How Voco Point, Lae, got its name

mv Umboi at Voco Point

mv Rita at the Lutheran Shipping wharf at Voco Point in Lae

mv Gejamsaoc off Voco Point with the Huon Gulf in the background

Lutheran Shipping's pride mv Gejamsaoc and mv Rita at Voco Point in Lae

Voco Point, Lae, is one of the busiest coastal trading points in the country.
On any given day, coastal vessels from throughout the country – from Alotau to Manus, from Lihir to Vanimo – line up at the wharves.
The passenger boats ferry people to Finschhafen, Siassi, Kimbe, Rabaul, New Ireland, Oro Bay, Alotau, Madang, and Wewak.
The local shops make fortunes every day and the roads are chock-a-block with humans and vehicles.
In a nutshell, Voco Point is one of the busiest coastal trading points in the country.
It continues a great tradition started by Morobeans of long ago.
However, to this day, many people – including those who work and live there – do not know how Voco Point got its name.
The pre-World War 11Vacuum Oil Company – Mobil – had a depot at the site of Voco Point; hence, Voco is short for Vacuum Oil Company.
Mobil Oil Australia was established in Australia in 1895 and traded as Vacuum Oil Company.
It was the first oil company to operate in Australia, New Guinea, and of course Lae.
As Lae boomed with the Wau and Bulolo goldfields in the 1920s, a shipping depot connected by railway to the airstrip was established at Vacuum Oil Company (Voco) Point, and remained as the main wharf until after the war.
The local Lae villages call Voco Point Asiawi, and in days of yore, it was a traditional trading ground that bustled with activity.
They came from as far away as the Siassi and Tami Islands, Bukawa, Salamaua, and Labu to meet and exchange goods in this ancient market place.
Researchers know that around the Huon Gulf, a complex and extensive trading system – dependent on canoe voyages – had existed long before contact with Europeans.
The greatest mariners were the Siassi and Tami Islanders, whose boats sailed up the Rai Coast towards Madang, plied the coast of New Britain, and penetrated far to the south in the Huon Gulf.
The Lae, unlike their Labu neighbors, were not great mariners but did build two types of canoes: a small dugout for local fishing and the larger kasali (sailing canoe) for longer trips.
Supply lines stretched across the Vitiaz Strait to New Britain, up the Rai Coast towards Madang, and deep into the Upper Markham and the high valley of the Huon Peninsula.
According to one researcher, the distinctive feature of this trade was specialisation in the production of certain goods.
The Lae produced taro and fruits; the Labu specialised in woven handbags and baskets; the Bukawa produced taro, fruit, rain capes and mats of pandanus leaves sewn together; the Tami Islanders carved a variety of wooden bowls; while Siassi Islanders acted as middlemen, trading Huon Gulf products into New Britain and bringing back obsidian for knife blades and ochre for paints.
The inlanders and mountain people brought to the beach produce that the coast did not grow so well: yams, sweet potato, and tobacco.
They also brought with them items of wealth such as birds of paradise plumes, dog’s teeth, and cockatoo feathers.
In return, they took shells and shells ornaments, pigs, fish, and salt.
The inland trade route at Lae ran through Yalu to the Markham Valley and through Musom to the highlands of the Huon Peninsula.
Trading was carried out through a system of partnership with certain individuals and families at different ports.
This may explain how traces of the old Ahi-Wampar language are said to exist as far away as the coast of West New Britain.
It may also explain the undercurrent of friendship and co-operation between the people of the Huon Gulf coast - from Salamaua to Siassi.
In 1979, a strange phenomenon occurred when a whirlpool came and tore away a large chunk of land and destroyed part of the Yacht Club.
This surprised many people, but not the local landowners, who said it was an evil spirit called yaayaa.
According to the traditions of the Gwatu clan of Butibam Village, their original village, Ankuapoc, was near Asiawi.
Asiawi, according to mythology, used to be a long point which went out much further than today but was eaten by the evil spirit called yaayaa which comes in a whirlpool and takes away chunks of land, the last of which was in 1979.
As Lae boomed with the Wau and Bulolo goldfields in the 1920s, a shipping depot connected by railway to the airstrip was established at Voco Point and remained as the main wharf until after the war.
Voco Point is now the terminal for local shipping and small boats, second to the Lae Port.
But it has made an indelible mark on the history of Lae, Morobe Province, and PNG, and continues in the same vein.
Where once ancient mariners braved the rough seas, with only the moon and stars to guide them, now modern coastal vessels load machinery for the new gold mine on Lihir.
This is Voco Point, also known as Asiawi.

British volunteers build facilities along Black Cat Trail

Volunteers with local childrenTrekforce leader Adam Hickman and a local childToilet construction

Toilet

Rafting Fransisco RiverJungle training at Gabesis

Jungle training at Gabensis

Group in the toilet pit

Entertainment at Komiatum

Construction of shower facility

Cement wall for the toilet

It may not exactly be in the same league as the high rise property developments in the major cities of Papua New Guinea, nevertheless, it is property development in a remote part of Papua New Guinea.
Thanks to an enthusiastic group of young men and women from Great Britain, villagers along the Black Cat Trail between Salamaua and Wau, Morobe province, can now offer proper toilet and shower facilities to trekkers of the fast-developing tourism icon.
The group of 11 young men and women came to Papua New Guinea in February this year and has been living in villages along the Black Cat Trail over the last four months, setting up facilities for trekkers, as well as teaching at Salamaua High School and Komiatum Primary School.
Last year, the first Trekforce group built a guesthouse between Skin Diwai and Banis Donkey outside Wau, while there from July-September 2008.
They were supported in their endeavours by the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority, Huon Gulf MP Sasa Zibe and Bulolo MP Sam Basil.
The last group of five – Claire Orton, Paul Tidbury, Tom Turner, Callum Heitler and Angus Collins – left PNG last Friday after having the time of their lives in the mountains above Salamaua.
“Trekforce is volunteer organisation which works worldwide, sending groups of 10-15 people, aged 18-25, to areas like Borneo, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Belize in Central America,” Mr Collins told me before leaving.
“We came here on Feb 5.
“We had five days jungle training in Gabensis (a village along the Wau-Bulolo Highway).
“From there, we went to Salamaua, had one night in Salamaua, and then walked to Komiatum.
“The first month was spent on building toilets.
“We dug a seven foot hole, so that no flies will go in – it’s supposed to be the most-hygienic way of building toilets.
“The second month was spent on building washrooms around the toilets.
“These will be used by trekkers.
“We’re trying to make it more comfortable for trekkers.”
The group planned to walked the Black Cat Trail, however, the recent violence in Wau put a halt to all that, and they instead spent time at Lababia Island further south of Salamaua.
After that, they came back to Salamaua, and taught students at Salamaua High School and Komiatum Primary School.
“We taught subjects such as social science, science, maths, English, arts, personal development, and making a living,” Mr Collins said.
“We were living with the teachers at the school, and after teaching, enjoyed playing basketball and football with the kids.”
All good things, however, must come to an end, and the young Britons were farewelled with a big feast at Komiatum before leaving last week.
I asked them of their best memories of PNG.
Paul Tidbury: “Spending time at Lababia Island and seeing the sights there was quite special.”
Tom Turner: “The school (Komiatum Primary), at the end of our teaching, had some dances and singsings, and some food.”
Angus Collins: “The opening of the toilets was nice.
Callum Heitler: “The people, cultures.
Claire Orton: “I really liked Salamaua, especially swimming on the reef.”

Reaching the 50,000 mark...the sky is the limit!

My blog, in less than a year, is already reaching the 50,000 mark.

At last count, I had 49, 957 hits, and should surpass the 50,000 mark later today.

This gives me a tremendous sense of achievement, and I really feel that I have done something good for my country, Papua New Guinea.

I actually started this blog in May 2006, basically out of curiosity, and never took it seriously until last July, when I made it a point to jump on the blogging bandwagon that is taking the world by storm.

I also installed a counter on my blog last July 14.

I have never looked back since and this blog has since gone on to become one of the top-ranked Papua New Guinea sites by Alexa, The Web Information Company.

The blog has helped to put Papua New Guinea on the world map and I’m so proud of what I have done…for me, the sky’s the limit!

Thank you for the support from all over the world.

Blogging, and the Internet, have proven to me that we are truly living in a global village.

Fitting in my shoes (or should I say glasses?)

These are pictures of my young tyro, two-year-old Keith, who, whenever he gets the chance, fits into my shoes or wears my sunglasses.
He's a great little kid, who, despite the tragic death of his mother last year, shortly after his birth, has shown remarkable resilience.
He's fair-skinned, taken on his Mum's good looks, and is someone who I'm very proud of and love so much.

Pacific Storms brew in Australia

Captions: 1. Joycelin Leahy and Tema,a Tongan community leader 2. Joycelin Leahy with artists Micah Furseta, Lingikoni Vakauta and Lambert Ho 3. Crowd at the opening night 4. PNG talent...Jeffry Feeger, University of Queensland Prof Amareswah Galla, Daniel Waswas and Mairi Feeger at Pacific Storms Opening

Pacific Storms, a contemporary art exhibition of significant Pacific island issues curated by Papua New Guinea woman Joycelin Leahy, opened to a record crowd of 425 people at Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery last Wednesday night.
It was opened by the Australian Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Affairs, Duncan Kerr.
The turn out included audiences from around Australia, Pacific islanders, residents of Bundaberg Region and 27 of 33 artists – Papua New Guineans included - who exhibited in the show.
In his speech, Mr Kerr said the artworks challenged the traditional perceptions of Pacific cultures and their arts.
He called Pacific Storms a “superb example of contemporary Pacific Island culture”.
“I am sure that those who visit the exhibition will be surprised and perhaps startled by what they see,” Mr Kerr said.
“The works on display present a contemporary perspective of Pacific societies and cultures.
“It is a perspective that many Australians, including those in the art world, may not be prepared for.”
He said the exhibition brought an important understanding of Australia to its closest neighbors and the fact that Pacific islands’ concerns and their worlds were not so different to Australia’s.
Australia has committed $150 Million over three years under the Climate Change Adaptation Initiative to help meet high priority adaptation needs of vulnerable countries in the region, which focuses on Pacific Islands and East Timor.
Responding to other major social issues highlighted in Pacific Storms, Mr Kerr said development assistance alone could not improve long-term economic outlook or Pacific Islands, therefore, Australia had placed a greater priority on trade and economic cooperation with its Pacific partners.
“Since its opening, there have been a number of public programmes organised by curating partner, Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery,” Ms Leahy told The National.
“These included leis making and weaving which drew another crowd of 378 people last Saturday at the gallery.
“During the week, PNG artists, Daniel Waswas and Peter Leo Ella engaged with Bundaberg School children to discuss their style of artwork and talk about Pacific people and the culture.”
Pacific Storms will remain on show at Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery until July 12.

Rekindling memories of the great sea voyages of Morobe

The kasali beaches at Malalo with Salamaua Point in the background

Sailing the kasali into Salamaua

Laukanu villagers with their kasali at picturesque Malolo in Salamaua, Morobe province

Laukanu villagers land their kasali at Malalo in Salamaua, Morobe province

In October 2007, the people from my mother’s beautiful Laukanu village in Salamaua, Morobe province, rekindled memories of yore when they launched a kasali (ocean going canoe).
For many people, especially the young ones, it was a rare opportunity to see a traditional canoe used by these seafarers of the Huon Gulf, as they may never again be able to do so again.
The people of Laukanu were among the greatest mariners of the Huon Gulf, making long ocean trips throughout the Huon Gulf to exchange goods, long before the arrival of the white man.
Researchers know that around the Huon Gulf, a complex and extensive trading system – dependent on canoe voyages – had existed long before contact with Europeans, and the Laukanu people, using the kasali, were among the best.
When the first Lutheran missionaries arrived in Finschhafen in the late 1880s, the Laukanu made the long sea voyage to Finschhafen, and helped to bring the Miti (Word of God) to the villages south of Lae.
The launch of the kasali celebrated not only the great seamanship of the Laukanu, but more importantly, coincided with the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Malolo Mission Station - overlooking idyllic and historic Salamaua – on October 12, 1907.
The people of Salamaua and surrounding villages, who make up the Malalo Circuit, converged on Malalo for that momentous occasion.
It was a time for all to celebrate the important role the church had played in their lives, as well as remember the many expatriate missionaries and local evangelists, who worked through the dark days of World War 1 and World War 11 to bring the Miti (Word of God) to the people.
These legendary missionaries include Reverend Karl Mailainder and Rev Herman Boettger (who started actual work on the Malalo station), Rev Hans Raun, Rev Friedrich Bayer, Rev Mathias Lechner, and Rev Karl Holzknecht.
Apart from the centenary celebrations, it was also a time for the Laukanu people to showcase their ocean-going and canoe-building skills, which have now been safely passed on to the next generation.

Our cucumbers are growing again!

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a real life experience about 'tis little things that can hurt a lot.
It goes something like this: "I’m just a simple, working-class Papua New Guinean, struggling to make ends meet as well as get over the death of my wife last year.
"I live with my four young children in a one-bedroom unit at Gerehu, a suburb of Port Moresby.
"We have this tiny little backyard stretch which we use to grow vegetables.
"Some weeks ago, I bought cucumber and tomato seeds, which I sowed.
"It became a daily ritual for my four young children to get up early in the morning and water and weed their vegetable patch.
"The cucumbers grew up and started flowering, and every day, the little ones would tell me of how much they were looking forward to eating their cucumbers.
"Last Friday, after work, I went home and wondered why they were looking so sad and sullen.
“Dad,” they chorused, 'those big boys next door have pulled out our cucumbers'.
"It broke my heart!
"Tis little things like this that can hurt a lot."

PS: I'm happy to report that we have dug out a new vegetable patch, complete with cucumbers, tomatoes, beans, and other vegetables, and after the recent downpour over the long weekend, they're growing very well. Picture above are my daughter Moasing pointing out the garden, a close-up, and that's me with the big beard (which I really have to get rid of, as it makes me look so much older).