Mouldy Kitchen
As well as being a capable pilot and a dog-lover, Ryan is also very handy, which is useful as there’s no electricians, plumbers or carpenters with shops in Telefomin.
Traditional PNG Craft
The traditional craft of Bilum weaving has been passed down through generations in PNG. Bilums are used to carry everything from coins to vegetables to firewood and even babies! Shiv filmed her friends weaving together…
Happy PNG Independence Day!
We’re really glad to be back in Telefomin to celebrate the 47th Anniversary of PNG’s independence!
Mushroom Mushroom!
I found this massive Mushroom at Mt Hagen market just after our holiday. I bought it just to try it as you don’t often find fresh mushrooms at markets in PNG and I haven’t seen this large variety before.
Holiday on New Britain Island
We couldn’t make it all the way to Britain this year, or even manage to leave PNG, but our holiday on New Britain Island was so much better than we expected.
We snorkeled, walked on a volcano, visited Japanese military sites from World War 2, drank fresh Kulau (young coconuts), relaxed loads and even swam with dolphins!
School Books for Telefomin High School
The High School has around 400 students, and a beautiful purpose-built library, but the shelves in the library are quite bare. These school books I helped to deliver will go a long way towards encouraging the students to read to improve their English.
Telefomin’s Ambulance
Last month a helicopter lifted a new Ambulance into Telefomin. Previously, the closest thing that the Telefomin hospital had to an ambulance was a flat-bed truck. Although the vehicle, pictured, is not what you might imagine in the UK/Canada, for PNG this is a fit-for-purpose Ambulance, complete with stretcher, oxygen, 4-wheel drive capability, siren and flashing lights.
Ryan took these photos on the day he brought in a Medevac patient, the first time the ambulance was used for it’s true purpose.
Rainbow over the Balus
Balus is tok pisin (Melanesian pidgin) for airplane. In Telefomin we are often spoiled with beautiful rainbows around our home and our “balus”. Here are a couple of photos Ryan took recently… (Click to see more)
Happy Valentines Day!
St Valentine’s Day is not just a special day for us for the usual reasons. It was on 14th February 2017 that we met each other’s parents in person for the first time, and then, 2 days later, Ryan proposed with all 4 of them with us, so mid-February holds very special memories.
New Floor Please?
We’ve had some of our maintenance team in Telefomin this past week doing some essential maintenance. Our Swiss neighbours have had plastic liners put in their 2 metal tanks, to stop the leeks due to rust, and the floor at the base has had some much needed repair work. In the photo, right, Eugene & Steven, our two Traffic Officers, are pointing out some of the big ruts in the cement floor which makes pushing trolleys loaded with cargo rather tricky.
Helping our Neighbours
There are a few small commercial airlines who fly into Telefomin regularly. One of them had a stone unfortunately damage their Twin Otter recently. As they know we are based here full-time, they contacted our boss to ask if we had any accommodation. The transit house, which Shiv looks after, played host to 2 pilots and 4 Engineers, the latter who stayed for the whole weekend to fix the aircraft. Thankfully they were successful and the Twin Otter flew out on Monday, much to their relief.
We are here to serve the remote communities, but it’s nice to be able to help our aviation neighbours too!
Telefomin’s version of Uber…
This is Andrew, he drives one of the handful of motorbikes which putter around Telefomin these days. When we first moved here 3 years ago, there weren’t any motorbikes at all! We joke that they are Telefomin’s version of Uber as we often see passengers on the back.
PNG “Brother”
This is our “brother”, Lukas. His Mum is Mama Cathy, the lady who helps clean our house. Lukas pops round quite regularly to help out with some big jobs like cleaning out the drainage ditches in the garden and washing the outside of our house, he’s a real blessing to us!
Lukas loves to say hi to Ray the dog when he comes over. They all laugh when Shiv says Ray is like her baby, but Lukas takes his role of Ray’s Uncle, very seriously.
Telefomin Flowers
PNG ladies love their gardens. The vegetables bring life to their families and the flowers bring joy to their hearts.
I have been blessed many times with beautiful bouquets of local flowers, like these which were waiting for us when we returned home back in October.
Christmas Weekend Highlights
Click to see a few highlights from our Christmas weekend which we spent in our home in Telefomin with some very dear MAF PNG friends.
Welcome to 2021!
Wishing you a very happy new year. May 2021 be filled with laughter, good memories and lots of time with the people you love!
It is unlikely we will be able to leave PNG this year, but we look forward to hopefully visiting many of you next year.
God bless,
Ryan, Shiv & Ray the dog!
Giant Sweet Potato
Our small, local market is just a 5 minute walk from our house, so I stop in most days, on my way home after walking Ryan to the airport. When I popped in the other day, I found this ENORMOUS sweet potato for sale, for a mere K5 (about GBP1.25 or CAD1.6). I asked the lady and her son who were selling it to pose for a picture because I have never seen one so big before!
Sunset in the Min Valley!
Our home, Telefomin, is nestled in the middle of the Min valley. We’ve had a lot of rain lately, but when it clears up we can have some beautiful sunsets, this is the first one since we’ve returned!
Friendship Across the Ocean
Whilst we have been away, my sisters and mothers who attend the Saturday morning Ladies’ group at our local church in Telefomin, have been praying for God to protect us and bring us home. When I was able to re-join them last week I was told by many of them how they had prayed for us and how they were so glad we had brought the MAF plane home to Telefomin. We had a lovely time of singing worship songs and sharing together, as-well-as lots of hugs! It’s so great to be back with the ladies who literally welcomed me with open arms!
Ray the working Puppy
Ray has been coming into the office with Shiv once a week. He really enjoys seeing all the PNG staff and wondering from office to office. He’s very well behaved but sometimes he gets in the way of the door and has been bashed a few times.
Click on the picture, left, to watch a video of our friend, Nurse Rhema, one of the local health care workers who MAF supports and we fly out of Telefomin.