Mackay remembers tragic loss on 15th anniversary

Tribute to helicopter crewmen as RACQ CQ Rescue prepares for flyover and wreath laying

RACQ CQ Rescue crewmen killed in the tragic crash off Cape Hillsborough on October 17, 2003 were paramedic Craig Liddington, pilot Andy Carpenter and air crewman Stewart Eva. Picture: RACQ CQ Rescue

PARENTS lost sons, a young boy lost his dad, colleagues lost workmates and the region was shaken by the magnitude of the tragic loss.

October 17, 2003 is the darkest day in CQ Rescue and Mackay's history - it was the day the rescuers could not be saved.

On that dark night, three RACQ CQ Rescue crew members were killed when the Bell 407 ditched into the sea between Cape Hillsborough and Little Green Island, off Shoal Point.

It started off as a routine Friday night medivac mission, but ended tragically six kilometres east of Cape Hillsborough when the RACQ CQ Rescue helicopter suddenly plunged into the sea.

On board were the pilot Andy Carpenter, crewman Stewart Eva and paramedic Craig Liddington.

All men were aged just 31. There were no survivors.

The helicopter crew were en route to Hamilton Island for a medical transfer at 9.35pm. Less than 10 minutes into the flight, the single-engine helicopter went down at high impact without any warning or mayday calls received from the crew.

Pilot Andrew Carpenter was born in New Zealand where he began flying helicopters. He worked in Gladstone before joining the RACQ-CQ RESQ team in August 2003.

Crewman Stewart Eva had been with the team since 2002 after a 10-year stint in the Australian Army. He'd flown in Army Black Hawks in Australia as well as in East Timor and the Solomon Islands. He was also involved in special operations for the Olympic Games and CHOGM.

Intensive care paramedic Craig Liddington, who began his career in Emerald, had been in Mackay for four years.

All three were held in very high regard by their colleagues and the community.

For the last 15 years, the Eva family has made the annual pilgrimage to Cape Hillsborough to pay their respects to their son and brother Stewart.

"We come every year to Mackay, with a sense of apprehension, but also with a sense of welcome," Jan Eva said.

"We once said we could never return, but it is the people here that always bring us back. It touched us deeply to know how much of an impact the crash had on the ordinary people of Mackay.

"We go out to Cape Hillsborough and up to visit the memorial at Turtle Point Lookout every year, and have done so for the past 15 years, to honour the sacrifice these three vibrant young men made and also the sacrifice their families have made.

"We lay flowers under the names of each of the three young men under the community memorial."

Immediately following the crash, the Eva family became very close to the other lost crew members' families, particularly during those agonising four days as they searched for the bodies.

"It was like we were in a cocoon but a fog all at once," Jan said.

"The other reason that we visit the lookout at Cape Hillsborough every year on the anniversary is that it is closest point of land to the crash site.

"When Sergeant Zane Male, the police assistant to the Coroner, saw the lookout, he mentioned it was a line of sight to the crash site as the helicopter was only in the air seven minutes after departing the Mackay airport. We also feel closer to Stewart there," she said.

The incident prompted an Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation and led to a number of procedural changes to enhance the safety of the State's rescue helicopter network.

The coroner found "these three young men died serving the public of Queensland in very responsible positions and had assisted many people in times of physical distress, bring them safely to the medical facilities which would not have been immediately available to them but for the intervention of the community-based helicopter rescue service".

"We feel that flying crew of all emergency aircraft owe a debt of gratitude for this sacrifice made 15 years ago and for other fatalities that happened around that time that forced the changes to emergency aeronautical operations," Jan said.

RACQ CQ Rescue plans to mark the anniversary with a flyover at Cape Hillsborough on the Wednesday, October 17 and laying of a wreath into the water.

Crew, staff and board members, both past and present, will join the Eva family on the trek up to Turtle Point lookout to honour the lost crewman and place flowers at the memorial plaque.

The darkest day in CQ Rescue's history resulted in statewide changes that made aeromedical helicopters safer and the introduction of the safer twin-engine IFR machines.

Despite the huge loss, CQ Rescue was back up in the skies again just over a week after the accident. But it's a day not likely to ever be forgotten by the families or those involved.

"It's been 15 years, but there is still not a day that goes by that our hearts long to hear a knock on the door and Stewart's familiar voice saying 'got some time for a brew?'" Jan said.

The enduring legacy of our lost rescue crewmen has been to use this tragedy as a source of strength and respect and to always seek out the seed of triumph in the face of tragedy and adversity. - RACQ CQ RESCUE

ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTE PLANNED

RACQ CQ Rescue will mark the anniversary with a flyover at Cape Hillsborough today, Wednesday, October 17, and by laying of a wreath into the water.

Crew, staff and board members, past and present, will join the Eva family on the trek up to Turtle Point lookout to honour the lost crewman and place flowers at the memorial plaque.

Originally published as Mackay remembers tragic loss on 15th anniversary