Aviation in Arnhem Land connects people, facilitates services and creates possibilities in ways that don’t always meet the eye of the casual observer.
MAF’s Regular Public Transport service is the only regular, scheduled air service operating in East Arnhem Land, and it shuttles people and freight across Arnhem Land for everything from family visits and medical retrievals to infrastructure work.
Plumbing might seem a mundane endeavour to some, but as Deltareef Gumatj construction company plumber, Patrick Hayes, points out, it is vital to the health and wellbeing of people living in the harsh conditions of Arnhem Land.
“Potable water and sanitary services are pretty important,” said Patrick. “So, we’re just keeping on top of that, making sure they've got fresh water available for drinking and making sure the effluent has places to go as well.”
Flying people every day, one spot to another is one thing, but it's the people we're flying that are having the impact in the communities, in the work that they're doing.
In a region of 34,000 square kilometres with few to no resident trades workers, something as ordinary as plumbing can make the difference between Yolŋu people being able to live at home or having to move away from community.
This one of the often unseen but significant impacts of connecting service providers to the communities they serve, and MAF’s shuttle service enables many organisations to continue in work that would otherwise require a financially prohibitive number of extra vehicles and staff to cover the huge area of East Arnhem Land.
Pilot Mel Higgins flies the service regularly, operating MAF’s capacious Cessna Caravan that comfortably cruises above the region’s great expanses at around 275 kilometres per hour.
“I think that the flow-on effect is the biggest reason we do these flights,” Mel said. “Flying people every day, one spot to another is one thing, but it’s the people we’re flying that are having the impact in the communities, in the work that they’re doing.”
And here in Arnhem Land, access to simple, taken-for-granted basics is impactful.
“We’re making it possible and so much easier for these necessities of life to be able to reach these communities in remote places,” said Mel.
