A CHARITY that previously provided air transport from Armidale to city medical treatment will sell its aircraft and operate on a “make-a-wish” basis after it failed to receive funding from the federal budget.
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New England Volunteer Air Transport founder David Roach said the service would officially close at the end of the month.
But in a last-ditch effort to help, Mr Roach said he would sell the aeroplane, worth about $80,000, and use the money to fly patients to treatment in major hospitals.
“We will still try and do everything we can to help people,” he said.
Mr Roach said the charity would accept appeals for plane tickets and decide to allocate the funds on a case-by-case basis.
“We will keep swinging the bat for as long as possible.”
Mr Roach said the charity’s failure to attract funding for a second year in a row was like “a rather large kick in the guts” and would have serious implications for people using the service in Armidale.
“Now all of a sudden they are back to very long trips for renal and chemotherapy,” he said.
The air transport service had last year provided flights for a Uralla family to Sydney so their child could receive cleft palate surgery.
In an 11th hour appeal, Mr Roach said he had approached NSW Assistant Health Minister Fiona Nash to see if funds could be provided, however, he wouldn’t be seeking funds elsewhere if unsuccessful.
“It’s a paperwork circus and can take six to 12 months for them just to say no,” he said.
Mr Roach planned to sell the aeroplane in June.