Rescued farmer true to his word

GIVING BACK: Wanganui man Jason Wing is raising money for the Palmerston North Rescue Helicopter which came to his aid after a quad bike accident last year. PHOTO/ BEVAN CONLEY 070815WCBRCJAS01

As Jason Wing lay on a stretcher with two broken legs he promised to raise money for the chopper which had come to his rescue.

In September last year, Mr Wing was working on his family farm near Marton when he suffered a serious quad bike accident. He had hopped off his bike to attend to a sheep his dog had cornered. But he hadn't put the brakes on properly and the bike followed him 30 metres, running over him.

Lying in the paddock with two broken femur bones, Mr Wing was able to call emergency services from his cellphone. An ambulance arrived from Feilding, followed by the Palmerston North Rescue Helicopter.

"I was so grateful they were there," Mr Wing said. "We needed to get to hospital pretty smartly."

"Just before they put me to sleep I said I wanted to give them some money."

After spending a few days at Palmerston North Hospital, Mr Wing was transferred to Wanganui for three weeks. He spent the next five months in a wheelchair recovering. Marton Lions Club donated the use of a mobility scooter for him to get to the hydrotherapy pool at the Splash Centre.

"That gave me so much freedom."

Now, less than a year after the accident, Mr Wing is making good on his promise. He is organising the Blue Tie Ball to be held at Marton Memorial Hall next month with all proceeds going to the rescue helicopter.

"It's never been about me," he said. "It's about the next person that falls off a bike. It's about the little girl out in the sticks that's not well. The rescue helicopter service is so important I believe. It's about keeping it flying. I just can't thank them enough."

Mr Wing is back working now but has left farming. Instead, he's using his experience and agricultural degree as a technical field officer for Farmlands in Wanganui.

"The accident actually gave me an opportunity to reassess my goals. It's made me think about my future."

Mr Wing is hoping to raise between $20,000 and $30,000 from ticket sales and an auction of items donated by businesses. "We've got some amazing sponsors that have come on board. Times are tough but as soon as you mention rescue helicopter, they put their hands up straight away."

Mr Wing has run a Blue Tie Ball before, raising money for prostate cancer in 2011. "We're staying with the Blue Tie Ball name because it was so good last time."

Tickets for the ball, at the Marton Memorial Hall on September 5, are $60 and can be bought at Footloose or Just Looking in Wanganui, District Monitor in Marton or at bluetieball.org.nz