Westpac Chopper Ride - Queenstown to Invercargill

To Family, Friends and Air Rescue Supporters,

Thank you for donating to this worthy cause! This will be my 5th ride covering 247kms from Queenstown back to Invercargill via Gore. It is a hard ride battling all the elements but your donation and being able to support our local community at times when families desperately need assistance makes it worth the while!

On behalf of myself and the other 95 Riders who are participating in the Westpac Chopper Ride I would like to ask for your support in the upcoming fundraising event. We are pleased to have the legendary Sir John Kirwan and NZ Blackspoke Cycling Team members Aaron Gate, Campbell Stewart and Dylan McCullough helping the cause.

The Westpac Chopper Ride this year is happening on the 7th May and will be our 10th Consecutive year… and yes Murray Heath is back in the seat and is our Team Manager.

Phil Taylor Bank Manager Invercargill branch is completing his 10th ride this year ….. and is the last man standing in riding every year since the ride started.

Lakes District Air Rescue Trust operates helicopters based in Te Anau and Queenstown that service the wider Southland area. Each Mission cost in excess of $5600 and last year the trust carried out over 18 missions per day. The cost to operate is $1.2 million each year and only 50% is funded by the Government and the balance comes from the community, general fundraising and the Westpac Chopper Appeal. Without the support of our local community we wouldn't have access to the lifesaving chopper in our area.

We all hope that it doesn’t happen to somebody we know, but in realty we all know someone who might need to be rescued on day.

If you can spare some loose change and would like to show your support for this cause please go to: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/westpac-chopper-appeal-bike-ride-2021

Each of the riders are hoping to raise $1000.00 per rider, can you please help me reach my goal?

We need your support!