Air Ambulance Founder Retires

Gerry Hermer, founder of Norwich-based Sterling Aviation and a driving force behind the establishment of both the first Norfolk police helicopter and the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA), is to retire. To mark the occasion, a special reception was held at Sterling Aviation on 8 April 2010, during which he was presented with a picture of Anglia One and Anglia Two, the region's two air ambulances by Simon Gray, chief executive of the charity.

Gerry, who lives near Wroxham, trained as a pilot in the RAF and was involved in search and rescue operations for many years. He was awarded the Air Force Cross in 1977 when, just after completing basic training as a Flight Lieutenant, he was sent to rescue the crew of a sinking German ship 45 miles east of Flamborough Head.

Weather conditions were treacherous with gale force winds, snow and hail making his mission very dangerous. He had to refuel twice, landing the first time on a rolling tanker, a manoeuvre for which he had not been trained. Despite this, he managed to pluck one of the crew to safety and helped ensure the others were picked up by the tanker.

On leaving the RAF, Gerry founded East Coast Helicopters before setting up Sterling Aviation with two businessmen in 1989. In 2005, Sterling was bought out by the Longmint Group but Gerry remained as Managing Director.

During his time at Sterling and with his experience of search and rescue work, he became a driving force behind the establishment of Norfolk Police's helicopter operations in 1989 and the setting up of the EAAA in 2000. The charity is celebrating its tenth anniversary with a programme of special events during 2010.

Commenting on his retirement, Gerry said: "I always wanted to do a 'useful' job and there's no doubt that, in emergencies, helicopters are very useful. Being able to help rescue people from perilous situations was deeply rewarding and made me even more passionate about the vital role that helicopters can play. With this in mind, as I reflect on my career, I'm most proud of the role I've played in getting both the police helicopter and the air ambulance service up and running in the region. They're a vital resource to the people of Norfolk and beyond - and most of us wouldn't want to be without them. I'm now looking forward to be spending some quality time with my family, pursuing my interest in sailing and carrying out some consultancy work."

Simon Gray, chief executive of the EAAA, said: "With his wealth of experience in search and rescue operations Gerry was quick to recognise the benefits that a helicopter-based medical service could bring to the region and was instrumental in making the air ambulance service a reality.

Working with a small group who shared his vision and who went on to become trustees of the EAAA, he developed the service from scratch and Sterling later won a European-wide tender to provide our aircraft. We've had a great relationship with Gerry and his experience has been invaluable to us. We wish him well for his retirement but we're sure he'll retain an interest in the charity's work."
The EAAA operates a 365 day emergency service across Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire, coming to the aid of victims of accidents and medical emergencies. The charity is entirely dependent on fund-raising and contributions from members of the public as it receives no direct government or National Lottery funding.

It costs £3.5 million per year to keep the EAAA's two air ambulances flying, to provide the required ancillary operations and to supply the advanced clinical equipment they carry. Anglia One serves Norfolk and Suffolk and Anglia Two serves Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

For more information about the East Anglian Air Ambulance, contact the charity on 0845 066 9999 or check out its website at:
www.eaaa.org.uk