PNG flag flies high in the Himalayas

Is this the highest place on earth that the Papua New Guinea flag has flown? 

On June 18, 2012 Granger Narara, a PNG pilot based in Abu Dhabi, UAE with Etihad Airways, carried the PNG flag on a motorbike to the highest motorable road in the world.  

Narara flies the PNG flag high in the Himalayas

At 18,380 feet, the Khardung La or Khardung Pass in the Ladakh region of northern India and part of the great Himalayan mountain range sits over 3, 500 feet above Mt. Wilhelm.  

The team of nine bike riders and two guides with a support vehicle, driver and two mechanics, rode 1,550km in nine days from New Delhi to Khardung La over some of the most scenic and inhospitable terrain in the world. 

These roads are only open for civilian use for four months of the year from June to September due to the heavy snow. 

They are,  however,  used most of the year by the military to supply their forward bases in Sachun Glacier, which is the scene of an ongoing conflict between Pakistan and India.

"We slept most nights between 10,000ft and 12,000ft and we rode during the day over passes ranging from 14,000ft to 18,000ft, this helped in keeping our bodies acclimatised and prevented high altitude sickness," Narara says.

"Temperatures were +10  to + 15 during the day and went well below freezing at night. 

"The motorbikes used were Indian manufactured Royal Enfield 500’s, with fuel injected single cylinder engines.

" These rugged built motorcycles handled the altitude and off road conditions with ease, much better than the riders did. 

This team is planning more motorbike rides to other parts of the world in the near future with hopefully more Papua New Guinean riders on board and we should see the PNG flag flying in some more exotic places on the planet." 

Magic of the Markham and Watut rivers

By MALUM NALU

Evening along the great Markham River of Morobe province on Friday, July 6, 2012.

I am on a 25-horsepower motor-powered canoe heading up the river towards where the Markham River meets another great Morobe river, the Watut.

The river journey begins at 40-Mile outside Lae.-Pictures by MALUM NALU

We are headed for Maralina village in the Lower Watut area, where USA-based Watut man Aral Nen and his family, will make a presentation of books the next day.

We are in a convoy of four canoes which include the Nen family and a Korean TV crew who have come to make a documentary on the Nens and their Lower Watut motherland.

I relax in the dugout canoe, enjoying the ride and magnificent riverside scenery, which simply takes my breath away.

The Sepik River-style dugout canoes which ply the Markham and Watut rivers at Kapungu village

I might add as an aside here that any enterprising tourism operator could make a good business out of ferrying tourists up and down the Markham and Watut rivers, given that there is so much potential for eco-tourism, similar to what is being done along the Sepik River.

Already, the Watut River rapids are rated as among the best in the world for white water rafting, and are infamous for an incident in 2005 in which a number of Israeli thrill seekers were killed in the fast-flowing waters.

 Watut River grandeur

One of the greatest gold rushes the world has ever known began here along the Markham and Watut rivers.

How the Wau-Bulolo gold rush all began is a classic in itself and to go into every detail would fill many pages.

In the early part of last century, it was almost as if bowmen were guarding the gold that lay on the edge of their country more richly than anywhere else in the whole Pacific.

Fierce fighters lived along the Markham, the big river flowing into the Huon Gulf.

The Markham’s big tributary we call the Watut – and that was the river that led to the new gold, the new El Dorado.

The story is that Watut gold was discovered by an Austrian prospector, Wilhelm Dammkohler, and that he was killed by the Kukukukus on Sept 12, 1909, while prospecting with a companion Rudolph Oldorp.

Going up the Watut River last Saturday morning against a magnificent backdrop of mountains

Canadian prospector Arthur Darling, in 1910, apparently did go up the Watut and into its tributary, the Bulolo.

There he found gold, rich gold

Somewhere right up the Watut was the source of gold that coloured the sands of the lower Markham.

World War One put an end to all that, and it was not until  August 1922, when William ‘Sharkeye’ Park and Jack Nettleton crossed the heavily-jungled rivers of the Kuper Range beyond which lay the Bulolo River, forking off the Watut, and more gold, fantastically more gold, than anywhere else in the world at that time.

They found it where Koranga Creek and Edie Creek come into Bulolo – gold that was to give them each a fortune; and when they had taken all they wanted, there was enough left for the six-million-dollar company, Bulolo Gold Dredging Ltd, to win, in the 30 years following, 56 tonnes of gold, then worth 28 million pounds.

Fast forward to Friday, July 6, 2012, and about an hour up the Markham from where we started at 40-Mile, we arrive at the intersection where the Watut joins and rolls with the flow.

Unlike the braided Markham, the Watut is a meandering river, which can be navigated only by skilled and experienced boatmen, through a myriad of fallen trees.

The picturesque riverside village of Uruf along the banks of the Watut River

At 7pm, we arrive at Kapungu village along the banks of the Watut, where we enjoy village hospitality, accommodation and food for the night.

What really touches me about these simple villagers is that they don’t have much, moneywise, but what little they have they share.

For instance, at the house I stayed, village woman Miriam Bingeding and her babies Binganu, Jessica and Susan shared their food with me – which to me was worth more than a million dollars!

Early next morning, soon after the cocks crow, we hit the river again bound for Maralina, again passing magnificent river scenes.

Loading canoes at Kapungu Village last Saturday morning for the trip to Maralina.

All along the three-hour ride to Maralina, we pass villagers working doing small-scale mining along the riverside, which is their main source of money.

 Local villagers doing small-scale gold mining along the banks of the Watut River last Saturday

At Maralina, we trek for about an hour further inland  through sweltering heat,  to get to  Maralina Primary School, stopping every now and then for some fresh kulau (coconut) juice.

One thing that strikes me about the hamlets all the way to the main village is that they are spotlessly clean, there is no buai (betelnut) spit like Port Moresby, Lae and other towns, and there is a huge amount of community pride.

We walk through cocoa and coconut groves, well-kept gardens, and kunai grass to get to the school.

Cocoa is the second major source of income for the villagers after small-scale gold mining.

There are so many taros, bananas, yams, kaukau and other vegetables growing here in the fertile river valley.

Maralina Primary School is set in magnificent settings, straight out of a picture book, and I would willingly give up everything to come and live here!

At Maralina, the Nens are feted liked royalty, and the red carpet, a ’la Lower Watut, is laid out for them.

After speeches and handover of the books, the Nen family and the Korean TV crew are airlifted by helicopter to Nen’s Zenem village, where they will stay for the next couple of weeks to film the documentary.

I would have made another river trip down the Watut and Markham; however, thanks to Morobe Mining Joint Ventures (MMJV) general manager sustainability and external relations David Wissink, I was able to hitch a ride back to Lae on a helicopter.

We fly over Maralina village, the Watut, and are able to look down on the Markham and the panoramic plains as we fly back to Lae.

Aerial view of the Watut River as seen from a helicopter last Saturday

Along the way, we stop at Wafi, site of one of the next big gold and copper mines in PNG, run by Harmony of South Africa and Newcrest of Australia.

As we fly over rugged terrain back to Lae, surrounded by forests, mountains and rivers, I can’t help but think about the future of the simple Lower Watut villagers.

Dream come true as books delivered to remote Watut schools

By MALUM NALU

A dream came true for 13-year-old Ngaru Nen in remote Maralina village in Lower Watut, Morobe province, last Saturday, July 7, 2012, as he delivered a container load of books from the USA for the children of three schools in the area.

In emotional scenes at picture-perfect Maralina, six hours by motorised canoe up the Markham and Watut rivers, Ngaru and his siblings Betty and Aral Jr presented the books to the children of Maralina, Uruf and Tsili Tsili primary schools. 

 They, their mother Mary and father Aral travelled all the way from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, too make the book presentation.

Watut man Aral Nen (left) and his children Aral Jr, Betty and Ngaru, and wife Mary, on the banks of the Markham River at 40-Mile outside Lae last Friday before leaving to deliver books from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, to schools in the Lower Watut area.-Pictures by MALUM NALU

The people of Lower Watut laid down the red carpet last Saturday to welcome the Nen family home to present the books.

Man-of-the-moment Ngaru Nen (centre) is plied with gifts in the midstof siblings Aral Jr (left) and Betty.

They sang, danced and cheered as the books were handed over.

Some of the books on display at Maralina last Saturday.

The Nen children had been collecting books for the children of Lower Watut since 2008, however, they ran into a hitch when their father could not afford the high cost of transporting the books to PNG.

Givers become receivers…Nen children (from left) Aral Jr, Ngaru and Betty are showered with gifts from a young warrior at Maralina last Saturday.

Morobe Mining Joint Ventures general manager - sustainability and external relations, David Wissink, turned Good Samaritan as he read about young Ngaru’s plight on Facebook.

One of the positive stories in light of all the negative...Watut man Aral Nel (left), wife Mary, and children Aral Jr, Ngaru and Betty with their Good Samaritan David Wissink of MMJV at Maralina village last Saturday.

In January this year, thanks to Wissink, a container load of books and school supplies left Milwaukee for Lae, final destination Watut.

The books arrived in Lae earlier this year and were kept in storage by MMJV until the Nens arrived.

A local singsing group welcomes the Nen family to Maralina Primary School last Saturday.

In another twist of fate, major Korean TV company SBS, heard about Nen’s story and paid for all his family to travel to PNG so that they could make a documentary on the life of the family.

 Betty Nen (right) and a female member of the Korean TV crew join in celebrations at Maralina last Saturday.

Immediately after the book presentation, the Nen family and the TV crew travelled to Nen’s Zenem village, where they will spend the next couple of weeks shooting the documentary,

A quietly-spoken Ngaru said he was glad that the books had reached Watut safely after his ordeal in putting them together.

 Young Ngaru Nen addresses the crowd at Maralina.

“I hope that they are useful to you,” he told a crowd of Watut school children and the local community who gathered at Maralina.”

Wissink heaped praise on Ngaru and his siblings.

“This is a good partnership,” he said.

“Thank you to Ngaru and his sister and brother.”

The story starts in June 2008, when nine-year-old Ngaru Nen visited his father Aral’s home in remote Watut.

It was the trip of a lifetime for Ngaru, who had never travelled out of America before, to his mama graun and it had a profound effect on his life.

The trip was a special one for Ngaru, because he is the elder son of the Nen's and according to Sangark clan of Watut, needs to go through an initiation ceremony and be declared as a chief.

One thing that bothered him was the large number of children roaming around because of no schools, no school fees and no space.

He was also surprised to learn that schools in Watut had very little school supplies and books, and had to sit on the ground and learn, because there were no classrooms.

Bush material classrooms at Maralina Primary School

“I could see that this really bothered Ngaru because he kept on asking me ‘why’,” his father recalls.

“I had to explain to him the truth of the situation, and also told him that it happens in many other very- remote areas in the country, and even urban areas.

Ngaru was heartbroken, so much so, that he vowed that that upon return to USA, he would collect whatever books and school supplies he could, and send them to the children of Watut.

Thus began a three-year labour of love, collecting books and school supplies, however, the young man hit an 11th-hour hitch.

His dad, Aral, tried so many shipping companies, however, the fees were so high and father told son that the books would go to Africa instead of Watut, as there was a Rotary club which could ship to that continent.

A teary Ngaru was heartbroken and prayed for a miracle to happen.

God must have heard his prayers, for in far-off PNG, MMJV’s Wissink read about the plight of the young man.

In late January this year, thanks to Wissink, a container load of books and school supplies left Milwaukee for Lae, final destination Watut.

“When I was in Papua New Guinea, one of the things that struck me most was that so many people would go barefoot, be able to live so far away from hospitals and also have no health care,” Ngaru told me in January.

“I was also surprised that the schools in Watut had very little school supplies and books and had to sit on the ground and learn.

“I know I have a lot of books and supplies I can donate to them.

“I told my dad that, when I return to America, I'd like to collect books and school supplies and send them to Watut schools because I feel sorry for all these kids.

“My dad and family agreed and helped me collect books and supplies over three years.

“Now we have a problem with transportation.

“My dad tried so many shipping companies but the fees were so high for us to afford.

“Sadly, one afternoon, my dad told me that, the books would go to Africa instead of Watut, because we cannot afford it and there is a Rotary club which can ship only to Africa.

“Also, since our garage was so full of boxes of books and winter was approaching, we needed to get rid of those books somehow.

“My heart was broken and I prayed in my heart that the Good Lord will know the struggles of my people and will help me get the books and supplies to Watut.

“While we were packing and taping the boxes for Africa, my dad got a message from someone in PNG (Wissink), offering to pay for shipping costs from my garage in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, to Lae, then to Watut.

“I call him my guardian angel.

“Without him, this would not have been possible.”

The final chapter of this story unfolded in style at Maralina last Saturday.

It’s good to be back home again.Nen brothers Aral Jr (left) and Ngaru enjoying the Watut countryside last Saturday.

PNG helicopter crash: Bodies found

By HAYDEN DONNELL  of New Zealand Herald

Search teams have found the bodies of a New Zealand man and two Australians whose helicopter crashed in a remote area of Papua New Guinea a week ago.

New Zealander Antony Annan, 49, and two Australians, Russell Aitken, 42, and Emmett Fynn, 36, were found dead at the wreck of their Bell 206 helicopter near the Purari River around 3pm (NZ time).

Paul Booij, managing director of the helicopter's operator Hevilift, said the deaths were devastating.

"Unfortunately our worst fears were realised this morning.

"This is a harrowing time for everyone... We are devastated that this has happened. Every one of us had hoped to find them alive and now we have to deal with the reality."

The helicopter was reported missing at about 4:30pm last Friday.

The first sign of its wreck was found yesterday, when a villager discovered some pieces of plastic labelled "fly away kit" in a stream.

A helicopter tailboom was seen from the air this morning and search teams found the crashed wreckage about six hours later.

There was low cloud and reduced visibility at the time of the crash and the pilots were flying on sight rather than instruments.

Hevilift Group Managing Director Colin Seymour would not comment on company protocol for flying indangerous conditions.

Mr Booij said the company would cooperate with authorities and conduct its own investigation into what caused the crash.

"We can assure everyone that no one wants to know what happened more than we do. We operate in rugged terrain and challenging conditions in Papua New Guinea and we have very strict protocols within our operations."
Seven helicopters were involved in the search for the missing men