Life saver

R Marine Riley, a Riviera Dealer on Sydney’s Northern beaches, made a commitment to the safety of the water loving community in a big way. It is giving a $25,000 donation for every boat ordered in 2016 from their dealership to support the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter.

In the tragic Sydney to Hobart race of 1998, which saw the sinking of five boats and the death of six sailors, the Westpac Life Saver Aircraft 1 was the first rescue helicopter on the scene. That incident was just one of the more than 23,000 lifesaving missions the service had performed in the part 43 years. It responds to dozens of ocean related incidents annually.

The service is free of cost to the people of NSW and it is the largest non-profit Aviation Search and Rescue service in Australia. But it is now desperately in need of its own life saving mission.

The charity has a turnover of approximately $4.8 million per year. Of which Westpac, the naming sponsor, only provides $1.4 million. The NSW Government provides $1.1million, a reduction in their commitment of $1.5 million in 2013. The emergency service also faces the challenge of replacing their current fleet of aircraft at a cost of $20 million. The deficit of funds has to be continuously raised through fundraising, public donations, corporate support and other service based opportunities, such as industry training.

R Marine Riley, located on Sydney’s Northern beaches, is a boat brokerage firm of Riviera and Belize Motor Yachts. They also provide a full service facility. Their donation reflects their commitment to their community and clients.  The company has long been supporting the Westpac Life Saver Helicopter – having raised $44,000 for the non-profit over the past 3 years.