On 7 December 2024, our Communications, Coordination and Control Centre (C3) received a search and rescue tasking call from Retrieval Services Queensland for our LifeFlight Mount Isa-based crew to locate a missing couple in North West Queensland.

A friend notified emergency services when the pair had not arrived at Kowanyama as expected. Flooded roads meant Queensland Police Service (QPS) was unable to reach them. The couple had been stranded in the Gulf Country in 40-degree heat for three days.

On that day, the aeromedical crew onboard VH-EHQ, a MBB/Kawasaki BK117, comprised team members: Mark Overton (Pilot IC), Michael Adair (Co-Pilot), Wayne Clifford (Aircrew Officer), and Andrew Jempson (Queensland Ambulance Service Paramedic).

As LifeFlight’s most remote base, the Mount Isa-based crew is acutely aware of the complexities around search and rescues across expansive and hostile desert terrains. This mission was no exception, requiring meticulous planning, courage and team cohesion. The vastness of the search area, difficulties around securing jet fuel, lack of cell coverage, and the conditions the patients were found in made it especially challenging.

After taking off at 8:40 am, the crew had no cell coverage or communications contact until they arrived in Normanton several hours later for their refuelling stop. They were then able to confirm the QPS- nominated triangulated search area based on the couple’s last known location and direction of travel.

The pilots’ primary consideration throughout was fuel consumption. Fuel stations are limited and not always manned in these areas, which meant keeping an extremely close eye on the fuel gauge. The outback environment was also unfamiliar to Pilot Mike, who had just moved from New Zealand, this being his first ever mission in Australia.

They continued heading north, towards Kowanyama until they hit the road the couple had likely been traveling on. They began their airborne search, all four crew scanning 800 meters either side of the road.

How the rest of the mission unfolded would entirely depend on how quickly the couple could be located. Even if found, the crew were unsure they would have sufficient fuel and weight allowance to take the couple onboard without detouring to refuel again first. Luckily, Pilot Mark soon spotted the man frantically waving, followed by the two SOS signs he'd inscribed in the dusty road.

The crew quickly consulted one another on how best to proceed and all agreed they had enough fuel and space to land nearby. The paramedic treated them on scene for dehydration and exposure. They were then airlifted with their two dogs to Normanton where they received further medical attention.

The couple had lost their car in floodwater after crossing a creek and managed to escape from the sinking vehicle. They endured two terrifying nights in a makeshift shelter with a large crocodile stalking them and their pets. They had been badly attacked by bugs, had no food to eat and were forced to drink muddy river water, which made them sick, and could only manage naps of about half an hour. The pair had accepted they would probably never be found; the relief they felt when they heard the helicopter approach was indescribable.

Overall, the mission covered around 1,090 km over 8 hours, 5 of which were spent flying. Our dedicated teams showed outstanding courage and determination throughout the mission. The rescue was remarkable not only for its success in finding and bringing the couple and their dogs to safety, but also in the resilience and skill shown by our crew members who seamlessly worked together despite the challenging conditions. Without their help, the situation could have ended in disaster.  For an outstanding contribution to the preservation of life following a natural disaster, the crew of Lifeflight are recipients of the Barry Marsden Memorial Award.

2022  442 (T&R) Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force

2023  CareFlight Australia

2024  No. 3 Squadron Royal New Zealand Air Force