David Billings replies to the Amelia Earhart story

David Billings crossing a river in East New Britain in his undaunted search for the plane.Picture by www.electranewbritain.com

Australian David Billings replies to the Amelia Earhart story below (scroll down one story):

Malum,

Now that I have some time, I can comment on your writing.

Whoever your "good sources" were, it is time to tell them to give you "correct" quotes, not incorrect fables made up without knowledge of the subject matter.

I take it that you have read my website and I can see that you have partially digested the information contained in the story of the Earhart Project in East New Britain. Your blog has also appeared on my computer and it contains errors which if you had studied the story intently would not have been made. For instance, you have distances and directions completely wrong.

The Australian Army veteran who actually examined the wreckage of the airframe cannot recall the tail section of the aircraft, ie: he cannot remember the tail section being on the aircraft wreckage and this would fit with an aircraft going through trees as the tail sections usually get stripped off the main body of an aircraft in that situation. Two B-24 Liberators I have been to are in exactly that state -"without the tail fins and tailplane". One was at 10,500 feet in the Finnesterres and the other outside of Lae.

The repair tag was not pulled off one of the engines, it was pulled off the engine mount tubing (as written) but this is a common mistake people make so you are not alone.

Marvello River. Well, there is no such animal, I believe you got that from the USA Today story which was published on 14th August 2001 by Gregg Zoroya. The river is the Mevelo River which has its' source as the rainforests on the south side of the Bainings Mountains. It is quite a long river. I have not been to the Mevelo twelve times, it is actually 11 times and it costs a small fortune to get there.

The reason we did not use a helicopter this last time was caused by two problems, initially and a third developed after. The first problem was that even after accepting the charter, five weeks in advance, Niugini Helicopters let the pilot go on tour leave without his replacement arriving. Now, you would be familiar with the "back to back" rule which operates all over Papua New Guinea in Mining Camps, in Aviation Companies etc, etc; but yet, the rule seemingly does not apply to Niugini Helicopters and we were basically abandoned as customers by their devil may care attitude and I believe they need striking off the PNG Tourism "good books" as punishment. I will NEVER use them again. On top of that, one of their staff stole our portable generator out of their "secure" shed which had been left behind after 2006 with their permission. "Yes, it will be completely safe here", their Base Manager said.

For the second problem, after doing the logistics, paying them in advance and paying for airfares and booking leave for the team, organising fill-ins for peoples duties here in Oz, etc, etc, they did the dirty on us and even when I rescheduled the whole thing they then had prior work in Kimbe, so they said. When we eventually got to Kokopo, their helicopter and pilot was there and the helicopter was in the shed when we left. Work that one out. As I say, they need striking off the PNG Tourism books.

The third problem with them was that it took three weeks to get my money back from their office in Kimbe and when I did get it back I was AUD400 short. They are a thoroughly disreputable company, in my opinion. I have known the Managing Director, Dick Grouse for 21 years (from Pacific Helicopters in Goroka) and I have used them three times in the past after Islands Helicopters quit the scene and yet they shat on us as paying customers. Grouse has not communicated with me at all despite me sending mail to his private email address.

Yes, we travelled by boat, from Kokopo to Wide Bay and return.

Camping in the jungle can be considered fun, believe me. We always have a good time. There are no phones, no TV and the river water is crystal clear. We have only ever seen three snakes, two of them not known to the local people so they are probably new species. There are other new species in there also. There is a rusty coloured frog with a long nose and little black claws at the end of its' digits. I puzzled over this for some time but the only food that I could see for the frog were fresh water crab eggs buried in the sand where the frog lived. There were thousands of tiny crabs in the area. The frog lives in an extinct volcano in a black marble tunnel which winds its' way down from the caldera to the river below, the tunnel ending in a waterfall about 100 feet high. There is also a flying mammal akin to a Sugar Glider but the one in ENB has no tail.

Yes, we have been to places where no one has been before. The local people in the area never did enter the rainforest until after 1951. If you have read "Hostages to Freedom, the Fall of Rabaul", by Peter Stone, you will know why.

Indeed, the scenery has changed in the fourteen years that I have been going into that area. This is mainly because the loggers have been in there and ruined the place. They have stripped the ridges and left an awful mess. It is criminal what they have done. In the fourteen years the topography of the place has changed, new creeks, new valleys and landslips are the result. This has quite possibly resulted in the Electra being buried.

There was no boat ride to Port Moresby, our chariot was an Air Niugini F100 P2-ANC, and it took one hour and twenty-five minutes, where you got the boat ride to Port Moresby from I have no idea.... possibly off the back of a cornflake packet ?

When I first went there in 1994, the Aid Post had nothing on the shelves at all, not one single band-aid, no antibiotics, no wound dressings. There was a small fridge but no electricity and all that was in the fridge was the man's kai (away from the ants) and one tube of sunburn cream....... I left him my bag of medical stuff and it was the first he had seen in years.

This last time, the last afternoon and into the evening I and my daughter spent dressing the sores on the legs of the kids caused by them scratching sand-fly bites. Their legs were in a terrible state with open sores supporating and infected. I lost count of the kids we patched up. There was a baby of about four or five months with a burn on the middle of the back. The last patient at around 7:00pm was a little girl with an infected cut on the bottom of her left foot. The cut was full of dirt which had to be washed out before being bandaged. I treated her and a few other kids by torchlight.

A few words of advice for you..... Just because you belong to the Media do not expect people to jump up at your beck and call and respond to you immediately and don't expect them to outlay all their knowledge to you just because you write for a newspaper. I am a very reasonable person, I have great interest in Papua New Guinea and I would like to improve Papua New Guinea by what I do. I have already spent twelve years in the country both at Goroka (Pacific Helicopter bilong Kela) and at PX in “Mosbi". Migat planti pren bilong mi istap long Mosbi. You would know what a find of this magnitude would mean for PNG, it would bring notoriety for PNG, for East New Britain and it would bring Tourism to an area of the world devastated by Matupit and Vulcan. Matupit was still blowing out huge clouds of ash while we were at Kokopo. My objective is just that, plus I would like to improve the lot of the people in the coastal area who have nothing. There is no Government assistance down there except for a DPI post at Milim and an Aid Post but miles away.

So there you have it. Please correct the mistakes that you have made in your writings. If you live in Mosbi, maybe we can meet and discuss the project at leisure as I will possibly be up there again "shottly".

For the Project to succeed now, we have to concentrate on obtaining funding for a Magnetometer Survey. That is a big call and the funds required increase year by year but I do now believe after what we have seen this last time that the Magnetometer is the way forward.

A favour to ask of you: Who was the "American" contact who said "Bull”?

Regards,

David Billings.

An old oak tree in the USA and its relevance to Papua New Guinea

by IAN TAUKURO

I was thumbing through an old National Geographic magazine last night and came upon an interesting story about a tree in the city of Austin, the capital of the American state, Texas, in the USA.

The tree, a 500 year old oak, is called the Treaty Oak because as local legend has it, the founder of the city of Austin, Stephen Austin, signed a treaty with local Indian tribes in the 1830's that eventually led to the creation of the city of Austin. Because of its historical significance, the area around the tree is reserved as a special site and is also protected by law such that anyone who disturbs the tree can be arrested and imprisoned.

One idiot, Paul Cullen, did disturb the tree in 1989. Over the period of a few weeks, he poured a powerful hardwood herbicide over the tree roots and bragged about his vandalizing exploits to friends.

When the tree's attendants noticed that the tree was dying they called in experts who did tests and discovered that the tree was indeed at death's door. It was amazing to read what happened next ...

The news created national headlines and caused cries of outrage from the residents of Austin. A $10,000 reward was put up by the Dupont Chemical - the manufacturers of the tree herbicide - for anyone who could identify the culprit responsible for the poisoning. Fortunately, Paul Cullen's friends told the police of his deeds and the man was arrested - his friends did not claim the reward out of embarrassment that they knew what he'd done but did not say anything to the authorities. Paul Cullen was subsequently sentenced to 9 years imprisonment for his actions.

But, what about the tree? Well, the experts, whose services were paid for by a 'blank cheque' written out by a Texas billionaire industrialist, Ross Perot, dug out and replaced the soil around the tree's roots. Then they used charcoal to try and soak up the poison from the tree's bark. They then set up a fairly sophisticated misting system around the tree to spray the tree with spring water - all in a concerted effort to revive the grand old oak tree.

The residents of Austin did their bit too. They turned out in force for their beloved tree and kept a daily vigil beside their ailing tree. Some residents placed 'Get Well' cards around the base of the tree while other's said prayers for the trees recovery and some were even thoughtful enough to bring cans of Chicken Soup for the tree!

The tree managed to survive but a substantial part of it did not. It stands rather lopsided now, not as straight and true as before. In 1997, the tree produced its first crop of acorns since the attack and this news garnered national attention as well because it was the first real
sign that the tree was healthy enough to reproduce. The residents of Austin again visited their tree and offered their congratulations by patting the tree's old gnarly bark.

Just imagine, all this fuss for a tree? A vandal desecrates a sacred tree. He is later brought to justice and the whole community rallies to restore the sacred tree. Wonderful community effort isn't it?

Wouldn't it be nice if we had the same sort of reverence and devotion for our sacred sites like the old but very much forgotten 'Old Parliament House'?

The search for Amelia Earhart continues 71 years on

This is the search area in the jungles of East New Britain.Picture by www.electranewbritain.com.

The Electra is in there somewhere, according to David Billings.Picture by www.electranewbritain.com.

David Billings crossing a river in East New Britain in his undaunted search for the plane.Picture by www.electranewbritain.com.

12th time unlucky for Australian searcher in the jungles of East New Britain

Four hundred miles northeast of Port Moresby, in the wilds of East New Britain island, is an American aircraft.

It lies on the jungle floor covered with overgrowth and it fell here many decades ago.

Discovered during WWII by an Australian Army patrol, the plane is well hidden from the air and may be near-impossible to see from the ground.

It is an enigma — and reportedly the plane of Amelia Earhart.

Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan, disappeared over the central Pacific on July 2, 1937, flying east along the Huon Gulf coast on their way to Howland Island, 4600 kilometres (2858 miles) to the north.

This year marked the 71st anniversary of one of the greatest unsolved aviation mysteries of all time.

It intimately involves Papua New Guinea as Lae was her last port of call before she disappeared somewhere over the vast Pacific for the longest stretch of her around-the-world flight.

The mystery and a long fruitless search -costing many millions of US dollars - had begun.

Yet that area on Howland Island is well over 2,000 miles from here.

So how could this plane on East New Britain be Earhart’s?

Australian David Billings, an aircraft engineer employed by Air Niugini, may have the answer, however, he refused to comment when contacted by me yesterday (Tuesday, August 19, 2008), except to say, “Malum,your ‘good sources’ are actually ‘bad sources’.

“No comment.”

After a dozen trips to the jungles of East New Britain over several years since 1994, it appears he has yet to locate what he believes to be Amelia Earhart's downed Lockheed Electra L-10 aircraft.

Billings has been dedicated in his resolve to locate the missing plane.

An American source, however, rebutted Billings: “Malum, that’s a lot of bull.

“What I hear is he (Billings) doesn’t want the news out that he couldn't find it - 12th time - and is afraid someone else will go find it.”

In April 1945, the 20-member patrol of the 11th Australian Infantry Battalion ‘D-Company’ is evading the Japanese while in the dense jungles of East New Britain.

Suddenly they come upon a wrecked aircraft — a two engine, twin tailed plane much like Earhart’s.

An old repair tag is pulled off one of the engines and the men moved on — fearful of falling into the hands of the Japanese.

The information on the tag is scribbled down on the edge of their map and then forgotten.

Forty-five years later at a veterans reunion, Don Angwin of that same Australian Patrol, talks about the aircraft that he and his patrol members found in the jungle.

He starts a search for the plane in 1993, and is joined the following year by David Billings of Air Nugini in Port Moresby.

Angwin died in 2001 but Billings continues the search, now living in Queensland, Australia.

The Marvello River Valley is steep and travelling is difficult — and only possible by foot.

Billings, now 68, has been to that valley nearly a dozen times.

Now he and the other members of the search team again had planned to be there this past July.

Yet, delays came and they didn’t get a helicopter as they had hoped.

Not willing to give up, Billing’s search team rescheduled for August.

Traveling by boat, Billing’s team arrived on East New Britain just two weeks ago.

Camping out in the jungle cannot be considered ‘fun’ as the myriads of snakes, volume of insects, and variety of animal life would fill a book on zoology.

With perhaps a few hundred metres of their starting point, Billing’s intrepid team began their assault.

There’s no Japanese military chasing them as there was for the patrol 60 plus years ago, yet the uphill trek does take its toll.

The Army patrol only found the aircraft because they were so far off-trail, trying to avoid capture or confrontation.

Up into the valley the search team climbs, but not without the resistance of the jungle growth.

Much of the scenery may have changed during the last half-century.

Several days in, means several out.

Even if located, the plane cannot easily be removed — if at all.

Few people — if any — have gone so far into this jungle, and for a week there’s been no sign, no call, and no message from Billing’s team.

It is as if the jungle has swallowed them up.

Then the lead member on the trek breaks through the foliage — Billings has returned.

The ride to Port Moresby from East New Britain must have been despairingly slow, but there is no report to the news media, and Billings has left Papua New Guinea for home in Australia.

It seems that twelve times in that jungle is not enough — there is no report of the plane.

Western Province has a lot to offer

WESTERN Province has a lot to offer in terms of tourism and it would no doubt be a potential tourist destination because of its unique cultures which it can expose to the rest of the world.
The Middle Fly District is made up of three Local level Governments comprising of Suki, Lake Murray and Balimo.
There are more than 27 villages along the river leading out from Balimo towards the Suki and Lake Murray area and this is where you get to find the real fun -loving character of the local people.
The view along the Aramure River going towards Awaba is about five hours by dinghy and is spectacularly beautiful for those who intend to go bird watching or going fishing.
The bird life will never stop to amaze tourists as you travel along this most-captivating river and find that there is more bird life than one could imagine.
Night hunting is a norm for the locals but can be a good experience for those who love excitement and adventure.
Balimo is renowned for its beauty in the abundance of wildlife and rich culture and the staging of the sixth Gogodala Canoe festival in May was no exception.
“We must look at development from a different perspective because it will bring development and other major benefits,” said Western Province Governor Dr Bob Danaya.
“The Middle Fly is far expanding and there is great potential in promoting tourism here in the province.”
The town is currently under construction to upgrade most of the facilities for the locals and as well as those intending to go for holiday or sightseeing.
Tourists or visitors can check into the Biyama family house where 10 rooms are available for rent if going in a group or as an individual.
The town area is very peaceful and there is a health centre, a few shops and a main market housed in the centre of the town.
Transportation on dinghy along the river can be arranged upon consultation with the district administration and the town committee, or otherwise, a walk around the town can take only half a day.
The Gogodala Canoe Festival is an enriching way to truly appreciate what these people have to offer in terms of natural wildlife and the culture.
This festival is held annually in April and those who are interested can collect more detailed information from the National Cultural Commission website.

Arona Valley

The beautiful Arona Valley of the Eastern Highlands was once mooted by the colonial administration as a potential capital for the then Territory of Papua New Guinea.

That is no longer the case, Port Moresby having stolen the thunder, but the picturesque Arona play’s a pivotal role in PNG’s economy.

It’s here that PNG’s largest manmade lake – with water from the Ramu River – supplies electricity to the five Highlands provinces, Morobe and Madang.

It is, however, a paradox that electricity is “so near, yet so far away” and many of the surrounding villages are yet to be connected to the power supply.

That, together with land compensation matters, remains a contentious issue.

Those aside, the manmade lake is dubbed the travelers as the “Highlands Sea” and it’s now a common sight to see outboard motor dinghies zooming and dugout canoes being paddled across the hunting grounds of a bygone generation.

You could be forgiven for thinking that you were out on the deep blue ocean!

But then again, perhaps this can only happen in “The Land of the Unexpected”.

Fish, particularly tilapia, thrive in this inland sea – which was made in the late 1980s and early 1990s – providing a readily available source of protein and cash for hundreds of villagers on its shores.

In 1984 and 1985, whilst a student at the nearby national high school at Aiyura – another of the great Highlands valleys – I was fortunate enough to have done some memorable bushwalks through this area, so I can visualise Arona the way it was before flooding.

Along the shores, there are cattle grazing and bees hard at work in the hives, in scenes of pastoral poetry.

It’s a joy for weary Highlands Highway travelers to stop at the PNG Power township of Yonki and gaze across this scenic lake, garnished by pine trees, to a magnificent backdrop of mountains.

The Arona Valley is also one of the more lush, fertile and verdant areas of the Highlands.

Vegetables and fruit grown in abundance, supplemented by readily-available protein from the lake.

Hence, in this land of milk and honey, you have a very healthy-looking population.

Arona, like the rest of the Highlands, has coffee trees aplenty, providing a steady source of much-needed income for the people.

Nearby is Kassam Pass, which provides panoramic, awe-inspiring views of the Ramu Valley of Madang Province and the Markham Valley of Morobe Province.

Kainantu, the “Mile-High Gateway to the Highlands”, is about 30 minutes drive away, while the Eastern Highlands capital of Goroka is about an hour and 30 minutes drive.

Lae is about two hours and 30 minutes drive, likewise, Madang.

During a visit to the area, we took the back road from Kainantu and Aiyura, passing through forests, coffee trees, and rolling hills.

For me, an old boy of Aiyura, it was a sense of déjà vu.

After all those years, it was a pleasant experience to once again wander through Arona, and relive those long treks we use to take in our student days.

The lake, together with the pine trees and rolling hills, was as pretty as a picture in the afternoon sun and I made it a point to return another day for a picnic or Barbie.

Arona Valley once inspired the colonial administration to consider it as the potential capital of PNG.

You can see why with a visit to this part of “The Land of the Unexpected”.

Miss Morobe 2006

Kamaliki Vocational Training Centre wins praise

Kamaliki Vocational Training Centre outside Goroka, Eastern Highlands, has over the years won a reputation for the kind of courses that it teaches and the students that it produces.
The products included baby carriers, cookie trays, fruit bowls, laundry baskets, place mats, round baskets, round trays with handles, shopping baskets and trays.
Kamaliki is known for teaching students about downstream processing skills, appropriate technology and arts and crafts.
These skills are very relevant for rural areas as well as to help the students be self-employed or run their own small businesses.
Downstream processing includes honey, jam, marmalade, peanut butter.
Its appropriate technology students are taught how to make such items as drum ovens, mechanised coconut and tapioca scrapers, as well as many other useful items.
Kamaliki's craft shop - which is open tithe public seven days a week - sells canecraft which it buys from local weavers as well as other items produced by trainees of the centre.
The villagers, many of whom are illiterate, find it hard to get find a market for their quality products so they sell them to the Kamaliki Vocational Centre near Goroka.
The centre's stall at the 2006 PNG Coffee Festival in Goroka on May 4, 5and 6 was a major crowd-puller.
Kamaliki, in fact, won a consolation prize from the Small Business Development Corporation for being one of the outstanding small businesses at the festival.
According to instructor, Mrs. MariaNom, Kamaliki was giving a lot of hope to young school leavers.
The school is located about 10km out-side Goroka on the Lae/Madang side ofthe Highlands Highway.
Kamaliki has been actively involved in providing skills training for students from Eastern Highlands as well as other parts of Papua New Guinea.
The school provides eight courses, and every year, more applications are received but only 210 students are selected.
The students who are not selected are encouraged to take up short courses which the school offers.Kamaliki enrolls students with Grade 8,Grade 10 and Grade 12 qualifications with good passes in core subjects.
It runs two-year courses in motor vehicle mechanic, carpentry and joinery, plumbing, auto electrical, computing and business studies, metal fabricating, metal beating and spray painting, and advanced studies in agriculture.
Short courses are run in various skills trade areas to assist people enhance their skills.
The short courses are in motor mechanics, computing and business studies, home economics, carpentry and joinery, sewing machine and repair/maintenance, block laying, advanced skills in agriculture, animal husbandry, cash crops, technical skills, honey production, and farm management.
Further information can be obtained from the address as follows: Kamaliki Vocational Centre, P.O. Box107, Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea.Tel: (675) 7322336Fax: (675) 7322336.