A critical care flight paramedic with the Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter team, Richard and wife Ali in 2019 moved to Gisborne from Australia with their then-baby son.

For the past two years Richard has also served as base manager at the Eastland Helicopter Rescue Trust hangar, during which time he has overseen multiple developments and expansions.

But as their whanau has grown – there’s now a young daughter in the mix – the couple are relocating to Tauranga to be even closer to their support systems, and Richard last night completed his final block with the team.

“My focus is always on family first,” he says, “and while that does require some professional sacrifices, being able to work in the base manager role has been a fantastic opportunity.”

When Richard first came to Gisborne the service was made up of just him, base manager/air crew officer Doug Buchanan, pilots on call from Hawke’s Bay, and cover staff from St John . . . all working on call and flying the old Squirrel helicopter.

Within a couple of months of his arrival Eastland Rescue Helicopter acquired the BK-117 aircraft it flew until late last year, with James Easterbrook coming on board as full-time pilot.

“Now we have a full team of 12 with rostered crews on site 24/7 who have taken it from a relatively quiet base flying around 200 hours a year to one that has nearly tripled that service load,” Richard says.

“And there have been some big changes at the hangar itself so, as far as work programmes go, it’s been a really satisfying few years.”

Like the rest of the team, Richard is employed by Search and Rescue Services Ltd, the company formed by five rescue helicopter trusts (including Gisborne’s Eastland Helicopter Rescue Trust) to manage operations from south of Auckland right down to Wellington.

He will remain with SRSL as critical care flight paramedic for the Tauranga-based Aerocool Rescue Helicopter.

“We leave with some fantastic memories of Gisborne both personally – our kids have grown up here – and professionally, in the massive progress made in the helicopter rescue space for the region.

“But it is the connections with the community I will remember most. You get to feel a real part of it and I don’t know if that is something you’d experience at any other base.”

In the context of a challenging post-Cyclone Gabrielle environment, Richard has been a powerful advocate for the crew, their whanau, the trust and the community as a whole, says Eastland Helicopter Rescue Trust chair Ian Parker.

“While he has managed multiple physical changes at the hangar it is his strength in teamwork and leadership we see as having had the greatest impact and we are all grateful for that hugely significant contribution.”

The role of base manager at the Gisborne hangar has been filled by pilot Shaun Stewart who, when he joined the team a year ago, was still in the throes of renovating his home in Auckland.

With that complete he can fully commit to the role and says he’s excited to manage the base his predecessor leaves in great health, and to take it even further.

“I have been lucky to have had a year working with and learning from Richard who is an incredible professional both as a manager and as a top-performing critical care flight paramedic,” he says.

“I’m really looking forward to further fostering relationships and working with the team as they build towards even more capacity for what is a fantastic resource for the Tairāwhiti region.”

CAPTION: PASSING THE TORCH: With Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter critical care flight paramedic/base manager Richard Curtis (right) having confirmed his transfer to Tauranga, pilot Shaun Stewart steps up to fill the demanding role of managing the Gisborne base and further building on its operational capacity.