Journeys of an Engan in Papua

 

WOODLARK – AN ISLAND PARADISE

 

 

1.      A group photograph of the delegation after the trip from Woodlark Islands in Alotau, Kiwali Export Wharf.

2.      A photo of the scenic Boiboi bay at Woodlark Island.

3.      The crew members of MV Arona with their skipper, Capt Ray Eli (centre with cut shirt) at the Boiboi wharf in the morning after arriving that night.

4.      Samarai Murua CEO Hillary Winson and two police officers who caught this mackerel fish during the trip to Woodlark Island.

5.      Samarai Murua MP Isi Henry Leonard talking to villagers at Egom Island on the way to Woodlark.

6.      Fr John Masikoni primary school in Kulumadau council ward and this is where the third mine pit will begin, right in the middle of the school, according to local leaders.

 

Pictures & Story BY FRANK RAI of Post-Courier

 

The vast expanse of the endless blue ocean greeted me on a beautiful morning.

The MV Arona bobbed in the gentle swell of Muyua Island also known as Woodlark Island as it lay at anchor off the island port of Guasopa.

As a kid I heard this name Guasopa on the daily maritime weather report on NBC radio. It always reminded me of grasshoppers. And here I was, eventually in Guasopa far out at sea in the beautiful Milne Bay Islands.

Outwardly I was thrilled. Inwardly, being an Engan from the highlands of PNG, I was scared.

Even scared was just a momentous feeling. Infact I was terrified of the sea. Mona klostu mi krai. But the islanders are friendly people. I masked my deep fear by chatting with them, sharing a buai and a huff and a puff.

In my engan lingo, we say 'yakarum', just to reassure ourselves that it is good, okay.

The name of the boat reminded me of Arona Valley in Eastern Highland. It was the closest thing on the island to me being a highlander.

“Aiya mi holim pas lo boat,” which just 24 hours ago, had bumped and pushed its way across the Coral Sea from Alotau to the outlaying inland of Muyua in the Samarai Murua electorate of Milne Bay province.

I have always heard and marvelled about Milne Bay. It is indeed beautiful as they say and the people are the friendliest, I have met anywhere in PNG.

About 80 percent of the population subsist on tropical scattered islands off the eastern coast of PNG.

There are countless coral islands, many uninhabited, just floating on the blue green turquoise seas. Only turtles use those isles to nest which are also home to seabirds, an idyllic paradise.

Milne Bay wantoks, being short in stature, have jokingly earned themselves the size 28 tag which generates good natured jokes in their own size 28 English.

Their version of English, is usually broken down for simple usage. But can mean anything in the islands

"Ewa det wan hao?" one beautiful girl said as she shook my hand and looked up at me. "Det wan very long." It wobbled my knees and boggled my imagination.

This simply means, ‘how are you?’ and ‘you are very tall’.

When her brother explained that what she meant, I felt very small because my mind was already chasing some other wild imaginations!

A media invite paved the way for me to accompany the Member for Samarai Murua, Isi Henry Leonard and a delegation of government officials who were attending to a land issue in the Samarai Murua district.

The delegation included Samarai Murua chief executive officer Hillary Winson, Director of Alienated Lands Simon Bendo, provincial lands board officials, cartographer, valuer, lands officers, police personnel, media and locals, basically to sort out the grievances on Woodlark Island, sometimes known as Muyua Island.

Woodlark is the biggest of the four islands which include Misima, Sudest and Rossel in the Samarai Murua district.

God Almighty has abundantly blessed His people with abundant marine resources, forest, gold and the highly prized Black Ebony Tree, which you cannot find anywhere in the country.

The mission was to investigate and verify Land portions 138, 139 and 140, covering more than 60,440 hectares of land on the island.

It means more than 80 percent of the island being is being owned by the State under its Alienated State Lease while 20 percent is owned by customary owners.

The media crew included Clifford Faiparik from The National Newspaper, Elijah Tapei, a television freelance journalist and also a staff from the Office of the Member and myself.

At midnight on Saturday (Jan 11, 2020,) at the Kiwali Exports wharf in Alotau, the delegation boarded MV Arona – a 55-years old diesel engine boat, build by Australian Bundaberg Slipway Brothers to transport copra in 1964.

MV Arona is a wooden boat – one that you could hardly find these days around the coastal waters of PNG, when times have changed and fibreglass with stainless steel boats took over.

The sea was calm after a downpour during the day and the night was dark when the boat quietly crept out of this bay, actually it is called ‘Milne Bay’ – this is where the province got its name.

Our journey would take us 70 nautical miles long North-east in open seas to Woodlark.

There was more than 30 passengers and we were just like another floating island.

Captain Ray Eli, a mainlander from Gadudu village on East Cape, advised that the trip would take approximately 23 hours to reach our destination and the weather was  normal  during this time of the year.

After three hours, passing East Cape and Islands towards the Northeast open sea, the boat started to rock and tossed from side to side – huge dark waves of 1.5 metres to 2 meters high crashed into the boat.

Wind blew at 10 to 15 knots and the sea swelled to an unimaginable size but it was normal and everything was all right for the locals – despite the unpredictable roughness.

Seeing fear and uneasiness in our body language, we (especially the three media crew) we were constantly assured by the 7-men crew members that the weather was calm and the journey was smooth.

It was hard to grasp the assurance when cargos, food rations and luggage were literally tossing from left to right while my Chimbu freelance television cameraman Elijah, got sea sick which spewed everything in his tummy.  

“How normal could this be?” I thought. It was not normal for an Engan guy like myself to confront and be comfortable with the roaring Solomon Sea in the middle of a dark night.

It took us 13-hours in the open sea until we reached Egom Island, a small sparsely populated island with more than 170 inhabitants in the middle of ‘no-where,’ which is part of Murua LLG.

We rested for two hours while the crew members prepared our breakfast and lunch at the same time because we had nothing to eat in the morning due to the rocking boat ride.

Later in the afternoon, the boat began sailing again into a strong wind of 15 to 20 knots buffeted by 2 metres sea waves.

Again, another 10-hours tossing, bumping, gripping for balance as we sailed at less than 7.5 knot to balance the boat. The boat arrived on Woodlark Islands’ Boiboi Wharf around midnight.

 

The delegation and passengers spent the half night on the boat while MP Isi Henry Leonard and media crew were driven 10 kilometres to Kulumadau mine site by a waiting truck for the night.

 

The next day was a breath-taking scenery of the beautiful island itself. Looking out from the Geo-Pacific Mine Camp Site at Kulumadau lay Boiboi Bay that we sailed in that night.

Kulumadau was vested in virgin mangrove.

 

The vast island itself is canvassed with tropical rain forest. I was welcomed by the parrots in particular, all varieties of these colourful birds, flying overhead to their favourite spots.

 

Further down the road, just a few minutes drive toward the South, clacking of heavy equipment machineries already clearing the forest for an open pit mine. Villages are nearby and waiting for the company to be relocated to pave way for mining activities.

 

Another surprise was the plantation of highly prized Black Ebony Tree, just beside the road and close to the village. The delegation was told that this was the prospect of a second mine pit.

 

The wonderful climate, fresh air and the smell of the tropical forest was an experience of PNG’s or Woodlark Island’s rich flora and fauna.

 

The natural environment itself, the local food, fish and crabs of all shapes and sizes are in abundant on this virgin island.

 

Wild pigs, possums, reptiles, snakes and birds vary from all species and sizes. The island is a world of its own.

 

The local MP Henry Leonard had a meeting with village elders, church and women leaders at the Fr John Masikoni primary school. Here was the third location of a prospective mining pit. Villages around the vicinity were yet to be relocated.

 

During the meeting, concerns were raised that more than 3,000 inhabitants from the Five Council Wards of Wawana Zone would be relocated but plans and formalities of the exercise were not yet known.

 

This was the reason why the MP for Samarai Murua took the delegation down to the island to verify the land and ensure the safety and interest of customary landowners were protected.

 

Yakarum Enga style email frai@spp.com.pg if you are from size 28 country det wan hao!