Holy flight for rescue service

LifeFlight has saved hundreds of Queenslanders over the years, but the aeromedical service revealed it was on a mission for one of the most famous men in the world this week.

Pope Francis attends a mass in Dili, East Timor this week.

LifeFlight has saved hundreds of Queenslanders over the years, but the aeromedical service revealed it was on a particularly holy mission this month.

LifeFlight chair and former Queensland deputy premier Jim Elder revealed at a gala dinner on Thursday in aid of the rescue service, that it has been on standby during Pope Francis’ recent tour of Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Timor Leste and Singapore.

“As we speak one of our jets is on the tarmac in Singapore,” Elder told the annual Wine and Law charity soiree put on by Sunshine Coast legal eagle Travis Schultz and his firm.

The Pope, 87, faced a gruelling schedule on his Asian tour that attracted huge crowds to outdoor masses. Elder says the global reach of Brisbane-based LifeFlight with its fleet of jets and helicopters could not be underestimated.

Sunshine Coast lawyer and wine lover Travis Schultz.

“We flew through Asia, the US and Europe right through the Covid-19 period,” Elder said. “We are out daily with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and others dealing with people that are lost and need to be found. We were the first responders during the Lismore floods and on the first day, we rescued 23 people, 18 dogs, three cats, and a turtle.

So, if we’re needed, we’re there. It has come from two helicopters to 20 helicopters, and five jets. We’re one of Queensland’s best-kept secrets.”

Elder also had a word of advice to Aussies travelling overseas – take out insurance before you go. “If you haven’t and you need to be repatriated, it’ll be us that’ll bring you back and the cost is $400,000. You see a lot of crowd-funding and as a charity we help as many people as we can but it’s expensive.”

Border Crossing

The Law and Wine event attracted hundreds of legal and business types to the W Hotel where cricketing greats Ian Healy, Darren Lehmann and Andy Bichel replayed the highlights of their career with a lot of humour.

Fastbowler Bichel recalled his surprise call up to the 2003 World Cup side against England that saw him take a career best 7-20.

But it was an encounter with the legendary Allan ‘Capt Grumpy’ Border in an earlier match that was really seared into his memory.

Andy Bichel plays the ball behind the wicket.

‘I was playing in my first match for Queensland,” Bichel recalled. “I bowled my first over, and went down to fine leg, and it was all cool. I think Geoff Marsh might have tickled one around the corner and I just picked this ball up and tried to throw it in flat as I could over top the stumps to Ian Healy. And I got it wrong. It bounced into Heels at one bounce. Alan Border was at first slip and he walked about, I’m going to say 45 metres towards me and told me in no uncertain terms ‘we are in the big leagues now, we throw over the top of the stumps.’ In the next 16 years, I did not bounce one throw over the top of the stumps. He’s a legend.” It was also revealed on the night that Border is somewhat of a wine connoisseur, teaming up with Victorian-based Sanguine Estate Wines to produce his own vintage called the Maiden Tonne. Sanguine, based in Heathcote and run by the Hunter family, showcased their selection of reds and white at the Law and Wine dinner.

Originally published as Holy flight for rescue service