HA, i read with interest your post and some of the points you make are quite valid. there are some who expect everything to fall into their lap and, unfortunately, there are some people who have everything fall into their lap, while those that do the hard yards hopefully make it somewhere.
I am sure it wasn't due to apathy that no-one applied to these jobs you advertised, maybe there aint many pilots up this way at the moment, or none of them are ppruners.
i was once set on a flying career but one thing turned me off, in fact several things and these are all personal reasons, i guess if you want to do it you will make the sacrifices.
Lack of job security, poor working conditions, poor pay, poor living conditions, lack of return on investment in licenses etc, having to live apart from partner for extended periods of time are all reasons why one may not like to apply for a position with a ga company in a remote location, knowing they may clear $300 a week if they are lucky while trying to repay loans and just get by.
I am glad I left my flying as a pleasure activity and can continue to work in the industry, set goals and earn twice as much as a poor ga pilot, i feel sorry for ga pilots, they deserve better.
if you don't have 350-400TT in Darwin, you find it hard to get anywhere at all, and when you do get there you get treated like ****. and i am not whining because i couldn't get a job up here either, i CHOSE freely to go with another side of the industry.
you shouldn't sprout your hard luck story to everyone cos no-one will apply for your jobs, i know people who have been in darwin for months and are still looking, maybe if more ga operators treated pilots like human beings people wouldn't be turned off.
all good points though and makes for interesting discussion...
cheers