Some Oz EMS history questions...

[Screwed™]

A few questions for some Oz crusty EMS guru’s.
1. When and where was the first EMS machine in Australasia?
2. The first twin EMS machine?
3. The first IFR EMS machine?
Anyone??

[topendtorque]

first dedicated one, no idea, find Tyler, Lee or Ticehurst, they might know, first surf patrol and rescue was at Parafield, Adelaide an Airfast Bell 47G3B1.
complete with long line and human lift strop which was coiled up under fuse and released by an apparatus looking like a push bike brake handle on cyclic.
sponsored by the Westpac bank crewed by driver, Captain Flaps, (Peter Haddon) Engineer Ron Barker. It had another brake handle, bowden cable set up with a extra safety pin through the hook, circa xmas 73.
base manager / commander? none other than the legend, Buck Ryan.

[Oogle]

Am I "crusty"? No! Just well informed.

I think in Sydney at least, Ian Badham was responsible for introducing the first surf patrol aircraft which was a Bell 47 on floats. It quickly transitioned onto a Bell 206 (or a Hiller - can't remember) and the progression into a more medically configured aircraft soon followed.

The "spilit" away from SLSA in Sydney happened around 1986 when the first CareFlight Sydney aircraft (AS350) was introduced into the Western areas of Sydney.

CareFlight QLD on the Gold Coast are celebrating their 25th Anniversary this year and they commenced in a similar fashion as Sydney.

That's the limit of my knowledge but there is a book written by one of the first CareFlight doctors (Ken Wishaw) which details the history. :ok:

[PO dust devil]

Greetings All, Beers all round thanks,

"Angel of Mercy" was an early one. I think originally operated by Vowell (later Helicopter Resources) at Tyabb, Vic. with Victorian ambos on board. I have seen some old pics and those seventies haircuts are frighteningly modern. I am glad the stretchers don't bow in the middle now like they did then, with one guy at each end. Maybe ice-legend/heli-God, Leigh Hornsby would share a tale or two from those early days.

DD

[spinwing]

Yes VH-AAL a Bell 206A was the first full-time dedicated helicopter ambulance in Oz (and possibly the first in the southern Hemisphere?).

Operated out of Tyabb on the Mornington Peninsula in co-operation with the (then) Peninsula Ambulance Service looking after the interests of the peninsula community.

I think it sort of died a political death in about 1980 (ish?) due to the re-establishment of the Vic Pol Airwing, and the Nat. Safety Council operation at Latrobe Valley.

Prob first Twin was the Vic Pol A/W SA365c Dauphin again 1980??

Ahhh goes back to the days before grey hair !!!! :}

[PO dust devil]

Grey hair eh?.......I'll bet there were a lot of things they didn't tell yer before you signed on with this outfit.


DD

[Nigel Osborn]

In the mid 60s Rotorwork & then Helicopter Utilities provided a float equipped 47 with a rescue sling for surf patrols. It used to sit on the grass at a beach north of Manly, can't remember which one. The 47 was replaced with a 206A, I think it was vh-jfa.

[John Eacott]

Prob first Twin was the Vic Pol A/W SA365c Dauphin again 1980??

Ahhh goes back to the days before grey hair !!!! :}

The SA365C was purely police: not used for EMS.

The NSCA (Vic) carried out EMS with their 212s and later the 412; I flew the Townsville 212 (VH-NSB) in 1984 on SAR and RFDS jobs, and later the 412 (NSO) from Illawarra. I suspect that Freddo's Flying Circus may have been the earliest twin ops in Oz.

Going back to TETs reference to Ron Barker, bumped into him only a month ago, still going strong!

[topendtorque]

Re Ron Barker,
Another friend, Turk, I bumped into recently, he said he had been doing tours with Ron into SE Asia somewhere. Apparently Ron carries photos around of the past which he had shown to Turk. Another pilot from that Adelaide surf rescue operation was Keith Wandell who also lived in SA. Both Peter and Keith had been Australian Helicopters pilots along with Steve Pearson and had joined the airfast stable not long before then when Killen had acquired that company.
Ron used to own one of those god awful honda sports cars with a chain drive, which he had modified with a 1600cc cortina engine and standard tailshaft arrangement. It used to go like the clappers.
cheers tet.

[The Tox]

John is correct, the first Vic Pol 365C (VH-PVF) was dedicated to Police Ops and was acquired in 1979. The acquisition of two additional 365Cs (PVA & PVK) saw the establishment of the HEMS operation out of Melbourne in circa '84/'85. Some of the pilots on the HEMS operation in the early days were Dave Anderson, Paul Dobson, Keith Stewart and maybe even John Sonneveld. There were a number of other pilots too but their names escape me now (sorry guys - grey hair syndrome). PVA operated as the primary HEMS aircraft and PVK operated as a backup to both PVA & PVF.The Angel of Mercy ceased operations some time after introduction of the HEMS operation. The NSCA had been providing a medevac coverage for LaTrobe Valley in repsonse to union requirements and I think it was partially funded by organisations in the area. The demise of the NSCA in '88 provided the opportunity for LLoyd Helicopters (later CHC) to step in and partner with the Victorian Ambulance Service, as it was then. I'm happy to be corrected .......

[John Eacott]

Tox,

John Sonnerveld had left some time earlier, before Ron Newman IIRC.

Ian Galt was there plus Tony Griggs moving up from being a crewman, and I don't recall that you had that much hair to go grey anyway :p

[The Tox]

Thanks John, I wasn't sure if Sonar had departed the scene before the HEMS operation kicked off. As for the hair - you got me. ;) Happy Easter All...