Tiri Kuimbakul’s vision for Papua New Guinea

Tiri Kuimbakul’s book Success after Graduation has become a runaway bestseller since its launch in November 2006.

Since the launch of the book – aimed at young people in general – over 400 copies have been sold in the first three months, with orders coming in from all over the country.

And his star has continued to rise since the launch, with interviews with both local and overseas media; a weekly newspaper column for young people; and meeting many people personally and through an avalanche of emails, faxes, letters, and telephone calls.

This is all something new for the quietly-spoken layman pastor.

“When I first came upon the idea of writing books sometime in July 2005, I did not know what lay ahead of me,” he reflects.

“It has been like launching out into deep waters not knowing what will happen.

“It has really been a journey of faith.

“And I have met so many people I would never have known had I not written this book, many through correspondence.

“I hope to meet them in person some day.

“I am very happy with the response so far.

“I have sold many copies already to individuals - young people and parents, three bookshops and several schools.

“The first printing was 1000 copies.

“I gave away about 50 for promotional purposes.

“Of the balance, I have sold over 400 copies since November last year.

“So it is selling very well.

“I hope to go for a second print sooner than I thought.

“One provincial government has already ordered 1600 copies for all the high schools in the province.

“I hope to get other provincial governments to do the same.

“Several of them are emphasising human resource development and providing free education for students in their provinces, but they cannot guarantee them jobs.

“This book will really complement their efforts.”

Success after Graduation covers 13 subjects which Kuimbakul believes students, school-leavers and young people in general need to know about what life is like after school.

He discusses these issues, like finding a job, succeeding in work, planning for early retirement, creating your own job, and many others.

“I wrote the book because I realised that most students and young people do not get much if any advice on the matters I cover in the book,” Kuimbakul explains.

“Many parents in PNG are illiterate and do not have any working experience, or are unemployed, so they do not provide advice and guidance to their children on the matters addressed in the book.

“Other parents are too busy with work and business that they neglect their kids.

“This is evidenced by so many children of successful people being on the streets.

“So I wrote the book to provide sound advice on real-life issues affecting young people, especially as they leave school and enter the job market.

“My target group is young people in general, which covers students, especially those in secondary school, college and university; school-leavers, the unemployed as well as those who are working.”

Kuimbakul, 41, is from Mount Hagen in the Western Highlands, however, graduated with an honours degree in economics from University of Papua New Guinea in 1988.

Kuimbakul has worked as an economist with the Department of Agriculture & Livestock (1989-1990); assistant Export Manager with Coffee International Limited (1991-1992); economist and general manager of Industry Affairs Division, Coffee Industry Corporation (1993-1999); export Manager with Kongo Coffee Limited (2000); and freelance consultant (2001-2007)

He currently manages a coffee marketing project, advises two community development associations in Western Highlands Province, does church work, writes and publishes books, conducts seminars, and speaks to students and young people when he gets the opportunity.

“I have just completed my second book, which is titled ‘Young Money: What Every Working Person Needs To Know And Do To Achieve Financial Independence And Freedom’,” Kuimbakul continues.

“It talks about how people can succeed financially.

“The premise of the book is that academic and professional success does not equate to financial success.

“It should be on the market in late March/early April 2007.

“I am also nearly finished with my third book titled ‘Be Your Own Boss!’.

“It discusses more than 30 reasons why people should seriously consider becoming self-employed/going into business.

“I think it will blow the minds of thousands of working people in the country.

“I am aiming for it to be published in May 2007.”

Kuimbakul plans to write several more books over the next four years.

“By the time I am through, I will have covered the following areas: school, professional success, financial management, business and investing,” he says.

“In case you and others wonder why I want to write so many books, I would like to let you know that I have a vision for the future, which concerns empowering young people to become entrepreneurs.

“The vision is to develop and run an entrepreneurship school in the country for school drop-outs.

“I will use the books as resource material to develop a training manual and programme, and conduct training in conjunction with churches in the country.

“The motto of the programme will be ‘Turning Failure Into Success’.

“The programme will teach drop-outs and those who are labelled as failures, how to start their own businesses, as opposed to so-called business schools which teach people how to run other peoples’ businesses.

“The instructors will be successful business people who share a similar vision and are willing to give their time and knowledge for free, not textbook teachers.

“At the end of the training students will be required to develop business plans based on their own business ideas, which they have to defend before a committee.

“Whoever comes up with a bankable/viable plan and convinces the committee, will be funded from the proceeds of the books.

“The committee will provide on-going counselling, coaching and mentoring until the businesses are well-established.

“I hope that the program will produce many successful self-made business people in many parts of the country.

“This is the vision.

“This means that people who buy any of my books will buy into the vision and become partners with me in giving hope to as many of the hopeless young people we have on the streets of PNG today.

“ I do not know yet when the program will start.

“But that is the vision.”

Success after Graduation. By Tiri Kuimbakul. Self-published. Goroka, 2006. 151 pages. K60.

Dr Greg Murphy honoured for his services to PNG arts and education

The award of Officer of the Order of Logohu was presented to Raun Raun Theatre founder Dr Greg Murphy by Governor-General Sir Paulias Matane on Thursday on March 1, 2007.

Dr Murphy, a naturalised citizen who first came to Papua New Guinea in 1968, is known to many people – particularly those of Goroka – as being the founder of the famous Raun Raun Theatre and his role in the construction of the landmark Raun Raun Theatre building.

His is also known for his production of many plays, including the internationally-acclaimed Sail The Midnight Sun trilogy, which was written by famous PNG writer and poet John Kasaipwalova.

He is now employed by the University of Papua New Guinea as the Director of the Madang Open Campus.

“I would rate my biggest achievements in Papua New Guinea as the direction of the Sail the Midnight Sun Trilogy with the Raun Raun Theatre actors and dancers and the poet, John Kasaipwalova, and my role in the construction of the wonderful Raun Raun Theatre building in Goroka,” Dr Murphy says.

“But it also gave me great pleasure to witness the first group of graduates from the Madang Open Campus in April last year.

“It was a small group of seven people who graduated with a Bachelor of Management.

“I was very proud of them.”

He stood proud at Government House to receive his award.

“I was very proud to receive this award along with many other people who have contributed in their own ways to our country of Papua New Guinea.

“To be honoured in this way by my country - I became a citizen of Papua New Guinea in 1985 - means a great deal to me.”

Dr Murphy was educated at Melbourne and Monash Universities and then sent to Papua New Guinea as an Australian conscript in the Pacific Islands Regiment.

“Instead of being sent to Vietnam,” he recalls, “I was sent to Papua New Guinea to teach at the Military Cadet School in Lae.

“After that, I spent 10 years with Raun Raun Theatre and 25 years teaching and managing in tertiary educational institutions in Papua New Guinea.

“I have a formally adopted family of two children and now two grandchildren as well.

“In many ways, I regard my family as my major achievement.

“It has been a lifelong commitment.”

Dr Murphy’s contribution to the arts and culture in Papua New Guinea really began when he arrived in 1968.

“I was teaching English to officer cadets at Igam Barracks.

“During that time, we did a lot of creative writing, made a film based on Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart and produced a play called Everyman (the African version).

“I then returned to Australia and came back to live permanently in Papua New Guinea in 1973.

“For two years, I was a lecturer in Expressive Arts at Goroka Teachers College.

“Two collections of student poetry, Hey Now and O Mama, were published and 14 stage productions were mounted during that time.

“One of these productions was a folk opera called Betlail based on a story from Siassi and another was called Poket Buruk, a village play about alcoholism.

“These two productions formed a model for Raun Raun Theatre which I started in 1975 under the National Cultural Council.

“I directed and developed this theatre company for 10 years until 1984.”


The following are the productions completed at that time:

Village plays: 1975 Poket Buruk [TP: Broke!]a play about alcoholism; 1975 TupelaTingting [TP: Double Bind] a play about gambling; 1976 O Mama na Papa
a play about urban youth; 1977 Kago [TP: Cargo]a play about cargoism; 1978 Ol Kain Sik Nogut [TP: Health Problems]a play about malnutrition, diarrhoea, sexually transmitted disease; 1979 Taim Bilong Kopi [TP: The Coffee Season]a play about coffee growing; 1980 Femili Plenin [TP: Family Planning]; 1981 Wara Suplai [TP: Water Supply]; 1982 Politiks [TP: Politics].

Folk operas: 1975 Betlail [The Twins]an origin story from the Siassi Islands; 1975 Ai Bilong Bilak Bokis [TP: The Eye of the Flying Fox]an origin story from the Finschhafen area; 1976 Tewel Bilong Kokatu [TP: The Cockatoo Spirit]an origin story from the Finschhafen area; 1977 Diwaz [The Trickster]an origin story from the Kiwai area of the Gulf; 1978 The Legend of Jari an origin story from the East Sepik; 1980 Sail the Midnight Sunbased on poetry by John Kasaipwalova; 1982 My Tide Let Me Ride
based on poetry by John Kasaipwalova; 1984 The Dance of the Snail
based on stories told by John Kasaipwalova.

These three performances by John Kasaipwalova formed the Sail the Midnight Sun trilogy.

Over the 10 years, the Company performed in many of the villages in the five Highlands provinces, throughout all of the 19 provinces of Papua New Guinea and featured at several international arts festivals.

It was a remarkable experience and demonstrated the potential in Papua New Guinea for institutions of excellence.

Two of the highlights of this performance history were the premiere of Sail the Midnight Sun at the South Pacific Arts Festival in Port Moresby in 1980 and the performances of the first two parts of the trilogy at the Adelaide Festival in 1984.

“I served as a member of the National Cultural Council of Papua New Guinea from 1978 to 1984,” Dr Murphy says.

“In 1986, I began my current job at the University of Papua New Guinea as the Director of the Madang Open Campus, previously called the Madang University Centre.

“This involves mostly administering and teaching at a distance education facility but, during this period of more than 20 years, I have also conducted theatre workshops, organised creative writing workshops, published four issues of the journal Mazoz: New Writing and Arts from Papua New Guinea and written teachers resource books for Expressive Arts.

“I have also been involved in extensive research projects which led to the writing of my PhD thesis: Raun Raun Theatre and its role in the construction of a national culture in Papua New Guinea.

“I completed this PhD through our own university, the University of Papua New Guinea, which was always my aim.

“In fact, my work in education and culture in Papua New Guinea was not really in two separate fields because they are in many ways the same thing.

“The 10-year experience at Raun Raun Theatre was a real education for the actors and dancers, and myself.

“Even though they generally had very little formal education, I regard them now as highly-educated people, educated through travel and experience.

“Similarly, to work in the area of education in Papua New Guinea requires a sensitivity to culture and language and a commitment to them.

“Distance Education is an exciting area to work in because students need to become more independent and self-reliant and more readily take ownership of their own studies and their own learning.

“Learning at a distance has in fact become the most popular way globally to study and to acquire knowledge.

“My current interest is in literacy, in other words, the business of reading and writing, at all levels, in tok ples, tok pisin and tok inglis.

“In fact we are now working on the establishment of a Provincial Language and Literacy Resource Centre in Madang.”

Dr Murphy feels strongly about the arts and crafts in Papua New Guinea.

“I think the arts and crafts in Papua New Guinea need support in the form of national and provincial institutions where artists can work and exchange ideas.

“This is in fact the only way arts and crafts can grow and develop into a strong and vibrant contemporary culture.

“In other words, I think the former National Arts School or Creative Arts Centre needs re-establishing and devolving into provincial and regional areas.

“Cultures and the arts need to change and adapt.

“If they don’t, they will not survive.

“Preservation is not the right way, except of course in museums which are very valuable institutions in themselves, because you can only preserve something which is already dead.

“What we need is transformation, to use an expression of John Kasaipwalova’s.

“We need cultures and arts and education which are alive and exuberant and vibrant.”

A profile of Bishop Reverend Doctor Wesley Kigasung

Wesley Waekesa Kigasung comes from Aluki village in the Bukawa area of Morobe Province.

He was born on July 16, 1950, and is married to Susie Manempen Kigasung of Mindere village in the Rai Coast area of Madang Province.

The Kigasungs are blessed with two daughters and two grand daughters.

The young Wesley Kigasung received primary education in remote Menyamya and later on Siassi Island where he did secondary schooling at Gelem High School (now Siassi High School) from1966 to 1968.

He completed High school at Asaroka Lutheran High School in Goroka, Eastern Highlands in 1969.

Kigasung attended Martin Luther Seminary from 1970-1975 and graduated in 1975 with Diploma of Theology and Bachelor of Theology.

He received further studies at the University of Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby from 1976 – 1978 and graduated from the University in 1979 with the degree of Master of Arts majoring in history of PNG).

From 1979 to 1980 he served as Circuit Pastor in remote Kaintiba, Gulf Province.

In 1981 Kigasung was called to teach at Martin Luther Seminary in Lae until the end of 1982.

In March 1983 he left with his family for Germany for language studies.

Towards the end of 1984 he again left for further studies in Chicago, USA, where he graduated in 1986 with the degree of Master of Theology at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago.

Kigasung continued studies for his doctoral degree and completed all doctoral work in 1989, when he received the degree Doctor of Theology from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago.

He resumed work as Lecturer at Martin Luther Seminary towards the end of 1989.

In 1991 he was appointed Principal of Martin Luther Seminary and served as Principal until 1997.

In January 1998 Kigasung was elected Head Bishop of the church at the Kimbe Synod.

Kigasung is widely respected as an intellectual and a leading preacher of the word of God in this country.

“I believe it is a special gift from God,” he says of his skills as an orator.

“From my early years in school I already developed the skill of speaking in front of my peers.

“Through the years I have challenged myself to develop my abilities in order to serve well.

“I like to read a lot and I have read lots of books on leadership and other books that help to develop my skills in working and communicating with people.

“My philosophy in life is to do well in a given task; to face life and responsibility without fear and doubt; to take criticisms and face difficult situations with humility and respond with positive attitude and be more proactive rather than being reactionary.”

Kigasung concludes with how he finds the job as leader of all Lutherans in PNG as well as his future.

“It is not easy,” he says frankly of his job.

“Very challenging and very demanding.

“But there is much joy and satisfaction in serving God's people.

“I find much joy in meeting people of different cultures and different works of life and back ground and of different nationalities.

“You see and experience God's wonders and life in the faces of these different people in the church.

“I leave my future in God's hand.

“This is my last term as Head Bishop.

“I hope and pray that the Lord will grant me good health and strength to serve him in another role after this final term as bishop.”

A tribute to Rudy Kahata

In life, Rudy Rudolf Kahata touched the lives of many hundreds of people as a pastor and radio evangelist.

His death on Wednesday, February 8,2006, perhaps, touched even more people and inspired many more young people from the Ahi villages of Lae to follow in his footsteps.

This was evident by the hundreds of people who attended his funeral service at the St Andrew’s Lutheran Church at Ampo in Lae on Saturday, February 11, 2006, and then burial at his nearby Hengali village.

Tears fell freely for most, a moment they shall never forget, as they joined together as one to sing their former pastor’s favorite hymns.

It was – suffice to say – a funeral befitting that of royalty.

Pastor Rudy’s vibrant and powerful preaching brought new life to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of PNG in his short life of 35 years.

He was respected by the church hierarchy, the Martin Luther Seminary where he was groomed, and most of all – the church followers – as someone with great potential as a preacher and leader.

Even the ELCPNG’s charismatic leader Dr Wesley Kigasung, who helped to groom up Pastor Rudy at seminary, often remarked that he could see a successor in this dynamic young man.

From 2002 up to 2005, while serving at the St Andrew’s Lutheran Church at Ampo in Lae, Pastor Rudy brought new life and animation into services.

The results were phenomenal, with more young people living on the fringes suddenly attending church services.

Pastor Rudy fearlessly ministered the Word of God – through walking and even by bicycle – to the Ahi villages of Butibam, Hengali, Kamkumung, Wagang, Yanga and the many surrounding settlements.

Young people living in these urban villages and settlements, often notorious for crime, found someone they could turn to in Pastor Rudy.

But while Pastor Rudy found a following amongst the young people, that was not the case with the entrenched and conservative church hierarchy at St Andrew’s, who opposed him on many things, culminating in his leaving.

At the rededication of the new look St Andrew’s church last November, his contributions
as former pastor were not even acknowledged.

But Pastor Rudy, being what he is, quietly took it all in his stride.

Last July, he took up his new ministry with In-Touch Media in Lae as radio evangelist for local radio station, FM Morobe.

Over the last few months, until his untimely death, Pastor Rudy developed a huge following wherever in Morobe Province the radio station reached.

His Sunday ministry crossed the boundaries of all denominations as he invited them on air to preach the Word of God in the city of Lae and the province of Morobe.

In the words of Lady Nohoranie Bogan, general manager of In-Touch Media, “we were grooming him up to become the most-powerful radio evangelist in Papua New Guinea”.

Pastor Rudy’s leadership so impressed the management of In-Touch Media that just two weeks before his death, he was promoted to become manager of its other arm, Powerhouse Records.

Pastor Rudy, who was married to wife Joyce and had four young children – Albert, Alex, Shane and Salome - was eagerly looking forward to asserting himself in his new job as manager of Powerhouse Records.

All these hopes and dreams, however, were not to be when he suffered a suspected heart attack while dropping off staff in Lae on the night of Wednesday, February 9.

Rudy Rudolph Kahata was born on May 3, 1970, at Angau Memorial Hospital in Lae to mother Salome of Butibam village and father Jason of neighbouring Hengali.

He was baptised at St Andrew’s Lutheran Church on May 14, 1970.

He attended Minj Primary School in the Western Highlands from 1978 to 1979, and then Amba Demonstration School in Lae from 1980 to 1983.

This was followed by four years at Busu Provincial High School in Lae from 1984 to 1987.

It was in 1984 that he received his Confirmation blessing at St Andrew’s Lutheran Church.

From 1994 to 1995, he worked at Lae Technical College as an accounts officer, however, he had a calling from God and took up studies at the Martin Luther Seminary from 1996 to 2001 and graduated with a Diploma in Theology.

Pastor Rudy touched the lives of so many people in so many years.

I remember that time in November 2000 when my wife gave birth to our first son at the Goroka Base Hospital.

The then Vicar Rudy was working at the St John’s Lutheran Church in Goroka.

He visited us at the hospital, held the head of the baby, and prayed.

Vicar Rudy would have baptised my son had he not had to prematurely leave Goroka before the end of his tenure at St John’s.

To make up for this, I later asked the now Pastor Rudy in Lae if he would baptise my second son and daughter, and he was more than willing to oblige.

Sadly, that will not be now.

I last met Pastor Rudy at the rededication of the St Andrew’s Lutheran Church at Ampo last October where we discussed a few things regarding the church and his career, and then a week later at the 2005 Morobe Show.

His life, while short, was a blessing to all those who came to know him and will be an inspiration to many young people to take up the ministry in these challenging times.

Last Sunday, FM Morobe hosted a special tribute to Pastor Rudy on air, in which his co-worker Loujaya Toni mentioned the appropriateness of the poem Footprints during this sad time.

This poem is dedicated to the family, friends and many people whose lives have been touched by the late Rudy Kahata, as we mourn his death.

Footprints (by Margaret Fishback Powers)

One night I dreamed a dream.
I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets
of footprints in the sand
one belonging to me
and one to the Lord.
When the last scene of my life shot before me
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
There was only one set of footprints.
I realised this was at the lowest
and saddest times of my life.
This always bothered me
and I questioned the Lord
about my dilemma.
“Lord, you told me when I decided to follow You,
You would walk and talk with me all the way.
But I’m aware that during the most troublesome
times of my life there is only one set of footprints.
I just don’t understand why, when I needed You Most,
You leave me.”
He whispered, “My precious child,
I love you and will never leave you
never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints
it was then that I carried you.”

An Australian family visits remote Iruupi village, Western Province

Papua New Guinea today remains one of the most culturally-diverse and unexplored nations on the planet.

Scattered inland are many small villages, each group practicing their own native tongue and traditions, eking out a living from the surrounding land.

Travel to the remote village of Iruupi, Western Province, and you will have to be prepared to do lots of walking.

For Australian visitors Catherine and Peter Cavouras and their three children, a visit to Catherine’s mother’s village meant confronting many new and exciting experiences.

Picture shows Peter and Catherine Cavouras, their two sons, and a relative at Iruupi village, Western Province. Daughter Giwe is missing from this picture.

Catherine, born in Papua New Guinea, had last visited in 1985, some 20 years ago, so village life was a distant memory.

Having flown to Daru from Port Moresby on Wednesday, July 6, the family was met at the airstrip, walked a kilometre or so to the house of the principal of Daru High School, and then prepared to make a crossing back to the mainland on a 21-foot fiberglass dinghy.

Despite the short crossing, with a heavily-laden boat it can be quite treacherous during July when winds make for heavy seas.

Once across the strait, the dinghy sets a course adjacent to the mainland shore along the beach and an extensive coastal coconut grove comes into view, the subject of a fierce land dispute between Badu-suki tribe and others for centuries.

The dinghy gives the mouth of the Fly River a wide berth, paying respect to its strong currents before again trekking close to the shore, and to the mouth of the Kura River about 30 minutes later.

From here the 5 to 8km journey along the Kura is much slower, low tides necessitating care is exercised in negotiating fallen trees, sand banks, the occasional goanna and keeping an ever-present watch for a disgruntled crocodile.

Finally, it reached the landing point Lani, the mangroves and palms along the muddy riverbanks giving way to grassland and a few of the ubiquitous gardens that would later become evident.

A welcoming party was there to assist with all the luggage; bags, water bottles, provisions and the like, some 250kg worth all transported, you guessed it, by foot on the narrow marsh road to Iruupi village.

A short walk by village standards, some 5-6km, weaved through overgrown grasses, bamboo forests, swamps, marshes, and surprisingly, many eucalypts.

For the people of the village, every tree, every scratch in the dirt and ever tract of water is inextricably linked to some significant story or event.

Traversing a waist-deep small swamp revealed the first sighting of traditional Papua New Guinea houses – bamboo constructions on the outskirts of the village, supported by poles with an under storey platform where inhabitants can gather away from the heat of the day, each distinctively different in those erected in other provinces through Papua New Guinea.

Upstairs were verandahs, bedrooms and a traditional kitchen – the timber strutted floors covered with woven mats to maximise comfort (in Daru, many of the more ‘westernised’ pre-fabricated houses still have a traditional bamboo kitchen erected at the rear).

The visitors’ accommodation – a little removed from the village – overlooked an extensive lagoon that all but disappeared in the dry season.

Open and unshielded by large trees, it provided a cooler oasis-like setting, unlike the main village where the air was still.

In the main village, houses were erected around the periphery, enabling the central areas to be used as common meeting, play and performance areas.

It was hard to adapt to village life where family did all the hunting, cooking, washing and other chores, leaving the visitors idle to simply enjoy the surroundings.

Where villages tended to their gardens each day, rich with taro, bananas, greens, melons, pineapple and other fruits planted for harvesting in the dry season, the Cavouras family generally roamed the landscape.

Skilled hunters meant there was a ready supply of deer, wild pig and wallaby, cassowaries proving elusive during the visit.

These would be brought back to the village strung over bamboo poles, while hunting implements were carried in a free hand.

Exotic foods, such as scones or damper at breakfast and deer or wallaby soup with kaukau (sweet potato) or taro, made for a diverse and nutritious menu.

Fresh water was another issue, the local brew resembling oil or tea, so the Cavouras family had to persist with bottled spring water.

Another short walk – about an hour and a half – to Kupilute provided a source of cleaner water that could be drunk with some degree of confidence.

Kupilute is a large lagoon, believed to be sourced by a well of unknown depth in the middle, and linked to creation stories of the Bewani people.

It is believed the well forms the basis of a tunnel that goes all the way to the Australian mainland.

When diving for fish, prawns or lobster in the lagoon, locals skirted the edges, fearful of an encounter with Sapi-dade, a dreaming spirit.

Paying homage to the spirits in the appropriate way ensured there was a plentiful supply of seafood.

In an early visit as an 11-year-old, Peter Cavouras’ brother-in-law Samia, had a subsequent dream in which he envisioned having five “red skin” or albino children in the mould of the original Bewani.

He has since had two and expects three more, knowing full well their kin will in turn be ‘black’.

Yet another walk to a place called Imbade revealed a broad and pristine river that must be crossed in a dugout canoe or outrigger to reach the village of Masingara, home of warring tribes and family of the Badu-suki tribe of Iruupi village, some 2-3 hours away.

Most nights are filled with exotic and traditional dance in preparation for an upcoming event, and to mark the presence of family from distant shores – visitors adorned with handmade grass skirts, cassowary feathers and armed with bamboo clapsticks or bows, depending on the dance.

Back at the house, pointing the torch to the lagoon beyond the washhouse revealed the red eyes of a crocodile, each night keeping watch over the visitors.

For the people of the village, a simple taro or coconut is treated as a prize, yet readily shared among others, to ensure no one goes without.

Each and every person is proud of and well-schooled in their culture and identity, benefiting from an almost unspoiled existence with limited contact with the white people, in contrast to some of the major centres where the negative effects of colonization and decolonization, subsequent to Independence, can be observed.

In leaving the village for the long walk to Lani, through a procession of well-wishers and tearful souls, Iruupi shed its tears, the heavens opening up.

At Lani, it was last goodbyes, the sun poking through and the promise of a return in the future to renew special bonds, as the dinghy headed for the open sea, the family having been privy to a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Minji, Mamne, Ato!

Cecil Abel

The late Cecil Abel (later to become Sir) was one of the many unsung heroes of the infamous Bully Beef Club, Pangu Pati and Independence in 1975.

Sir Cecil (KBE, OBE, DipAnth), who died on June 26, 1994, aged 91, was a son of the famous pioneering London Missionary Society (LMS) missionary Charles Abel of Kwato Island, Milne Bay Province, and was one of those who “stimulated” the minds of members of the Bully Beef Club and Pangu Pati – paving the way for Independence.

He was born on February 1, 1903, on Kwato Island.

Cecil Abel did his primary schooling on Kwato; high school at North Shore Grammar School in Sydney, Australia; and university at Cambridge in England.

He returned to Kwato and was asked by Administrator Sir Hubert Murray to teach political science at the Administrative College in Port Moresby.

Little did Sir Hubert know that the idea of home rule – independence – would be contemplated right under his nose by Cecil Abel and the Bully Beef Club.

He was a member of the second House of Assembly from 1968 to 1972.

In November 1968, Cecil Abel outlined Pangu’s economic policy: “The Pangu Pati believes that we must find the true economic basis for a multiracial society. We must aim for a reasonable equality of wealth between black and white, or rather, between haves and have nots. We are concerned at doubling the national income and we are equally concerned that all groups share in this growth.”

He went on to state that a viable economy depended on five points:

• Increasing overseas capital investment;
• Raising exports in both primary and secondary sector;
• Reducing imports and encouraging import replacement;
• Greatly increased secondary industry; and
• Movement to subsistence to cash economy.

In 1966, a young man named Michael Somare came to the Administrative College in Port Moresby for studies, met many like-minded men and together they began to plan the future of the country.

Albert Maori Kiki was in his second year at the college, while Joseph Nombri, Sinaka Goava, Gavera Rea, Jack Karakuru, Cromwell Burau, Bill Warren and Lukas Waka were among the students.

Ebia Olewale was president of the Students’ Representative Council at Port Moresby Teachers’ College.

“We talked politics all the time,” recalled Somare (now Sir Michael) in his autobiography Sana.

“Our teachers encouraged us to take a lively interest in current affairs and to freely discuss the political and economic future of our country.

“We had some outstanding teachers to whom all of us owe a great deal.

“David Chenoweth was the principal.

“Tos Barnett, who is now my chief legal advisor in the office of chief minister, Cecil Abel and Ted Wolfers were among those who stimulated our minds.

“I was delighted when Albert Maori Kiki was elected president of the Students’ Representative Council.

“He provided the strong leadership that was needed.”

At night, the group would meet at Kiki’s house in Hohola, and thus was formed the Bully Beef Club.

On June 13, 1967, the Pangu Pati was founded with the support of nine members of the House of Assembly: Paul Lapun, Pita Lus, Nicholas Brokham, Wegra Kenu, Paliau Moloat, Barry Holloway, Tony Voutas, Siwi Kurondo and James Meangarum.

The founding members, in addition to the nine members of the House of Assembly, were: Cecil Abel, Albert Maori Kiki, Joseph Karl Nombri, Elliot Elijah, Sinaka Goava, Ilimo Batton, Reuben Taureka, Kamona Walo, Cromwell Burau, Oala Oala-Rarua, Gerai Asiba, Ebia Olewale, Pen Anakapu, Epel Tito, Basil Koe, Gavera Rea, Vin Tobaining, Thomas Tobunbun and Michael Somare.

A little later two more members of the House of Assembly – John Guise and Edric Eupu – joined the parliamentary wing of Pangu.

“The moment the party was formed,” reflected Somare, “I knew that I would have to give up my career as a civil servant.

“The next years of my life, for better of worse, would be devoted to politics and the struggle for independence.”

Cecil Abel was one of those who laid the groundwork for the Bully Beef Club, the Pangu Pati, and lived to see Papua New Guinea gain independence from Australia on September 16, 1975.

He was awarded an OBE for services to politics and Papua New Guinea at the age of 72 and at aged 79 was awarded his Knighthood.

Sir Tei Abal

The late Sir Tei Abal, Leader of the Opposition at Independence in 1975, carried the Highlands traditions of fight and moga into the 20th century political arena without any difficulties.

During the colonial administration when he was a Ministerial Member, he tried to delay early Independence because he felt his Highlands compatriots were not ready.

Sir Tei virtually became a Highlands hero.

Essentially a traditional leader, he found his destiny when he saw the similarities at home and the political system introduced by Australia.

When he first arrived in Port Moresby as a member of the Legislative Assembly in 1964, he was out of his depth, having no formal education.

Matter of factly, he used to describe how his first real knowledge of the job of a politician came from a week’s training in parliamentary procedures.

But by the time he was visiting African countries in 1968, he had a pretty firm idea of what was expected of a politician.

Sir Tei fought for the Westminster system of government to be introduced in Papua New Guinea because it had so many similarities to traditional PNG life.

“The moga talks are much the same as meetings of Parliament,” he once said.

“One man wants to kill his pig now, and another wants to kill his pig a week from now.

“It could be that the coastal men want to have their pigs now, while the Highlanders claim they are not yet ready.”

Sir Tei was the face of the Enga people until the time of his death.

At the same time, he was a man with a mandate rather than a mission.

A good Christian, nonetheless Sir Tei began his political career by being nominated in his absence.

He was a well-known medical assistant in the Wabag area, on patrol with his boss, when he was nominated and his nomination fee paid before nominations closed for the 1964 elections.

Sir Tei had heard the kiap talk about the elections and several people had urged him to stand, but he had nothing about it as he was not really sure what it was all about.

He won his seat unopposed, replacing Kibungi, who had represented Enga in the previous Legislative Council.

Since then, Sir Tei was returned to Parliament virtually unopposed in every election.

He was leader of the United Party until young guns such as Iambakey Okuk (Chimbu) and Raphael Doa (Western Highlands) started leading a campaign against him and his star started to wane.

Intra-party squabbling in the Opposition United Party started soon after Sir Tei gained the leadership when Mathias Toliman died in 1973.

An interpreter who later became an aid-post orderly, he never had any formal education.

On record, he made it clear that he felt “a more capable man” should lead the party.

However, what seemed to hold him back was the fear that once he was gone, the United Party could become the staging point for disunity and instability – which have proven to be prophetic words.

The Abal legacy continues in the current Parliament with Sir Tei’s son Sam Abal being the current Wabag MP.