Group award recognises father-and-son team effort

IMAGINE for a moment, the scenes faced by father and son helicopter pilots John and Simon McDermott as they descended on flood ridden Grantham in 2011.

The Royal Humane Society of Australia bravery awards at Government House. Award recipients for work done during 2011 floods in and around Ipswich from left, John McDermott and and son Simon of McDermott Aviation at the Sunshine Coast. Photo: David Nielsen / The Queensland Times. Picture: David Nielsen

IMAGINE for a moment, the scenes faced by father and son helicopter pilots John and Simon McDermott as they descended on flood ridden Grantham on January 10, 2011.

Visibility was virtually non-existent, as a torrent of water hammered the aircraft, obstructing anything remotely discernible.

Flying side-by-side as they entered the disaster zone, Simon McDermott of McDermott's Aviation said he didn't have time to fathom the atrocities that lay below him.

"We were there to do a job and you really don't stop to think," he said.

Simon and his father John have been formally recognised for their efforts, receiving a Group Bravery award.

"You never expect this sort of thing because it's just an everyday part of what we do, but it is an incredible buzz for dad and me," Simon said.

Their flight crews, Firebird 460 and Helitack 200, were part of the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (QFRS) rescue operation in the Lockyer Valley.

The two crews conducted 47 rescues, including one in which 12 people were hoisted from the roof of their house.

Looking back on the two days, Simon said his father's extensive knowledge of the area proved invaluable.

"The weather was disgusting and you couldn't see much," he said.

"It was so bad that when we were pulling in, other choppers were pulling out altogether due to low visibility.

"The only reason we could keep on going was because dad had been flying around the area for more than 30 years."