Clubs Medical Trust (OSCMT).
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$47,000 raised for Otago Rescue Helicopter trust
This year’s Waianakarua and Waiareka Valley Lions Clubs winter crop competition has raised a record-breaking $68,000 — $47,000 for the Otago Regional Rescue Helicopter Trust and $21,000 for St John Oamaru.
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Sport key to building life after accident
Twenty years after an accident that left him without the use of his legs, Dunedin man Rob Gillan tells Wyatt Ryder about his life in a wheelchair, his struggles with depression and how international darts tournaments have helped him get through.
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Exhibition in Alexandra to raise funds for the Otago Rescue Helicopter Trust
It’s full steam ahead for an exhibition opening on Saturday at Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery in Alexandra. We Drove Here will uncover how pioneering developments in motoring transformed social interaction.
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Grateful patient gives to service
It is hard to find the words to thank someone for saving your life. For Barry Johnston, of Wanaka, actions could speak louder.
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Gales honoured: 'It's been a big journey'
"It would be nice to think we have made a little bit of a difference" That was the typically low-key way Graeme Gale described his life-saving air ambulance and conservation work.
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Otago Rescue Helicopter Trust gets new CPR machine
A new chest compression machine could be the difference between life and death, at the scenes of accidents, in the South. The Otago Rescue Helicopter Trust has acquired a German-built, mechanical, CPR device to take over the exhausting task of performing CPR.
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$8000 donation for Otago Rescue Helicopter Trust
The Otago Rescue Helicopter Trust (ORHT) has benefited from $8000 in funds raised by the Valley Roar.
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