An event has been held at Waterford Airport to mark 20 years of Helicopter Search and Rescue services there.
Minister of State at the Department of Transport Hildegarde Naughton was in attendance to honour crew past and present who have provided this service to the South East over the last two decades.
As part of the celebrations, Winchman Sarah Courtney was presented with the CHC Excellence Service award.
Sarah, along with the crews of both the Waterford and Shannon Helicopter bases, also received National Bravery Awards in 2021. The awards were for an incident that March, where a seven-member crew was successfully air lifted from a fishing vessel, the Ellie Adhamh, off the South West Coast in heavy weather conditions.
Minister Naughton said “I am delighted to mark 20 years of delivery of Coast Guard Search and Rescue Services out of Waterford, or should I say R117 to quote its well-recognised call sign. In its 20-year tenure, 117 has built a strong reputation for delivery of Coast Guard Helicopter services to the maritime, coastal, offshore island and inland communities.”
