In this episode of Talking Water, Mark Somers, Coordinator of Risk and Emergency Management at East Gippsland Water talks about his emergency services career and his role as a light-plane pilot for Angel Flight.
Established in 2003, Angel Flight provides non-emergency air and ground transport for people who need to attend medical appointments that are a long way from their home.
As a pilot for the service, three or four times each month Mark uses his own plane (a Cessna 172, based at Bairnsdale Airport) and volunteers his time to transport East Gippsland-based patients by air to and from specialist appointments and treatments in ‘the Big Smoke’. This typically involves flying East Gippsland-based patients from as far away as Mallacoota to medical appointments in Canberra, Sydney or Melbourne.
As Mark’s employer, East Gippsland Water, provides paid community-service leave and accrued days-off that enable him to perform this valuable service. Since it started, 22 years ago, Angel Flight has provided more than 60,000 flights and 120,000 ground transfers for people needing medical treatment.
It’s helped 100,000 rural families, via 3,500 volunteer pilots and 4,300 volunteer drivers.
A registered Australian not-for-profit charity that relies entirely on donations and receives no government funding, Angel Flight welcomes donations, which can be made by phone at 1300 726 567 or at angelflight.org.au