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| We are seen here chewing buai and feeling right at home. |
Huge national events celebrated by nations are usually a mark of great historical achievements. And such are often celebrated in different but unique ways and styles. The 16th of September is a very special day as it holds a special memory in the life of Papua New Guinea. This is because it was that day 35 years ago when the founding leaders of PNG decided the former colony of Australia was fit enough to get up from its cradle, stand up on its two feet and be able to fend for itself. Australia took away the cradle so easily and PNG never struggled to disassociate itself as it requested for this. Since the time of the cradle 35 years ago, critics and nay sayers say PNG has not grown up to be a full adult to fend for itself ....politically, socially and economically that is. Perhaps what they say is akin to something I overheard uttered by my late grand mother yonks and yonks ago when she said "Garden na kaikai pulap stap, tasol sapos yu no skul gut na kisim save long stretim na kukim, bai kaikai ino nap tan gut na taim yu kaikai bai bel blo yu i tanim na yu sik". In retrospect, critics saw that the seeds of opportunity was sown, initially watered and tendered, but whatever happened after that....well, we'll leave it to your imaginative and intellectual mind to ponder and debate.
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| At home in Kenwick: Joanne getting the kids ready for the cultural events |
While the 35th independence anniversary may have been celebrated right on the dot back home in PNG, we the PNG community in Perth had ours quite late, not on the week-end of that week but that of the week after just as the interest of everybody was all but waning. Classic case of the popular saying 'better late than never'. And well, after all, that may be reflective of the pace of political and development life of PNG anyway. Regardless, The PNG Wantok Association managed to do some 'last minute ' scrambling to organize something for the celebration to be held on the 25th of September. Given this 'last minute' situation, we the New Guinea Islands community took it upon ourselves that we would lend a hand in taking responsibility for the flag carrying and displaying, singing the national anthem, making the national pledge, bible reading and prayer and topping it all off with a number of string band songs come that day. An ad hoc team was immediately put in place under the stewardship of our NGI wantok and Royal Perth Hospital's and Charles Gardiner Hospital's Dr. Peter Kaminel and boy..didn't he prove to us how brilliant and create he is in songwriting, arrangement and skillful guitar works.I'd recommend this to be his night job. The ever hospitable Francis Kalukal and his lovely wife Liz and kids gave up their lounge at their house in Wottlegrove to us as a temporary studio to hone our musical skills. Soon our numbers swelled and we had a formidable team and swore to keep it tight. A few nights of practice was enough for the new songs to be learnt and mastered by all, well harmonized, blended with brilliant guitar work and , from time to time, haunting kundu beats. Every thing fell into place and this was testament of the truism in the Islands that music "istap long bulut".
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| Our two proud kids - Lydia and Lois |
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| Dr. Peter Kamaniel leading The NGI string band group |
Our short hard work all paid off on Saturday the 25th of September. We perfectly fulfilled our program of activities as scheduled, and to top it all off, we performed in string band style the unity song, a host of other numbers and concluded with a popular Buka Tolai meddley to which the PNG Wantok Association of WA president David Willie and his wife couldn't resist but sway to the tune. We were all dressed in our PNG colours. My kids were in their traditional Manus attire. We all participated. We all had fun and above all, we were all proud to be Papua New Guineans, celebrating in the land and very country which provided the cradle and later took it away at the request of the growing child which has now grown to be known as the independent state of Papua New Guinea.
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| (Sion) Flanked by Salamet Chapau to my right and Micah Nako to my left - The Manus connection - and of course reminiscing about home |
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