Sigma Aerospace, based in Tamworth, Australia, is continuing its partnership with the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service despite the trying times faced by small business around the country. Led by Matthew and Renee Wheatley, Sigma has been a feature at Tamworth airport for the past 15 years. In that time, it has seen the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service's aircraft change from the Bell 407 to the BK117 and now to the AW139.

Throughout that time, Sigma Aerospace has always been on hand to provide engineering support when needed, but the organisation's involvement with the WRHS has extended beyond the provision of engineering services. In 2017, Sigma came on board as a Gold Sponsor of the annual Ride for the Chopper, assisting the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service to raise over $100,000 for three consecutive years. Sigma also joined its Workplace Giving Programme in 2018, encouraging all employees to make a fortnightly tax deductible donation to the rescue service.

The Wheatleys are proud to have the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service as their chosen charity, as not only is its choppers based Tamworth, it assists anyone and everyone, with no discrimination. “This service is essential, it saves lives every day and has carried some members of our team to get lifesaving treatment over the years, and we are so proud to support the service. It is great to be able to use our capability to assist the rescue helicopter during these times,” they say.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that many businesses are unable to support charities as they once have, Sigma has committed to assisting the service in these trying times by donating $5,000 worth of composite structure repairs to Westpac's engineering team for aircraft maintenance.

For the WRHS, the Sigma team's unique technical skills are vital to ensuring its aircraft's availability 24-7 to service the New England and Northern West communities. “Having a specialist engineering business like Sigma literally on our doorstep at the Tamworth base ensures we have prompt access to professional services to keep our aircraft flying, and its ongoing support, particularly in these difficult times for small, regional businesses, is something that we are most grateful for,” Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service CEO Richard Jones OAM comments.

Sigma's $5,000 donation will be used to maintain and repair damage to vital composite aircraft components that include the tail horizontal stabilisers, tail fin, nose cone and other critical structural components of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service's state of the art AW139 aircraft.