Following Carol's death, we came to the conclusion that she would wish us to still return to Papua New Guinea and do all those things that she wanted to do herself, especially to show her children the place where they were born and introduce them to the people among whom we served and who have remained a special part of our lives.
While Brenda accompanied us in early 2005, she had effectively missed out on Port Moresby. By inviting her to fill the fifth available place, it completed the family that experienced the Highlands of PNG in the nineteen sixties.
Our itinerary of ten days was very extensive and we were able to complete this within the time available. There were so many great moments that it will take at least 2-3 blog chapters to give you a reasonable understanding.
We met the day before our departure in Brisbane and had the opportunity of catching up with Errit & Gre and Iemke & Tom. That was great and it was good to see them. We also took the opportunity of having an evening meal with Grant, Carol's brother.
The following morning saw us up and away to be at the airport a little after 5.30 am - an unearthly hour! We were scheduled to leave at 7.30 and so had plenty of time to check out the Duty Free shops.
Our aircraft is ready for departure.
The inevitable immigration and custom forms took a little time, but were completed in adequate time.
The weather over the Great Barrier Reef was clear and we enjoyed the views from 30,000'.We were greeted on our arrival in Port Moresby International Airport by a colourful mural that made us feel immediately at home:
We wasted no time and were soon on the road exploring Port Moresby, visiting the various places that prompted comments such as, 'I remember this'. It included visiting our homes, schools and church. Here is just a sample:
On the right, the Cleland Primary School where the family attended.
Below, our house in Mabata Street. A very different look to when we lived here in 1972!
The Boroko Baptist Church holds many memories and it was good to revisit the place.
The 'Last Supper' as carved by Les Preston in 1969 remains a centre piece in the church.
We looked for Mark's Pre School, but found it gone. Instead, he is standing in front of the building that replaced it. Like the building, Mark would also have changed:
But we had more luck with views around Ela Beach with Local Island on the background:
Walking to the centre of Port Moresby city, we found ourselves a bit of the centre of attention - there are few white people who walk around Port Moresby these days. A bit sad really. Just after Ela Beach, we came across the Catholic Cathedral, which has always been a landmark. It is in the form of the Sepik Haus Tambaran - Sepik Spirit House. The spire is quite awesome:
Koki Market looked quite different when we lived here. The place certainly has picked up in style and some modern homes are now in place. The next photo shows Bible House just on the left of the picture and Local Island on the far right:
A closer view of Koki is pretty impressive:
We took many opportunities to just stop anywhere. Road rules in Port Moresby are not always that logical. The road after all is for everyone, though the following pic is hardly a scene you would see in Hobart:
Picture taking is of course a pretty serious business, as the following shots testify!
Throwing a 'lolly-pop' is an alternative form of 'road-rage'!
Hanuabada is a village closest to Port Moresby and is very near to where my office was in Konedobu. When I first saw this village in 1960, it was very much smaller and, of course, homes were built mostly from bush materials. The village is now very large and is a dominant feature along the waterfront:
Beyond the harbour is Fisherman Island, which we visited in the 1960s. I recall that no one lived there at the time at the time, but today it is well occupied. It can be seen in the far background in the next pic. It was always a favourite place for a boat outing, snorkelling and swimming, though the associated sunburn was unwelcome:
The next photo would have to be my favourite shot of Port Moresby views. Carol would say how proud she is of her favourite people in a favourite city overlooking a favourite harbour. A wonderful opportunity to say, "Thank you Lord for all your blessings!"
Just a couple more of the magic views in Port Moresby.This is the main Port Moresby ineresection. It used to be controlled by a traffic policeman where the clock now stands:
How the city has changed over the years. It is more and more like a city anywhere in the world with high rise buildings:
And especially the most luxurious hotel where we stayed last October at $280 per room per night. But seeing it was the last time Carol was there, it was money well spent!
The family enjoyed taking a photo of me when I spoke to these youngsters. They were fundraising for their school. Well, they had a piece of paper that said they were.
Hmmm. I began to wonder when they chose to follow this nice white man and we saw them next sitting on a road divide, gesturing to us while we had a drink at the Grand Plaza:
Parliament House is always worth a visit. It is very spectacular and incorporates many of the PNG cultural features from the Coast, the Highlands and the Islands. 
I wish that the rest of Port Moresby is so beautifully kept as this place - a real show piece.
Prime Minister Somare in a photo opportunity with me. Somare may not be the flavour of many these days, and certainly not in Australia, but he nevertheless made an incredible contribution to PNG, having been in parliament for nearly forty years.We were well provided for in the food department and enjoyed one another's company:
Visiting Port Moresby provided an opportunity to meet new people and I took great delight in introducing the family to Leontine and Jerry Tamate. Leontine has just retired as General Secretary of the Bible Society in PNG. Jerry has just retired as an academic and is now engaged in Bible translation of the Hula language. It was great to share time with them and we did enjoy their fellowship, as can be seen in the following pic of Leontine and Ann:
Leontine & Jerry took us to their village well down the coast. It took well over three hours to get there and it was certainly a full day.Shades of the past with Mark & Brenda in the 'back'back':
The views were well worth an occasional stop:
Mark and I with our hosts for the day, Jerry and Leontine:
Finally, we were intrigued by the advertising signs in Port Moresby. So, here are just a few:
HIV AIDS is a serious issue in Papua New Guinea. Churches are working together with Government and communities to bring greater awareness of this desease.
On a lighter note, Diana is alive and well!
The kakaruk has a lot to say!
And the final word from the Kakaruk, who is of course multilingual, speaking Spanish, English, Pidgin & Motu!Until the next BLOG!
3 comments:
trust twins to wear nearly the same thing! haha
it looks like you guys had great fun over there in PNG!!!!!
Wow! PNG looks pretty different to Vanuatu :-P
But the people still look the same, I'm sure lots of old memories surfaced while you were there. Look forward to reading your next ones Grandpa! :-)
Post a Comment