Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter pilot of over 30 years Grant Bremner is retiring. Photo / Supplied
Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter pilot of over 30 years Grant Bremner is retiring. Photo / Supplied
Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter founding member and pilot of over 30 years Grant Bremner is retiring.
Philips Search & Rescue Trust (PSRT) and the Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter rescue crew have farewelled Grant who is a familiar face to many and has been there from the beginning.
He has been flying the rescue helicopter since its inception in 1987, when he was approached to join the newly formed rescue helicopter service PSRT, following a fatal air accident two years earlier in Turangi that claimed the lives of two Philips executives and their pilot.
When Grant was a young boy there was no doubt he'd be a pilot one day. The love of flying is in his DNA, with his father a recreational pilot and his uncle a WWII fighter pilot in RNZAF's renowned 486 Squadron.
The ambition to fly aircraft and enthusiasm to make a difference in the community just came naturally.
He joined PSRT at a unique time because there were no other local charity-based rescue helicopter services and certainly none funded by the community. So, Grant was charged with setting up a base in Hamilton, today known as Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter.
He says this was his greatest challenge during his time with the PSRT. "Everything was completely new and foreign, we started from scratch on a blank canvas."
At the time, Waikato Hospital didn't even have a helipad, so the helicopter would land on the local nursing home's tennis court greeted by Waikato Hospital's medical crew.
Grant was involved in campaigning to raise funds to build Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter's hangar and helipad.
He says although it was tough at times to raise the level of funding required to sustain and establish a maiden rescue helicopter operation, support from the community was abundant.
The service relied predominantly on sponsorship and community support to fund the operations.
Grant Bremner has been flying the rescue helicopter since its inception in 1987. Photo / Supplied
"Association with the region's first and only rescue helicopter service appealed to most businesses, it was a highly visible community cause to support. Trustbank, which later became Westpac, came on board as foundation sponsor, and continues as principal sponsor today for the Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter".
Outside his long-serving role with the Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter, Grant is grandfather to two and usually enjoys spending time in Whangamata. He likes getting outdoors to mountain bike, ski, or fish.
The Philips Search and Rescue Trust says Grant has played a crucial role in the development of this invaluable service, and without him and his efforts, the rescue helicopters would not be where they are today.
"The impact Grant has made on the community over the past 3 and a half decades is unforgettable, so we thank Grant for his incredible service and dedication to saving lives."
