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PATROLLING THE 'BUSH HIGHWAYS' with HUON GULF MP ROSS SEYMOUR
By PISAI 'SARUFA' GUMAR
HIS mobile phone was pretty much useless in this part of the world.
The only signal here known to the local people is the chirping of the birds in the day and mosquitoes buzzing at night.
The birdlife tell you what part of the jungle you are in, what time of the day it is, what type of tree you are standing under, or where the water is.
That is the law of the bush. And if you are not a local, you will have difficulty understanding and adjusting to time.
The track was long, physically challenging and quite harrowing. One would need to be brave or foolish to tackle it without any training.
For the locals, a daily life of struggle has prepared them well for hiking mountains, crossing fast flowing creeks and finding food and water in the bush.
The locals don't complain like most of us who grew comfortable in the towns and cities.
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Tired and worn out, a family catches up with Seymour as he rests besides the track 👣. |
To them, a mountain is a landmark, an identity, a boundary, hunting and gardening ground.
A river provides water, fish, sustenance and a place to wash. A child can immerse in its cool cascading waters for hours.
In the mountains of upper Yamap, this is how the Yamaps and Hotes of the Huon Gulf electorate survive.
No government service, no schools, no aid posts, no roads, only bush tracks and cane and vine rope bridges across rivers and gorges.
To walk through the jungles of the Huon Gulf is a humbling experience as local MP Ross Seymour found out early this month.
He sat on his butt at one stage of the track. Long pants. Long sleeve shirt.
Hard yakka work man boots. In this terrain, such dressing actually slows one down and dehydrates you faster.
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The family offers Seymour a drink from their bamboo water cooler and fruits. |
Ross Seymour was on his way to visit Yamap and donate materials to the school.
His helicopter ride was cut short as the pilot could not find the right location. At two places, he was told the village and school was further up in the clouds.
Today's technology can easily locate a remote spot on a mountain side. But not in PNG.
For Seymour and his team, there was only one way in - wokabaut bilong Tonten.
It was one of Seymour's toughest duels. A cow rancher and businessman, Seymour is serving his second term as MP for Huon Gulf.
Taking down a cow is no problem. But taking down a mountain, that's a bit of footloose hiking.
At the beginning of his tenure Seymour promised his people he would stand on the motto: ‘reaching the unreached, to leave no child behind’.
To instil the confidence of his people, Seymour has been on these sort of wokabauts everywhere.
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Down at the mountain stream Seymour takes a cool break and catches up with more locals. |
Making education sector a priority in 64 wards, he has delivered two-in-one double classrooms to 63 schools in those 64 wards.
These include Wampar LLG 27 wards, Salamaua LLG 17 and Morobe LLG 20.
The Huon Gulf DDA has offered scholarships for teachers training at Balob Teachers’ College and elementary teachers at Heldsbach, and Braun nursing college.
The DDA has also payed the balance of the primary and high school students fees.
To date under Seymour's watch, 30 teachers have graduated at Balob and 43 teachers at Heldsbach.
Interestingly, he has initiated Zifasing junior high school creating seven teaching positions.
Besides, the DDA initiated pilot tracks giving access to far-flung inhabitants in Rumion-Mama-Bogeba, Mafanazo-Maralina, Babuaf-Mazim, Asini-Hote, Buansing-Mubo, Zare-Pema, Wagau-Bumatu and Markham Bridge-Labu Tale.
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On a steep downhill part of the track 👣, Seymour has to slide down by the seat of his pants or risk losing his balance and tumbling down. |
Supported various churches in cash, kind and erecting worship buildings, women’s group in sewing machines and uniforms, youths with musical instruments, and each ward with dinghies and PMV trucks.
Mr Seymour walked in Upper Yamap (ward 3 of Salamaua) to notice how tough it is to earn a K10 in a day despite the richness in fresh produce, coffee and alluvial mining activities, as nothing reaches Lae and Bulolo markets.
The scenic Salamaua coastline by dinghy to and from Lae is 45 minutes and four hours further down to Morobe local council area.
The beauty of the coastline adorned in picturesque backdrop of coral reefs and white sandy beaches with magnificent islets wraps coastal peoples’ from realize the suffering borne in far hinterlands.
To reach hinterland inhabitants of Iwal and Hote-Yamap takes two-three days of hiking.
Only the fittest like this writer hike rugged terrains infested with leeches fit only for pigs, rats, bandicoots, cassowaries and snakes that search for their cravings.
Yet these routes were the only walkway for hinterland inhabitants in search for better schools, health and markets in Lae and Bulolo.
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After meeting her MP, a mother leads her children uphill on her way home. |
The daily odds endured remains a challenge, a courage and a vigor that lights deep inside the soul of silent majority to survive in last 46 years.
Not a single aid post or a primary school is visible in Upper Yamap villages include Malim, Yabumlok, Baula, Doli, Lavile, Yasiling, Baitangluk, Bombavo, Bungli, Bobodum, Buma, Pilimun and Silok.
Upper Yamap humans walk to Homiya, Sabaya, Baniya and Yamu to get health and education services.
In the last four years, Yamu aid post remain closed without health worker now.
Similarly, Yema, Gobe, Tube, Agotame and Pepeware in mid-Waria raft down Waria river over two-three days to reach Zaka health centre in Morobe LLG.
The Kira LLG in Sohe, Northern province caters for Agotame, Pema, Pepeware, Yema, Gobe and Tube, the people receive services in Morobe LLG as they share border with Huon Gulf and Bulolo.
Children who walk to get educated in those faraway places had to return home due to hardships or being bullied and robbed by locals where the schools are located.
This further results in high illiteracy rates and increase social issues back home.
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The chopper finally finds Upper Yamap and Seymour. |
The writer PISAI SARUFA GUMAR is a Scout Master, trekker, fishing tour guide and freelance photo journalist.
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