MAF Papua New Guinea celebrates its 70th anniversary

 A smile on the face of the young mother on seeing her newborn child who nearly died in childbirth; relief in the eyes of the father who can finally send his son to school after weeks of waiting; cheers from the entire community as the ‘balus’ brings in precious food, water and shelter after the earthquake; gratitude of the farmer who can finally get his coffee beans into town and some much needed money in return; excitement of the work brigade as they unload the ‘walkabout’ sawmill and other tools for building a new school; tears in the eyes of the family whose beloved deceased we could bring back to their remote village; eternal hope that comes with receiving the Word of God in their heart language. Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) has been bringing physical and spiritual hope and transformation to the remote communities of Papua New Guinea for the last 70 years.

From its humble beginnings in Madang in 1951, and the ultimate sacrifice by Harry Hartwig only a few months into operation, to the present day with a fleet of brand-new Cessna 208 Caravans, MAF has come a long way. At its peak, MAF had a footprint from the Western Province all the way to Bougainville. We have heard many stories from our beloved people of PNG, missionaries, and NGO partners about how MAF has served as their lifeline, impacting their communities, and improving their lives.

Over the years our fleet has changed, but our vision has remained the same: to see isolated people physically and spiritually transformed in Christ’s name by the sharing of God’s love through aviation and technology.

Using our Cessna C208 Caravan aircraft we can overcome the physical barriers that prevent people in mainland Papua New Guinea from having access to healthcare, education, safe water, and the Gospel. We are bringing help, hope and healing to the isolated people of this country. As a team of around 100 national and 40 international staff, spread across 11 bases, we serve local communities, local churches, missionaries, NGOs, development and relief agencies, and government departments who are working to change the lives of those living in remote areas.

Share your testimony with us

As we celebrate our 70th year, we would love to hear YOUR stories. These could be details of a medical evacuation, testimonies of transformation or stories of joy and hope - written in about 200-300 words or as comfortable. Do not worry about the style and presentation as we are interested in the story itself. Please write your stories in English or Tok Pisin. Or could you send us some old photographs to share some of MAF’s history and tell us the story behind the picture?  We would like to honor those of you who come forward and share what MAF has meant to you.  The best articles will be rewarded with a small prize and of course being published on our MAF PNG web and social media channels.

Please submit your story to our communication department, by the end of April to be considered for a prize.  Future testimonies may also be sent to our communication department, preferable via email png.maf70@mafint.org with the subject “MAF PNG 70th – testimony”

Also, if you have old photographs or other accounts capturing our 70 years of air service across Papua New Guinea, please send them our way.

You’re welcome to also send us your entry via post or on the MAF ‘blaus’:

Communications Department

MAF PNG Ltd

P O Box 273

Mt Hagen, WHP 281

Please keep watching for additional 70th anniversary celebration announcements across PNG and on our Facebook page:

www.Facebook.com/maf-papuanewguinea

Visit www.maf-papuanewguinea.org to find out more about the transformational work of MAF in PNG!

A special MAF PNG 70th anniversary logo

What does MAF mean to you? Can you condense MAF’s 70 years of impact in Papua New Guinea’s remote communities and the ongoing need for MAF’s presence in PNG into one logo?

As MAF PNG was preparing to celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2021, we for people to get creative and design a temporary MAF PNG anniversary logo. We received 19 different entries which were a joy for us to see and read the explanations behind their designs. Entry was open for Papua New Guineans of all ages and those associated with the work of MAF in Papua New Guinea.

Our MAF PNG team, both nationals and expats, judged all the submitted designs anonymously and selected the one which best represents MAF PNG’s past and present. 

The winning logo was submitted by Simon Wamo, a Mt Hagen resident. Congratulations! 

As a reward, Mr Wamo’s winning 70th anniversary logo will soon become the temporary face of MAF PNG in 2021 – it will be flown around by our aircraft and seen in various other publications, nationwide and internationally.

The runner-up designs were submitted by Israel Kaupa (Gumine, Simbu), Michael Paul Kumo (Kerowagi, Simbu) and Joy Suarika (Goroka, Eastern Highlands) and Anna Rayner (United Kingdom). These top 5 will receive a MAF PNG anniversary prize later this year. Thanks again to all those who submitted a design.

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