36 miraculous rescues, devastating trips RACQ CQ Rescue made in 25 years
From capsized boats and 19-hour rescue missions to waterfall plummets, bushfires and shark attacks, these are just some of the life-saving trips RACQ CQ Rescue has made in its 25 years. See the list here.From snakes on golf courses
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RACQ CQ Rescue is celebrating 25 years of patrolling Queensland’s skies and saving thousands of lives in the process.
The helicopters have been deployed for more than 10,400 missions, and travelled more than 164,000km in 1135 hours during that time.
Here are just 11 of some of the miraculous, and devastating, stories that RACQ Rescue has been deployed to.
Birdies, bogeys and brown snakes on golf course
A Moranbah golfer survived an encounter with a brown snake when he ventured into the rough at his local golf course.
McIver Watene spent two days in Mackay Base Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit in October 2020 after receiving two bites from one of the world’s deadliest snakes.
Watene said he spliced his shot, leading to the 24 year old to wander through the longer grass.
“I hit my ball into the rough, so I went looking for it,” he said.
“I felt a prick on my leg, so I looked down and I was standing on a snake, it has then come around and taken another bite.”
Watene’s friends administered first aid training, before he was flown to Mackay Base Hospital’s emergency department where he was treated with anti-venom.
Bucking bull tramples student
A high school student was flown from Middlemount to Mackay in August 2020 after a bull bucked him off.
Cody Smith was knocked out for five minutes when the animal jumped on him, with the student suffering a one-minute seizure while unconscious.
Cody’s helmet was cracked on impact, and he suffered short-term memory loss, swelling to the brain, swollen blood vessels, fluid in the stomach, as well as a number of bruises and grazes to his body.
He spent three days in Mackay Base Hospital, where he had multiple MRIs and CT scans.
“This was a very serious, potentially life-threatening injury so thank goodness a service like RACQ CQ Rescue was available to us,” Cody’s mother Jodie Smith said.
“Without them a lot more families would suffer, it’s an incredible service and they do an amazing job.”
Propeller slashes boatie’s face
A Gold Coast father-of-three suffered horrific injuries after a turtle caused him to fall off his boat in Seaforth.
Andrew, 48, was out on the water with his father and daughter when a turtle hit their 14-foot tinny.
The impact caused Andrew to fall overboard, where he was “run over by the tinny”.
After the boat’s propellers slashed Andrew’s face and body, he said he was told he was “very lucky to be alive”.
Three crews, including the RACQ CQ Rescue chopper, arrived at the Seaforth boat ramp to treat the injuries.
Andrew was rushed to Mackay Base Hospital and then flown to Townsville Hospital for treatment.
Queen Elizabeth rescue 150km off the coast of Mackay
A pair of elderly tourists were winched from the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship in a marathon mission.
An 86-year-old man with a broken femur and an 83-year-old woman with serious abdominal complaints were flown from the ship near Creal Reef, 150km east of Mackay.
The Mackay-based Bell 412 rescue helicopter made two separate trips to Mackay Base Hospital to transport the two patients, with the chopper travelling more than 600km in a five-hour mission.
“Caked in Mud”: Woman rescued from cane fields four days after she went missing
An 83-year-old Yalbaroo woman was found “caked in mud” in a cane field after she went missing four days earlier.
The RACQ CQ Rescue helped search the area for four days in March 2020 before Barbara Marincic was found.
A rescue crewman spotted a “hole” in the canefield where Mrs Marincic lay, “with her hand across her face and leg on a strange angle”.
The Critical Care Paramedic and rescue crewman waded through knee-deep mud to rescue Mrs Marincic, with one crewman saying they “couldn’t believe she was alive.”
Shark bites
Derek Burrows was treated aboard CQ RESQ in January 1997.
He was flown directly to Mackay Base Hospital after he suffered extensive muscle damage to the bone.
The injuries Mr Burrows suffered were from two shark bites on his left leg.
RACQ CQ Rescue crash
It started off as a routine Friday night medivac mission, but ended tragically three kilometres east of Cape Hillsborough.
The RACQ CQ Rescue helicopter plunged into the sea with pilot Andy Carpenter, crewman Stewart Eva and paramedic Craig Liddington on board.
The men, all 31 years old, were en route to Hamilton Island for a medical transfer at 9.35pm on October 17, 2003.
15 minutes into the flight, the Bell 407 went down at high impact without any warning or mayday calls received from the crew.
Despite an extensive investigation, the cause of the crash never was determined.
Premature birth
Lee-Anne Wilkinson and daughter Case were flown from Moranbah to Mackay Base Hospital in September 1997.
Casey was born five weeks premature, and was transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit at the hospital.
Shooting fishermen
A 38-year-old Gladstone professional fisherman was shot aboard a fishing vessel on the night of February 3, 2001.
He had caught a three-metre shark on a line and was holding it alongside the boat so another fisherman could shoot it.
The rifle accidentally discharged, and the bullet entered his right side, just above his hip and travelled through his body across towards his lower spine.
The bullet lodged in tissues close to his spine, and the patient retained good movement in his legs and did not lose consciousness.
He did suffer severe lower spinal pain, and was flown to Mackay Base Hospital.
Dream holiday a nightmare
A Victorian couple’s dream holiday on Hook Island quickly turned into a horrible nightmare when the 33 year old spilt boiling water on himself.
Scott Grant suffered serious burns to 20 per cent of his body in September 2019, and required immediate medical attention.
RACQ CQ Rescue was returning to Mackay after transporting a patient from Bowen to Townsville when they received the rescue mission on the Whitsunday island.
Grant was flown to Mackay Airport before an ambulance took him to Mackay Base Hospital.
He was then flown to Brisbane to visit a specialist burns unit for a week of treatments.
Ultra-light aircraft crash
In July 2000, a 50-year-old man suffered severe head injuries when the ultra-light aircraft he was flying plummeted into trees near Dysart.
CQ RESQ landed at the scene to stabilise the patient, before he was flown to Rockhampton Base Hospital for surgery.
Mine crush
A 24-year-old miner was crushed underground in September 2000.
A vehicle had pinned the miner down about 2.5km from the pit head at North Goonyella Mine.
He was stabilised above ground before being flown to Mackay Base Hospital.
Sea snake bite
Landing on a small pontoon, 145km north east of Mackay, emergency physicians and full-time crewmen aboard CQ RESQ treated a 34-year-old trawler fisherman in July 1998.
A deadly sea snake from the catch spread its fangs on the back of his hand, drawing blood and transferring venom to the patient.
He was flown to hospital and made a full recovery.
Patient Story – Melinda Butcher
My husband Mick and I, and our two children, five-year-old Lily and three-year-old Leeroy, were heading out on a boat trip in the Whitsundays.
We felt a sudden great surge at the back of the boat and I immediately saw my husband being thrown overboard.
Anticipating the boat would capsize, I grabbed Lilly who was sitting beside me and an instant later we were thrown in the water.
It felt like being in a washing machine as the boat drove around us several times.
When it miraculously stopped circling out of control we realised Leeroy was still in the boat.
Lilly had suffered serious injuries to her leg, the prop of the boat had carve the top of her thigh.
Within 20 minutes Lilly and I were safely on board the RACQ CQ Rescue helicopter and being rushed to Mackay Base Hospital.
Two hours later, Lilly underwent surgery to repair the damage to her leg.
Peak Downs Highway crash
A five-year-old girl was struck on the Peak Downs Highway in April, 2008.
RACQ CQ Rescue treated Rosey Cameron at the scene where the van hit her, before being flown to Townsville.
Rosey suffered horrific injuries and the crew later admitted her chance of survival was very slim.
Rosey is currently in high school and is an Australian and world karate champion for her age level.
Capsized in shark-infested waters
Chris Gralow and his four friends were fishing at Cole Reef on April 12, 2008, when their boat capsized.
They had caught several sharks just prior to the boat capsizing, and RACQ CQ Rescue found the crew clinging onto an esky in the open ocean more than two hours after the search began.
Chris and his friends were returned to the safety of Mackay Harbour about 2.30am on April 13.
Island cardiac condition
A 55-year-old woman at South Mollie Island was taken to the helipad after an onset of a sudden cardiac condition in May 1999.
She received treatment from the CQ RESQ paramedic crewman and nurse at the helipad.
After receiving treatment, she was flown to Mackay Base Hospital.
Shark victim smiles despite horror injuries
Two English tourists were the victims of a vicious shark attack in October 2019 while swimming in the Whitsundays.
Danny Maggs had deep lacerations to his right calf, while Alistair Raddon had his right foot amputated after the attack.
The two men were transported back to Airlie Beach before an ambulance took him to meet the RACQ CQ Rescue at a local sports oval.
The helicopter was reconfigured to transport two people, before the tourists were flown to hospital.
Semi-trailer sliced in half
A clinical crewman and emergency physician had to climb under the wreckage of an overturned truck cabin to help a 41-year-old man.
His semi-trailer was sliced in half after a collision with a freight train at Bloomsbury.
The driver suffered neck and chest injuries, and the helicopter flew the seriously injured man to Mackay Base Hospital in August 2000.
Lost at sea
Two tourists were separated from their dive boat in May, 2008, near Bait Reef in the Whitsundays.
American Allyson Dalton and UK citizen Richard Neely were missing at sea for 19 hours when searchers finally spotted the pair.
RACQ CQ Rescue was the first helicopter on scene, and the on-board crew said they were amazed the couple were located alive after such a long period of time in the water.
Patient Story – Sam, Jane and Alexander Barton
In 2011, my baby Alexander became quite ill after a weekend trip to Sydney.
After several days of becoming gradually worse, the doctor advised us he would have to be flown out and admitted to the paediatric unit at Mackay Base Hospital.
The RACQ CQ Rescue helicopter was our emergency transport from Clermont to Mackay on July 12.
The team aboard the chopper was compassionate in both the care of the baby and myself.
Head injury after startled horse
A 24-year-old woman suffered a serious blow to the head when her foot was caught in a startled horse’s stirrups and she was dragged along the ground.
RACQ CQ Rescue placed her on life support in the middle of a paddock, 120km west of Mackay in May 2001.
Wheel of Fire slip for teenage girl
It took emergency services more than three hours to rescue an injured 17-year-old Mt Pleasant girl after she fell off the Finch Hatton waterfall.
The teenager suffered serious neck and wrist injuries after slipping and falling 15 metres from the top of the Wheel of Fire waterfall.
CQ Rescue flew the girl to hospital in October 2018, where she was treated for multiple injuries, including serious cuts and lacerations to her head and body.
Shark attack plague Whitsundays waters
Three separate shark attacks in six weeks required CQ Rescue assistance in the Whitsundays.
In September 2018, 47-year-old Tasmanian tourist Justine Barwick was mauled while swimming in Cid Harbour.
Just 24 hours later a 12-year-old girl Hannah Papps was bitten and suffered a partial amputation after she was flown to Mackay Base Hospital.
Six weeks later, a holidaying doctor Daniel Christidis was mauled at Cid Harbour.
He was also flown to Mackay Base Hospital by RACQ CQ Rescue with critical leg and wrist injuries, but died a short time later.
Premature birth in helicopter
A newlywed on Hamilton Island went into labour at just 26 weeks gestation.
Paramedic Mel Bernas delivered the baby girl in the RACQ CQ Rescue helicopter over Mt Blackwood at 7.09am on September 4, 2010.
The mother and baby were later taken to Townsville for specialist care.
Patient Story – Warrick Smyth
On February 14, 2011, I was fencing on a four wheeler at my property near Collinsville when my life as I knew it changed instantly.
As a result of the wet weather and remnants of Cyclone Yasi, a tree had fallen across a road on the property.
The four-wheeler I was riding struck the tree and I sustained spinal injuries in the accident.
I was in a great deal of pain as I lay on the ground waiting for help to arrive.
The ground was so wet the only way out was in the rescue helicopter.
Cyclone Yasi leads to live-saving tasks
RACQ CQ Rescue was quick to help when Cyclone Yasi battered the coast of Queensland.
In January 2011, the chopper made 10 life-saving trips in seven days for residents in the Mackay, Whitsunday and Isaac regions.
In February, the service also provided disaster assistance to Townsville with nine tasks in four days.
10 evacuated as bushfires close in on Eungella
Large bushfires threatened Eungella and closed access to the town in November 2018.
The Mackay-based rescue helicopter made multiple trips to the mountain-top village, rescuing 10 people from the bushfires.
The first trip collected one man and three young children, including one who had a medical history of asthma.
The helicopter dropped off the evacuees to the Finch Hatton showgrounds, before returning to Eungella and carrying six more people, including an adult, an infant, two teenagers and two young girls.
Patient Story – Ethan Watson
A two-year-old fell from an ATV on a farm while celebrating dad’s 40th birthday.
Ethan Watson suffered critical head injuries in July 2016 at the property in Koumala.
Local ambulance officers administered first aid but Ethan was in an altered state of consciousness when the RACQ CQ Rescue helicopter landed.
He was taken to the Mackay Base Hospital in a serious condition.
Overnight, Ethan was then taken to the intensive care unit of Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital in Brisbane with his condition critical.
“He was in hospital for eight weeks and for a time we were unsure of his long-term prognosis and noticed severe weakness in his left side,” Ethan’s mother Renee said.
“Several nerves on the right side of his brain had been severed so he had to relearn to use the left side of his brain.”
Horror motorbike accident
A 20-year-old Mackay man severely injured both of his hands in a horror motorbike accident.
RACQ CQ Rescue landed at Markwell Station to administer treatment and pain relief before he was flown to Mackay Base Hospital.
He went on to have at least six operations on his hand.
Bit on the bum by a bull shark
Sydney tourist Paddy Trumbull and her husband had been enjoying the Great Barrier Reef when a two-metre bull shark bit her backside while swimming.
She was immediately taken from Dent Island to Hamilton Island where RACQ CQ Rescue’s flying trauma team flew her to Mackay Base Hospital.
Mrs Trumbull lost substantial amounts of blood and flesh and required extensive skin grafts.
Patient Story – Aylah Camilleri
The mother and daughter were taken to Mackay Base Hospital after the crash on Mackay-Eungella Road in October, 2017.
Aylah was in a critical condition with a very serious head injury, while Anita had serious pelvic and abdominal injuries.
“I remember it all just happened so fast,” Anita said.
“We were told she needed to go to Townsville and in what seemed like an instant the CQ Rescue helicopter was there.”
Family shares despair: ‘I still can’t believe he’s gone’
Darren Parkins desperately held onto his 73-year-old father with one hand and the nose of his overturned boat in the water for more than an hour waiting for help.
The boat was capsized in the open water near Bailey Island, about 46km east of Mackay Harbour.
Mr Parkins’ father, William, died when the boat capsized and Darren had to wait for a rescue helicopter coming from Mackay.
Darren was taken to Mackay Base Hospital and was treated by medical staff.
Patient story – Tracee Fontelera
On April 4, 2009, my partner Karl, our dog Sider and I were on our way home from a great day fishing when our boat started taking on water.
Karl called Volunteer Marine Resuce, but within five minutes the boat had flipped over.
Even with a life jacket on I was freaking out.
Karl stayed calm and retrieved the EPIRB from under the boat and activated it.
The RACQ CQ Rescue chopper was the best sight I’ve ever seen.
The crew winched me up first, followed by Karl and Sider.
Unconscious honeymooner
A honeymooner was pulled from the waters near Hayman Island in 2014.
26-year-old Chinese tourist Peng Linling was unconscious when she was rescued, before being flown to Mackay Base Hospital.
She remained in a coma for several days, but eventually survived the ordeal.
Tree swing accident
Only three hours later, RACQ CQ Rescue flew the three year old again to Townsville in a critical condition.
Zoey was playing on the swing with her mother at a property in Koumala.
When her mother briefly turned away to feed some animals, Zoey had wrapped the role around her neck and was unconscious.
Ambulances took her to a nearby sporting field where the rescue helicopter met the family and flew Zoey to hospital.
Rural firefighters ignite new futures for Qld kids
Two part-time firefighters are trading hoses for hope, launching a cadet program to ignite new career pathways for kids in their mining hometown.
Award-winning Mackay seafood shop bought by new couple
A Mackay seafood icon is changing hands as the husband-wife founders of the Slade Point store sell up to a couple that remind them of themselves 30 years ago.