WWII pilot's skeleton found hanging in Kokoda Track tree

The tree where what is believed to be the body of a WWII pilot has been found on the Kokoda Track in papua New Guinea.

THE skeleton of a World War II pilot is thought to have been discovered hanging in a tree on the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea, the Herald Sun reports.

A group of hikers lead by Melbourne man David Collins, of No Roads Expeditions, made the astonishing find on Thursday August 21.

"We had just left Templeton’s Crossing and had walked up over the top of Mt Bellamy and were coming back down to the next camp ground when some of the hikers stopped to take photos of the natural canopy above the trail.

"One of them zoomed in on what appeared to be a body. He had zoomed in on it and when the wind blew you could see what looked like a body, and it appeared to be hanging by a cable.’’

Mr Collins said the body was covered in moss and almost impossible to distinguish initially.

"I couldn’t make it out at first. It was quite high up, about 12 to 15 metres. Then the wind blew again and I saw it move.

"It appears to be sitting in an aluminium harness and hanging from a cable, which leads us to believe it could be an airman.’’

Mr Collins, who was walking the historic track for the seventh time when the discovery was made, said it could be a significant find.

"If it is a body, then it’s a very significant find. There will be a family somewhere who had a family member missing in action who might be able to put that person to rest.’’

"There were a lot of missing soldiers in that area. You know you are walking past the graves of many people.’’

Authorities are now investigating.

Cheaper Fuel “Good News” for Papua New Guinea

Domestic fuel prices have fallen for the first time in six months in Papua New Guinea in August.

The reduction is across the board and covers kerosene, diesel and gasoline as well as jet fuel and zoom.

InterOil President Bill Jasper has described it as “good news for the entire nation”.

Mr Jasper said all of InterOil customers will benefit from the August fuel price structure.

“Our government, business and aviation clients will breathe a little easier today”.

“Motorists and domestic users, the backbone of our business, will also receive a welcome respite from the price hikes of recent months”.

“For people trying to balance the family budget, it’s like a breath of fresh air”, Mr Jasper said.

“Finally, a touch of sanity has returned to the international market place”.

A combination of powerful forces has exerted downward pressure on crude oil and oil product prices in recent weeks.

Mr Jasper said among the main contributing factors was a slight easing in demand internationally and increased output by OPEC countries.

A slightly weaker US dollar has also benefited local consumers.

“None of these factors are internal (to the PNG economy), they are all external”.

“As I have always said, the international crude oil market is determined by the worldwide forces of supply and demand”.

“This time, those forces are working for us rather than against us”.

“After months of hardship, the pendulum has swung back in favor of consumers”.

Mr Jasper said the effects of reduced crude oil prices were being felt throughout the world.

“Consumers in every nation have been hard hit in recent months and now, this month, everyone is having some relief”.

“Again we see evidence that fuel prices are a wild roller coaster ride that is subject to rapid and dramatic change”, he said.

Mr Jasper said that while prices for all fuels had fallen this month they will continue to rise and fall in line with international demand and supply in the future.

For further in formation and to arrange media interviews contact:

Susuve Laumaea
Senior Manager Media Relations InterOil Corporation
Ph: (675) 321 7040
Mobile: (675) 684 5168
Email: susuve.laumaea@interoil.com

This Blog gets a high rating

I'm not usually one to beat my own chest, however, I received this email from Amy Liu at Blogged.com at the weekend rating this Blog very highly with an 8.2 score out of a possible 10.

I wouldn't have made it without the feedback and support from all you great people of Papua New Guinea and the world.

This is what Amy wrote: "Dear Malum Nalu,

"Our editors recently reviewed your blog and have given it an 8.2 score out of (10) in the Society/Culture category of Blogged.com.

"This is quite an achievement!

"http://www.blogged.com/directory/society/culture

"We evaluated your blog based on the following criteria: Frequency of Updates, Relevance of Content, Site Design, and Writing Style.

"After carefully reviewing each of these criteria, your site was given its 8.2 score.

"We’ve also created Blogged.com score badges with your score prominently displayed.

"Simply visit your website’s summary page on Blogged.com."

Amelia Earhart and Papua New Guinea

Amelia Earhart...put Lae and Papua New Guinea on the world map with her disappearance

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.

The search for Amelia continues to this day, in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, and because of this interest I have created a blog called Amelia Earhart and Papua New Guinea http://ameliaearhartandpng.blogspot.com/.

Have a look and I'd love to hear from you.

Malum

Salamaua and the Black Cat Trail

Hello to all of you out there, from all corners of the world, particularly those of you who have some connection with Papua New Guinea, in particular, Salamaua in the Morobe province.

I am part Salamaua, Morobe province, Papua New Guinea, as my mother comes from there.

Salamaua is a place with a lot of history from the days of the early Lutheran missionaries, the gold rush days of the 1920's and 1930's, and the dark days of World War 11.

In honour of Salamaua, I have created two new blogs, one on Salamaua and one on the infamous Black Cat Trail, which stretches from there to the gold fields of Wau and Bulolo.

I am starting these blogs with the intention of running my own tour company specialising in Salamaua and the Black Cat Trail in the very near future.

The Salamaua blog is http://salamaua.blogspot.com/ and the Black Cat Trail blog is http://blackcattrail.blogspot.com/.

Enjoy and get back to me if you have any feedback, want more information or have have some stories and pictures you want to share.

Marimari Lutheran Church Corporate Dinner

By EILEEN LLOYD


Hi everyone,

Just letting you all know that the Marimari Lutheran Church at Five-Mile, Port Moresby, will be holding a Corporate Dinner at the Grand Palace Restaurant on 25th October, 2008 , to raise funds for our new church building and we are seeking your support by way of purchasing tickets for the dinner.

Tickets are going for K200 per person or K2,000 for a table for 10.

Let me know the number of tickets you require and I can drop them off to you.

Please pass this message on to your other Lutheran colleagues or others you think can assist.

Your assistance would be very much appreciated.

Regards

Eileen Lloyd
Email: ELloyd@pngpower.com.pg

Sogeri’s WW11 spots a favorite for many

McDonald’s Corner and Owers’ Corner

McDonald’s Corner and Owers’ Corner, further in from Sogeri, have always been a favorite place for many residents of Port Moresby.
They are famously known as the beginning of the Kokoda Trail and are visited by thousands of tourists, mainly Australians, every year.
Enjoying a cold beer after a hard couple of days on the Kokoda Trail has always been part of the routine for these trekkers.
Enjoying a family picnic at Owers’ Corner under the blue sky, white clouds, majestic mountains and lush, green environment is a moment to treasure.
McDonald’s and Owers’ Corners, for many years, have been a means of escaping from the sweltering heat and scorched landscape of Port Moresby.
While Moresby is dry as a bone for over six months of the year, these places, invariably, are moist and green and the mountain air cooler.
The mountains, foothills, forests, savannah woodland, rivers and streams have long captured the imagination of many.
It goes without saying that when one goes to McDonald’s and Owers’ corners, one returns to the city very much relaxed, and reinvigorated.
They are very much among the many jewels in PNG’s crown.

McDonald’s Corner

The beginning of the Kokoda Track

In July and August 1942 McDonald's Corner was recognised as the beginning of the Kokoda Track and there is now a memorial at the site as well as a sign announcing the beginning of the "Kokoda Trail".
Nearby was the village of Ilolo, and it was here in July 1942 that officers of the Australian and New Guinea Administrative Unit (ANGAU), such as Lieutenant Herbert Kienzle and his medical officer, the elderly Captain Geoffrey Vernon, brought together the groups of native carriers who were needed to support the Australian advance into the mountains.
Ilolo is reached by a road that leaves Port Moresby and winds its way 40km up a steep hill, past the Rouna Falls and onto the high plateau which includes the Itiki Valley and the Sogeri River.
This area provides a slightly cooler climate and in 1942 was considered suitable for training of the units about to cross the mountains.
Later it became a retraining and rest area for units that had fought on the Track.
It was also the site of a number of military hospitals.
From Ilolo, Lieutenant Kienzle set out with his carriers to establish a series of staging camps along the Kokoda Track to support the troops of the 39th and later the 53rd Battalions.
Staging camps were established at approximately 16km intervals, which meant that the troops would take about eight days to cross the mountains to Kokoda.
Many of the troops who fought on the Kokoda Track have clear memories of Ilolo, and McDonald's Corner - a short distance beyond where they disembarked from their trucks before beginning the march.
The first unit over the mountains, B Company 39th Battalion, under Captain Sam Templeton, left Ilolo on July 7, 1942.
C Company of the Battalion began the trek on July 23.
The first company of the 53rd Battalion left Ilolo on August 11 and the first elements of the 2/14th Battalion began moving on 16 August.
Later an effort was made to push the road beyond Ilolo and a jeep track was constructed to Owers' Corner, but still the troops disembarked at McDonald's Corner.
The first company of the 2/33rd Battalion departed McDonald's Corner on September 10. Eventually, as the track was improved, more troops could be carried forward to Owers' Corner and thus McDonald's Corner lost some of its importance.
It is still regarded, however, as the beginning of the Kokoda Track.
Beyond Ilolo, the first staging camp at the end of a day's journey, was the village of Uberi.

Owers’ Corner

The end of the Jeep Track

Late in August 1942, Lieutenant Noel Owers, with a small survey party, was looking for an alternative route forward of Ilolo by which the troops on the Kokoda Track might more easily be supplied.
The jeep track only ever reached as far as the point which became known as Owers' Corner, and then gave way to a foot track which wound down a steep slope towards Uberi.
During the month of September 1942, two 25 pounder field guns of the 14th Australian Field Regiment were brought forward to Owers' Corner, where they were manhandled into firing positions.
This was the only allied Field Artillery used during the Kokoda Track campaign to support the out gunned and greatly out numbered Infantry.
This action assisted in halting the Japanese advance just 48km from Port Moresby; so began the Japanese retreat.
The terrain was almost impassable for Infantry let alone Artillery.
A third 25 pounder field gun was dismantled and manhandled to Peg 66 beyond Uberi.
The Regiment was assisted in reaching their firing position by a Platoon of the 2/1st Pioneer Battalion.
However, by then the Japanese had withdrawn beyond the range of the gun.
Following the action at Owers' Corner from to September 22-28, 1942, the Commander Royal Artillery 7th Division, Brigadier L.S. Barker despatched the following:
"The ejection of the enemy from Ioribaiwa Ridge indicates a turning point in the battle for Port Moresby. The success of our forces was due in no small part to the action of 53rd Field Battery, 14th Field Regiment in bringing fire to bear on the enemy position which they had every reason to consider was safe from artillery fire.
“The manner in which difficulties were overcome in bringing guns into action at Owers' Corner and later in taking guns forward to Uberi is another example of the aptness of the gunner motto, "UBIQUE".
“The accuracy of the fire brought down at extreme range indicates that the personnel who served the guns are maintaining that standard of efficiency which is recognised as inherent in gunner units.
“Special mention must be made of the early reconnaissance of the area and the accurate observation of fire by the Troop Commander, Captain J.P. Cullen who has been mention in despatches.
“The action of the unit in taking a gun to pieces to manhandle it up and down he steep hillsides of Uberi indicates that the Militia soldier is fully alive to the resourcefulness expected from gunners. The task of getting this gun forward was facilitated by the good work of 5 Platoon 2/1st Pioneer Battalion who improved and prepared the track.
“The CRA desires to congratulate the officers and men who took part in the actual action, on their fine achievement and that he feels confident of the good work which will be carried out in future by the 14th Field Regiment and wishes them every success in the campaign ahead.”
All units which participated in the Owen Stanley Campaign between McDonald's Corner and Kokoda, passed through Owers' Corner.
Later as the counter offensive was under way, on October 3, Generals MacArthur, Blamey, Herring and Kenney accompanied by the Minister for the Army, Mr F.M.Forde, visited Owers' Corner as the 16th Brigade began their move towards the objective, Kokoda.
General MacArthur told Brigadier J.E. Lloyd the commander, "Lloyd, by some act of God, your Brigade has been chosen for this job. The eyes of the Western world are upon you. I have every confidence in you and your men, good luck, don't stop."