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70th Anniversary presentation on Rabaul and the Montevideo Maru
PNG donation to Rabaul & Montevideo Maru Memorial
Symposium: PNG Today and Tomorrow
Inadequate facilities at Australian High Commission in Port Moresby
Register of births of Australian citizens in New Guinea
Landslide at Nogoloi
A landslide between Nogoloi and Hides 4 Junction, near the main PNG LNG construction site, has smothered two villages, covering much of the settlements in mud.
The tragedy happened in the early hours of the morning as people slept.
Witnesses said the landslide area was about a kilometre long and a few hundred metres wide.
It is understood that everyone living near the road and on the hills got swept away, including two PMV buses packed with passengers travelling back from Komo.
ExxonMobil's Esso Highlands unit said in a statement that the landslide had blocked a key access road and the accident had prompted the US oil giant Exxon Mobil to stop work at its nearby PNG liquefied natural gas project in the Hides and Komo area.
Disaster management teams have moved into the area to assess the damage.
Info from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16713137
[26 January 2012
Resignation of President
Dennis Doyle has recently resigned from the office of President and from the Management Committee to pursue other interests. The PNGAA thanks him for his contribution and wishes him well. In the meantime Andrea Williams has been appointed by the Management Committee of the PNGAA as Chairperson.
70th Anniversary presentation on Rabaul and the Montevideo Maru
Come and join Aurora Expeditions and find out more about our voyages to Papua New Guinea. Our experienced Expedition Staff will provide a great insight to the destination and local attractions, whilst a member of the Rabual and Montevideo Maru Society will speak of the upcoming 70th anniversary of the Battle of Rabaul and Montevideo Maru. Please RSVP to Olivia Dwyer at or call 02 92 52 1033.
Date: 3 November 2011
Time: 6-8pm
Where: Aurora Expeditions offices. Level 3, 13-15 Bridge St, Sydney, 2000.
Special 70th Anniversary Commemorative Voyages are planned for April 2012. There is more information in this brochure.
PNG donation to Rabaul and Montevideo Maru Memorial
Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister Peter O'Neill has announced a $100,000 donation towards the Rabaul and Montevideo Maru Memorial.
During his first official visit to Australia to meet Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Mr O'Neill took time to visit the Australian War Memorial where he was officially welcomed before inspecting the site of the memorial and announcing the generous donation to the more than fifty relatives and friends who were present.
The Rabaul and Montevideo Maru Society has been working for nearly three years to establish a memorial in Canberra to commemorate those who died in the New Guinea islands and with the sinking of the Japanese prison ship Montevideo Maru on 1 July 1942. More than 1000 troops and civilians were on board when the ship was torpedoed by a US submarine. It remains Australia’s greatest maritime tragedy.
"I thank you for the commitment you have shown in ensuring that we remember those who lost their lives in this tragic event," Mr O'Neill said at the proposed site of the new memorial.
"I also want to take this opportunity to thank the Australian War Memorial for allowing the memorial to be established on its grounds."
It was both a momentous and memorable event for members of the Society who are grateful for the compassion of the PNG people. This tremendous gesture acknowledges that the relationship and history between the two countries is valued and respected.
Efforts by the High Commissioner of Papua New Guinea, His Excellency Mr Charles Lepani in assisting with this generous tribute, furthering the friendship and cooperation between the countries and ensuring that the memorial will be constructed in time for the 70th anniversary of the tragedy on 1 July 2012 were greatly appreciated.
Together with the Hon Peter O'Neill and His Excellency, Charles Lepani, the official party included Major-General Steven Gower AO, Director of the Australian War Memorial, His Excellency Mr Ian Kemish, High Commissioner of Australia to Papua New Guinea, Dr Katherine Lepani and Ms Lynda Babao. They were joined by Rabaul and Montevideo Maru Society President Phil Ainsworth, Andrea Williams and Don Hook.
Betty Muller, 90, of Canberra, who was evacuated just prior to the Japanese invasion of Rabaul, braved the strong winds to be present at the memorial site on this special occasion. Betty lost her father Cyril Gascoigne, 15 year old brother Ivor and her uncle, Harry Adams.
‘They were all civilians. I don’t know the details of how they were captured because nobody has been able to tell us,’ she said.
‘It was the worst tragedy in the war for Australia and people just don’t know about it.’
Mr Phil Ainsworth, President of the Rabaul and Montevideo Maru Society, acknowledged the significance of the gesture to Australia and to the Society.
"The installation and dedication of a national memorial on July 1, 2012, the 70th anniversary of the sinking of the ship, will be a national physical point of reference to commemorate their loss," he said.
Symposium: PNG Today and Tomorrow
At the invitation of the Hon. Richard Marles, MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, the Alfred Deakin Research Institute, with the support of the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), held a symposium entitled Papua New Guinea Today — And Tomorrow? to help reacquaint Australians with PNG, and its relevance to Australia. The one-day symposium, involving more than 100 participants from business, government, academia and the wider community, was held at Deakin’s Melbourne City Centre on Friday 27 May.
Dennis Doyle, Andrea Williams and Paul Munro attended on behalf of PNGAA.
The Hon. Richard Marles MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs gave the keynote address.
There was a wide ranging set of papers on the topics of:
Nation, Region and Province
Development, Aid and the Economy
Mineral Resources and Planning
Education, Health and Research
Heritage, Law and Society
You can share in the day by going to the University website where there are recordings of some of the presentations and copies of the presentations themselves.
There are also abstracts which can be downloaded from the link is at the end of the webpage.
[12 June 2011, updated 10 July 2011
John May's medals go to the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery
The Director of the Tasmanian
Museum and Art Gallery, Bill
Bleathman, said that the museum was
honoured to receive a Tasmanian
World War II chaplain's collection of
military medals.
John May's Member of the Order of the
British Empire (MBE) and several of
his military service medals, which were
recently purchased by a group of
anonymous benefactors, were
presented to TMAG by members of his
family on 13 April 2011.
"I am pleased the generosity of these benefactors has enabled TMAG to acquire these medals, whilst also allowing Mary May to raise funds towards a permanent memorial to commemorate the sinking of the Montevideo Maru," Mr Bleathman said. A cheque was presented to Marg Curtis, representing the Society.
John Lovatt May, MBE, was born in Tasmania and educated in Penguin, Queenstown and Hobart before completing theological studies at the Australasian College of Theology. In 1940, he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces as a chaplain and served with the 2/22nd Battalion which was sent to garrison Rabaul in New Guinea in 1941.
When the Japanese invaded Rabaul in January 1942, John May was taken prisoner along with over 1 000 other Australian troops and civilians, many of whom subsequently embarked the Montevideo Maru bound for Hainan in south China.
Although John May was not aboard the Montevideo Maru, he tended the men of
the 2/22nd Battalion as soldiers and as prisoners. After the war, he was always
concerned that efforts be made to recognise the terrible loss of both troops and
civilians on the Montevideo Maru.
He was awarded the MBE in 1947 for his actions as a prisoner of war (POW) in maintaining morale of troops and POWs in World War II.
"I am pleased that, through this gift, John May's medals will enable TMAG to continue to tell the stories of Tasmanians who have made such important contributions through their service to their country", Mr Bleathman said.
[2 June 2011
Inadequate facilities at Australian High Commission in Port Moresby
The Minister for Immigration has recognised that current facilities at the Australian High Commission inPort Moresby for dealing with visa applications are inadequate.
Responding to representations by PNGAA, the Department’s Regional Director for the Asian Region, Jane Honner, on behalf of the Minister wrote:
in relation to the amenities at the Australian High Commission for Immigration clients. …. Due to significant recent increases in the client case load, we have recognised that the current facilities are inadequate.
.. . The department expects to be in a position to implement some changes that address the issues you have raised in the coming months.
Difficulties faced by Papua New Guineans applying for visas at the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby have been vexing members and commentators for some time and have become acute over the last year.
- Long queues are forced to wait outside the building without shade or normal amenities. Our photo shows the rather basic canopied amenity outside the High Commission. That is where people wait for service at the kiosk. The photo doesn’t tell the full story. That story includes queues reaching down the block, frustrations around correct paperwork, and the vicissitudes of waiting long hours on hot days!
- The standard of customer service often falls below normal Australian standards. Papua New Guineans employed as staff by the Australian High Commission visa section seem to need more adequate customer service training.
- An arbitrary process often seems to govern visa application requirements. Those applying for a visa are repeatedly required to attend at the High Commission. Some have difficulty coping with language requirements. Others have travelled to Port Moresby from a remote village and find it extremely difficult to return at a later date, if they are confronted by requirements of which they had no prior knowledge.
- Income and assets tests are applied to village people with genuine Australian family links.
PNGAA President Dennis Doyle wrote to the respective Australian Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Immigration about these problems on 7 April this year. He pointed out that considerable numbers of our members wish to have a PNG relative travel to Australia for a family visit. He argued it might reasonably be expected that the parent of a PNG national who is an Australian resident or citizen, and whose partner is an Australian citizen, should be able to secure a visa for a sponsored visit to Australia without undue complications and delay. Not always so easy, in fact!
The President also touched upon another running sore. While PNG nationals seek a visa to enter Australia for a wide variety of reasons, a very common reason is to study. The PNGAA had been reliably informed that students on approved courses regularly encounter protracted obstacles when seeking a visa.
The Regional Director’s response to these points showed a welcome degree of understanding and an acceptance that applicants for visas are clients with special needs. Among other details she noted were:
- Because many applicants live in remote areas and have limited access to infrastructure and information, the Department attempts through the media, website/internet information and signage to advise clients, as far as possible regarding visa processing requirements, supporting documentation, fees and processing times.
- The supporting documentation requested is to ensure that applicant(s) meet legal requirements for the grant of visas. Applicants are urged to apply with complete documentation to assist in processing without delay.
- The Department’s global standard for processing tourist and business visas is 30 days, whilst in Port Moresby clients are advised of a shorter processing time of 5 business days. The global standard for processing student visas is 21 days. A majority of the student applications in Port Moresby are processed within this standard.
- The purchase of airline tickets is not recommended prior to receiving a decision on a visa application. In the check lists for supporting documentation for visa applications provided to clients, the Department does not request evidence of the purchase of airline tickets or accommodation bookings.
There is not yet reason to believe that the vexations associated with getting a visa for travel from PNG to Australia are over. Members interested have some grounds for hoping some improvements are not too far away. In the meantime, Minister Bowen and his Department have shown a commendable willingness to listen. They have also offered the President a channel for raising further concerns of substance. PNGAA will continue to monitor its members’ experience around this important aspect of Australia-PNG relationships.
[9 May 2011
Register of births of Australian citizens in New Guinea
Information from the National Archives of Australia (NAA) website covering details of a series of registers they hold relating to the Birth of Australian citizens in New Guinea is here.
[25 April 2011