A fund-raising concert in Lawrence tomorrow night for the Otago Rescue Helicopter Trust is already sold out.
Co-organiser Bill Bazley said the South Otago community had been most supportive of the event, which sold out two weeks ago, and $23,000 had been raised, well above the expected $15,000.
Once costs for the Simpson Park event were deducted, about $18,000 would be given to the helicopter trust, plus proceeds from an auction which will be held tomorrow night.
A lot of Balclutha and Clinton residents with family "who wouldn't be with us today" if they had not been rescued by the helicopter, were supporting the event, he said.
Mr Bazley, a volunteer firefighter, said the rescue helicopter service was "very important" for the South Otago region.
"It is pretty remote where we are. To get to a hospital by road is a good hour and a-half. It is something you never know whether you are going to need."
The rescue helicopter crew did a fantastic job, he said, citing the recent example of an 11-year-old boy who underwent major surgery after being flown to Dunedin Hospital following what police described as a horrific crash in which two other people were killed, near Clydevale, in May.
Other rescues carried out by the helicopter included transporting a passenger who was seriously injured in a car accident near Beaumont last month, and airlifting a passenger who received head injuries in a crash near Balclutha in February.
