8th, March, 2024

We would like to acknowledge a man who made a significant contribution to our Broadmeadow Base in its formative years and whose gesture reflects the spirit that encapsulates ‘the community’s own rescue helicopter.’

The Service wishes to extend its sincere condolences to the family of Joe Slupik (Zdzislaw Joseph Slupik) who sadly passed away on December 27 2023, aged 73 years.

Joe left a lasting legacy for the Service’s Broadmeadow heavy maintenance facility by donating his time and labour to build our first hangar in 1990 that was to house another first, our first twin engine aircraft.

After the Angel One community appeal conducted in 1989 to purchase the Service’s first twin engine aircraft, the AS365 C3 Dauphin, Joe rallied community support, friends and suppliers, donating his own time and labour so that the new aircraft was not kept out in the weather.

Joe couldn’t believe that after all the generous support shown by the community through the Angel One appeal, that the newly acquired aircraft would have to sit out in the open, exposed to the elements, in all weather conditions.

So Joe started lobbying the community, manufacturers and tradespeople for support to build the Service’s first purpose built hangar. Joe and business partner Warren Dean of Maitland Fabrications, secured donations of materials and volunteers from Joe’s own team of workers to build the hangar.

As a result of Joe’s efforts, the new hangar was built at no cost to the Service and was named in his honour – ‘The Joe Slupik Hangar’. This is the spirit that makes this service truly the ‘community’s own’ and we remember Joe for his great work for the community’s rescue helicopter.