Ageless aviator

Warrant Officer John 'Pav' Pawliw, a C-130J loadmaster from 37 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force, watches for any sign of trouble as his aircraft crosses the northern Persian Gulf. Warrant Officer John 'Pav' Pawliw, 49, lives in Bligh Park near Windsor. He is engaged to Kathy Mason. He has three children from his previous marriage Low Res | High Res

By Corporal Cameron Jamieson, Directorate Defence Newspapers (filed 25 May 2005)

It's not a case of growing old disgracefully; it's more like keeping young by enjoying your work and taking care of yourself.

At a major coalition airbase in the Middle East, Warrant Officer John Pawliw is living proof of how you're only as old as you feel. Tanned, fit and full of life, the 49 year-old C-130J Hercules cargo aircraft loadmaster can't get enough of his job.

"I do this job because I really love it," he said. "I'd do it for nothing, because I enjoy the flying and the variety, but they pay me anyway.

"The job changes on a daily basis - it might seem routine but everything changes and I want to keep doing it for as long as possible."

He has been deployed to the Middle East to serve with the two Royal Australian Air Force Hercules based there as part of Operation Catalyst, the Australian Government's mission to help rehabilitate Iraq.

The C-130s frequently shuttle troops and cargo in and out of Iraq and are sometimes in harms way as they approach airports where anti-aircraft weapons have been used against coalition aircraft.

When the day's flying is done Warrant Officer Pawliw likes to work out in the base gym and socialise with his teammates.

"The core group of people I work with on this deployment have all bonded really well so we work and play well together," he said. "And that's often the case with the Air Force. It means I can have fun wherever I go."