Rescue 300 helicopter crew nominated for heroism medal after daring flood rescue

THEIR dramatic rescue of a toddler during floods made news worldwide - but that wasn't half of their tale.

Rescue

THEIR miraculous rescue of a toddler in a dive bag during Queensland's January floods made headlines around the world.

But the dramatic footage told only part of the story of the chopper crew of Rescue 300 and two incredible days of pinpoint flying on the Australia Day weekend.

Flying in rain and poor visibility forcing them to often fly at treetop heights, the crew of RACQ Capricorn Helicopter Rescue 300 - winch operator Matthew Brandon, rescue crewmen Garth Snaidero and pilot Scott Salisbury - in one day rescued eight people stranded on and in vehicles near Rockhampton.

One of the hoists was of an 80-year-old woman who'd become wedged in the door of her car with her head only just above water. In the final rescue, a car had been washed off the road and pinned against a power pole, with its occupants forced to scramble on to the roof.

Not only was the chopper fully loaded and low on fuel, it also had to hover perilously close to powerlines. During the final hoist the chopper reached its power limit and began to drop.

It was only the cool head of pilot Mr Salisbury, who managed keep control of the chopper until the final hoist was completed, that prevented a terrible accident.

"You could say the chopper was overloaded - we had 10 people in there, some sitting on the floor," winch operator Mr Brandon said.

"And as we were bringing the last one in we started losing power. Scott (Salisbury) was amazing, he never lost his cool, he recognised what was going on and kept excellent control of the chopper. I can't speak highly enough of him."

The crew's courage and skill have earned them a nomination for a Heroism Medal in the 2013 Pride of Australia Medal.

Mr Salisbury said the nomination was an honour but he preferred to see it as an acknowledgment of the work over many years by this and other crews.

"I'd like to think this is a reflection of a lot of the good work done rather than just one incident or task," Mr Salisbury said.

"Over that period we did a lot that went unnoticed, and even around that weekend there was a lot done in the days before and days after the incident, not just by us but other crews."

Mr Brandon, who had to perch precariously on the edge of chopper floor for much of the day to keep safe distance from obstacles via voice descriptions to pilot Mr Salisbury, said it was some of the best hoisting work he'd ever seen.

"They (winch rescues) are dangerous at the best of times but on those two days it was particularly hazardous with powerlines, trees and raging floodwaters."

The rescue of 14-month-old Luke Collie, his pregnant mother Robin Collie and her friend Donna, in which Luke was zipped up into a diving bag and winched to safety, was equally tricky as their ute had come to rest under an overhanging tree.

Mr Brandon had to swing the cable to get rescue crewmen Mr Snaidero across to the deck of the ute while avoiding the tree and the flood waters.

Nominator and former colleague Jarrod Michael said the crew had worked in incredibly dangerous conditions and positions over those two days.

"The entire crew once again carried out their duties professionally, safely and risked their own lives to save four people during this rescue," Mr Michael said.

Nominate your unsung hero at prideofaustralia.com.au. Nominations close July 16. Facebook: facebook.com/prideofaustraliamedal. Twitter: @prideofoz

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