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Reflections on the Wet Season

28/4/2013

 
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Flying Wild
The US Air Force have a song that starts "Off we go in to the wild blue yonder.” However, in Arnhem Land there are times when it is not blue but it is definitely wild! Like many tropical regions, Arnhem Land has a defined rainy season and when it comes, it comes. The weather can go from dry to instant deluge and then back again all within the space of a few hours. Then at other times you get up with the rain, sleep with the rain on your roof, and then it is there waiting for you when you get up again! And don’t think light rain either- this is the instant flood variety where the gutters are swamped!


Times like these are a real challenge to flying both from a logistical point of view and also of course for those who are actually braving the elements. For the MAF ground staff things can get hectic quite quickly. First of all there is the call from the base to tell you that though it may be fine & sunny where you are, where they are they can’t see the end of the runway! That’s always frustrating as the passenger waiting to fly is looking at a sunny sky and can’t understand why you don’t want to take off!



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Galiwin'ku Sunday School

15/4/2013

 
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It is exciting to see the Sunday School activities restart this year.  Ngandama, a very faithful lady, who has run Sunday School for years and years asked some of the younger ladies from the weekly Bible Study to take up the leadership.  With support from Graham and Jen they are leading a group of 20-50 children each week.  Jonathan provides valuable technical support from home for the Sunday School.

Food airlift to Mapuru Homeland

3/4/2013

 
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The community at Mapuru homeland, 30 km south of Galiwin’ku, has been operating a co-operative food shop for the last 14 years.  It aims to make essential supplies available in the homeland by buying and transporting in bulk, so that expensive ad-hoc shopping flights to Elcho are reduced.  Over the years, MAF has transported bulk food consignments at reduced or zero cost by using “back-charters” – the empty sectors we fly between charters.

Recently we got the call that the road to Mapuru had become impassable due to the rising river levels so could we fly the latest bulk order of four pallets arriving on the barge. Each carton, bag or drum has to be weighed, moved to the aircraft and loaded thoughtfully to keep the aircraft in balance and within its take-off weight limits.  Over three days we used ten flights at full capacity to transfer the food the 15 minute hop to the homeland.  In all, we moved 3,944 kg. The pilots were grateful for the line of willing helpers at Mapuru to help offload.


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    Journal Authors

    David and Jen Pett, MAF staff in since 2006, now in Cairns.

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