AS he dangled underneath the Westpac rescue helicopter, often after being lifted out of the water with a patient attached, Barry Walton felt like a human "teabag".
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Those "teabag" moments did have compensations.
"It was a good view," Mr Walton said of one episode off Port Stephens, where he was hanging under the chopper for about five nautical miles as it headed back to shore.
But the greatest reward, he says, has been helping to save lives.
Barry Walton is a veteran of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service, having been involved in more than 1000 missions.
On Friday, after more than 44 years with the service, he retires.
For this week's episode of The Issue, Barry Walton recalls the very relaxed way he was recruited to a career in the chopper, and he talks about some of his most memorable missions.
"I just find being able to work for a service that provides an efficient, effective service for a community that supports us greatly, and has done since day one, is my sense of achievement, because that's what we're there for," Barry Walton says.
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