Leo ARKFELD

21 August 1999, aged 87

Bishop Arkfeld, the son of an American farmer, was ordained in 1943 and travelled to Australia on the Monterey along with 19 other priests ordained at the same time. A year later he went to New Guinea and worked in the Madang, Morobe and Sepik provinces. It was while serving in Madang and Lae that he trained to become a pilot. He returned to the US in 1948 to be ordained as a bishop and was appointed Bishop of Wewak. As road and river transport was hazardous and time-consuming, he piloted his own plane, regularly visiting the most isolated mission stations in his area and opening new stations. He became known as ‘The Flying Bishop’: in one day he could visit a dozen stations. In 1990, when he made his last flight for Wirui Air Service, it was calculated that he had probably made 25,000 to 30,000 flights. He said, “I did a lot of work but I could do that only because I could fly. Everything else just fell in line.”

Having solved the transportation problem, Bishop Arkfeld improved communications with the mission stations. He established an extensive radio network, providing each outstation with a transmitter. Later he set up a printing press, and established numerous schools and health centres including a Minor Seminary and a Teachers College. In 1997 he returned to his homeland to celebrate his 50th year as a bishop and to be reunited with his family. He returned to Australia and then to PNG towards the end of 1997 and lived in retirement at Wirui, Wewak, having been given the title Emeritus Archbishop. Post Courier, 21 October 1999, and The Independent, 17 October 1999