A record breaking $75,000 was raised for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service last week at the Tenterfield Charity Golf Day.
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The annual event, held on Thursday, March 14, saw nearly 200 golfers descend on Tenterfield Golf Club for a day of community, fundraising and, of course, golf.
Originally started by Peter Chittick, the day has been run by Michael Townes and the The Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service Tenterfield Support Group for the last nine years and raising funds for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service.
The event has come a long way in recent years, with one of the event's current organisers, John 'Dodge' Landers, thanking Mr Chittick for starting the event, where they raised $5,000 and $8,000 in those earlier years.
"We used to raise about $30,000," he said.
"Then we got to [$36,000) three-years-ago, and I said it'd be good if we get to 40 and we got [$55,000]. Last year, we raised $56,200.
"This year, everything was going really good and we raised $75,000 for the day. It's one of the biggest charity golf days on the calendar for golfers."
The golf day has receives great support from not just the local community, but also larger corporate businesses and golfers from all around NSW and Queensland.
"We had 42 teams, 190 golfers," said Mr Landers. "We get heaps of sponsorship from Hatachi, Wagners, Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers in Brisbane.
"We get people coming from the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Ipswich out west, from like Goondiwindi, Coffs Harbour, all over the place.
"And if you want to play in the Westpac golf day, you've got to put your name down, because if you don't put your name down shortly, you can't play. The holes fill up."
Some of this year's other major sponsors included Grant Townes Haulage, Lincoln Place, Graymont, Findex, Tenterfield Fuel, Carlton United Breweries, along with many more.
There were $10,000 worth of prizes up for grabs, including $500 on offer at each of the course's five par-three holes.
Mr Landers said without sponsors you can't run an event like this and thanked all of them for supporting the great cause.
"The amount of support we get from all those big companies ... we had $40,000 worth of sponsorship before we before we hit off," he said.
"We had $10,000 worth of prizes, so that brought us back, we've only got $30,000 ... but [at the event] we raised another $45,000 between 11 o'clock and eight that night."
But its not just the support of the major companies that Mr Townes and Mr Landers value, with both thanking and praising the team of workers that lend a hand each year.
"There's a lot of volunteers, a lot of people behind the scenes doing a lot of work. A lot of work goes into it," said Mr Townes.
"Dean Hines, manager at the golf club, he puts a huge effort into it.
"It can't be attributed to one person. There's a lot of people that put a lot of work into that day."
Mr Landers said he had around 20 workers helping out on the day.
"I want to thank the sponsors and thank all the golfers that turn up year after year, and especially I want to thank my workers ... they turn up every year to help it out.
"Some of them are not even Westpac members, they're the blokes that I drink with at the pub, and I just say I need a hand for the golf and they say 'yeah, I'll come out and give you a hand'.
"It's just a real good community spirit feeling. In small towns, you've got to look after each other. That's the thing about it, it's a small town golf day with with amazing results.
"And that's the important part. Because all the money we raise goes straight to Lismore, straight into the chopper."
In whole as a community, between the golf day, op-shop, and other fundraising events, Tenterfield is the biggest supporter of Westpac Rescue Helicopter in NSW per rate of population.
Mr Landers said last year, he was proud to give a check for $140,000 to the Lismore base.
"In Tenterfield, we've gotta have the helicopter because our hospital, it doesn't do operations or anything like that. They just stabilise you and get you ready for the chopper," he said.
"A chopper can come from Lismore or Tamworth in 25 minutes and land in the park, and if they get you stabilised, you can be back at the base hospital in Lismore within an hour.
"I did road rescue for eight years and the first hour is the critical hour. If you can get them ... to a critical care doctor within the hour, you've got a good chance of saving a life, but if you don't, the longer you haven't got a critical care doctor your life slips away."
The Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service Tenterfield Support Group welcomes anyone who would be interested in joining and Mr Landers said they are hoping to encourage younger people and more community members to get involved.