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Voice for Mining Family Day a chance to thank Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service
The amazing crew and staff of the NSW Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service will be thanked in front of a capacity crowd at the Voice for Mining Family Day rugby league match between the Newcastle Knights and Melbourne Storm this Sunday the 18th of August.
Prior to kick off on Sunday, Knights members, fans as well as the 5,000 strong contingent of mining employees attending the game will have the opportunity to thank the Westpac Rescue Chopper Service.
One of the Service’s valued rescue choppers will land in Hunter Stadium prior to kick-off and will be carrying a very special member of the mining community.
Former Lake Macquarie miner and now Coal Services Mines Rescue training officer Jared Bentley will travel to the ground by the chopper as a deep mark of the gratitude the mining industry owes to this important service.
Jared Bentley was once a beneficiary of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service after breaking his neck while out riding his mountain bike. He has fully recovered and will be joined by his family and some of his colleagues on the field to welcome the chopper crew and pay tribute to them and the work they do on behalf of the whole community.
“I literally wouldn’t be here – my wife wouldn’t have a husband and my kids wouldn’t have a Dad – if it wasn’t for the amazing service provided by the men and women of the Westpac Rescue Chopper Service. The mining industry is damn fortunate to have them in the Hunter and it’s great we get to thank them today,” Mr Bentley said.
Newcastle Knights CEO, Matt Gidley said the Knights were not only pleased to support local miners, but the work of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service as well.
“Mining in the Hunter is a community based industry; and sometimes our community needs the help of dedicated men and women like those from the Westpac Rescue Chopper Service. The Knights are proud to have them land at Hunter Stadium as part of the Voice for Mining Family Day,” Mr Gidley said.
NSW Minerals Council CEO, Stephen Galilee said that the Hunter mining industry in particular owed a debt of gratitude to the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service.
“The Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service has been in partnership with NSW Mining over thirty years. This long-lasting partnership has stood the test of time because the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service and its dedicated staff are so valued by the whole community. We are proud to help keep the Service in our skies so that they can help people in the Hunter, including our mining employees, help when they need it most,” Mr Galilee said.
The Westpac Chopper will land as part of the Voice for Mining Family Day; a partnership between the NSW Minerals Council’s Voice for Mining campaign (voiceformining.com.au) platform and the Newcastle Knights.
The day will showcase support for mining in the Hunter, especially among the 15,300 miners who live and work in the region.
More information can be found at voiceformining.com.au or www.newcastleknights.com.au
Contact: Brad Emery – 0419 297 004