Aeromedical organisation RACQ LifeFlight has been elevated to the list of Queensland Greats, winning a major award at a ceremony in Brisbane on 6 June.
The annual Queensland Greats Awards began in 2001 with the aim of recognising people and organisations that have made a meaningful contribution to the state.
LifeFlight chair Jim Elder accepted the Queensland Greats Institution Award by Premier Steven Miles at a gala dinner held at the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art.
"Every 70 minutes, LifeFlight rescues a seriously ill or injured Queenslander thanks to the dedication of more than 500 highly skilled critical care doctors, nurses, paramedics, engineers, aviation and medical training experts, coordination specialists and administrators,” Elder said.
“Under the leadership and guidance of Retrieval Services Queensland, LifeFlight’s rescue helicopters perform a vital retrieval and rescue function in Queensland – connecting all Queenslanders to world-class, life-saving care.
"We’re incredibly grateful to the Queensland Government and our partners who have worked beside us on this journey.”
In the past year, LifeFlight helped close to 7500 people with a fleet of helicopters, jets and aeromedical teams.
LifeFlight’s fleet of four jets and 16 helicopters service Queensland, other states in Australia and abroad, and also supports SAR operations across 53 million square km of land and sea for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).
"As a not-for-profit dedicated to the patient, we are immensely proud to be recognised as a Queensland Great and humbled to accept this award on behalf of everyone who has been on this incredible journey with us," said CEO Ashley van de Velde OAM.
“We proudly accept this award on behalf of the 90,000 people helped since LifeFlight first took to the skies with a single rescue helicopter 45 years ago."