RACQ CQ Rescue books 63 missions so far in 2023
In a busy few days, the RACQ CQ Rescue chopper heroes flew hundreds of kilometres to save two patients with spinal injuries.
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An RACQ CQ Rescue crew flew 400km in a day to save an 87-year-old man from a remote cattle property west of Mackay.
The chopper was tasked to Mt Coolon in the late afternoon on Friday, after the man fell down a flight of stairs and suffered spinal injuries.
A doctor and critical care paramedic retrieved and treated the man on board as the chopper raced back to Mackay Base Hospital.
It is understood the man remains in a stable condition.
The mammoth four-hour mission was one of multiple jobs over a three-day period.
On Saturday, the rescue chopper flew a 15-year-old boy from Clermont Hospital with suspected spinal injuries after a morning dirt bike accident.
The helicopter was tasked the same day to a spot about 35km east of Hayman Island to make contact with the occupants of a 5m centre console boat.
The helicopter homed in on the distress beacon signal and made radio contact with the occupants just before dark to make sure they were safe, unhurt and confirm their boat had broken down.
Volunteer Marine Rescue picked up the job from there and organised the retrieval of the vessel and those on board.
The next day, the chopper flew again to Hayman Island to fly out a resident with a serious abdominal condition.
The chopper also transferred a patient from Bowen to Mackay Base Hospital.
The flurry of weekend jobs means the rescue service has booked 63 missions in 2023 so far, including the winch rescue of a teen girl stranded on a beach at Cape Hillsborough as the tide was coming in.
RACQ CQ Rescue is one of Mackay’s star assets, one of the few rescue chopper services in Queensland to remain in community hands.
It is understood the rescue service is looking to a manufacturer to possibly replace its two Bell 412s with a newer and better option.
RACQ CQ Rescue CEO Tim Healee said the new choppers would maintain the service’s reputation for hi-tech excellence and save more lives.
“The newer helicopters will provide a much larger range so we will be able to cover a larger area much faster,” he said.
“We can go much further inland, we can go out to the islands or out to the reef, we can go further north.”
The helicopters would be 20-30 per cent faster than the choppers in use now and Mr Healee said the time saving could be as much as 45 minutes to an hour on a trip to a rural property or mine site.
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