Westmount students take control of 'rescue chopper'

Westmount School's deputy head girl Jeannie Simpkin flies the NEST helicopter simulator. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Several Maungaturoto students screamed when the helicopter they were in plunged quickly to the ground.

Thankfully, the helicopter was firmly on the ground in an Onerahi airport hangar , and the "crash" they experienced was simulated.

Northland Westmount School students got to experience Northland Emergency Services Trust's (NEST) helicopter simulator yesterday as a thank you for raising $26,000 for the organisation. They also got a chance to fly in the real rescue helicopter to and from their Maungaturoto-based school.

Deputy head girl Jeannie Simpkin said the money was raised from within the Brethren community in Northland and many people within the community had used NEST's services before.

"We value its service and we'd like to keep it going in the Northland region," she said. Westmount School, while not exclusively Brethren, was started by the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, and has campuses across the country. Miss Simpkin, who had been on a spreading helicopter on her family's Tangiteroria farm before, thoroughly enjoyed the simulator. "It was really fun. It's very realistic - they are not the easiest of things to fly."

Northland Emergency Services Trust general manager Vanessa Furze was extremely thankful for the money, which will fund approximately 10 rescue flights. "I just think it is amazing that a school has managed to fundraise so much money."

She's urging other schools and organisations who might be keen to fundraise for NEST also to just "give it a go". "Give me a call."

"There is a fundraising kit on the NEST website, which provides steps on how to go about fundraising," she said.