WHEN Scott Spredborough left home for a day’s mustering on February 20 last year he didn’t realise he wouldn’t walk back through the same door for a month.
The helicopter pilot boarded his aircraft just like every other day and began mustering cattle on Brian and Anne Cameron’s property, about 80 to 90km north of Roma, before heading to the RED Day celebrations at Bymount for his mate and pilot Jeff “Red” Dean later that day.
Everything was going according to plan until two bullocks continued to break away from the mob so Scott went to find them.
He flew past a high voltage power line that he had noticed many times before and after pushing the bullocks out of thick currant bushes with the help of a horseman, he began flying back to the mob.
Thinking there may be more cattle hiding in the bushes, he continued to look down behind him and when his eyes glanced in front of him he noticed the powerlines.
Despite his best efforts to try and fly between the wires his tail rotor hit one of the earth wires and he spun out of control crashing to the ground.
Thankfully still conscious, Scott realised he had two hours worth of fuel on board and managed to crawl a safe distance away from the wreckage despite being unaware he had a broken sternum, ribs and back.
The horseman working with Scott used a UHF to call for help and within 45 minutes the then CareFlight helicopter, which was scheduled to attend RED Day, had arrived with a doctor on hand to treat the injured pilot.
Scott is almost certain that if it wasn’t for the fast response of the aeromedical care service, now known as LifeFlight, he wouldn’t be walking today.
“I just kept saying I don’t think I’m that bad, I’m just a bit winded,” he said.
“They just kept saying stay still.
“When I think about it, when they did the x-rays and CT scans my L1 vertebrae was broken right through and it was separated so if I had of moved or walked away or anything I could have severed my spine and I would be a paraplegic now.
“Just the fact that CareFlight were there that quick and were able to do that otherwise if I had to wait there for a couple of hours I would have tried to move and tried to walk.
“I owe the fact that I can walk now to CareFlight.”
After undergoing surgery to have metal rods placed in his back, Scott returned home a month later and is now back in his helicopter.
Scott is sharing his story publicly for the first time in the hope that more people will understand the need for the service.
“They only have to save one life and it’s paid for itself,” he said.
“(Red) might have been looking down on me...but otherwise there was an angel somewhere. A lot of things went my way that day.”
While he wasn’t able to make it to RED Day last year, Scott is planning to make an appearance this year and again donate.
He encouraged others to support the cause as community donations fund almost one third of LifeFlight’s operations.
RED Day
WHEN the Bymount Hall turned into a see of red outfits and activities last year for the first RED Day celebrations everybody knew the biggest laughs would be coming from above.
The family fun day raised more than $23,000 for Careflight in honour of well-known helicopter pilot Jeff “Red” Dean who died in a helicopter crash while mustering north of Mitchell in May 2015.
Bymount Community Recreation Association member Councillor Janelle Stanford said everybody had such a great time at the first event that it couldn’t be missed.
“Everyone was keen again because of the fun of the day but also to once again bring in that memory (of Red) and join up communities because we are not just Bymount, Surat, Injune, Mitchell and Roma,” she said.
“It’s all about connecting of communities and families.”
She said Red would have approved of the day.
“You could just see him standing there in amongst the whole thing just absolutely laughing his head off,” she said.
“We reckon he would have definitely been looking down having a good old laugh about the antics.”
Money from this year’s event will go to RACQ LifeFlight and local ambulance services.
The day begins at 10am on February 25 with events to kick off at 10.30am.
Entry to the event is free but a small nomination fee is required to participate in the novelty games.
RSVP by emailing secretaryBCRA@gmail.com
Lucy Kinbacher
Raised on a cattle property at Biggenden, Lucy Kinbacher has spent 10 years working across metropolitan, regional and rural publications in both Queensland and NSW. Lucy has been the editor of the Queensland Country Life and North Queensland Register since 2021.
Raised on a cattle property at Biggenden, Lucy Kinbacher has spent 10 years working across metropolitan, regional and rural publications in both Queensland and NSW. Lucy has been the editor of the Queensland Country Life and North Queensland Register since 2021.
