NSW Minerals Council chief executive Stephen Galilee made the announcement at a stopover in Singleton during the NSW Mining Roadshow, which highlights how the sector supports local communities.

Galilee said that the minerals sector has a long history of supporting community services like the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service.

“Around 12,000 people work in coalmining in the Singleton North West region. Unlike other mining States, our employees tend to live and work near our mines. That’s why it’s important for us to invest in this service that does so much to assist our local communities,” Galilee said.

“The NSW mining industry supports a wide range of worthy causes. Yesterday we made a $1500 donation to a local Men’s Shed in Denman further up the Valley as part of a wider grant of $15,000 to be shared amongst ten Men’s Sheds across NSW to support these vital regional networks.

“And we’ve sponsored the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service for more than 30 years. We’ve been a logo sponsor for 12 years, some of our members are also sponsors, and thousands of the state’s miners contribute to the service from their wages every week.

“This long-lasting partnership has stood the test of time because the service and its dedicated staff are so valued by the whole community. We are proud to help keep the service in our skies so that they can help people in regional NSW when they need it most.”

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service has grown from a voluntary summer beach patrol in 1975 to a full-time aeromedical search and rescue operation. Four helicopters undertake over 1,400 missions each year. The coal industry recently contributed $1 million to fit out the fourth helicopter.