20.08.2007 – The New England Volunteer Air Transport Service (NEVAT) has received a $5,000 donation from masoniCare, the grant making arm of Freemasonry in NSW and ACT.

NEVAT is the brainchild of David Roach, an Ashford local, who saw the need for a free transport service for patients travelling long distances for (non-emergency) medical appointments. The volunteer group transported its first patient in March of this year, flying a patient to Tamworth for treatment.

NEVAT now has regular use of an aircraft for use in transporting patients in the Northern NSW area. Two members of NEVAT, who wish to remain anonymous, provided the funding to purchase the aircraft.

David Roach, President of NEVAT and a member of the Masonic Lodge Ashford, thanked masoniCare for its contribution saying, “I thank masoniCare for its support of the NEVAT project. It is great to have Freemasonry behind what we are trying to achieve”.

“These funds will go towards ongoing maintenance of the NEVAT project,” David added.

Ken McDonald, Masonic manager for the Ashford area, praised the NEVAT project saying, “Making the community a better place starts with recognising people’s needs and NEVAT have definitely done that”.

He said, “I commend NEVAT on being proactive in starting this project and giving 110% in making it work. This is a good example of the Masonic principle of charity in action”.

masoniCare’s Representative for the New England area, John Ludewig, added, “masoniCare is designed to support local community initiatives at the request of our members. The Masonic community here in Ashford are fully supportive of this project and it’s good to see they have channelled some of the funding on offer into NEVAT”.

masoniCare is Freemasonry’s official charity in NSW and ACT and offers a range of grant making programs that aim to make a difference at a local level. These programs require the Masonic membership to nominate suitable organisations to receive funding.