September 2012

In the last issue I commented on wantoks who leave Darwin. Pat Somers does that but not permanently. When the Wet Season commences he goes South but then returns to enjoy The Dry. The ex-kiap served in Madang, Western Highlands, Milne Bay and Bougainville districts and was able to contribute a Vale notice to Una Voce for the late Dave Permezel. Both men with their PNG fieldwork experience readily found employment in NT Local Government concerned with Aboriginal communities (following in the footsteps of such as Jack Battersby, Brian Ede, Bob Welsh, etc.)

Three years ago Dave sent me his self-written obituary with a request that I, as the PNGAA contact man in the NT, have it published "when the time came". This was on the grounds that he wanted the details authentic. Sadly, no longer a record-keeping genius, I searched in vain for it this April when it was indeed needed so was mightily relieved when Pat was able to do the job from knowledge of his colleague's history. Thirty-two years in PNG serving in nine districts, a pretty good innings, Dave. 

Katrina Kadiba, whose jewellery store in Darwin was mentioned previously, is the daughter-in-law of Dr John Kadiba, whose autobiography Night Dreams of Passing Memories was published last year. Born at Sogeri, he was one of the first ten students to graduate from UPNG in 1970, a batch which included such as Vincent Eri, Rabbie Namaliu, etc. John moved to Darwin in 1986 to teach at a United Church college and was awarded a PhD from the NT University in 1999. He is of course a leading member of Darwin's PNG-Australia Social & Cultural Group.

Some readers will recall Angus Henry, art teacher at Sogeri High School who walked the Kokoda Track in 1964 in a then record time of 3.75 days. John Kadiba, still a schoolboy, accompanied him to share that record.

Darwin's satellite city, Palmerston, has acquired a GP Super Clinic and a hospital is to be built alongside. Streets around this "health precinct" have been named after significant persons in the history of public health work in the NT. One such is Kettle Street. Few residents today will know that Ellen Kettle nursed in Aboriginal communities from 1952-1968 and was made MBE for her efforts. She will be better remembered by former PNG residents for being seconded in 1969 to Port Moresby as Principal Matron in PHD where, working under Drs Scragg and Syme, she helped up-grade the administration of nurses and their training methods until departing in 1974. Subsequently she busied herself writing, under the title That They Might Live, the comprehensive (368 pages) history of Nursing in PNG from the 19th century to Independence.

In the last issue Bill Brown was able to point out that my memory respecting the bomber plane piloted by Bill Kelly in the days before they both became kiaps was faulty. Since I have now joined those unfortunates who having made their way to the bokis ais stand in front of it trying to remember what they had gone to fetch...  I am unsurprised. However I am indebted to him for the account of the two veteran Lancaster airmen, Syd Johnson and Des Sullivan who became important figures in the post-war TPNG Administration. Apart from a Vale notice for the latter I cannot recall their stories being mentioned in past issues of our Journal. "Awesome" is an adjective devalued by excessive usage amongst today's teenagers but truly applies to the two survivors of a combined 101 dangerous missions over enemy territory.