The tragic accident which claimed the life of Tanilba Bay husband, father and grandfather Greg Cordner has resulted 15 months later in a significant donation to the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service.
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In August 2018, Mr Cordner - who with wife Deb moved to Tanilba Bay in 1985 - was killed in a horrific car accident on Stockton Bridge, despite the efforts of medical and emergency crews who attended, including the ever reliable rescue chopper.
As the Cordner family struggled to come to terms with the loss, the charitable Port Stephens community rallied its support behind them, culminating last weekend in a memorial golf day/barbecue held at Mr Cordner's favourite venue, Tanilba Bay golf course.
The event raised $800 which was donated to the Tilligerry RSL club fireworks.
However, what happened next left everyone who had attended the day absolutely astounded.
In an extraordinary act of generosity, Mrs Cordner made a personal donation of $10,000 to the rescue helicopter service.
"How do you find words to say thank-you? I wanted to show the helicopter crew my gratitude and appreciation for responding and being there for Greg. By donating this money I wanted to acknowledge their work and tell them that they won't be forgotten by our family nor the entire Tanilba Bay community," Mrs Cordner explained.
"The golf day will become an annual event in October [commemorating Mr Cordner's birthday which falls on October 21] and next year the donation could go to another worthwhile local charity or community group."
The personal donation was described by Westpac rescue's CEO Richard Jones as a remarkable gesture from an extremely generous person.
"We are extremely grateful," he said.
"The support of donations like this from Mrs Cordner is invaluable in ensuring that the service can continue to provide its assistance 24-7 and ensure that no patient has to pay to fly with us.
"For the population of Port Stephens, the helicopter service provides vital world-class aeromedical transport to leading facilities such as the John Hunter Hospital.
"Deb has invited the service to participate in next year's memorial golf day and we have pleasure in accepting and inviting Deb to join our team, as we look forward to continuing this association with the Cordner family and the community of Tanilba Bay."
The framed picture of the rescue aircraft was presented to Mrs Cordner and will be a feature on the Greg Cordner Golf Day wall at Tanilba Bay Golf Club.
The not-for-profit Wespac Rescue Helicopter Service which provides world class search and rescue services, celerated its 45-year anniversary last weekend.
The service operates from three bases in NSW (Belmont, Lismore, Tamworth) with aircraft maintenance, engineering and support teams in Broadmeadow.
