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Board of Directors

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service is an autonomous organisation that is managed by a General Manager under the control of an honorary Board of Directors.

Board of Directors

The 11 member Board of Directors are various local community members, who represent notable organisations in the Helicopter Service's operating region. They are as follows:

  • Cliff Marsh OAM Chairman (representing Hunter Branch of Surf Life Saving Association)
  • Peter Kilmurray (representing Hunter Branch of Surf Life Saving Association)
  • David Phelan (representing Hunter Branch of Surf Life Saving Association)
  • Michael Slater (representing Hunter Branch of Surf Life Saving Association)
  • Kyle Loades (representing Hunter Branch of Surf Life Saving Association)
  • Cr Gwen Jackson (representing Newcastle City Council)
  • Margaret Flannery (representing Hunter Region of Councils)
  • Karen Howard (representing Hunter Business Chamber)
  • Peter Jordan (representing United Mine Workers Federation)
  • Noel O'Brien (representing New England/North West Committee)
  • David Oswald (Staff Elected)

The Board meets six times a year.

 

 

New England & North West Advisory Committee

  • Tony Windsor MP (Chair) (Member for New England)
  • Brian Birchall (Former Westpac Rural Business Branch Manager)
  • Max Cathcart (representing Tamworth Chamber of Commerce)
  • Peter Draper MP (Member for Tamworth)
  • Sharon Grellman (Support Group Chair - Wee Waa)
  • Richard Jones (General Manager Hunter Region SLSA Helicopter Rescue Service)
  • Hamish McLaren (Walcha)
  • Cliff Marsh (representing Board of Directors)
  • Lindsay Maybury (Quirindi)
  • Noel O'Brien (representing Gunnedah)
  • Mike Peoples (representing Westpac)
  • Richard Torbay MP (Member for Armidale)
  • James Treloar (representing City of Tamworth)
  • Ross Whittaker (Gunnedah - United Mineworkers Federation)

 

 

Director Profiles

Background

The Board of the Hunter Region SLSA Helicopter Rescue Service comprises 11 persons nominated annually by their respective organisations to serve a 12 month term. In many cases these directors have been renominated and have served as directors for a number of years. Directors are listed by the organisation they represent, and a brief profile is given for each director.

  1. Hunter Branch Surf Lifesaving

    • Cliff Marsh OAM – Chairman of Board
      Cliff has been a director since 1991, and Chairman from 1992. Cliff also chairs the Finance Committee, is a member of the Audit Committee and the Tamworth Advisory Committee. He was President of the Newcastle Branch SLSA (as it was then known) in 1974 and a member of the committee which investigated, and then, recommended that a Helicopter Rescue Service be formed by the Branch using volunteer life savers as crew. The fledgling service commenced aerial beach patrols in December 1975 and has grown into the country's leading aeromedical EMS helicopter service over many years. He is now retired and is still an active member of Swansea-Belmont SLSC, having achieved considerable success in recent years as coach of their Senior R&R Teams at State and National level.
    • Peter Kilmurray
      Peter has been a director since 1996, and is a member of the Finance Committee. He is a former President of Cooks Hill SLSC and is the senior partner of Trisley Kilmurray Lawyers in Newcastle.
    • Kyle Loades
      Kyle has been a director since 1998 and is Chair of the Marketing Committee. He is a former President of Nobbys SLSC and is a Director of the NRMA Motoring Group representing the Central Coast and Hunter regions of NSW, Director of Thrifty and the Hunter Business Chamber. He is the Managing Director Auto Advantage Pty Ltd.
    • David Phelan
      David has been a director since 1997 and is a member of the Marketing Committee. He is a former President of Cooks Hill SLSC, and is a director of Dalton Partners Real Estate at The Junction. David has recently taken up competing in triathlons with his young son to keep his mind and body fit.
    • Michael Slater
      Mike has been a director since 1996, is a member of the Finance Committee and chairs the Audit Committee. Mike has held executive management positions, and is currently Chairman of Newcastle Permanent Building Society and is a director of NIB Health Funds, CIBIS Pty Ltd, Dennis Veitch & Associates and the University of Newcastle Foundation.

  2. Newcastle City Council

    • Cr Gwen Jackson
      Gwen has been a director since 2004 and brings a wealth of community involvement to the board. Her late husband Phil was also a Council representative on the board from 1995 until his sudden passing in January 2002. Gwen is also a director of the International Sports Centre Trust.

  3. Hunter Business Chamber

    • Karen Howard
      Karen has been a director since 2003 and is a member of the Marketing Committee. She is a Vice President of the Hunter Business Chamber and a member of the NSW Small Business Development Corporation. Karen is the Managing Director of the Nineways Commercial Centre.

  4. Hunter Councils

    • Cr Margaret Flannery
      Margaret has been a director since 1999, has been a Councillor on the Dungog Shire Council since 1996 and is a member of Hunter Councils. She is active in many community organisations within the Dungog region and has a great appreciation of the importance of the helicopter service to the people of smaller rural towns in the Hunter Valley.

  5. United Mineworkers Federation of Australia
    • Peter Jordan
       
  6. Staff Elected Director

    • David Oswald
      David has been a director since 2004 and is the Chief Engineer of the service. He joined the Company in 2000 after initially serving in the RAAF and then working as a helicopter engineer for major commercial operators in Australia, the Middle East and South East Asia.

  7. Tamworth Advisory Committee

    • Noel O'Brien
      Noel has been a director since 2000 when the service commenced operations with a new helicopter to service the New England - North West areas of NSW. He is a member of the Audit Committee and the Tamworth Advisory Committee. He is a former Mayor of Gunnedah Shire Council and has recently completed two terms as the Chairman of the New England Area Health Service, and currently serves on the NSW Department of Health's Clinical Excellence Committee. He is the Managing Director of Big Cat Pty Ltd, a labour hire and training company based in Gunnedah.
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