Located at the Warracknabeal Airport, the new patient transfer station was opened on Monday after more than three years of community fundraising and advocating.

The facility includes an enclosed waiting room fitted with a small kitchen and bathroom facilities. It has also been deigned to easily provide access for wheelchairs, stretchers and mobility vehicles.

The Warracknabeal Aerodrome Transfer Station Upgrade Project started in March 2015, with community groups banding together to raise money for the vital facility. As a result, the Watsup committee was formed.

Watsup committee chairwoman Mandy Bryce said she was incredibly proud of what the community had achieved.

“We knew there needed to be a facility here because people would just wait in the cold, in their cars for the air ambulance to arrive,” she said.

“We started fundraising by holding events and raffles, but soon the process of planning, funding and building as bigger than our small group. So the council took over the project.

“The creation of this facility shows what small communities are capable of when they band together. This project is a shining example of how we can achieve anything we put our minds to.”

The federal government invested $100,000 into the project through the Drought Communities Programme.

The state government allocated $26,000 and Yarriambaick Shire Council invested $38,236. Community donations through Watsup’s various fundraising enterprises totaled $14,655.

Yarriambiack Shire Council mayor Graeme Massey said the new facility would accommodate emergency helicopter transport. This helicopters will no longer need to land on the local sports oval in Warracknabeal.

“With comfortable and private waiting and meeting rooms, we are confident transfers will now be a much more pleasant experience,” he said.

Member for Mallee Andrew Broad helped open the new facility on Monday.

“I’m proud of the Coalition Government’s investment in Yarriambiack and Warracknabeal in particular,” he said. 

“This new patient facility is suitable for all weather conditions and will offer the level of comfort that both patients and staff deserve.”

Ambulance Victoria Grampians regional director Chris James said the new station would help regional residents receive the care they deserved.

“Everyday I see the strength and resilience of the local communities; we face significant challenges in this region,” he said.

“Every patient deserves to be treated with the best possible care no matter their postcode.

“Community members play a critical role in creating community groups to work together and make things happen. This is a remarkable piece of funding by everyone involved. It shows that we are better working together and things like this can happen when everyone pitches in.”