A major generator upgrade allows uninterrupted work for the MAF team in Papua New Guinea helping to bring vital services to some of the most isolated communities across the nation.
Story by Kathy Burrows
For years, the MAF team in Papua New Guinea (PNG) has battled with power outages disrupting their work to bring help, hope and healing to remote communities. However, a recent upgrade to their headquarters main generators has meant essential operations can now run smoothly.
“When I have medevac call, I need power to know where the call is coming from, and where our planes are at that moment,” said flight programmer Dalinda Maxie – one of over 30 staff who depend on the generators at the headquarters.
“We do not rely on PNG Power because they don’t supply constant power,” she said. “I need a constant power supply to monitor my planes and my pilots, and to inform our customers.”
When I have medevac call, I need power to know where the call is coming from, and where our planes are at that moment
As one of the charity’s largest programmes, MAF in PNG transports over 35,000 passengers a year to reach otherwise inaccessible regions across the country. Without reliable power, operations processes are interrupted, potentially causing delays for all MAF bases across PNG, hindering services to communities that depend on them.
Now, thanks to Managing Director at Compass Energy Ltd, Leigh MacRae, MAF’s three main generators can provide consistent reliable power when the main grid supply goes off. As a licensed electrician in New Zealand and a former MAF team member, Leigh himself flew out especially to head up the upgrade.
“The work that we've done here and the impact it has on MAF is quite large, because a lot of the electrical installations that are done here are really old,” he said.
“I feel really good about leaving here knowing that that the headquarters and the base are in a very good condition.”
Working alongside Leigh, local MAF electricians Sylvester Ikate and Robin Jacob have had the opportunity to gain valuable skills and knowledge to deal with any future power issues.
“We are happy to be part of this set up,” said Sylvester who has been observing Leigh installing the new generator board.
“It's been a good experience for them,” added Leigh. “I think they've learned a lot from it.
“They don’t get a lot of opportunities to work on this sort of equipment and obviously don't get a lot of people being able to come and train them.”
With Sylvester and Robin trained to continue vital testing and future updates, MAF staff like Dalinda can feel confident that their work will continue without delay.
For Leigh it has been another rewarding visit to PNG as he leaves knowing his contribution will have a lasting impact.
“PNG for me is like my second home. I love coming here. I love the people here. I love the servant heartedness of the expats that come and serve here,” he said.
“Whatever I can to help improve the situation over here in PNG, whether it be through electrical, whether it be through training, just to be able to come over here and help out – it’s just been such a privilege.”