AS A young lad growing up in Redhead, Glen Ramplin used to look up at the machine affectionately known across the Hunter as the “angel in the sky”.
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For decades now, he’s been looking over us.
The air crewman, one of the most recognisable faces of the Westpac rescue helicopter, has clocked up 20 years with the organisation.
The rescue service on Thursday marked the occasion with a celebration at its Broadmeadow headquarters.
Mr Ramplin became teary as he recalled what the rescue service meant to him, while chief executive Richard Jones said he was “part of the fabric” of the Hunter’s rescue services.
“Time flies when you’re having fun,” Mr Ramplin said.
“I wouldn’t have wanted to have done anything else with my life for the past 20 years.”
Mr Ramplin has been involved in countless rescues with the helicopter, but is probably best-known for his heroic efforts in saving 18 stranded crewmen from the Pasha Bulker, receiving an electric jolt every time he touched the deck of the ship.
It was the sort of work he’d always dreamt of.
But Mr Ramplin was knocked back on his first application to join the service in 1995, with his “lucky break” coming three years later when he stepped up to fill a casual position that opened up after an air crewman broke his leg while hitting the water at Lake Munmorah.
“It was his bad break and my lucky break,” he quipped.
He filled that position for a while before moving to Tamworth for three years and back to Newcastle again where he remained.
Mr Ramplin was reluctant to hone in on a single moment that has stood out in the past 20 years, but acknowledged he was part of a broader team who “don’t necessarily get the accolades” but “get the job done”.
“I’m definitely not an individualist when it comes to doing things,” he said.
“I like being part of a team and all working together to get the job done. We’ve got great support here in the community … without them we wouldn’t be able to operate.”
Mr Ramplin said the organisation was “very lucky” to enjoy the support of the Hunter, noting when he joined there were two helicopters.
“Now we’re operating three bases with four aircraft,” he said. “It’s a lot of change. We’re very lucky.”
