Release date: 07 April 2021

Brisbane’s best lawyers have again taken flight in a bid to raise funds for Queensland’s legendary RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter service.

Off the back of last year’s sold out success, Brisbane’s top solicitors and barristers are reuniting again for an evening of fine wine and fundraising to ensure LifeFlight has the resources its needs to continue to save Queenslander’s lives.

Last year, RACQ LifeFlight Rescue’s fleet of helicopters saved 1,947 lives across the state – almost 40 missions every week in 2020 – at a cost of more than $48 million. Each mission is valued at more than $25,000, but comes at no cost to the patient.

Helicopter Operations Director Brian Guthrie said the service relied heavily on funding from Queensland communities, which were understandably down significantly last year due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

“The quick response times of the RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter crews meant more than 1,900 lives were saved last year,’’ Mr Guthrie said.

“But, due to uncertainty and safety concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic, our community fundraising was badly affected.

“A lot of third party fundraising events, which we had come to rely on, simply couldn’t happen.”

He said RACQ LifeFlight Rescue was reliant on community fundraising to keep its helicopter crews ready to respond 24-hours a day, seven-days a week.

“Our rescue missions come at no cost to the patient,’’ Mr Guthrie said.

“This is a service like no other, and when you look at the missions we’re responding to – from BBQ explosions, bushwalker rescues, on-farm accidents, snake bites, and motor vehicle accidents, anyone across South East Queensland could one day find themselves needing us.”

This situation has prompted compensation law firm Travis Schultz & Partners and forensic accountancy firm Vincents to host a fundraising event to help keep RACQ LifeFlight Rescue crews in the air and ready to save more lives.

LifeFlight Foundation Board member and law firm Travis Schultz & Partners managing partner Travis Schultz said there had never been a better time to get behind such an essential cause.

“Training the responders, maintaining medical equipment, fuelling the helicopters – these things all cost money – and we need to dig deep so that we can keep this life-saving service in the air, and you never know – yours could be the next life that’s saved.” Mr Schultz said.

Vincents Director Mark Thompson said their firm committed significant time to a range of clients in the not-for-profit space and understand how challenging it can be to keep them financially healthy.

“It brings us great joy to be able to provide financial support (whether that be through advice, donations, or indeed both) so these important organisations can focus on the business of supporting others,” Mr Thompson said.

“Nourishing the community is something near and dear to us at Vincents and the people at LifeFlight certainly do just that – providing help to patients in need of urgent medical care. They are one of Australia’s largest air-medical retrieval operations and are responsible for more than 60,000 critical rescue missions over the past 40 years.”

The fundraising event will be held at Brisbane’s Calile Hotel on the 27th May, 2021.Due to COVID restrictions, only 200 tickets will be available for the event to be hosted by MC Jane Ferarri.

Mr Schultz said the MC has been variously described as an “Australian National Treasure”, the “world’s best storyteller”, or as the “official Baron of the Barossa”. “We are really excited about having Jane Ferrari on board to MC this special event,” Mr Schultz said.

“Jane Ferrari has worked as the brand ambassador for Yalumba for 25 years and is currently running her own consultancy business. In 2012, Wine Communicators of Australia named her its “Wine Communicator of the Year”. She’s a winemaker in her own right – having graduated from Roseworthy College alongside industry icons, Rolf Binder and Chris Ringland back in 1989.”

A special guest appearance is expected to be made by the 2017 James Halliday Winemaker of the Year, Sarah Crowe of Yarra Yering.

Mr Schultz said together Jane and Sarah would talk guests through the Yarra Yering wines that they will be enjoying on the evening and share a bit of a personal travelogue to remind us what lays ahead when international travel finally returns.

“The LifeFlight Chairman and former Queensland Premier Rob Borbidge is expected to attend on behalf of the helicopter service.”

“We will have an auction of some rare wines and unique experiences to raise more money, but perhaps more importantly, we also need to raise awareness of this unparalleled rescue service,” said Mr Schultz

“I have acted on behalf of any number of critically injured clients who have needed emergency aeronautical medical care and have benefitted from the LifeFlight service – if I was ever to need help, I’d be reassured by hearing the rotor blades of the LifeFlight crew arriving – so we need to pay it forward and keep them flying.”

EVENT DETAILS

Date: Thursday 27 May, 2021
Time: 5.45pm
Venue: The Calile Hotel, James Street, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane
Tickets: $150 pp (+ GST and booking fee). A limited release of tickets will be available mid-April, to register your interest please click here.
RSVP: Tuesday 18 May, 2021

All money raised will go directly to the RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter service.

More information

RACQ LifeFlight Rescue

RACQ LifeFlight Rescue has been Queensland’s leading community helicopter service for more than 40 years.

They bring emergency, lifesaving medical treatment to seriously ill and injured people. Their purpose has always been the same – to save lives and support Queenslanders during their time of need. This purpose is at the core of everything they do.

Learn more here.

Travis Schultz & Partners

Travis Schultz & Partners is a compensation law firm with compassion, with offices in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Cairns. Since inception in 2018, the firm has grown rapidly. What started out as a boutique law firm with a small team of five, has now grown to a team of 30 talented people. Together, they have established a solid reputation in the community for providing cutting edge expertise, without the price tag.

In 2020, the reputable and independent national Doyle’s Guide exclusively acknowledged Travis Schultz as the only lawyer in Australia to be ranked in the top category of ‘Leading’ in all three compensation law areas of public liability, workers’ compensation and motor vehicle law. This honour, determined by his legal peers, is the fifth listing in a row for Travis and his team.

Learn more here.

Vincents

Now in its 32nd year, Vincents was founded in 1989 by its namesake director, Paul Vincent, from a desire to provide support to solicitors and barristers engaged in litigating claims where the numbers were important. By 1994, the name Vincents had become synonymous with litigation support, in what was later to become known broadly as the field of forensic accounting.

Today, the 45 directors and 210+ staff of Vincents operate nationally from 7 office locations and service our clients Australia-wide. We are also intentionally and proudly a fully integrated professional services firm, boasting access to expertise that caters for every business need where numbers are involved.

Learn more here.