Murray Day joined Forestry in 1970 as a senior draftsman at Konedobu. He was transferred to the Forestry College in Bulolo as a lecturer in Cartography over the period 1971- 72. The course was transferred to PNG Institute of Technology in Lae in 1973. He was successful in being appointed to teach in Lae and held a variety of positions. He departed PNG in 1983. On return to Perth he was recruited by TAFE and developed new courses in Remote Sensing (which he also taught in Malaysia) and GIS. He spent 2 years as consultant Education and Training on a World Bank project in Vietnam introducing Torrens Title systems. Appointed as Director of International Operations he set up teaching institutions in China, Hong Kong, Qatar, Kuwait, and worked in Iran. He retired through ill health in 2007. He is still fluent in Tok Pisin and set up the WA chapter of PNGAA
Mr M K Day, Dip Cart (WA), Dip Eng Surv (WA).
Principal Instructor (Cartography, Elementary Drafting, Photogrammetry for Foresters) (Department of Surveying)
Previous appointments: Forests Department of WA, Department of Forests PNG and Forestry College, Bulolo.
Main areas of interest: Cartography and Photogrammetry.
Procession entering Duncanson Hall for the PNGUT 11th Graduation Ceremony, 1979. 1. Me (Pro Vice-Chancellor), 2. Matt Tigilai (Deputy Vice-Chancellor), 3. Dr Alan Mead (ViceChancellor),4.MsRoseKekedo(Chancellor).Thetallpersonnearthecentreofthephotograph is Murray Day, formerly of the Department of Forests Port Moresby and the Forestry College, Bulolo, then Principal Instructor (Cartography, Elementary Drafting, Photogrammetry for Foresters) in the Department of Surveying at the PNGUT. 2
MURRAY KENNETH DAY “The Flying Beetle”
After eight years in the Mapping Branch of the Forests Department of WA and completing a government cadetship it was time to move on. I was 220 on the Public Service promotion list, based at that time on seniority. Over this period, I had completed qualifications in cartography and surveying and the majority of my work experience was in the acquisition of aerial photographs, their interpretation and photogrammetric mapping. This included field survey for ground control.
I was recruited by the PNG Department of Lands Surveys and Mines and arrived in Port Moresby in March 1970. I was interviewed in Perth by Lands Secretary Neville Logan and as soon as he established, I had a pulse I was offered a Drafting Officer position based at Konedobu. I was to commence on a salary of near $5000 per annum, an $800 annual increase plus a housing allowance of about $350 per annum. I was quite impressed! My surveying experience came in handy on arrival to track down an allocated brand new AR20 hidden by high grass at Gordon’s Estate. I inherited the position of “Titles Clerk” and my duties included arranging for the acquisition of customary land for government purposes like schools and aid posts and for further infrastructure development, a bit of a shock given my predominantly mapping background. A Rubik cube was easier to solve than some of the submitted kiaps’ land purchase compasssurveys, afew Ithinkundertakenthroughthebottom of anemptyBukaMeri rumbottleat night.Somesupposedquadrilaterals plottedwith threesides!Ialso inherited some files relating to ongoing title restoration in New Guinea, where all Titles were lost in WW2. Further research uncovered copies of original German titles, plantations which were compulsorily acquired after WW1 and the very interesting role of the Custodian of Expropriated Property based in Canberra.
Just as an awakening of interest in customary land tenure was occurring and I was getting a good handle on all the PNG land law a drafting promotional position was advertised in the Forestry Department Drawing Office at Konedobu in October, to which I was appointed. I spent just two months or so at Headquarters before being informed by Phil Ainsworth I was being transferred to Bulolo Forestry College to teach the final year of the jointly sponsored Forestry/ Lands, Surveys and Mines Cartography course and was to make arrangements to be at post for the commencement of the 1971 academic year.
Further discussions followed. Rather naively I asked if you could drive to Bulolo! I had purchased a second-hand VW Beetle on arrival. Phil was very patient. I then enquired about otheroptions,thinkingcoastalboat,whichheconsideredwouldtakeabouttwotothreemonths, then only to Lae. Further discussion followed and it was suggested that I speak to a man at Ansett at Jackson’s about a DC3 with cargo doors. Phil further explained he was aware that various logs from Bulolo were to be bought to Moresby for testing, so maybe there was an opportunity for my car and my household effects to be a back/ load.
Off I went to Ansett and it was agreed that with a few adjustments my car would fit, and if I loaded all my personal effects from our house back into my cardboard cartons they too would be uplifted at the same time. So, the charter was “on”. Instructions for my car were explicit.
Remove the front bumper and left-hand mudguard. Remove the rear bumper and diagonal right-hand mudguard. Just leave enough fuel in the petrol tank to get to Jackson’s. Once there, disconnect both car batteryterminals, store thetwo mudguards and bumpers leaving thedrivers position free. Arrange for the personal effects cartons to be delivered at the same time. Leave the key in the ignition.
In time, the charter day arrived and driving to the airport I was greeted by lots of horn blowing and flashing ofheadlights from othermotorists as this oneeyedonemudguardbugapproached, even the odd finger! At the airport the various instructions were carried out and then a supervisor jumped in to steer my car, it was pushed toward a dilapidated DC3 with big doors, by a group of about 12 men I assumed were off the airport labour line. I identified this group as Goilala’s, from the highlands of Central District. Their build was unmistakable, almost as wide as they were tall, with huge chests and legs like telegraph poles. None had shoes; I doubt the broadness of their feet precluded any off the shelf purchases. After some discussion and direction from the supervisor my car was effortlessly lifted by the said group and the engine end (rear) inserted backwards into the DC3. Further adjustments were made, and the front of the car was swallowed. All in! My wife and I departed the next day on a regular DC3 RTO flight to Bulolo. I understand the labour line from the Bulolo Forestry Station under John Godlee were given the role of extraction (under supervision) and my car, without a scratch was then towed to the College and my personal effects delivered to yet another AR20, on the edge of the College campus. After reattaching all of the said components and reconnecting electrical wiring I was mobile. The Volkswagen Beetle proved to be outstanding in Bulolo and proved many times its ability handling the dozen odd fords along the Lae road while undertaking the 80-kilometer two hour, three monthly buying visits to the “big smoke”.
COOL IN THE CHOPPER
While teaching Cartography and Surveying at the Bulolo Forestry College in 1972 a request was received from Headquarters for assistance on a mapping project over the Bololo -Wau valley areas. From memory, air photography had been flown but ground control for mapping was existing but not identified. This meant the resultant mapping imagery on the photography could not be “nailed down” in a mapping project with any confidence to its horizontal position and height. Contemporary project planning was for” pre-marking” control, utilizing existing ground control like trig points or establishing new ground features, and marking with a cross + which would appear on the resultant photography and make the mapping process much simpler. The history of Bulolo Gold Dredging/Placer Prospecting/ Placer Development and New Guinea Gold/Edie Creek mining over the areas, and WW2, had resulted in quite a strong triangulation network, which appeared on the photography but could not be identified. The project thus entailed findingthetriangulation networkpoints on theground, marking themwith a aluminum sisalation cross + (about 1000mm wide and 5000 mm long) and then undertaking “spot photography” of the point. The spot photography + would then be transferred to the mapping photography using a differential stereoscope and then mapping could commence. Each transferred + would have a known, in the vernacular, a N, E and RL. Spot photography strategy requires the use of a helicopter.
As I was aware of the locations of most of the selected trig stations in the valleys my initial strategy was to walk in to them, place the + sisalation marks, pay to the local inhabitants a “holdingfee”untilthe“helikoptaigopinis”as Iunderstoodthesisalationprovidedanattraction as outstanding roofing material on bush material village housing. Using the photography to identify tracks with a small group of students we drove as far as we could go up the mountains. I then attempted to walk under the canopies up and up the ridges to trig stations, which were on top! Big mistake! After 4 hours walking, I was lost, gave up, and just started walking down hill following creeks, hoping I would return to the vehicle, the Bulolo River would do! It did not happen! With sheer luck in the middle of nowhere I stumbled on a water race and gold mining villagers sluicing for gold. The water race, its hand built non-cemented rock sides was a work of art, and the fall of the water across the contours would have done credit to a surveyor setting it out with a precise level. It was some 300 metres long. Some cigarettes changed hand plus the promise of some money, and it was agreed that one of the miners would take us back to the vehicle. They knew where it was, and 1 hour later we were reunited!
So, strategy number 2 was devised. Take the passenger door off the Bell 47 which had arrived and was working off the College soccer field, Attach a stout rope to the seat to tie me the passenger from free falling out, adopt a cruise speed over the trig stations and from that to ensure 60% overlap occurred, calculate a time between exposures to satisfy the overlap and finally a flying height above the trig station which as far as possible would result in the same image scale as the already obtained mapping photography taken with a 152mm lens. This would make the control transfer stereoscopically much more precise.
In practise I used my Yashica 35mm camera and araldited two level bubbles at right angles to the rear casing. This was to try and ensure the photography was tilt free at exposure to avoid image displacement, i.e. the principal axis of the camera was normal to the ground (geoid more technically correct.) To take the photographs it was necessary to have one boot on the skid and take the photos between the skid and the helicopter belly, holding the camera at skid level with the bubbles centred and counting the seconds between exposures and depressing the shutter, winding on, and so on as the chopper pilot choofed along a given bearing over the trig station at the calculated cruise speed and height. Not forgetting the rope around my waist of course!
Added to all these technical solutions was the weather.......in Bulolo –Wau it would get quite cloudy and cold, there were and still are I would assume fantastic moss forests in the Wau area, beech and other forest species, though walking through it with the undergrowth sometime up to your chest is a bit disconcerting. With the chopper door off it was bitterly cold. Moreover, the Bell chopper was naturally aspirated and the higher we went the slower the climb to exposure height. We were into large spirals!
The strategy of marking with the sisalation + required some other strategies. As most of the trig stations were on mountain tops or kunai clearings there was the opportunities to land in some cases, walk across to the trig, place the sisalation, get back on board , take off for a 30 minute climb to the calculated altitude, only to find it had been souvenired by local villagers. It was then necessary to repeat the process and “buy”, albeit temporally a lookout to protect
themarking,theaforementioned“holdfee”,thenoncompletionofthephotographythevillages would take the marking. Where this was not possible we introduced student support. Milne Bay students were chosen as they were short and light of frame and pretty tough. The biggest thing about them was most times their hair style! The chopper would hover near the trig point and out would go the bush knife, then the student, whose role was select an easily cleared spot so the chopper could “sindaun”. Then the target + could be placed and the photography undertaken. In extreme cases it would be impossible to land so the student would climb off the skid and I would assist their return with a lift at hover. The pilot was a ex Royal Navy , who had been made redundant out of Singapore and absolutely brilliant. Very, very careful and safety conscious. We would contact Lae Traffic Tower continuously re our operations and they would inform us of LAE-POM-LAE traffic, its height and other particulars, which we would identify in the air, and check in. They needed to be 10 000 feet plus if they got into trouble in cloud on this known route. Our project flying height was always below this. Many a time it was disconcerting on board a DC3 or Twin Otter on RPT on this run to see the pilot on oxygen while we passengers froze! The Yashica spot photography imagery was sent to Moresby when the project was completed where I assume the mapping commenced. A very satisfying project.
MURRAY KENNETH DAY “Bulolo Tragedy”
Bulolo has afascinating historyofaviation whichcommencedin the1930’s where cargotraffic LAE-BULOLO had the highest tonnage in the world. Guinea Airways became famous flying Junker and Tri- motor Fords in and out. The enormous gold dredges were taken apart or delivered by ship at Lae in Mechano set like pieces, then flown in from Lae and then reconstructed to working order. James Sinclair’s “Wings of Gold” provides an outstanding detail and photography of this project.
Over my period in Bulolo 1971-1972 it was also the centre for RAAF helicopter training and navigation. An area the size of a soccer ground next to the Pine Lodge Pub (naturally) was cleared and approximately 12 choppers took up residence for about 1 month. They departed everyday with their synonymous THUMP THUMP THUMP engine noise, away on their exercises. Their avgas was delivered by truck from Lae. On departure any avgas unused in the 200 litre drums was available to local residents, not that there was a lot. I put about 20 litres into my Beetle, it really felt the difference. In Bulolo you could not lay any rubber, just eject at high velocity the road base of round river gravel into your back mudguards. I was informed by Heinz, the local mechanic that my Beetle had a compression ratio of about 7:1 and the avgas to it was like a very expensive wine, in moderation ok, but full on it would burn out the exhaust valves. On reflection I thought “Yes, I have been there” and it was a very good analogy.
The Bulolo community embraced these groups and invited then to functions including the Bulolo Golf Club. After golf, darts and snooker and billiards we even took them on at rugby one night, in the Golf Club. It was necessary to move the piano and tables and chairs of course, the ball was a taped up roll out of the toilet, the dance hall was slippery and hard, as we found out the next morning trying to get out of bed and locate missing collars and sleeves. Last out of the Club each evening locked the bar then on leaving threw the keys onto the front verandah of the President’s house opposite. That night my Beetle disappeared from the car park. I arrangedalifthomewithaneighbor.Thenextmorningitwaslocatedinanotherclubmember’s driveway. He was the owner of the other Beetle in Bulolo and said he just jumped in and put his key into the ignition and away it went! He informed that he realized something was wrong but in thealcoholichazeit did not computeas hehadproblems reaching thepedals. (The author and owner of the Beetle “stolen” was 197cm tall about 6’5” in the old lingo, hence the seat was always at its longest leg setting!) It should be also understood that in those times and Bulolo being a Company town special rules were regulations were enforced in regard to national employees’ movements after dark hence the laisez faire approach to the ‘stolen” car.
On Saturday night we invited them to the Bulolo Hall to watch a movie, generally very old, with the proviso the POM DC3 got in, late afternoon. That was the entertainment highlight for the week.
In discussion with one RAAF pilot I remarked on the lack of precision of mapping, the weather forecasting and topography in the area made flying very dangerous in PNG and he informed that this was the very reason why they were in Bulolo and environs. Further he notes that you
could make mistake training in Australia (I think they were from Amberley) but in PNG this threat level was 5 times!
In August 1972 a tragedy occurred just out of Bulolo when a RAAF Caribou disappeared around the Kudjeru Gap, a little closer to Wau. Of the 29 on board, in the main Moresby school cadets, only 4 survived. The Bulolo community, the nearest larger town, was kept in the dark so to speak as messages raced between Port Moresby and Canberra and Defense. Little was released to our single POM ABC radio station as search and rescue programs were being planned and implemented. Eventually it was necessary to make an announcement. Aerial searching entered its 3rd day. I understand that every available aircraft was made available out of Lae. Further I understand the 4 surviving cadets were located then walking down a riverbed. To the uninitiated being a spotter in a search aircraft is not for the faint hearted. The pilot banks and throws the plane from wingtip to wingtip if he sees something. He ducks around to retrace his steps. He also throws on the brakes, ie almost stalls the plane to slow it down for a longer look. He fly’s low sometimes; you can smell the leaves of the trees! The stall warning hooter goes off incessantly. It drives you batty! The spotter needs a good spew bag!
Bulolo town swung into action in providing all types of support for the search. The Forestry College soccer oval adjacent to my house was commandeered as the body bag receiving station via chopper when eventually that phase was implemented. The bodies were taken to the refrigerated seed store at the Forestry Station nearby. College students and Forestry staff volunteered ground search missions. CNGT, the Bulolo Town Company commenced soldering together tin “coffins’ to facilitate return of victims to Port Moresby. Distraught parents were flown in and accommodated. Word was received at the Golf Club which was acting from time to timeas asupportcentrethatainbound searchchopperwouldnot makeit backwith sufficient light to land. Luckily Bulolo street lights and housing lights were available for general locality. Four large white dining table clothes were removed from tables and a signal laid out on the first fairway. They were weighed down with what I cannot remember! Member then drove their cars onto the fairway and formed a circle with the target central and their lights on, illuminating the target to which the chopper found and landed with ample room.
The RAAF has only lost one Caribou in service. A very detailed Defence Force enquiry followed. Confirmed detail of the enquiry into this tragedy is available on line. The author in composing this has based it on memory 46 years ago and does not take responsibility for errors in composed detail or omissions as it has been based on recall at that time.
MURRAY KENNETH DAY “Docta meri”
A highlight of the teaching year at the Forestry College was the annual field camp to a village named Buso, approximately 6 hours steaming out of Lae, down the Morobe coast past Salamaua. As I understand Leon Clifford was instrumental in obtaining this site adjacent to the Buso River (I assume) being adjacent (on the other side on the mouth) to a large village. Living a traditional lifestyle, the villagers did not have access to a trade store and available goods, like tinned food, or tobacco, clothing or fishing hooks or lines as these were only available in Lae. They ate fish, chicken, pig, vegetables and fruit. Again, as I understand Leon was very good friends with the village head man, his name from memory was Marikos. I was never aware if in fact the land use was a local arrangement, or the land had been purchased by the government and taken out of customary tenure, or a nominal rent was paid by the College. Areas of land in the training site had been planted with various tree species and students undertook girth measurement and height, along with volume calculations. There was some pruning, botanic expeditions and engineering. Design and building of walkways and small bridges with timber cut on site was also undertaken. Camp planning and administration, digging of longdrop dunnies and the like were also part of the program. The local villagers had constructed a magnificent bush material haus at the site, about 1 metre off the ground, measuring about 10 metres by 8 metres , with a front verandah, blackpalm floor exactly level and pandanus roof. Breast height walls all round out of woven palm and bush wall studs and ceiling joists and rafters were perfect. Inside were two rusty kerosene fridges. It was built about 20 meters back from the shoreline on a beautiful beach ringed with coconut palms, and behind that a haus kuk with a concrete base, all askew. Student and staff alike used bed sales and mosquito nets, students set their camp under tent sails, quite large with harvested poles out of the bush adjacent. All camp equipment including lamps, kerosene, petrol and a small 2KVA genset for lighting, food and drink were loaded onto the College large 6x4 Isuzu, a Toyota Coaster and a Toyota FJ45 3 speed ute for the trip to Lae. The most important item loaded was the patrol advance, all in 20 cent pieces and weighing a tonne. This was to be used to pay the villagers for potatos, tomatos, kau kau, crayfish and red emperor and other table fish for the camp and make other donations where seemed fit. It was my job to have to acquit this advance on return after camp. The recent Royal Commission is polite reading compared to the accounting gymnastics I needed to flexibly apply, for all of the right reasons!
We departed Lae and never got out of the harbor. Our chartered local village coastal boat of about 25 metres, the “Tangalooma” died and no matter how many times the rocker cover was cleaned it would not go! It was a diesel injection pump problem, probably water in the fuel. Fortuitously the CNGT owned barge was steaming to harbor full of hardwood logs, beautiful stuff, sourced further south of Buso and they towed us in. A discussion was held, and the barge skipper agreed to take us back south to Buso at midnight, so Voco Point was utilized to swap cargo while we were chewed up with sand flies and mosquitos. The barge would then pick us up in about 10 days time.
We arrived eventually early next morning and set up camp and commenced maintenance. The haus kuk had been damaged by incoming sea, the cement floor was canted and unusable. Being too heavy to lift,andas thestudents andstaffhadjust undertakena explosives coursein Bulolo,
we had the leftover material (gelignite, cordtex, detonators and fuse wire) with us. We blew the floor apart as part of a training exercise and undertook repairs. The noise attracted Marikos the headman, who came around in his outrigger and after a roundabout discussion in pidgin he enquired did we have a bomb! In short, he took our vegetable and fish requests, agreed prices, then enquired if we could go fishing on behalf of the village with a bomb. Clearly the villagers were not novices, assuming their use of WW2 left over armaments. He also noted that bathing in the river mouth one could get nibbled!
With some misgiving we agreed for a single attempt and Jim Riley, our Kiwi STO who could handle anything mechanical or electrical as well as overseeing explosives made up 2 half sticks of gelignite with 2-minute fuses. From memory we also attached a small rock so they would sink quickly. As the local weather experts, we suggested the villagers choose the time and place. Two days later the word was received, the next morning was on! In the interim the students had manhandled up the beach a medium turtle which had swum too close to shore. It was cooked and eaten. Everything except the shell. Students would go out on the reef at night with the Coleman’s and do quite well with crayfish and other fish, which they ate. A tuna school swum passed and it was mayhem. Our Micronesian students in the water bit the tuna behind the head to kill them!
Thenext morning with sunpeeping overthehorizonanddissipating themorning mistwefound an armada on village outrigger canoes just offshore. They just appeared. Maybe 40 or 50 lifting gently on about a 1 cm undulating swell. Silence, not a word was heard from this assembled throng. It was eerie. Overnight they must have made anything and everything in the village that could float, seaworthy. Our students had been given instructions as had Maricos. We decided to deposit both charges at the same time over the chosen area as it could be envisaged if the first charge went off and dead fish were everywhere the villagers may paddle in and get blown up when the second exploded. A lapun put on some ancient diving goggles and was paddled off shore to I assume a known spot, where he quietly slipped overboard and disappeared. He reappeared very excited and then indicated where the bombs should be placed. Jim and I were set up on our own outrigger and quietly paddled over the area and dropped both charges. Both blew almost simultaneously, just really a foaming of water over a 5 metre diameter, no loud noise or water spout.
Then there was pandemonium! The fish chosen were from a school, each fish about 20 cm long. Many floated to the surface and were thrown into the outriggers until there was no freeboard. Many fish lay of the sea floor so the villages dived into about 4 metres of water and would appear with some in their hands and up to 4 in their mouths and would then spit them into their canoes. The odd larger fish suitable for filleting was also found, and this is when it went pear shaped. Jim attempted to pull such on board such a fish and reaching too far, flipped our canoe. We both went in, no problem we could swim, he went into deep water and I went on to coral outcrop that jagged into my hip. With blood streaming I was directed back to shore by the villagers to where the canoes full of fish had been beached temporarily. This is where I came under the command of Mrs Marikos.
Shouting instructions in ples tok she took over proceedings. She was a tall lady and generously built, everywhere, not fat, and you could see physically fit. This was not the occasion to be wearing a modesty blouse as she would if she came into our camp with her husband or with vegetables. She pulled me out the canoe into the shallows and pushed me down to a lying position so that my damaged hip was above the water. It took me a while to work out was happening, there was a lot of blood in thewater, she was kneeling alongside sucking my wound and all the time spitting the blood to remove any coral in the hip. This continued for about 20 minutes, along with exploratory fingers, I then realized it must have been the village treatment to such wounds. I did however use antiseptic back at our camp. The wound never festered, rare for coral injuries, and healed with large scar tissue. I had been “bitten” with coral in the north west of WA surveying railway lines prior to PNG and was aware of the danger. About a year later I had an irritation in the scar tissue and I picked it and removed a very very small coral particle, and have never any trouble now 46 years hence.
The practical work undertaken was finished and the barge arrived as expected for our return with a loud HONK. It ran up the beach and dropped its front to allow loading. Full of logs it was a bit tricky and most of us rode a log to Lae. After all vehicles had been loaded from the barge, I found just enough left in the patrol advance to buy a single SP stubby or Coke or similar for each person for the trip back to Bulolo up the hill, but do not tell the auditor!
LIKLIK RETPELA HAT
Bipo tru (LONG TIME AGO) igat wanpela liklik meri, nau nem bilong em Lik Retpela Hat. Ol i putim dispela nem long en, bilong wanem dispela lik meri i save putim kain hat i retpela long het bilong em.
LLRH em i save slip wantaim Mama na Papa bilong em, long wanpela liklik haus. Papa i save wok long bus, i save katim paiawut na ol man i save baim long em. Papa igat plenti akis long daunim ol diwai na katim paiawut. Orait igat lapun (OLD) meri istap long narapela haus. Dispela meri emi tumbuna mama, (GRANDMOTHER) i lapun tru (VERY OLD) na ino wokabout long kisim kaikai samting. (GETTING MEALS) Tumbuna Mama emi lusim tinktink liklik, na sikru bilong lek, na arm, na han i pen, igat sotwin tu!
I believe many including myself, could relate to Tumbuna mama!
Haus bliong Tumbuna mama istap insait long bush tru, na longwe long haus bilong LLRH.
Mama na popa i save selim kaikai (FOOD) igo long Tumbuna mama bilong helvin em. Nau LLRH i save karim igo ol kaikai na mekpas presen. LLRH i nopret long bus. Igat plenty pren istap. I gat kapul, na koki, na kokomo, na sikau. (Wallaby) Ol dispela save singaut “GUT DE” long LLRH taim emi save wokabaut long bus.
Orait nau wanpela dai Mama na LLRH i tok alsem “mi kukim kau (sweet potato) pinis. Mi kukim sampela abus (Meat) na biskit tu, na mi putim long bilum. Yu karim igo long haus bilong
Tumbuna Mama. Ariup wokabaut bilong wanem i long wei, na nogud yu stap insait long bus taim tudak i kamap.” LLRH i bekim tok long mama alsem “Orait Mama bai mi hariup. Nogut Tambuna mama i gat hangri.”
Orait em i kisim bilum na i lukim insait na painem kaikai i stap. Em i putim liklik hat bilong em na igo. I wokabaut long liklik rot na bikpela bus i stap klostu. Kapul, kokomo na koki it tok “GUd de”, na i lukim plaua tu, igat gudpela smel moa.
Na LLRH i harim samting pairup alsem PSS PSSS. Emi wokabaut esi na passim lek. Samting istap insait long bus. OHHH. Wanpels bikpela waildok. I bikpela tumas. Tasol LLRH ino gat prêt. Pes bilong waildok i nogat kros.
Waildok itok “O liklik meri yu laik go we? Na LLRH i tok “nau mi go long haus bilong
Tumbuna Mama. Mi karim kaikai long em. Em i lapun. Em i no kirup na wokabaut.
Waildok i tok “Tru eh”. Nau waildok i tinktink nogud na emi laik trikem LLRH nau. Emi i tok “Supos yu wokabout long hap hia, yu painem gutpela plaua, bilong katim na karim igo long haus bilong Tumbuna mama. Goan, Yu go.
Orait LLRH igo insait long bus na painem plaua. Wildok i ron hariap. Em i trowemwe lek alsem sikau na kamap behain long haus bilong Tumbuna Mama. Em i winim LLRH.
I paitem dua na pairup alsem (tap microphone), na Tumbuna mama i tok “Husat istap?”
Waidok i gaimain (FALSELY) singaut alsem LLRH na i tok “Mi tasol Mi LLRH”
Tumbuna Mama i tok,” Orait opim dua na kam insait”
Waildok opin dua na igo insait na lukim long Tumbuna mama. Em i tingting i no gutpela kaikai. Abus i sitrong tumas, Tumbuna mama i bun tasol! Em i laikim liklik meri bilong kaikai. Orait i hariap nau, kisim rop na passim hand na lek bilong Tunbuna mama, putim laplap insait long maus bilong Tumbuna mama, na karim igo long haus paiawut long daunbilo long gaden. Nau i bek insait, passim dua na putim hat na eyeglass long pes bilong em, na i slip long bet, alsem Tumbuna mama i bin slip nau tasol. I gat betsit karamapim na hat, na eyeglass olsem giaman Tumbuna Mama.
LLRH nau i kamap e mi paitim doa alsem waildok. (T AP MICROPHONE) Waildok i gaimen toktok Tumbuna mama. I tok “husat istap” LLRH I tok “Mi tasol” LLRH. Wildok i tok “opim doa na kam insiat” orait LLRH igo insait na i lukim Wilddok i slip long bet. Tasol e mi tinktink i Tumbuna mama. Wildok i trikem gen.
I go klostu long bet nau i tok “O lapun mama yu gat bikpela ai tumas” na wildok itok “i gutpela mi ken lukluk long yu LLRH.” Na likik meri itok” o lapun mama yu gat bikpela yau bilong yu”. Na wildok i tok “Mi laik harim gut tok bilong yu”.
LLRH i tok “lapun Mama wanem samting? Yu gat bikpela tit na maus bilong yu, alsem wanem? Wildok i bikmaus nau i bekim tok alsem “Bilong kaikai yu olgera”! Na wildok nau i lusim bet na i ronin LLRH. Meri nau emi savy pinis (UNDERSTANDS) Wildok nogut. Meri i tantan nabaut na ron hariap. Em i tromwe bilum kaikai na kau podaun na pulim lek bilong wildok. Wildok i kros moa nau emi laik ronim meri gen. Meri i ron igo arasait.
Nau husat i kamap arasait. Papa tasol! Em i laik painem LLRH bilong wanem, emi long taim na Mama i wari. Papa i karim tomiok na i luk long meri ronewe na Wildok bihainem em.
Oraip Papa igo nau i laik paitem Wildok long tomiok. Wildok kisim bikpela prêt. Wildok ronewe igo, igo long we moa. Mipela no ken lukim gen. Em i painem narapela ples bilong sindaun na slip.
Behain Papa wantaim LLRH painem Lapun Mama na lusim rop long lek ne han, rausim laplap insid long maus na karim igo long bet. Na nau oli sindaun bel hapi.
Ol yupela lilklik meri, tingting, na noken go wan insait long bus longwe. Ting long stori bilong LLRH
Tenkyu Tru Em tasol,
About a 1970 compilation based on a Police Superintendent’s gramophone record from memory. I still speak Pidgin weekly with a wantok.
Murray Day
Sequel
Linda Manning Cavanaugh3 advised on 9/12/20 that Murray lost his battle with multiple Myeloma on Sunday 6 December 2020. He was diagnosed 14 years ago and has put up a good fight. It is thanks to Murray that we have the PNGAAlunch meetings in Perth.
PhilAinsworth4 commented that he had recruited Murray to Forestry in 1970, recognised his many talents and asked him if he would go to Bulolo Forestry College to train cartographic students. He willingly accepted the role and later moved onto the Institute of Technology in Lae when the Cartographic Course was transferred there .
Phil left Forestry early 1972 and lost track of Murray until I met with him at the April 2014 PNGAAluncheon in Perth. he has good memories of Murray, he was a decent person, friendly and was empathetic to others.
3 Personal communication 9 Dec 2020.Linda Cavanaugh Manning.
4 Personal Communication 9Dec 2020 Phil Ainsworth.