Tributes to MAF pilot Chris Coffee reveal his impact on friends, family, colleagues and the Arnhem Land communities he served.
A community outpouring of condolences and tributes flooded social media in Nhulunbuy, Arnhem Land, as word spread of MAF pilot Chris Coffee’s death in a traffic accident early on 8th January 2025.
Chris, 36, is survived by his wife Alison and three children.
Chris and Ali met at Sydney Missionary and Bible College (SMBC) while they were studying between 2013 and 2016. They married, and after Bible College, Chris commenced pilot training in Sydney, and then gained further experience in Cowra, New South Wales, from where they applied to serve with MAF.
He started MAF training in Mareeba in May 2023, and the family commenced joint service with MAF and Interserve in Arnhem Land in July 2023.
“We have the amazing privilege of living on Yolŋu Country and serving the people,” Chris said in an interview in 2024.
“We work with the Yolŋu to encourage local believers and serve these extremely remote communities through aviation.
“God cares for each one of us and has made us all in his image, with dignity and inherent value, no matter our race or family background. The remote and barely known places are not unknown to him.”
On Wednesday 22nd January, several hundred mourners filled to overflowing the Presbyterian Church of Drummoyne, Sydney, to bid their final farewells to Chris.
The Coffee family had served in Arnhem Land for a little more than a year when Chris was referred to Vaughan Woodward, Asia Pacific Regional Director of MAF, for the role of Deputy Director of MAF in Arnhem Land in October 2024.
Vaughan said, “Chris was chosen by MAF for the role of Deputy Director because of his calm and gentle manner in leadership, which was consistently demonstrated in his dealings with all people.
“Chris was passionately engaged with the wider community of East Arnhem Land, and he was loved and respected by his peers. He will be greatly missed by all of us.”
Matt Henderson, Acting Country Director of MAF in Arnhem Land, has been based in the region for more than nine years, and he highlighted the depth of the Coffee family’s commitment to the region.
“Over the decades, many pilots and new families come to Arnhem Land to prepare to go to other MAF programs, but we also retain some to serve here long term,” he said.
“The Coffees were really committed to digging in deep here and serving long term.
“The Yolŋu offered full ceremony for Chris, which is very humbling and very honouring to see. It's exceptional.
“It's a sign of how he lived, and also the relationship that MAF has with the community. I think the outpouring for someone who'd been here less than two years speaks volumes about how Chris was in his day-to-day life.”
Bruce Coffee, Chris’s father, knew well how Chris touched the lives of people around him, both old friends and new.
“We thank God for blessing us with our beautiful son Chris,” said Bruce.
“Everything about Chris was big. His heart, love of life, commitment to faith, hope and love, love of flying, commitment to family, friends and people he had just met.
“He entertained me, challenged me, and supported me in times of difficulty. As police officers in New South Wales, my wife Sharyn and I have seen many tragedies affecting so many families, yet the circumstances of Chris’s passing are among the most challenging we have encountered.
“The weight of his loss to us all as a son, husband, father, brother and friend cannot be measured at this time.”
A deep and joyous faith in God was a cornerstone of Chris’s life, and his faith stands out as a defining attribute to his mother, Catherine Nicholson.
“Being chosen to mother this extraordinary man has been an honour,” said Catherine
“Chris was a deeply principled man with a belief in the good in all, a strong sense of family, a profound love for Ali, the children and our wider families. His sense of humour was renowned.
“Above all this was his love of Jesus and his vision for a better world, and he grew into a mighty man of vision with a rock-solid faith.”
With his warm, approachable nature and his professionalism as a pilot, Chris was loved by the MAF team and the passengers he flew.
Arnhem Land pilot David Chandler said, “There was a real gentleness and a real kindness in everything he did. He always was smiling and always had a joke at the ready.
“Chris was comfortable in himself, and he helped others to become comfortable in themselves.
“He always took the time to have a laugh with his passengers and to chat with them, but ultimately, the warmth and the care and the relational side of him is what made you feel safe, because you knew that he cares about you.”
Abi White, Principal of the Laynhapuy Homelands School, travels often on the MAF flights that help to facilitate education across the homelands of East Arnhem Land.
“Chris was a fantastic pilot and amazing human who made all his passengers feel safe and calm,” said Abi.
“The staff and students at Laynhapuy Homelands School flew with him weekly and had a great affection for him. He will be greatly missed, and we are all thinking of his wife Ali, their three children, and the MAF community.”