Sea rescue for RAAF nurses

Four RAAF nursing sisters and three male medical orderlies from the RAAF hospital, Butterworth Malaya, participated in a realistic exercise in air-sea rescue as part of their training. Using a crash launch and an RAF Air Sea Rescue helicopter, they were "rescued" from the Straits of Malacca, safely winched from their dinghy into the helicopter and flown to safety. The sisters who participated were: Flight Officer Olive Connolly, formerly of Dublin, Ireland; Section Officer Roslyn Cutlack, Sherwood, Brisbane; Sister Gloria Miller, Cabramatta, Sydney; Sister Heather Murphy, Currumbin Beach, Queensland. Medical orderlies were: W.O. Tony Thompson, Gwynville, NSW; LAC Leon Cassidy, Chester Hill, Sydney; LAC Bruce Willis, Brunswick, Victoria. RAAF nursing sisters and medical orderlies are trained in air-sea rescue techniques in case they are required to assist a downed pilot.