A FORMER Army pilot is leaving his quiet military life in Middle Wallop to migrate to one of the remotest regions in northern Australia and serve in the world’s largest humanitarian air service.
Former Army pilot Ben Brown will be joined by his wife Esther, a wildlife artist, and their two children Barnabas, three, and Reuben, one, as they move to Arnhem Lan in Australia next year.
As Britain recovers from a summer of heatwaves, the Browns are preparing to move into temperatures which regularly exceed 40 degrees after accepting an assignment with Mission Aviation Fellowship [MAF], the world’s largest humanitarian air service, where Ben will become a deputy programme and operations manager.
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After returning from his first preliminary trip to Arnhem Land last month, where he met the MAF team and joined some flights, he said: “My first impressions were just how remote it felt. The Australian bush extends as far as the eye can see – you immediately get a sense of why aviation is so important and can be used as a force for good. Flying into the Yolngu homelands highlighted that Arnhem Land is nothing like the Australia many people picture.
“I have no doubt that adjusting to living in Arnhem Land will have its challenges. The remoteness, humidity and distance from family will be hard, but we have a strong faith, and an amazing MAF team to support – and we look forward to getting to know them all better.”
Despite enjoying the adrenaline of low-level military flying, Ben was won over by an MAF poster of a mountainside landing, which he saw in his hometown of Farnham as a teenager.
Ben felt compelled to learn to fly at the earliest opportunity after graduating from St Andrew’s University.
Ben said: “I always knew I wanted to fly for a humanitarian cause. MAF pilots fly in some of the most hostile and challenging scenarios in the world, but they are serving people who, without an air service, wouldn’t receive the care and facilities they need."
Since meeting Ben in 2014 and marrying the following year, Esther first discovered MAF in South Africa while volunteering for charity youth with a mission in 2010, and has always wanted to live overseas working for a humanitarian organisation.
As a mother of two young boys, Esther admits feeling apprehensive about the dangerous creatures they may encounter including the notorious saltwater crocodiles, poisonous snakes, spiders and jellyfish.
She said: “I think you have to be careful, and as long as we are all sensible, we shouldn’t get into any trouble. I’ve already started telling the boys that although the water is beautiful in Arnhem Land, you can’t swim in it! It will be hot, humid, and remote, but I’ve wanted to serve abroad with MAF for a long time. We are excited for this opportunity.”
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