Big Pat: THE ROCK of LUMUSA part 3

The Road is Long

By BIG PAT

The Baiyer Valley to Lumusa road is quite long and one of the most hazardous and least travelled.
But to an adventurer like me, its invitation lies in its beauty.
The famous Baiyer Gorge is a rare spectacle and the fertile Baiyer Valley is a must see not forgetting the world famous Baiyer River bird sanctuary.
As a kid growing up i heard and read about this beautiful valley surrounded by misty high mountains and a deep gorge that carves its way out of the mountains.
Few natural phenomenon include the cool mist rolling in from the gorge and swallowing you as you stand on the mountain descent into Baiyer, or the ever beautiful waterfalls and afternoon rainbows in lovely Lumusa mountains.
Thankyou to Almighty God for giving us such natural beauty. Our job is to protect it for our future generations.
I finally got to visit the famous Lumusa mountains in May this year thanks to WHP provincial Education Planner Joseph Mangbil. My mind was blown away by the scenery and especially the deep gorge and fast flowing Baiyer River.
On the road, now being upgraded, Lofty noted the strange huge rectangular block of rock or obelix.
I sent the image of the rock to Kuk expert Dr Joe Ketan who told me that it might be a 'mastamak' (land boundary marker) used by our forefathers to map out their territories.

If anyone can investigate it further it would reveal some interesting clues to Lumusa's rugged history.

Lasy year, Lofty went back to Lumusa with former Anglimp South Waghi MP Michael Mel.
We were visiting Lumusa Baptist high school again.
One Lumusan friend Lofty met by chance was a man named Smith.
I think Lumusans will remember him. It was 2009 and Lofty was bureau chief of PC in Lae. One day a young man came to the office.
He wore this nice big smile to mask his hunger for education. His name was Smith and despite all the odds of being a person living with a hearing impairment and speech disability, Smith had actually completed year 12 with flying colours at Hagen Secondary High School.
Imagine a young man with a disability travelling from Lumusa to Hagen to compete for higher education and continue the search for university placing?
He wanted to enroll at University of Technology in Lae. We launched his appeal through the newspaper for sponsorship but waited for weeks without success. Maybe 10 years ago there were not enough philanthropists who believed in people living with a disability.
I heard Smithy was back in Lumusa toiling the land. But on my second visit I did not see him, Lofty saw just mountains and gorges and my fabulously huge rock still lying on the side of the rock.
Perhaps one day the students of Lumusa Baptist high school will solve the puzzle of the rock down by the gorge.
As for me, the wandering lofty from Kerema yu yet kam na lukim, I will be back. Maybe for Smithy and Lofty, our parts will cross again.
In the search for education, the road will always Long and Lofty!

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