Life Flight

What is your job with Life Flight?
My job is Crewman on the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.

How long have you worked for Life Flight?
I started as a casual Aeroplane Crewman in 2012 and moved onto the Westpac Rescue Helicopter full time in August 2020.

What work did you do before coming to Life Flight?
Farming, retail, IT and emergency services. Most recently I was a Firefighter and Chief Fire Officer of the Wellington Airport Fire Service.

What attracted you to this job?
My earliest childhood career aspiration was to be a Helicopter Pilot and although I took a different career path, I’ve always wanted to work on helicopters. To be able to do that while making a real difference in the community, working shift work and being challenged to put my skills to good use make this my dream job.

What is the best part of the job?
Being able to help someone in their time of need while flying in a helicopter with great colleagues.

What is the hardest part of your job?
We face adverse situations most days where a constantly varying combination of time, weather, location, patient condition and emotion all need to be considered. There isn’t usually a textbook answer, so knowledge, experience and teamwork combine to get the job done.

What was the main thing that stood out for you when you started working here?
I distinctly remember back in 2012 being amazed by the absolute commitment to our patients. Coming from a corporate background I expected a charity to have to focus on the dollars, however it was refreshing to find that the patient is always the priority. This is made possible by the tireless effort behind the scenes of our amazing fundraising, marketing and support teams and of course you our supporters.

What do you do when you’re not at work?
I live on a lifestyle block near Carterton, volunteer in the Carterton Volunteer Fire Brigade, ride a Ducati Superbike and love to travel – usually much further abroad than 2020 allowed!

What would you like to say to our wonderful supporters?
Thank you for enabling us to help so many people every year. Every dollar makes a difference, every volunteered minute makes a difference, every social media share makes a difference – we couldn’t do what we do without the help of you all.