Rescue helicopter support group boosted by line dancers' donation

Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service’s Gunnedah Support Group has received a considerable donation from the Footloose Line Dance Club.

Footloose Line Dance donated $1000 to the organisation for its considerable contribution to the community and the importance of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service’s role in regional and rural areas.

The club donates all money it makes back into the community.

Footloose Line Dance Club has been running for more than 30 years, originally under Doris Hollidge who started the group in 1994.

Vicki Grover and Glenda Silver then went on to take over the group in 2000 and have been successfully running and teaching at Footloose Line Dance since.

The group has proven to be popular, running every Tuesday night from roughly 5pm to 7:30pm with classes ranging from beginners, intermediate, to advanced which are hosted every fortnight.

Giving back to the community is important to Vicki and Glenda, both saying that the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service has been something they wanted to donate to for a long time.

“It’s something that we see used a lot,” Vicki said.

“And [Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service is] not only for a certain part of the community, it’s for everybody and, being rural, we cannot get to the services like those in the cities can.”

“[Donating to the community] just gives us a great buzz, knowing that we’re helping somebody that needs help,” Glenda said.

“Especially the volunteers, we’re volunteers too. We take nothing out of Footloose Line Dancing apart from the people that come in the door and pay, which we then contribute that money to whatever we think might need some help.”

For the volunteers at the local support group, receiving such a large donation means a lot.

Volunteer Heather Welch said that to receive such a donation is special, and will go a long way.

“It’s just wonderful what our community do, these lovely ladies run the line dancing once a week and they donate each year to one of our local charities and it’s fantastic that we are the recipients because every donation does keep the helicopter flying,” Heather said.

“I think it makes people happy to give to the helicopter, being a free service, and then when they hear it come in they know that they’ve contributed in some way and that’s how we feel as a group, that we just want to keep it flying and a free service because those in rural and remote areas really need it.”

The Gunnedah support group works hard to raise money and support for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service.

The group holds an annual charity golf day to raise money, hosts raffles, and regularly attends clearing sales, community events and functions with the trusty trailer barbecue.

“(Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service, Gunnedah Support Group] is a wonderful group to work with, and I just think that to live in a town such as Gunnedah and have the support that we have is amazing.” Heather said.

“And this sense of community is just wonderful.”