Long-time president of the Pacific Hotel’s social club, John Thompson, was chuffed last week to give $2,000 to the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter. “I’m pleased to make the donation on behalf of the club to a very worthy cause,” he said. “The helicopter serves the whole community quite well.” It is the first time the club, which has 248 members, has made a charitable donation during Mr Thompson’s 12 years at the helm. “We’ve mostly broken even over the years,” he said. For a $5 annual membership fee, social club members are entitled to a free middy of beer on Mondays (a pint on birthdays). There’s a members draw on Fridays, too, which jackpots by $100 per week – members have to be there to win. “Our biggest payout was $2,300,” Mr Thompson said. The social club holds raffles on Sundays to raise funds for social activities and, now, charitable causes. Zeke Huish, Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter’s fundraising manager, thanked the club for its donation. “It will help save lives across the region,” he said. “A donation of this size means a lot; not just to us, but the patients we fly.”