Photos and Story by Elisabeth Hall
Team at MAF Arnhem Land work closely with women’s shelter to help pair fleeing domestic violence.
Rescue flights are unexpected and unplanned, whether for accidents or sickness or domestic violence, and MAF pilots in Arnhem Land regularly fly all three.
“I thought I was finished after my charter flight, and I was gearing up to do some office work in the afternoon,” says Arnhem Land pilot Matt Kaye, recounting a recent flight to bring someone out of a domestic violence situation.
“And then we got a call to pick up this lady's child. I was told it was an evolving situation.”
Initial reports suggested the perpetrator of the violence may have been as close as the airport. Matt and MAF reservations staff helped the woman to a quiet place away from other passengers before the flight. “We took her out of view,” said Matt. “And then we were very quick to get her in the plane when it was ready, and I flew down to [the homeland], landed there, and she was able to find her child, and then we flew back.”
Despite the perpetrator being alerted to the attempt, the rescue proceeded without incident, and the mother and her two-year-old child were taken safely to the women’s shelter in the Nhulunbuy area, a short drive from Gove Airport.
Brigitte Goepfert, manager of Miyalk Women’s Shelter, had worked behind the scenes for several days trying to piece together the missing information needed for the rescue flight to reunite the mother and her young daughter and to relocate them to safety.
The two had been in a women’s shelter in another community several weeks before. The mother had somehow made her way to Nhulunbuy, but her daughter had been separated from her and was in another community.
“Obviously, we tried to get her on one of the shuttle flights, but that was full. It was a critical time now with ‘How do we get this little girl here?’” said Brigitte. “As English is not their first language it was quite difficult to work out how the little girl had become separated from her mother. We were made aware that the perpetrator was making threats to significantly harm the mother if she came and got her daughter. It was a very heightened situation for all.
“It was amazing that again MAF could assist us by providing a plane so that the mother could be reunited with the young daughter. It was four weeks since she'd seen her little girl. So yeah, it was nice to see them together.”
Brigitte and her staff had arranged for the mother and daughter to be flown away to a regional city as soon as possible after the rescue. “We've got funding called a Flexible Support Package, which is to help survivors of domestic violence to set up their lives again,” said Brigitte. “So that's what we're using for the flights. We’re lucky here in Nhulunbuy to have MAF working so closely with the shelter and for them to be able to provide a charter at such short notice. It was a great outcome. Once again, MAF came to the rescue.”
Speaking of domestic violence rescue flights, Matt said, “They don't rank highly in terms of the most joyful flights we can do. “As pilots, we don't always have the entire picture of what's going on, but it's knowing that through going the extra mile in the small things, we can make a significant difference in the lives of those we’re serving. I often say we're here for people in their best days and in the joyful times, but also when life is tough.”
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