Flying high or lying low, Martyn’s here to help

MARTYN Scrimshaw made his mark in Leongatha during his time there as the head of the local Salvation Army Corps.

Together with Salvation Army Commissioners Floyd and Tracey Tidd, and his wife Heather, he officially opened a new building for the Salvation Army and GippsCare in Leongatha in 2014.

But it was his local welfare work and willingness to engage with other organisations and the broader community of South Gippsland that set him apart.

After leaving Leongatha, he continued his community work in a whole new sphere, in the unique role of chaplain at the Melbourne Airport.

What does a chaplain do at a major international and domestic airport?

“You’d be surprised,” said Martyn this week, recently returned from a conference in London where he was elected President of the International Association of Civil Aviation Chaplains.

“We have more than 200 airport chaplains worldwide, located on every continent,” he said.

“There’s probably another couple of hundred beyond that.”

His long-planned trip ran into some turbulence however, when Martyn and Heather were due to arrive only days out from the Queen’s Funeral, in mid-September.

“We landed there, only a few days before the funeral, at 5 o’clock in the morning, and decided to join the queue at Westminster.

“We waited for more than 12 hours but it was quite an experience. We chatted with people in the queue and the time passed quickly, but it was really an incredible experience walking through the hall and paying our respects at the Queen’s coffin.”

Not only was it an intensely spiritual experience but Martyn said he had the feeling of being part of history as well.

The conference went well, and Heather and Martyn were soon winging their way home, for Martyn it was back to work at the Melbourne Airport and for Heather, to resume her primary role, helping out with the grandchildren.

“There’s been a lot of upheaval at the airport, as you can imagine, because of COVID.

“We went from an average of 60,000 passengers-a-day, to less than 700.”

As a result, the Salvation Army discontinued the airport initiative but, already aware of the importance of the role, Martyn sought out another agency to auspice the position.

“There’s really a lot to be done,” said Martyn.

Principally it involves circulating around the airport, assisting people, but more pressing issues do arise.

“There’s regularly people stranded for one reason or another. We recently had a guy trying to get home who didn’t have a passport. He had to stay here for one reason or another, a bit like the Tom Hanks’ film 'Terminal', but not for as long thankfully.”

Homeless people also find their way to the airport and Martyn is able to help them connect with support agencies.

“There’s a lot more stress and anxiety in the community since COVID and both the staff and passengers experience the effects of that,” said Martyn.

He’s often called on to deal with issues on both sides.

He’s involved in emergency response planning, works with the police and other agencies, and can even be called in after hours to deal with welfare issues, in support of airport staff.

“It’s a role that sort of fills the gaps between airport staff and outside agencies,” said Martyn.

Mr Scrimshaw believes chaplains are an appointment that all major airports should make.

“We have a chaplain at most of the major airports in the US, a lot in Europe and some in Asia. We have members from all of the major faiths and even welcomed our first humanist chaplain recently.”

Mr Scrimshaw said that although the chaplains are drawn from individual faiths, their role is multi-faith, or alternatively, its purely secular assistance.

“I’ve said prayers with passengers when asked and also with staff but it’s mostly just a helping hand for people who need it.”

Melbourne Airport is really starting to get its hustle and bustle back again, especially as Christmas draws near, which is good news for the shops and food outlets that have really done it hard during the pandemic.

And Martyn Scrimshaw, the new president of the International Association of Civil Aviation Chaplains, is happy to be a part of it.