PNG’s rural areas are the forgotten lands; where lack of government’s presence and the consequent high illiteracy, and high maternal and infant mortality is a tragedy.
In such places, where many only hear exaggerated stories of the outside world and then conjure up mental pictures to charm their imaginations, there’s only one way out to the world they dream of. This is the way of the metal birds.
They come in different shapes and sizes; they are the sounds of technology and the wings of hope that grace the skies of remote rural PNG. They are the birds of Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), Seventh Day Adventist Aviation (SDA), and Airlines PNG to name a few.
These birds are the wings of hope for the very ill; they are the transporters of coffee bags; they are the only connection through which a glimpse of the outside world is manifested.
For decades, through thick and thin they have served remote rural PNG faithfully. Many who have piloted these birds over rugged terrains and into deep valleys are brave men indeed. Some have lost their lives while others continue, not because there’s a fortune to be made but because their hearts are burdened by the tragedy they witness.
The poem below celebrates these wings of hope and the men who fly them over PNG’s rugged terrain
Wings of hope
On their gentle wings,
Women and children fly.
And sickman eventually finds
Peace, healing and more.
O how they grace the skies,
And hope they bring to many
A forgotten soul who, under
Cloud cover and thick jungles
Speak of dreams of hope.
And gather in enthusiastic crowds,
With smiles the sun and the moon,
Can only hope for in their brightest.
Then their dreams fly,
Into clouds to sing to others who
Can hear and let their hearts beat.
To a disharmony that pervades
Many a fine land on cruel ridges,
In deep valleys and on lonely islands,
Where the sun and the moon
Mock day and night.
O these birds, sounds of technology
That grace our skies thru thick and thin;
Aren’t they our wings of hope?
Thousands have benefited and thousands more will benefit. Let us all together thank them for the things they have done. Thank you Wings of Hope
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