As we celebrate 75 years of flying in Papua New Guinea, we catch up with Terry Lobog, a member of our ground operations staff who not only serves with MAF, but grew up surrounded by the impact of MAF’s life-changing flights.
Story by Matt Painter
Terry Lobog is a senior member of the ground crew serving at MAF’s Kiunga base in the vast Western Province. Married and blessed with two girls and two boys, Terry grew up in Bok village, not far from Kondobal in the South Fly region. His parents were the pioneer pastors in the area and flew with MAF back and forth from Balimo as part of their ministry.
For two years now, Terry has been loading and unloading MAF planes, handling passengers, giving weather reports to pilots and looking after the base at Kiunga.
Terry shares that his first experience with a MAF plane was an embarrassing incident.
“We just ran across the runway,” he laughs, speaking of a moment of childhood naivety. “But the plane was still in the air, and then it was just landing. Wow! People screamed at us, really badly. Bad experience!”
Terry explains that MAF was the only aviation service that was serving his community.
“MAF brought services, allowed people to go out to towns and get little things like soap, biscuits or something,” he says. “They would bring it and sell it. It was good. MAF is still that service that is maintained up until today.”
MAF was not only contributing to economic development and hygiene in the village. About fifteen years ago, Terry’s own brother suffered a terrible accident and MAF’s intervention was vital.
“He was working on the fence in the garden and was swinging the machete,” Terry says. “It must have bumped onto another object and twisted. It came back and cut his arm. A big cut; the blood was just coming out. We had to fly him from the village straight here to Kiunga for hospital.
“I was the one who took him out of the plane, as well as assisted the workers who came into the ambulance. And then we went to the hospital.”
If the plane was not there that day, Terry said that his brother might have lost his hand.
“But because of MAF he’s able to do work again. With both hands.”
Terry also shares of when a visiting tenth grade student joined Bok village boys on a hunting trip during the holidays.
“They were doing the local life, burning grass and hunting animals,” Terry says. “And then somehow the fire went big all around. Flames burning everything. And this guy couldn’t escape. He tried, but fire just caught him and then he just fell down there.”
The student was badly burnt, his face instantly disfigured. The pastor put him on a stretcher and they carried him half a day’s walk to Upiara airstrip.
“MAF came all the way from Kawito and then took him. He was treated. He did his exam on the hospital bed. And then he passed the exams. And he became a high school teacher,” Terry adds.
Today, Terry is witness to medevacs every week.
Many have been saved. They've been flown.
“Many, many have been saved. They’ve been flown. People who’ve been attacked by wild pigs, had accidents working on the road – so many have been saved.
"We are here to demonstrate what Jesus has done. We need to be practical, not just talking but doing with action. They are just in need, like anyone could be.
“I used to just hear stories. Now I’m actually helping to save lives.”