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GA8 Airvans to assist in relief efforts in Indonesia

By Latrobe Shire Council - 24th January 2005 - Back to News

As a very practical contribution to assist in the relief efforts in Indonesia, a locally manufactured GA8 Airvan aircraft is to be sent by Gippsland Aeronautics to the Mission Aviation Fellowship for an initial period of two months. This aircraft will join two other Airvans, already based in Indonesia, in humanitarian relief and aid activity.

At the Latrobe Regional Airport on Monday, Latrobe City Mayor, Cr Bruce Lougheed announced the secondment of the aircraft, praised the initiative of Gippsland Aeronautics, and thanked a number of benefactors who had contributed to making the secondment possible.

"The extent of the grief and suffering experienced by the survivors of the Asian earthquake and tsunami, together with the staggering toll on life and destruction to homes, livelihoods and infrastructure; has impacted immensely in the minds of Australians and people across the world," Cr Lougheed said.

"As the full extent of the disaster has become apparent, so too has the realisation that relief efforts will need to be in place for many months, and rebuilding communities is a task that will in fact, take years.

"In the Latrobe Valley, our community, like many others, has exhibited a very strong desire to assist those communities affected by the disaster. This has been clearly demonstrated by the many generous donations to relief agencies and active participation in fund raising opportunities such as the forthcoming ‘Big Wave Concert – tsunami appeal’.

"A considerable hurdle being experienced by relief agencies in the field is that of destroyed and damaged infrastructure, which prevents or delays much needed help being delivered to the victims of the tsunami. However, in overcoming many impediments to relief aid being delivered, light aircraft are proving invaluable," Cr Lougheed said.

"Every day, tales emerge of how difficult the situation on the ground in affected areas actually is. There are reports of relief aid taking days to be delivered a few hundred kilometres. It is obviously unsustainable to deliver aid in such a way, where the mechanism to deliver that aid is burdened by being on the road for such lengthy periods; especially when considering that the turnaround time for loading and unloading can be relatively short.

"It is in circumstances such as these, that air transport and the GA8 in particular comes to the fore.

"The GA8 has been developed to deliver a comparatively large payload into areas that would be unsuitable for most types of aircraft. As a consequence, their suitability to help with the relief efforts in Asia is widely recognised. The fact that this aircraft is manufactured in Gippsland makes us especially proud.

"In taking the initiative to send a GA8 to the relief work, Gippsland Aeronautics has not only made a considerable contribution to tsunami relief efforts, but the company is also sending a statement of hope, as well as practical aid, on behalf of the communities of Gippsland.

"However, this critical example of hands-on assistance in delivering aid to disaster victims is only being made possible through a number of very generous donations made by Gippsland businesses.

"On behalf of the citizens of Latrobe, I’d like to thank those businesses who are contributing to the aid efforts being delivered through this GA8 secondment.

"In particular I’d like to mention Gerard and Michelle Lappon from Aerial Extras; Alan Campbell and Nicole van den Ham from AV8; Corkys Liquor Traralgon; Gippsland Fleet Management Services; International Power Hazelwood, Loy Yang B power station, and in fact the contribution of all International Power owned power stations around Australia; Loy Yang Power; The Investor Group – Armitage Downie Traralgon, Valley Ford; and Wights Motor World.

"A big thankyou is also in order to the management and staff of Gippsland Aeronautics who have worked tirelessly to facilitate this initiative. In fact, we thank all of those people involved in any way in generating this expression of practical assistance to the tsunami ravaged communities.

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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