British couple donates 10k pounds to Bendigo air ambulance for work at 2012 glider accident

Experienced hang glider Mary Neighbour was left in a critical condition after her hang glider crashed into a paddock close to a Goorambat property, near Benalla, on January 1, 2012.

It is said the then 80-year-old was flying "too low" when she swerved to miss a home and occupants, landing abruptly soon after.

An Ambulance Victoria road crew from Shepparton and the HEMS 3 air ambulance from Bendigo were called to the scene where mobile intensive care ambulance (MICA) paramedic Michael Whelan and others worked to save Mary's life.

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"I was actually the first MICA paramedic on scene," he said.

"Mary was trapped in the aircraft when we got there. One of the wings had dug into the ground and had flipped the plane onto its side.

"She was still strapped into her seat and we needed SES to cut her out."

Mr Whelan said Mary sustained chest injuries that led to a punctured lung among other things.

She was airlifted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital where she spent the next 14 weeks recovering.

Mary and her husband Edward, originally from Glossop, England, had more than 50 years of experience in the air and were getting ready to retire from flying when the accident occurred.

Edward said the couple knew they wanted to give back to those who gave his wife back her life when the incident's 10-year anniversary came around.

"We were organising our will and wanted to make sure the money went to something good," he said.

"I wasn't able to at the time, but I wanted to thank the Benalla SES and the ambulance crews for getting Mary to hospital as quickly as they did."

The couple are still in England so had good friend Bruce Salter present the Bendigo HEMS 3 air ambulance with a cheque for 10,000 pounds sterling (about $AU18,000) on Tuesday morning.

HEMS 3 Air Response senior team manager Brad Martin said it was an honour to do their part for the couple.

"It's a very rewarding experience to see the work and treatment provided ended in a favourable outcome," he said.

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"We were so grateful to receive such a donation and we'll be able to use it to purchase training equipment that will hopefully allow us to help more people like Mary."

Mr Whelan said jobs such as these were the reason he completed his air ambulance training last year.

"Flight paramedicine is the pinnacle of patient care for us," he said.

"It's the best opportunity to extend your skills and knowledge and you otherwise wouldn't be able to help people like Mary.

"There's usually a short window of someone's life we're involved in and you hardly ever hear what the outcome is for a patient.

"It's great to know Mary survived and we were able to give her at least 10 more years of her life."

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