British couple now feel the call to serve in Arnhem Land, even though it was a region that was not on their radar.
Less than a year ago, the UK’s youngest MAF pilot James Gullett, and his wife Danielle, knew very little about a place in Australia called Arnhem Land.
After James completed MAF standardisation training in Mareeba, Far North Queensland, the couple moved to Arnhem Land in January 2025 - and the destination initially came as a surprise for both.
“When MAF came to us and said, ‘Hey, there's a position in Arnhem Land, would you guys be interested?’ it really took us by surprise,” said Danielle.
“Arnhem Land was never really on the cards for us originally, and we didn’t know much about its existence.”
However, a short visit gave the couple a taste of their future home in the Northern Territory and opened their eyes to the challenges that distance and terrain can represent, even in an economically prosperous country like Australia.
“Australia, in my mind at least, was a very developed place,” Danielle said. “I didn't realise how big and vast it was and how remote some areas are, like Arnhem Land.”
Mareeba, 2500 kilometres overland from Arnhem Land, was a staging point for the Gulletts, particularly for James as he worked through licensing requirements for flying in Australia.
MAF’s Training Centre in Mareeba draws on a wealth of mission pilot experience and operational expertise to prepare new mission pilots for flying in the countries of their calling.
“I've just finished something in the UK called the MAF Future Pilot Programme,” said James. “We're currently in Mareeba, Queensland, where I'm doing some training on the GA8 Airvan aircraft.
“I have a European pilot's licence, and I need to get an Australian licence so I can fly commercially here. I've just done that this last month, and then, this month, I'm working with one of the instructors here, and we're looking specifically at the MAF way of doing things. We call it standardisation.”
And as always, we will leave it with God, and we will see where he leads us.
In Arnhem Land, James has joined the team as a pilot, and Danielle is also expecting to be busy. MAF’s programme in Arnhem Land provides an essential link for indigenous people from isolated communities – providing regular shuttle flights, bringing education to remote homelands, and flying women to safety from domestic violence situations.
“I'm really looking forward to engaging with the people there, both with the MAF team and with the Yolngu people,” Danielle said.
“I'm hoping to work in a women's refuge centre, walking alongside women who have experienced domestic violence and similar situations. I'm really passionate about being able to engage in that, hearing these people's stories and learning from them.”
James said, “God really has placed – in the last year or so – a call on our heart, a desire to serve in Arnhem Land, to get to know the people, to engage with them, to support the MAF team. And we're really excited about that. And as always, we will leave it with God, and we will see where he leads us.”
