The “Rosies” of Motukea Island

This articled was first published in The National Weekender on Friday, February 1, 2013

By MALUM NALU

Go to Curtain Brothers’ PNG Dockyard on Motukea Island any day and you could be forgiven for thinking that you were back in World War 11 in the United States.

Engineer Allan Brink (from left) and training instructor Faitana Bunmai with some of the “Rosies” of Motukea Island: Mabata Maino, Naoani Raho, Lalau Renagi, Boio Wauwau, Mary Rogu, Elizabeth Tau, Sherolyn Bonny, Edna Jack, Alfreda Darcy, and Carolyn Mafu.-Pictures by MALUM NALU

During WW11, as the men went to war, American women worked in factories, producing munitions and war supplies.

It was these women who built the planes, tanks, and ships needed to win WW11.

These women sometimes took entirely new jobs replacing the male workers who were in the military.

“Rosie the Riveter” is a cultural icon of the United States, representing the American women who worked in factories during WW11 and is commonly used as a symbol of feminism and women's economic power.

A famous US “Rosie the Riveter” poster from WW11.

According to the Encyclopedia of American Economic History, "Rosie the Riveter" inspired a social movement that increased the number of working American women – “Rosies” - from 12 million to 20 million by 1944, a 57% increase from 1940.

By 1944 only 1.7 million unmarried men between the ages of 20 and 34 worked in the defense industry, while 4.1 million unmarried women between those ages did so.

Although the image of "Rosie the Riveter" reflected the industrial work of welders and riveters during WW11, the majority of working women filled non-factory positions in every sector of the economy.

What unified the experiences of these women was that they proved to themselves (and the country) that they could do a "man's job" and could do it well.

Fast forward 70 years to 2013: Young women from Motuan villages around Port Moresby are being given a new lease of life, thanks to major Papua New Guinea company, Curtain Brothers.

“Rosies”...female trainee welders (from left) Rosemary Kavanamur, Mary Louise John, and Caroline Mafu at the busy PNG Dockyard on Motukea Island.

The company, through its subsidiary PNG Dockyard Ltd, is bringing in young women from the villages, school dropouts some of whom are only educated as far as Grade 6, and training them as welders on its busy Motukea Island outside Port Moresby.

Since then, the company has also been taking in young women from other parts of the country.

These “Rosies” of Motukea Island receive three months of intensive training - 75% practical and 25% theory - after which they are employed as trainee welders by the company and given a four-year apprenticeship during which time they can qualify as tradesmen.

Training sessions are held every three months, and since women started being trained as welders in 2011, 15 have gone through training.

Gomara Daniel, 19, from nearby Baruni village, dropped out of school at a very young age and was attending Limana Vocational Centre, when she heard about the training being offered by PNG Dockyard and applied.

Gomara Daniel (left) at welding class at the PNG Dockyard on Motukea Island while colleagues Elizabeth Tau (and Mabata Maino look on.

“It’s very enjoyable,” she tells me.

“I’m learning many new things.

“It’s good to receive such training and learn many new things about welding.

“I plan to become a boilermaker in future.”

Elizabeth Kalo, 20, finished Grade 10 at Kwikila Secondary School in 2010.

“After school, I had no further offers and was just at home,” she says.

“When I heard about the training being offered by Curtain Brothers, I sent in my certificate and was accepted.

“I’m enjoying it very much.

“I’m learning about welding and many other things.

“I’m looking forward to joining the workforce after completing my training.”

Mabata Maino, 16, is the baby of the trainees.

“I finished Grade 6 at Baruni Primary School in 2011,” she says.

“I’m really enjoying my training

Naoani Raho, 19, from Tatana village, completed Grade 8 at Tatana Primary School in 2011.

“I did my training last year from July to September,” she says.

Noani Rano cutting through a piece of metal at the PNG Dockyard workshop on Motukea Island.

“I’m now working as a trainee welder.

“I want to become a professional boilermaker in future.”

Catherine Binsgal, 21, of Baruni, completed Grade 8 at the village primary school in 20009 and after that went for training at a private institution before taking up welding training.

“I did my training last year from April till July,” she says.

“I learned many things including welding, flame, oxy gouging, MIG welding and others.

“I’m now working as a trainee welder and really enjoying it.”

Mary Louise John, 20, from the big village of Hanuabada, completed Grade 10 at Badihagwa Secondary School in 2010.

“I first went to the IT Job Training Centre at Waigani to do computer studies,” she says.

“From there, I came here for three months training, from October to December last year.

“I learned basic welding and I’m now a trainee welder.

“I want to become a professional welder in future.”

Linda Polongou, 26, from Manus is one of those from other provinces.

“I wasn’t doing anything before coming here,” she says.

“I finished Grade 10 at high school in Manus in 2008.

“I did my training from October to December 2011.

“Right now, I’m doing general welding duties.

“I see my future being in welding.”

Rosemary Kavanamur, of mixed Tolai and Baruni parentage, completed Grade 8 at St Michael’s Primary School at Hanuabada in 2009.

“After school, I was doing nothing,” she says.

“I did my training from July to September 2011.

“I really enjoy my job.”

Caroline Mafu, 19, from Baruni, completed Grade 10 at Iorowari High School in 2010.

“I didn’t have anything to do after that.

“I came here to do my training and I’m a trainee welder now and an apprentice at the same time.

“I want to become a boilermaker in future.”

Two other young ladies that I talked to, Alfreda Darty from Lake Murray in Western, and Sheorlyn Bonny from Yangoru in East Sepik, trained elsewhere before joining PNG Dockyard.

Sherolyn Bonny from Yangoru, East Sepik, a “Rosie” of Motukea Island.

Darty, 23, trained at Liunga Montfort Technical Secondary School from 2006-2007, while Bonny, 24, learned the basics at Maino Heduru Vocational Centre from 2007-2008.

PNG Dockyard operations manager, Steve Maiden, says welding is traditionally a male-dominated trade and the training for young women welders will benefit the whole country.

“It’s a 12-week programme providing dedicated welding and metal fabrication skills, enabling them to assimilate into the PNG Dockyard workforce, complementing our existing workforce” he says.

“It’s providing opportunities for both young men and women to become skilled metal fabricators and welders.

“It assists with PNG Dockyard’s and the nation’s skilled workforce.

“PNG Dockyard is committed to providing opportunities for all PNG people through all levels of our organisation.”

These young women are indeed the “Rosies” of Motukea Island.

PNG politics: 2013 will be another tough year

by Tess Newton Cain in The Intepreter

Tess Newton Cain is a Research Associate at the Development Policy Centre.

Last year saw Peter O'Neill negotiate numerous hurdles and pitfalls to take (or retain, depending on your reading of the constitutional crisis in the preceding seven months) power as prime minister of Papua New Guinea.
He put together a coalition government comprising around 90 of 111 MPs, giving him a solid majority and creating a degree of accord in the Haus Tambaran unseen for a very long time. His erstwhile lieutenant, Belden Namah, retreated to the opposition benches and even confirmed his willingness to support a constitutional amendment to extend the grace period in which votes of no confidence in the government cannot be lodged from 18 to 30 months.

O'Neill's election victory was welcomed in Canberra, as evidenced by his visit there at the invitation of Prime Minister Gillard and by the inaugural visit to PNG by Foreign Minister Carr. During his time in the country, Senator Carr repeatedly expressed the warm feelings of the Australian Government towards the O'Neill Government and O'Neill personally. The bonhomie looked to be reciprocated, with Carr's previous sins apparently all forgiven.
But with the turning of the year, it appears the honeymoon period is over and it's business as usual in PNG politics. In the last couple of weeks, a number of challenges to the O'Neill Government have arisen that undermine what appeared to be a well constructed and fortified position in the political landscape.
First, we saw the return of Belden Namah to centre stage. With no apparent trace of irony, the Leader of the Opposition declared that he would 'ensure that the values of our nation's constitution are upheld' by challenging the legality of the processing centre which recently reopened on Manus Island. Although the Prime Minister has not commented on the proceedings, he is no doubt unimpressed, as is Charlie Benjamin, the governor of the province, who appears to have overcome any concerns of this type he may have had previously. The National Court has yet to set a date to hear the case.
Hard on the heels of this announcement came Namah's assertion that he was withdrawing opposition support for the extension of the grace period as a reflection of his concerns that the country was becoming a 'banana republic'.
Given the size of the Government's majority and the fact that those who signed up to the Alotau accords in August of 2012 so far remain loyal to O'Neill, it is quite likely that, while Namah can make things uncomfortable in the media and possibly on the floor of the House, he is not really in a position to do the Prime Minister any substantive political harm at this stage. Don Polye has confirmed that his party, the second-largest coalition partner, will support the extension of the grace period.
Having said that, some cracks are beginning to show in the Government's alliances. Earlier this month there was an announcement that the People's Party, led by Peter Ipatas (governor of Enga province) would merge with the People's National Congress, led by O'Neill, giving the PM a total of 40 MPs under his direct control. However, the Registrar of Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates, Dr Alphonse Gelu, has refused to accept this arrangement, citing non-compliance with section 52 of the Organic Law on Political Parties and Candidates, which requires that such a merger be agreed by an absolute majority of the members of each party and 75% of members who are MPs.
In the midst of all this, O'Neill found himself, along with at least two of his ministers and numerous senior officials, struggling to avoid becoming embroiled in the ongoing and increasingly bizarre Phocea affair. Namah has lost no time in making political capital out of it.
It is generally accepted that the Manus Island facility (which O'Neill has said he would like to see become permanent) is the glue of the Australia-PNG relationship, but there are likely to be other reasons why Canberra is keen to have Peter O'Neill leading government in PNG. O'Neill's generally favourable approach to Australia, particularly as compared with that of Namah or his predecessor Sir Michael Somare, is well known, although the recent furore over the travel ban imposed on Ross Garnaut appears to belie this somewhat.
Furthermore, there are a couple of issues on the horizon on which Australia will hope to have PNG's support. One is in counterbalancing Fiji within the Melanesian Spearhead Group – the collective response to the recent events surrounding the reform of Fiji's constitution is yet to be made known.
In addition, if the issue of independence for West Papua arises, Australia will be keen to see O'Neill maintain his position of seeking to work with Indonesia in resolving border issues and acting as a restraint on more radical suggestions. Decolonisation is already on the table this year in relation to French Polynesia, and 2014 marks the end of both the period covered by the Noumea Accord and the ten-year transitional period in Bougainville, so it is conceivable that the momentum could provide fuel for the ever smoldering fire of West Papuan independence, something Australia is keen to avoid.