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Brothers on patrol

2025 - Drover's Run

Please Help Us
Reach Our Goal

Raised

$2,661

Our Goal

$2,500

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A week on the chopper

To give an example of a week on the chopper, Dr Rabs completed 7 missions over the previous week's shifts. Without any identifying details this was not an unusual mix of patients and locations.

Transferred a patient with an injury from Glen Innes to John Hunter Hospital, but patient met at Armidale airport with a local ambulance crew

Attended a sick medical patient in Gunnedah and transferred them to Tamworth Hospital

Attended a farming accident southwest of Coonamble and move a patient to Dubbo Hospital for further treatment.

Transferred a trauma patient from Tamworth Hospital to meet a plane from Sydney, on a day where the weather was prohibitive for our helicopter to fly to Newcastle or Sydney.

Attended an injured farmer in Warialda where he was treated and moved to Tamworth Hospital

A search and rescue mission after a person got into distress and deployed their PLB (personal locater beacon). Patient found safe and well at the given coordinates and further help arranged.

Moved a medical patient from Glen Innes to Tamworth Hospital.  

Every donation towards the Drover's Run helps to keep this missions going. 

Almost ready

Car mechanically checked,  everything packed except food, washed and stickers applied. Just don't look at the passenger door sticker as my patience had expired by then.

I would not make much of a sign writer!

Only a few weeks left to grab your chance to win an Evakool fridge/freezer. One ticket per $50 donated and will be drawn the Saturday after our return. 


Dog days...

A visit to our Tamworth Base to drop off some medical stores, pick up our Drovers Run gear and let border collie Asha see one of our AW139 helicopters.

I think she would enjoy becoming the base mascot!

HUET !


Every 2 years all crew members must complete the dreaded HUET (Helicopter Underwater Escape Training)!. Well it's dreaded for most of us but some people seem to enjoy it. They are the sick ones!

Helicopters are top heavy so after a ditching (a controlled landing into water), they tend to tip upside down as they sink.  Regular training maximises the chance of survival through a rehearsed approach to escaping whilst you are strapped in upside-down  and unable to see.

These days the training is mostly run at the state of the art HUET facility in Bankstown.

https://www.tollambulancerescue.com.au/news/toll-helicopters-start-saving-lives-in-southern-nsw/

Rabs has his next HUET in early July and a number of sleepless nights will commence closer to the dates!

Luckily we train with an Emergegcy Breathing System (EBS) which provides a handful of breaths and a better chance of survival in a real world event.  


Close connections

The nature of the work means you form close friends between the members of the team. Each mission is crewed by a commercial pilot with thousands of hours of advanced flying experience including full instrument and night vision goggle ratings. They are accompanied by a crewperson who provides flight and navigation assistance as well as providing winching operations and help with general aircraft checks and fueling. Both members of the flight crew assist in patient loading unloading as well as treatment when required. Crewmen are integral in ongoing aviation specific training for the medical staff.

The medical team consists of a Critical Care Paramedic (CCP) who hold the highest level of training in the Ambulance Service, including advanced rescue capability, and lastly a critical care trained doctor with backgrounds in either Emergency Medicine, Intensive Care or Anaesthetics. For some missions, highly trained NSW Health Registered Nurses replace the paramedic.

Those behind the scenes include our skilled engineers and passionate marketing staff.

Here you can see Rabs and our Team Leader CCP Dan enjoying a return flight after delivering a patient to John Hunter Hospital.

Its not all hard work

Donate to our team and go into the draw to win an Evakool fridge (see earlier post for more details)!

Although the work can be stressful and challenging, the relatively low flying nature of helicopters guarantees some spectacular scenery.


Sponsor the brothers and go into the draw to win an Evakool fridge!

With the help of TJM Tamworth, the "Brothers" are offering the chance to win an Evakool limited edition 50l "Coastal Sands" 50l fridge/freezer, made in QLD, Australia.

For every $50 donated to our team, you will receive one entry into the draw to win this fridge/freezer. All we need is some sort of contact details when you add your donation.

Getting ready for another Drover's Run

This is the third run for Steve "Rabs" Burrows after 2022 and 2023. A third different "Burrows" joins us this year after Danielle in 2022 and Julie in 2023. David "Doogs" Burrows excitedly is completing the team for 2025 and comes with a long history of 4wding and life in the outdoors.

Rabs continues to work half time as a doc on the Tamworth chopper and by the time of the run will have completed about 550 missions over the last 12 years. He knows first hand the importance of this service for getting to, treating and moving sick or injured patients to where they need to be.

Patient transfer to the Gold Coast University Hospital

On return to base after delivering a patient to the Gold Coast University Hospital. South Eastern QLD Hospitals are often the closest for patients in Northern NSW and enables more timely treatment for serious injuries and medical conditions,

We're fundraising for...

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service, by taking part in the 2025 Drover's Run 4WD Outback Adventure.

Every dollar raised contributes to keeping the Rescue Helicopter Service available 24/7, 365 days a year.

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service (Northern NSW) provides a number of mission capabilities, including "primary" missions (mostly attending serious accidents) and "secondary" missions (moving sick patients between hospitals) as well as search and rescue services. These capabilities include water rescue and other winching activities as required. 

 
The Leonardo AW139 Helicopters cost approximately $1,000 per hour in fuel, $1,000 per for the engines, $1,500 for the airframe and for $500 avionics, that’s a total of $4,000 per hour before wages and other service running costs are added.

Support our fundraising page to keep the Northern NSW Westpac helicopters and crews ready to respond when needed.

Thank you to our Sponsors

$264

Rescue Me Recovery

$211

Systems Working For You Pty Ltd

Great job Dave

$106

Batts

Love your work boys - safe travels

$106

Michael O'flynn

Go you good things

$106

Paul Pham

Love your work with the service Rabs!

$106

Jimmy Scott

Way to go Rabs, enjoy the Drovers Run.

$106

Sonia Langlais

$106

Guy Madden

Great Job Dave

$106

Edith Burrows

Have a safe trip - love Mum

$106

Elyse

Congratulations on what you’ve raised so far. A great cause for a wonderful team of lifesavers ❤️

$106

Alex Little

Such a great cause - have a fantastic trip!!

$104

All Heart Wonderland

$79

Garry Fisher

Have fun guys

$54

Jason Lee

Good luck fellas

$54

Danica Krcoski

Well done. All the Best.

$54

Stuart Harris

Let no rabbit-proof fence stop your run. Hopefully you won't need to use your HUET training. Best of luck - maybe next time it'll be an EV!

$54

Karen Lindsay

$54

Craig Hartin

Have fun dodges and don't forget the fish

$54

Brian Kelly

Thanks for the work you do

$54

Doug & Lynn

$54

The Aldertons

Best wishes for a safe and adventurous trip!

$54

Jordan Webb

$54

Amy Pirouet

Good luck guys, have fun David.

$54

Malachii

$54

Kim Talbot

$54

Tree Change - Byron Bay Gardening And Property Maintenance

Go big or go home boys! ❤️

$54

Karen Burrows

Love you guys 💙

$54

Carl Dunn

Hope you have an amazing trip

$54

Stephanie Maunder

Great cause, great adventure!

$54

Helen Orvad

Where would they be without you!,

$50

Foz

Go Rabs!

$50

Craig Murphy

$28

Mia Burrows

Go Rabs and Doogs!!!

Our Team Members