AIRSTRIP BUILDER of WARIA

 

Pix caption: Former primary school teacher, Bonenare Biap speaking to the writer about his immense contribution to give a lease of life to hinterland Waria people of Garaina, Morobe.

By PISAI GUMAR

 

THERE are many airstrips all over the country that give passengers goose bumps.

But in Morobe, there is one that will give you such a heart bump that even your sim card will go amiss.

Why? Because the one way in, one way out airstrip is called Sim airstrip, slap bang in the middle of three cloud covered ‘susu’mountains in the upper Waria of Morobe Province.

Next time you buy a new sim for your phone remember the name of the simple village Sim. For me it was an experience never to be forgotten, and as we say in tok pisin ‘ass eop na tewel ronowe’ moment.

Not only me but the 7 other people in the plane with me including Bulolo MP Sam Basil.

Late pilot Captain Thomas Keindip was in the cockpit of P2 SAM Spirit of Bulolo on that fateful day when my heart was in my throat and my tummy was in my ass ready with a mighty fart.

We, passengers sat breathless, eyes closed, in silence, mumbling words of prayer for the good Lord to have mercy upon our plane for a safe landing.

Wet pants, lips tight instead only eyes glancing out to either side of the windows to catch the glimpse of passing mists.

The passengers wordlessly murmuring to thyself a prayer of hope to clear the fear and uncertainty clouding their throats and minds.

Seatbelts firmly fastened, the passengers inside this 12-seater were six Lae media crew, Bulolo MP Sam Basil and a police officer, Ben Akowai.

Suddenly, Capt Keindip somewhat seem to switch the engine to neutral, and lowered the plane which glided alongside Waria gorge, leaving eight hearts freaking out under their seats belts.

As the plane reached down to its anticipated altitude, the engine was switched on and the plane touched down on the runway, sped up the loop-sided gravel tarmac into the rain of Mazame kundu beats welcoming Bulolo Spirit. 

“In my nine years flying time clocked in Morobe with North Coast Aviation, had never once touched down Sim airstrip,” said late Keindip.

The geographical features of Sim airstrip interestingly resembles three female breast like peaks upon which the structure was constructed using local knowledge. Unlike the three-step runway upwards Teptep airstrip, bordering Raicoast and Kabwum.

Six years later, after the trip to Sim, the man behind the scene to construct the Sim airstrip, met this writer, while chatting over a buai and daka at famous Han Paus market, Nadzab in August 2021.

He is Bonenare Biap who identified the land as well led the team for airstrip construction.

This is the history of how 36 students, teachers and parents including Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) missionaries constructed the 2,500 foot Sim airstrip on April 9, 1975 which took one year six months to complete.   

Biap, a teacher at Sim community school with help of SIL turned the mountain into what it is today for easy accessibility to serve hinterland Waria people.

Biap was born in Nov 26, 1942 at Tori village, Biaru. He dedicated his teaching profession not only in education, but also in various social activities which Sim airstrip was one of his initiative that came to reality.

His biological father Kawas Boniepe went to WW2 as a carrier between Wau-Salamaua. Then his foster father Biap took care of him. However, the foster father, being an aid post orderly, also left for WW2, leaving Bonenare and mother back home.

Beginning of teaching career

·         1971 - Posted to Tiria in Mt Hagen, a girl’s school. Accompanied him was Ofogao Yowanu and Uratie Wari. They flew to Goroka, spend a night then to Mt. Hagen the next day and were met by Rev Frank, a Germany missionary attached to Tiria mission station. At Tiria, Bonenare was impressed to meet three class mates at Asaroka include Yakae Pulmundi and Kukuru from Ialibu and Konge from Mt Hagen that soon set in place house, firewoods and gardens for Bonenare.

·         1971 - Bonenare started teaching Grades 5 & 6 while his three colleagues taught other grades.

·         1971 - At the end of the year, among the first graduates, the first ever student, Boyope Korowa from Hagen was selected to attend University of Technology, Lae. He was later employed by Shell Company, Lae and far along, took residence in Australia.

·         1972 - Bonenare established GIHAMU (Giluwe, Hagen, Mul) primary school, replacing Tiria.

·         1973 - Attended headmasters’ course in Goroka teachers’ college for a year and decided to return to Hagen. But the wife refused. He enquired with Morobe provincial education division with schools superintendent Brus who later assigned him to Boana station as head master and taught for only a year.

 

Bonenare’s decision to give a lease of life to Upper Waria while a teacher.

·         The way back situation in Upper Waria hit Bonenare while teaching in Boana. He returned to Lae on Christmas and organized a meeting for the elites of Amam tribe include Upper Waria, Ono and Biaru. “We’re neglecting our people, let’s go home and serve our people” said Bonenare. But harsh geographical isolation feared the elites, especially walking distance from Wau to Biaru to Garaina and Garaina down to Zaka, Morobe post.  

·         1974 - Bonenare returned to Sim, renovate the school with five teachers, went to Garaina school (an eight hours walk) and bring back all Grade 5 students from Upper Waria back and enrolled them at Sim. He also identified four land areas in Sim, Gerepo and Waria head waters and submitted to Department of Civil Aviation (DCA). The SIL team based at Sim to conduct Guhu-Samane language translation also felt the pain of walking eight hours up to Sim.  

·         1974 - Bonenare established Kasuma School.

·         April 9, 1974 - Started digging the 2500 ft Sim airstrip. Used hydraulic power-comprising water pump, karuka stumps and local knowledge. Local Wisi people used alluvial mining skills to construct the stone wall barrier to support airstrip withstand landslip from earthquakes with help of a tractor dismantled by SIL and airlifted to Sim. Total of 36 students spent three days in classroom, two days in constructing airstrip and vice-versa. Miraculously, all 36 students passed and was selected to Bumayong and Bugandi high schools. It took a year and six months to complete the airstrip on Nov 30, 1976, and the SIL plane tested the tarmac for the first time-ever.

·         1975 - 1979: Established Kasangare primary school, currently, a top performing school in Upper Waria. Sim was changed into Moin-Sim primary school. Other schools established within the same year were Konuma, Manam in Ono, and Biaru, the last school built in his teaching career. He also initiated the PNG Banking Corporation agent and post office, including plane levy collection from Sim airstrip. However, bank and post office ceased operations.

·         1981 - Returned from Kabwum, and posted to Top Mora, Umi headwaters, hinterland Markham. The current Umi market was initiated by his students using makeshift materials to sell daka to earn school fees.

·         1982 - Moved down to Zumim School along the highway.

·         1983 - posted to Kwaplalim, (Menyamya). Also initiated Wailala and Lagai schools also in Menyamya.

·         1983-1984 Christmas - attended Lahara course taking English course for three months.

·         1984-1989 - Taught in various school in Bulolo town area.

·         1990 - Returned to Kasuma, Upper Waria, taught for three years.

·         1992 - Posted to teach at Iakwata in Kapao, Aseki.

·         1995-2000 - posted to Biaru and served five years.

·         Jan 24, 2000 - retired from active teaching service.

·         Nov 2021, Bonenare will turn 80 years old. 

Bonenare is a multilingual speaker that speaks Kotec, Kamano, English, Tok Pisin, part Simbu & local Amam language. He has five biological children and two adopted children.

Contributions

Mr Bonenare contributed immensely In his teaching career, to ensure students from remote areas are better educated to return and develop their communities. In particular, the Upper Waria, it was Mr Bonenare that sacrificed to initiate the Sim airstrip, besides initiating various schools including Menyamya and GIHAMU in Mt. Hagen. 

Road link into Upper Waria.

Until 1991, the road link penetrated into Biaru, Kasangare, Sim and stopped there until Bulolo MP Sam Basil started in 2020, beginning from Sim and cut across the mountain range before reaching down to the valley and proceeded to Garaina station. There is an existing road from Garaina station to Kila station that needs to be revived. While people from Bia-Waria, especially Pureno, Surupia, Saga-Tari, Mukeri and Bakeri and parts of Sohe include Pepeware, Agotame, Gobe, Yema, Tube and Upupuro under Kila LLG in Northern still remain unconnected and uncertain.