During the Australian outback summer, Christmas spirit does not travel by sleigh — it wings in on a single-engine Cessna 182.
Key points:
- In a single-engine Cessna 182, the ‘flying padre’ has flown to isolated western New South Wales towns for nearly 20 years
- Mr Shrimpton says listening to residents’ concerns helps them feel “they are not forgotten”
- Pub owner Josh Sheard says many “big and tough” men benefit from his conversations
At least, that is how pastor David Shrimpton delivers holiday cheer to a congregation of a few thousand, across livestock and farm land nearly three times the size of Ireland.
Since 2003, the Uniting Church’s ‘flying padre’ has been visiting some of Australia’s most isolated communities to talk and listen to a scattered flock.
That largely stopped last year when COVID-19 restrictions were introduced.
Padre Dave, as he is known, could have claimed essential worker status and kept his schedule of four visits a year across the region, which spans 225,000 square kilometres.
Instead, he opted for phone catch-ups to minimise the risk of spreading the virus.
Now with restrictions easing, Mr Shrimpton is taking to the skies again, with hopes of sharing a normal Christmas with a vast tract of western New South Wales.
Graziers, farmers, school children, churchgoers and non-believers are all on Mr Shrimpton’s agenda.
“It will be great to go out again and reconnect with these folk, reconnect with the kids and be part of their school life once again,” he said.
“Reconnect with the adults who are living remotely and, let them know that they’re not forgotten.
Drought ‘buckled a few’ before COVID
The pandemic was the latest in a string of setbacks for a drought-stricken network of one-pub towns, sheep and cattle stations, Indigenous communities and small schools.
Josh Sheard, a former pub owner who has accommodated Mr Shrimpton for years during his visits to Pooncarie — a town with a population of just 84 — said he makes a difference to people’s lives.
“To be able to talk to Dave was really good for them. They only like telling each other what they’re doing when they’re making money.”
Sara Carey maintains a merino sheep operation called Netley Station with her partner Tony and has been visited by Mr Shrimpton for the past six years.
She said he has a knack for getting men to “have a cup of tea and answer questions they don’t even realise they’re answering.”
‘When is Padre Dave coming?’
Pooncarie’s five public school students don’t have internet connections reliable enough for home learning or socialising during lockdowns.
Teaching principal Alison King said they were excited about their year-end awards day mostly because of who would be attending.
“Even though they knew they were going to get a disco, they knew they were going to get awards, they were putting on a play, all they talked about the last few days was ‘when is Padre Dave coming?'” she said.
Two decades in the air
Mr Shrimpton’s unusual occupation is the result of two callings.
He was interested in flying as a child, but worked in real estate and childcare and drove taxis before studying to become a minister.
While appointed to a church near an airport, he saw an advertisement for flying lessons and signed up on a whim.
Shortly afterwards, he moved to Darwin to begin what has been nearly 20 years as a flying pastor.
Mr Shrimpton moved to Broken Hill in 2014.
He said that like his congregation, he also has been impacted by the restrictions imposed on social interaction over the past two years.
This visit would mark the beginning of “better times and a brighter future.”
Reuters
