A Life Dedicated to Rescue: Reflections from Shane Daw, General Manager, Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter
The world of helicopter rescue is far more than a job. It’s a calling shaped by courage, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to saving lives. Since 1988, Shane Daw has lived that calling every day. His decades of service have taken him from dramatic ocean rescues to major disaster responses, each mission reinforcing the profound impact the team has on communities across Australia. Through triumphs, tragedies, and countless moments of human connection, Shane’s story captures the heart of a service that has protected Australians for more than 52 years.
“Helicopter rescue is not just a pastime; it has become a way of life. I had the unique experience to be invited to try out for the Westpac Life Saver Resue Helicopter Service in Adelaide in 1988. Once through the trials and testing I was in and already hooked on what we do.
Over the years I was able to experience things many people never even imagine, and it is something I continue to wake up and be excited about to this day. We get the opportunity to go out and quite often make a difference to people’s lives.
From rescuing young children, to people in sinking boats, off rocks, and other locations - you know every day and every event will be different. Some of these have sad endings, while others are joyous as families and loved ones celebrate being saved.
The most significant event I attended was a 707-aeroplane crash in Victoria (East Sale/Woodside). Sadly, five aircrew/pilots lost their lives that day. I was in Adelaide at the time and received a call asking if I could assist in the recovery (they doubted anyone survived). We took an emergency Bell 412 helicopter to join the search crews and then spent the next 10 days searching for missing persons and bits of the aircraft that had broken up on impact so crash investigators could work out what happened.
Another incident was a boat sinking 5km offshore. We located the craft and deployed the rescue swimmer and a new recruit rescue swimmer into the water, as when we approached the boat, the people were waving us away. Two had lifejackets and two did not. We ended up picking up two of the people while the SLS Jet Rescue Boat arrived a bit after and picked up the other two. We found out the reason we were being waved away was the owner did not want our help as he said he could not afford to pay for us to rescue them – despite that fact two of them did not have lifejackets and could not swim! When we told him there was no cost, he was stunned and surprised.
With the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Service in NSW, I have been able to be part of some amazing stories and work with the pilots and crews on the hundreds of jobs each year. The lives saved are incredible, the people generally grateful, but many also embarrassed they got themselves into whatever situation they did. However, as we continue to say – our job is to get people home safely to their loved ones, and I am extremely proud to be a part of a team that does that. From beach rescues, boaters, rock fishers, paddle craft, bush walkers, and mountain rescues, through to floods and disasters – the service can always be relied on.
The Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopters have been operating for over 52 years, performing more than 100,000 missions across the country, and to this day no one has ever had to pay to be rescued of assisted – pretty good if you ask me.
Proud to be part of the team.”
Shane Daw, ESM, General Manager, Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter
For more Rescue Helicopter stories visit: https://lifesaver.org.au/