September 2013

Geoff Payane, former Sepik kiap, who recently relinquished management of the Katherine River Lodge motel, has flown to Vanuatu to help complete the construction of a complex of apartments and shops that was commenced by Kevin Truman. That well known Sepik identity (art dealer, boat builder, business man) passed away in Port Vila in June and is buried there.

Next year Alan McLay is due to clock up a half-century in PNG which makes him a leader amongst that exceptional band of wantoks who ‘stayed on’ after Independence. However he has six years to go to catch up with the recently deceased Matt Foleuy who made East New Britain his home 1947-2003.

McLay went to the Territory as a cadet kiap in 1964 and by 1978 was Deputy Provincial Commissioner for Morobe his life thereafter being spent in Lae. From 1981 to 1984 he was its City Manager before joining the private sector and becoming President of the Chamber of Commerce in 2006. Consequently Alan has witnessed enormous change in Lae the population of which has grown to 350,000 (only 5% below that of Canberra).

Another who has ‘stayed on’ is Don Fox but within the private sector. A leading batsman for Boroko Colts in the Sixties he is now Chairman of the PNG Rugby League and in 2009 was made OBE for contributions to commerce, community and sport. In the same Birthday Honours list Stan Carswell, formerly with PWD, received the MBE for promoting Australia-PNG relations. While he has spent many years in Cairns, where he is Senior Vice-President of the RSL branch, he did get back to Kokopo in December 2011 to celebrate the well-loved Ralum Club’s 50th anniversary. 

James Hannan was another who went to PNG as a liklik kiap and may be the only one of his ilk to have had a street named after him. This is in Muirhead, a brand new suburb of Darwin. Jim rose to be a magistrate in both Moresby and Lae before relocating to the NT law courts in 1984. He retired from the bench the day before his 65th birthday in 1997 but sadly survived only 12 months ‘down South’.

Spotting outside Woolies, Palmerston, a car with the number plate ROKROK, not seen for a long time, I investigated and found out why. The owner, Rick Gray, has just concluded a 12 months contract with Exxon Mobil at Hides. Rick was raised in Moresby where his father was in the Government Printery and, having had to leave his family behind while he earned some money, is happy to be back in the NT.

No misogyny on Manus apparently. ... Lorengau has just elected a female Mayor, the first in PNG local government. She was a NBC broadcaster and one of no less than 28 candidates. Preferential voting being the rule, this forced 27 ballot box recounts to eliminate the 27 males. Fortunately those lengthy proceedings were not held up by a State of Origin match in Sydney as was the case in Moresby where similar counting was postponed for a day so that rugby league devotees could properly prepare themselves for that evening’s televised combat.

Terry Daw, whose Vale notice appears in this issue, served in Malaya during the Communist Emergency and commanded a post in the Cameron Highlands. I recall him mentioning that all such posts were required to notify Army HQ weekly of the number of rubber trees destroyed by the insurgents. He pointed out that at his altitude (1500 metres) rubber trees were not grown but was informed that it didn’t matter, he should obey orders, and every week submit a ‘Nil Return’. Ah yes... that’s the Army we knew and loved.