8th, February, 2025

Our three forward operating line bases at Belmont, Tamworth and Lismore all host a dedicated team of engineers, on call 24/7, undertaking both scheduled and unscheduled maintenance activities, ensuring that when tasked by NSW Ambulance, aircrews and critical care medical teams can respond within minutes.

For major engineering work and regular flight hour scheduled maintenance, aircraft are taken offline and relocated to the Service’s deep level maintenance and engineering facility in Broadmeadow.

The Broadmeadow facility features a hangar that has a rich history, that encapsulates the community spirt that supports the Service throughout Northern NSW.

After the Angel One community appeal to purchase the Service’s first twin engine aircraft, the AS365 C3 Dauphin, Zdzislaw Joseph Slupik, or ‘Joe’ to his friends, rallied community support, friends and suppliers, donating his own time and labour to build the Broadmeadow hangar so that the new aircraft would not have to be kept out in the weather.

As a result of Joe’s efforts, the new hangar was built in 1990 at no cost to the Service and was named in his honour.

Joe left a lasting legacy, donating his time and labour to build our first hangar, that today houses our modern fleet of aircraft and our team of skilled engineers as they undertake essential heavy maintenance that ensures our aircraft remain ready to respond.

Sadly Joe passed away on December 27, 2023 aged 73 years but his name adorns the hangar that he and his team of volunteers proudly built over 30 years ago.

This is the spirit that gives rise to the term the ‘community’s own’ and we remember Joe for his great work for the community and the Service.