On 7 December 1975, with a $15,000 sponsorship and a Bell 47 helicopter, the Newcastle branch of Surf Lifesaving and the Wales Rescue Helicopter Service launched from Merewether Beach. A celebration that was marked with speeches, the popping of champagne corks, and a very timely first ever rescue for the now Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service.
The seeds of what would become the Service would be sown four years earlier in December 1971, when delegates from Newcastle, Sydney and Central Coast Surf Lifesaving branches were sent to the South Pacific Lifeguard Training School in New Zealand.
Local and international coverage at the time discussed the importance of helicopter interventions in conjunction with other first responders.
“Other emergency organisations such as police, ambulance and bush fire brigades would welcome the introduction of a helicopter service as an extremely useful addition to the facilities currently available.” – Airfast News, March 1973
As a result, the Sydney based Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter would be the first Australian rescue helicopter, launching in September 1973. A launch which sparked conversations surrounding the opportunity for a similar aircraft to be operated out of Newcastle.
In 1973, Cliff Marsh OAM would go on to comment,
“…such a rescue system would involve the training of special pilots and new techniques would have to be taught to lifesavers.”
The branch commenced training more than 6 months earlier than the launch on December 7. The twelve-man crew underwent an extensive program of training; first aid, radio communications, ocean rescue techniques and advanced resuscitation alongside a weekend-long training session at Catherine Hill Bay.
Across the summer, this volunteer twelve-man crew would continue to service the coast from Hawks Nest to Catherine Hill Bay each weekend from 12-5pm on Saturdays and 8am-5pm on Sundays and public holidays.
In 2025, the Service celebrates a significant milestone, 50 years of providing rescue helicopter services to communities within Northern NSW.
After commencing from humble beginnings as a volunteer weekend beach patrol with a single engine aircraft, the Service has grown to become an integral part of the Statewide NSW Ambulance and NSW Health aeromedical response.
This response now includes five state of the art aircraft, three forward operating bases in Belmont, Tamworth and Lismore, a dedicated team of pilots and aircrew officers, and specialist engineers ensuring our ability to deliver the helicopter critical care medical teams, consisting of NSW Ambulance critical care paramedics and NSW Health doctors, to the point of need in communities across Northern NSW.