Northland Rescue Helicopter introduces now chopper Oscar in fundraising book

Peter Davies, Vanessa Furze, Josh McInnes, and St Francis Xavier Catholic School's Lachie Ross, Chloe Mainland, Thorfinn Mainland, Kate Mainland, Karien Schutte, Madison Macmillan with the new book.

SUP261020NADoscarbook.JPG The Northland Rescue Helicopter's fifth book Oscar's Wild 'n' Windy Rescue

The Northland Rescue Helicopter is releasing its fifth children's story book in time for its 2020 annual fundraising appeal with all proceeds going to the Northland Emergency Services Trust.

Oscar's Wild 'n' Windy Rescue follows brother and sister duo Ollie and Tia as they explore Cape Reinga when some wild weather and daring antics puts them in a spot of bother.

Luckily, the Northland Rescue Helicopter's new chopper, Oscar, Chief Pilot Tama and Paramedic Poppy are not too far away.

The fifth instalment in the rescue service's series of books follows the success of Cheeky Charlie to the Rescue, Mighty Mike to the Rescue, Lima Leaps to the Rescue, and Juliet to the Rescue. All books are illustrated by Auckland artist Tony McNeight.

Oscar's Wild 'n' Windy Rescue has been launched during the Northland Rescue Helicopter's annual fundraising campaign which runs until mid-December.

Vanessa Furze, general manager at Northland Rescue Helicopter, said like many charities the rescue chopper service relies on community events to raise funds throughout the year and due to Covid-19 disruptions the majority of these were cancelled.

"This year's fundraising appeal is more important than ever. The air ambulance service is not fully funded by the government and requires additional funding from the Northland community,'' Furze said.

Since established in 1988 Northland Rescue Helicopter has flown more than 21,000 people to safety. In September alone, the service attended 116 missions. This year is on track to overtake 2019 with 779 rescue missions so far, compared to 702 this time last year.

The Northland Rescue Helicopter's fifth book Oscar's Wild 'n' Windy Rescue.

"With the influx of holiday makers to Northland and locals taking breaks in their own backyard, the summer is our busiest time of year and demand for our choppers is likely to be higher than ever," Furze said.

The new book introduces new chopper Oscar and incorporates elements of te reo as an educational component as well as reflecting the influence and importance of Māori in Northland.

"Setting the book in Cape Reinga is also a chance to showcase yet another beautiful part of Northland as well as educate children about the historical and cultural importance of the region in a fun and exciting way," she said.

"Like the previous books, we expect Oscar's Wild 'n' Windy Rescue will be just as popular with parents as it will be with kids. Not only are the books a way to raise money for Northland's dedicated air ambulance, they are also an opportunity to raise awareness about the lifesaving work our team does."

The story also has an underlying safety message about the importance of sticking to the tracks and being cautious of Northland's unpredictable weather conditions, especially when near the water.

Buy Oscar's Wild 'n' Windy Rescue at www.nest.org.nz/bookstore with all proceeds going to Northland Rescue Helicopter.

More FM is also holding a 12-hour All-Day Breakfast show on Friday, October 30, with hosts John, Flash and Toast locked in its Northland studio from 6am to 6pm to raise funds for the Northland Rescue Chopper.