One high country farmer’s vision has become a reality.
The ribbon was cut in Fairlie last Thursday at the town’s new helipad, when about 150 people braved the weather to mark the moment.
The helipad project was six years in the making, spearheaded by Andrew ‘‘Buster’’ Hurst, after the rescue helicopter crew managed to save his leg after a collision on his farm.
Mr Hurst said the helipad having instrument flight rules (IFR) meant helicopters could fly to the new helipad in low cloud or more adverse weather conditions.
‘‘I would hate to think that the rescue helicopter couldn’t help someone because it couldn’t land.’’
He said the job of building it was more complex than he had first imagined.
‘‘Initially I thought I’d just be able to go down with a digger, scrape a bit of grass off and pour some concrete.
‘‘It turns out there’s a lot more involved in a helipad than that. But the helipad is as good as it could ever be; I’m stoked with what the community has achieved.’’
Dr Paula Hyde said the helipad was born through Mr Hurst’s tough journey of recovery.
She said historically, the land had been used as stockyards.
When they closed, and the fences were taken down, a circle with an H sprayed into the grass had provided an impromptu emergency landing space near the medical centre.
She said while it had worked really well for a time, the ground had become rutted and the grass was often overgrown.
In the past a volunteer had mowed the grass when it was getting too long for safety, she said they had ‘‘scooped’’ the mown grass into rows which had been left drying.
The grass was about to be collected the following day when the helicopter had been called in, as the helicopter hovered above the landing all of the dry grass had shot out and covered the nearby hedges and gardens.
The area had been prone to flooding, but newly-installed culverts aimed to keep the landing accessible.
Dr Hyde said watching the helipad being constructed from her clinic window had been ‘‘fun’’.
She said it was not just the rescue helicopter which would be sped up by the installation, but ambulances arriving from Timaru would not have to block patients in the carpark, as they now had their own parking space with an easy access pavement.
Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust chief executive Christine Prince said the Fairlie community had shown an extraordinary level of commitment and heart throughout the helipad project.
‘‘This helipad is a meaningful investment in the future health and safety of Fairlie, which will benefit families for generations.’’
Mrs Prince said South Canterbury was ‘‘top of the class’’ at getting helipads into their small centres.
‘‘South Canterbury is leading the charge.’’
The Fairlie community quickly embraced the helipad project, raising the $90,000 required.
‘‘The Fairlie Lions Club immediately got behind the idea, as did High Country Earthworks, L&L Construction and Fulton Hogan,’’ Mr Hurst said.
‘‘Every business or person we asked for support immediately said ‘yes’. It was a real community project.’’
Other major donations came from the Fairlie Community Op Shop, the Fairlie Community Board and the Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust, which funded the specialist helipad lighting and control system.
The Mackenzie District Council has committed to maintaining the helipad.
