PNGAF MAG ISSUE # 10 - B - PNG FOREST EDUCATION Part 5 of 6 Parts. Dr John Davidson's Journey.

FROM FORESTRY CADET TO FORESTRY PROFESSOR

Memories of Youth and Living and Working in

Papua New Guinea

John Davidson

(Part 5)

PART 5

In January 1973, the Department of Forests published an illustrated account of forestry in PNG with the title “New Horizons” (left).1

Papua New Guinea (Staffing Assistance) Bill 1973

On Wednesday 23 May 1973, the Simpson recommendations from October 1972 were given effect by the Papua New Guinea (Staffing Assistance) Bill (Commonwealth of Australia). Under the Bill, permanent and contract overseas officers and temporary overseas employee superannuation fund contributors in the Public Service and the Police Force, and staff of the Electricity Commission of Papua New Guinea who were superannuation contributors, would be separated from their respective Papua New Guinea services and become part of an Australian Staffing Assistance Group (ASAG). The persons in this group in future would not be members of the national Public Service of Papua New Guinea and they would not compete with local officers for promotion within that Service. They would however be made available to occupy and carry out the duties of established positions in the Papua New Guinea National Public Service and in other areas of public employment2 until there were Papua New Guineans available to fill these positions and their services were no longer required. Their employment under the Australian staffing assistance legislation would then cease (see speech below).

1 Papua New Guinea Department of Forests 1973 New Horizons – Forestry in Papua New Guinea. Jacaranda Press, Brisbane, Australia. 2 The clause marked in yellow proved crucial later on in the arguments to and fro as to whether my eventual unique Contract with the PNGUT was a “PNG Government Contract” or not. Note the misspelling “Bell” instead of “Bill” on the cover page!

On 18 June 1973 the Papua New Guinea (Staffing Assistance) Act 1973 was assented to (No. 70 of 1973) in the Australian Parliament (cover page at left).

In 1973, two more separate Committees consider the future of university education in PNG

By early 1973, with self-government approaching, the Somare government became more and more determined not to automatically follow without question the ways of the departing colonial Administration but to seek and develop more appropriate “Papuan New Guinean ways”. In this context, during 1973

1974 three separate Committees examined and reported on aspects of the future of university education. These comprised the Government appointed first and second Gris Committees and the UPNG’s Oldfield Committee.

The first Gris Committee: The Committee of Enquiry into Academic Staff Salaries, Allowances and Conditions

In Australia in early 1973 university academic staff received salary increases of between $1,200 and $3,700 per year. In the past such increases had flowed on automatically to the UPNG and the PNGIOT. This time however the new Labour government in Australia advised the Papua New Guinean Cabinet that if it granted the flow-on, the funds would have to come from within PNG’s own budget. Cabinet was reluctant to grant the flow-on which would give many academics, both expatriate and national, a salary that was more than double that of Somare himself. The PNG Cabinet appointed a Committee of three to investigate.3The Committee was chaired by Dr Gabriel B Gris, who was about to become Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the UPNG.

In June 1973 the Committee recommended to Cabinet the cutting of the link between Papua New Guinean and Australian university salaries allowances and conditions, incurring the wrath of the UPNG and PNGIOT staff associations.

The second Gris Committee: The Committee of Enquiry on University Development (CEUD)

In presenting its report the first Gris Committee also drew attention to several other matters relating to the UPNG and the PNGIOT and the economics of tertiary education that required urgent attention,

3 G B Gris: A national officer who qualified in dentistry at the Suva Medical College in Fiji; had a postgraduate degree in health education from the USA; served as head of dental training in the PNG Department of Public Health; served on the PNG Public Service Board. Professor R G Crocombe; University of the South Pacific, Fiji, (Somare’s personal mandatory selection as a member of the Committee); outspoken commentator on the ‘inappropriate’ and ‘Western bias’ of Papua New Guinea’s university and other tertiary institutions. V Harvey; former UPNG economics lecturer then working in the PNG Department of Finance.

namely the high per student cost, the abysmally slow pace of academic localisation, inappropriate recruitment policies and the perceived relevance of some of the courses being offered. It suggested with an expansion of its membership, the applicability to PNG of models of university development in other developing nations be assessed. Cabinet accepted this advice and added seven additional members4 to the original three. The expanded Gris Committee (Gris was retained as chairman, so the expanded committee was usually referred to as the second Gris Committee) but its alternative official name was the Committee of Enquiry into University Development (CEUD). It began work in September 1973 with the aim to report within a year.

The eventual report stipulated that the UPNG should be made more responsive to the national objectives as exemplified in the eight-point plan. The report emphasised study – work integration, extension/outreach activities, meeting human resource needs, and amalgamation with other tertiary institutions to form a truly national university.

Also, in early 1973, Frank Oldfield, Deputy Vice-Chancellor the UPNG, became Chairman of the Working Party on the Future of the University (UPNG), which then became known informally thereafter as the “Oldfield Committee”. The Joint Committee on Forestry Education was slotted in as an unofficial sub-committee, also chaired initially by Oldfield.

Expanded mandate for the OHE

In 1973, the OHE assumed the role of co-ordinator of higher education, especially in a number of working parties on new university courses. From 1973 there was an increasing number of such courses in the pipeline: dentistry, hydraulics, electrical communications, land administration, mining engineering, rural technology, forestry, fisheries, agricultural education and secretarial studies. Considerable influence was wielded by the OHE in deciding at which institutions courses would be located, at what level would they be taught and what levels of enrolments, staffing and funding would apply.

4 The additional members were: D A Low (UPNG Council member, Director of ANU Research School of Pacific Studies, later ANU Vice-Chancellor), I Kilage (Catholic priest, member of the National Education Board, future national Ombudsman), N Rooney (UPNG graduate, Administrative College lecturer, future Minister for Justice, and the only female member of the Committee), M Avei (University of Queensland graduate, member of Somare's personal staff), K Pochapon (PNGIOT graduate, Acting Surveyor General), A Sarei (former Catholic priest, Doctor of Canon Law from Pontifica Universitas, Rome; former student counsellor at the UPNG; most recently a member of Somare's staff; later Provincial Commissioner for Bougainville; and viewed by many at the time as a likely future Vice-Chancellor), and J Waiko (UPNG graduate, then completing M A studies at the University of London). Of the Papua New Guineans, all were graduates and three of those had post graduate degrees.

The proposed forestry course institutional arrangements were circulated within the UPNG and the PNGIOT for comment in early 1973. Some faculties in the UPNG expressed concerns about it, the principal objection being that public funds would be misdirected because “too few students would be trained to degree level” to warrant anything more than the existing Bulolo Forestry College course.5Despite these objections the proposed course was supported by the UPNG Professorial Board. Then the UPNG Council and the PNGIOT administration endorsed it, passing it on to the OHE for presentation to Cabinet.6

Meanwhile, the only external PNG student in forestry, Andrew Yauieb, was successful in graduating from the Department of Forestry at the ANU in 1973 with a BSc(For) degree.7There were no other Papua New Guineans in that Australian pipeline.

Not willing to wait for further deliberation by the Joint Committee, the Department of Forests offered four scholarships to Papua New Guineans to begin basic studies at the UPNG in the beginning of the 1973 academic year.8They were Dike Kari, Joseph Ben, Oscar Mamalai and Jack Noah. This decision could be made unhindered at the time because the first two years of basic science studies were required, irrespective of where the final two years of study for the forestry degree were to be located.

In parallel, the then Director of the Department of Forests Don McIntosh was exploring with Director Dr John Sandover the possibility of a merger between the Forestry College Bulolo and the PNGIOT in order that the Institute might take over the responsibility for the sub-professional training operations of the Department. Dr Sandover naturally gave this idea his “warmest support”.9The Director of Forests, anticipating that the PNGIOT would soon become a university and teach the degree level forestry course, also thought that it was “advisable for a single authority to undertake training in forestry” and won the Minister for Forests’ support for the Forestry Department’s own submission to Cabinet.10

5 This argument was the same one put forward by the then Assistant Administrator Frank Henderson four years previously when he argued strongly against UPNG participation in forestry tertiary education. His opinion “Too few students would be trained to degree level” was at odds with how the 50

60 expatriate professionals employed at the time in the Department of Forests would be replaced with local officers having similar qualifications.

6 Passed on by the then UPNG Academic Registrar D H Stace as a document with the title “Degree training in forestry”, 28 March 1973; See page 168 In Howie-Willis I 1980 loc. cit.

7 Andrew Yauieb became the fourth Managing Director of the Department of Forests following the departure from PNG of the third Director, Don McIntosh, in 1977. (J B McAdam was 1st Director, W R Suttie was 2nd Director.)

8 This Papua New Guinean cohort of four was joined by Alec Chang, a Fijian graduate from the Forestry College Bulolo, sponsored by the Government of Fiji, and Sampson Gaviro, a Solomon Islander sponsored by the Solomons Government.

9 Communication Sandover to Mc Intosh, 6 April 1973. See page 169 In Howie-Willis I 1980 loc. cit.

10 Communication McIntosh to Sandover, 1 May 1973. See page 169 In Howie-Willis I 1980 loc. cit.

“It is the wish of my Government that you should continue your service in Papua New Guinea ….”

The Chief Minister, M T Somare wrote to me on 31 July 1973 that it was the wish of his Government for me to continue my service in Papua New Guinea until at least December 1976 (letter above). This was three and a half year’s notice and similar letters were sent to all expatriate “permanent” public servants. These letters triggered another mass exodus of expatriate officers, many choosing to leave “sooner rather than later”. There was a perception, not entirely unfounded, that if one wanted future employment in Australia, the older one became, even only three-and-a-half years older after taking up the Chief Minister’s offer, the harder it would be at the time to find a job in Australia after repatriation.

The PNG Institute of Technology becomes the Papua New Guinea University of Technology

In August 1973 the PNGIOT had its name and status changed to “The Papua New Guinea University of Technology” (PNGUT). In September 1973, its University status was declared formally by Chief Minister Michael Somare. About 223 ha (about 550 acres) of land was leased to the University on 13 December 1973 for 93 years and 64 days for an annual rent of K2 (see document next page). The University was formally declared a State University under the OHE by National Cabinet in 1975.

The proposal for a forestry degree course at the PNGUT strikes trouble and causes mayhem

The declaration of the PNGUT as a university gave Dr Sandover renewed confidence that there would soon be a forestry degree course in Lae. He requested details from the UPNG of those students taking science who expected to go on to the PNGUT to attain a forestry degree. The Dean of Science at the UPNG could find only 23 “positively interested” (presumably in addition to the six already tied into the Degree through scholarships).

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Oldfield, also now still Chairman of the Joint Committee on Forestry Education, ignored both the Joint Committee members and Vice-Chancellor Sandover when he sent the information on the UPNG forestry student numbers directly to the OHE, which at that time was preparing the final proposal on the course to send to the PNG Cabinet. The OHE as a matter of routine referred both the proposal and the new estimates of student numbers to the Department of Finance which immediately queried the financial viability of the course because of the low student numbers.

The OHE called on the same “outside expert on forestry education”, Dr Dennis Richardson, at the time advisor to the FAO, again to comment on the issues. Dr Richardson had also served part time as advisor to the CEUD nearly a year before, and even earlier to the Currie Commission, where to both bodies he expressed reservations about mounting a degree course in forestry in PNG because he believed only a small number of professionals was required and they could be trained in Australia.

PNGUT Lease Agreement to Portion 453 Lae, comprising 223.1 ha (about 550 acres) of land. The Lease runs through to 2068 at an annual rent of K2 and is renewable. The traditional owners of the customary land on which the lease is located are the people of Kamkuming Village and the Ahi people.

An angry Vice-Chancellor Sandover fired off a hasty letter to the Minister for Education, N E Olewale, accusing the UPNG of “considerable revision” of forestry student enrolment numbers, a “change of attitude” towards the course, and subterfuge in referring the matter to the OHE (and thus automatically to the Department of Finance) without firstly advising him. He countered with the proposal that since the UPNG in its view apparently did not have viable numbers, the PNGUT and the Bulolo Forestry College should run the course without the help of the UPNG.11

A hugely aggrieved Deputy Vice-Chancellor Oldfield replied on behalf of the UPNG to Dr Sandover suggesting he (Sandover) had misrepresented the UPNG’s intentions when it sent what it believed was an honest set of student numbers to Minister Olewale. He stated the UPNG still wished to participate in the forestry course but also would not oppose a joint PNGUT – Forestry College course, provided that it was “the best and most economical means” of producing forestry graduates for PNG. In support of this carefully worded caveat he reiterated the issue of costly duplication of the UPNG facilities, and again raised the ideological argument that neither Dr Sandover nor the Joint Committee had considered in sufficient depth the “long-term implications of timber extraction, especially with regard to future productivity and resource replenishment”.12

Three days after Dr Sandover sent his angry letter to Olewale, the Joint Committee met on Thursday 6 September 1973 to hear the preliminary report of Dr Richardson. It was clear from the outset that Dr Richardson’s views had not changed from his previous advice to the Currie Commission and the CEUD where he had reservations about the degree course. He still favoured “community forestry” based on a model in China that he admired. He doubted the need for many graduates; he thought sub-professional training more appropriate; and, he believed the proposed course stressed resource extraction at the expense of conservation. The Meeting quickly grew stormy with Dr Sandover refuting all of Dr Richardson’s claims.

A little over a week later, a further meeting of the Joint Committee was held on Friday 14 September at which Dr Richardson presented his draft “final” report. He proposed the most appropriate arrangement would entail a three-year Diploma shared between the UPNG alone and the Forestry College Bulolo, with the most capable students selected for a fourth year at the UPNG to complete the Degree which would be awarded by the UPNG. His opinion was that a large staff to teach the degree course put forward by the existing proposal prepared for Cabinet submission (that is 2 years UPNG, 2 Years PNGUT in

11 Communications Smart to Oldfield, 11 July 1973; Oldfield to Hossack (Ian Hossack, Executive Officer of the OHE 1973 – 1973), 13 July 1973; Sandover to Olewale, 3 September 1973. See also page 170 In Howie-Willis I 1980 loc. cit.

12 Communication Oldfield to Sandover, 5 September 1973. See also page 170 In Howie-Willis I 1980 loc. cit.

association with the Forestry College) was therefore “excessive”, “overly expensive” and “unjustified”.13UPNG representatives later described the meeting becoming “climactic” and “violent”14as Dr Sandover vehemently contested Dr Richardson’s views. Dr Sandover made the accusation that Dr Richardson “had his mind made up before he came here”. Further, with some justification, Dr Sandover believed there had been collusion between Dr Richardson and the Chairman Vice-Chancellor Oldfield to exclude the PNGUT.15It had been revealed that, at Dr Richardson’s request, Chairman Oldfield had already developed a programme document two days before where forestry students would do a year at the UPNG followed by two years at Bulolo to complete a Diploma, then a fourth year back at the UPNG for the Degree.16Such a course structure was more in line with Chairman Oldfield’s professional interest in ecology,17as it was oriented towards environmental issues rather than (in his view) having the management bias of the original course.18

Vice-Chancellor Oldfield was deeply upset that the issue of environmental and resource conservation, an issue dear to his beliefs, had developed into a fight between the two universities. He announced that he would place two alternatives to the UPNG Academic Planning Committee: i) Act on Dr Richardson’s recommendations, and ii) The UPNG have nothing further to do with forestry education.19

Shrugging off the feud, Dr Sandover protested that his main concern was to help the country by getting the forestry course up and running without further delay and proposed the Joint Committee be reconvened but not under the chairmanship of Deputy Vice-Chancellor Oldfield. He wanted someone “neutral” as chair.20The reconvened Joint Committee meeting did take place, in early November 1973, with Kevin White, who was attending as the Department of Forests representative, in the chair, hardly the “neutral” outcome desired by some combatants, but instead seen as a victory for the forestry “technocrats” and “tree engineers” concerned to develop as well as conserve the forest resource.

The Department of Forests was as keen as Dr Sandover to see the full course operational before its sponsored students already at the UPNG were ready to move into their final two years of study at the

13 Richardson D 1973 Forestry Training and Forestry Industrial Education and Training in Papua New Guinea. Department of Forestry and Wood Science, University of Wales, Bangor, 18 September 1973.

14 For example, see a communication 8 months later: O’Neill to Inglis, 8 May 1974. See also page 170 In Howie-Willis I 1980 loc. cit.

15 Dr Sandover: “Notes of meeting, 14 September 1973”.

16 Document by Chairman Oldfield: “Training of forestry graduates in Papua New Guinea”, 12 September 1973.

17 He was an “environmental geographer”.

18 I would point out that at this time the “course structure” was a series of headings rather than a detailed curriculum, so it would be difficult to determine in which direction any future bias would lie unless the curriculum for each subject unit was fleshed out as was done by me later in late 1974 early 1975.

19 Oldfield communication to Rees (W C (Bill) Rees, Economist in the PNG Government Manpower Planning Unit 1970 – 1973, then Director OHE 1973 – 1974), copied to Richardson and Sandover, 19 September 1973. See also page 171 In Howie-Willis I 1980 loc. cit.

20 Communication Sandover to Oldfield, 27 September 1973.

beginning of 1975. The Department’s view had not changed, favouring a relationship between the PNGUT and Bulolo, and hoping for an eventual Bulolo – Lae merger.

Under the continuing chairmanship of a representative of the Department of Forests (usually Kevin White or occasionally Don McIntosh), the Joint Committee in effect became a PNGUT – Department of Forests partnership that quietly set aside Richardson’s final report dated 18 September 1973, which was deemed to have underestimated the number of forestry graduates required in the country. The Joint Committee subsequently made decisions which enabled the OHE to submit to the PNG Cabinet what was in the original proposal – namely a four-year course leading to the degree, the first two years at the UPNG, the final two at the PNGUT in collaboration with Bulolo, and, the degree to be awarded by the PNGUT, Lae, where the Professor would reside.21

Breeding exotic softwoods at Bulolo

These included Pinus merkusii, P. caribaea, P. kesiya and P. patula. John Smith carried out the early work on these species in PNG.22 Neville Howcroft23 took over this work after John Smith left for the Forestry College, Bulolo and then to Mt Hagen as RFO Eastern Highlands in 1970, but they still collaborated until John left PNG. The general aim was to provide a permanent source of high-grade seed within the country and to progressively improve vigour, form and, at a later date, wood quality.

Pinus merkusii was introduced from Java as early as 1951. Subsequent introductions were made from Sumatra and Java Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. Scion material for six clones of the tapanuli variety were introduced from Queensland24 in November 1967, but only one graft was successfully established. A provenance trial was planted at Bulolo in January 1970 (represented: Bulolo land race, Sumatra and Java Indonesia, and Thailand).25Two small variety trials were conducted to test variety atjeh against the continental variety. Individual plus tree selection started in 1966. Grafting was

21 Rees “Summary of meeting on degree course on forestry”, 20 November 1973; “Submission for degree course in forestry”, no date

22 See Smith J E N 1968 Exotic softwoods. Silvicultural Research Conference, Bulolo, August 1968; J E N Smith 1970 Silviculture of Pines in P. & N. G. Department of Forests Bulletin No. 5. Government Printer, Port Moresby.

23 Neville Howcroft had been recruited from the Queensland Department of Forests in 1965 and posted to Bulolo Station as a Technical Officer.

24 The then Forestry Research Institute of Queensland was an active collaborator in the PNG breeding programmes for pines and araucarias. Garth Nikles was the main person involved in Queensland and Neville Howcroft had good contacts from his former employment with the Queensland Department of Forests. Formal quarantine procedures in force at the time were adhered to in the exchange of plant materials in both directions. The later strengthening of quarantine requirements by PNG prevented this arrangement from continuing.

25 Howcroft N and Davidson J 1973 An international provenance trial of Pinus merkusii in Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea Tropical Forestry Research Note SR. 15, Department of Forests, Boroko, PNG. 20 pp.

Pinus merkusii

by the top-cleft method on to P. kesiya stock. The first hybrids between varieties tapanuli and atjeh were made at Bulolo. In the field this hybrid combination grew faster than variety atjeh.

Pollen from four parents was introduced from Thailand.26Progeny were obtained from crossing seven P. merkusii variety atjeh parents at Bulolo with one P. merkusiana parent V1015 from Thailand. A cross between one local P. merkusii variety tapanuli and V1015 produced a poor result. Another trial using the other three pollens from Thailand with seven variety atjeh and one variety tapanuli from Bulolo produced some 700 cones which were collected in 1972. A locally-built solar kiln was used the accelerate the release of seed from these cones. It was also useful for drying eucalypt capsules to release seed.27

A solar kiln built at the Forest Research Station Bulolo in 1972 to accelerate the release of seed from pine cones. It could also be used on eucalypt capsules.

Pinus caribaea

Introductions of seed started from 1940, comprising varieties elliottii, hondurensis, bahamensis and caribaea. These were sourced from Cuba, South Africa, New Providence28, Queensland, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala, but no formal provenance trials were established, until a variety/provenance trial testing Cuban, Honduran and Bahaman strains was established in Bulolo in 1969.29

26 Several exchanges of seed and pollen from P. merkusii parents and hybrids were made between the Department of Forests PNG and the Thai-Danish Pine Project at Chiang Mai, Thailand in the early 1970s.

27 Davidson J and Fairlamb J 1974 Collecting seed of Eucalyptus deglupta. Papua New Guinea Tropical Forestry Research Note SR. 19, Department of Forests, Boroko, PNG. 10 pp.

28 New Providence is the most populous island in The Bahamas, and location of the capital Nassau.

29 Howcroft N and Davidson J 1973 A provenance trial of Pinus caribaea in Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea Tropical Forestry Research Note SR. 14, Department of Forests, Boroko, PNG. 12 pp.

A seedling seed orchard of 1.6 ha was established at Bulolo in 1970 using seed from selected seed trees growing in Queensland plantations. One top-cleft grafted clonal orchard also was established at Bulolo with grafting started in late 1970 for a first stage of four hectares planned for space for 435 grafts. By 1972 this orchard contained 169 grafted ramets representing 28 selected Queensland ortets. Issues with incompatibility and stock failure were experienced and compounded by the long distances the scions had to travel.

Local selections were started from 1972 with the intention of replacing the unsuccessful grafts that had led to gaps in the orchard. Initially three potential plus trees were selected. These were supplemented from a clone bank established in 1968 comprising 128 ramets from the 28 Queensland and one Bulolo ortets.

This species was first introduced in 1951. Since then introductions have been made from South Africa, Zambia, Philippines, Netherlands (Holland), Thailand and Madagascar for trial planting in highland regions (300

2,000 m altitude) of PNG, including Goroka, Wau and Bulolo. Provenance trials were planted in 1969, 1970 and 1971. Provenances represented have been Madagascar, Philippines, Chiang Mai (Thailand), Vietnam and Ndola Hill (Zambia).30

Of scions of 10 clones imported from Queensland in late 1967, representatives of five clones survived. Three small seedling seed orchards were established in 1971/1972 using imported improved seed.

First introduced to PNG in 1953, introductions have since been made from South Africa, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and Queensland.

After phenological studies showed that cone production was more abundant and occurred at an earlier age at 2,000 to 2,500 m altitude than at 1,200 to 1,500 m altitude, a seedling seed orchard containing open-pollinated progeny of 18 South African and 12 Rhodesian parents was established at Laiagam (2.6 ha at 2,400 m altitude) in March 1970. Thirteen “plus trees” were selected in 1969 and 1970.

Pinus kesiya

Pinus patula

Howcroft N and Davidson J 1973 A provenance trial of Pinus kesiya in Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea Tropical Forestry Research Note SR. 16, Department of Forests, Boroko, PNG. 9 pp.

Breeding Araucarias at Bulolo

Joe Havel described the establishment of Araucaria hunsteinii (Klinkii Pine) plantations in PNG.31Leon Clifford started the early work on breeding Araucaria cunninghamii (Hoop Pine) and A. hunsteinii at Bulolo.32This work was continued by Neville Howcroft after the establishment of the Forest Research Station and his transfer from operations to research.

The objectives of the tree improvement and breeding programme were the same for these two species:

i. to provide a permanent seed source

ii. to improve vigour, form (except for Klinkii which already had exemplary form) and wood quality

iii. to preserve the local gene pool

iv. to upgrade the local gene pool by selection of elite trees in local plantations

v. to extend the local gene pool (for Hoop Pine) with introductions from outside PNG.

Joe Havel and Barry Gray also made significant contributions to the ecology and reconnaissance of locations in PNG.33A number of reconnaissance and seed collecting trips was made from 1972 to 1975, to assess tree characteristics, accessibility of stands, size of cone crops, best time for cone collection, and to collect seed if available. The reconnaissance of Araucaria stands covered sections of Morobe Province, Eastern, Western and Southern Highlands Provinces, and the West Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea and the Arfak mountains of West Papua in Indonesia.

Successful seed collections were made in the Morobe and the three highlands provinces of Papua New Guinea and an unsuccessful but informative attempt was made in West Papua in 1975 34

31 Havel J J 1965 Plantation establishment of klinki pine (Araucaria hunsteinii) in New Guinea. Commonwealth Forestry Review 44(3):172

187.

32 See Clifford L T 1968 Tree Improvement – Hoop and Klinkii Pines. Silvicultural Research Conference, Bulolo, August 1968.

33 Havel J J 1971 The Araucaria Forests of New Guinea and their regenerative capacity. Journal of Ecology 59:203–214; Havel J J 1972 New Guinea Forests – structure composition and management. Australian Forestry 36:24–37; Gray B 1974 Distribution of Araucaria in Papua New Guinea. PNG Department of Forests Forest Research Bulletin No. 1 pp. 1–56; Gray B 1975 Size composition and regeneration of Araucaria stands in New Guinea. Journal of Ecology 63:273–289.

34 Boland D J, Davidson J and Howcroft N 1977 Eucalyptus deglupta Blume and Araucaria cunninghamii Lambert provenance seed collections in Irian Jaya, Indonesia, 3 – 17 June 1975. Forest Genetic Resources Information 6:3-15. (Irian Jaya later was renamed West Papua and later again divided into two Provinces: Papua in the east and West Papua in the west.) See also Howcroft N H S 1974 Pregermination Technique for Araucaria hunsteinii Papua New Guinea Tropical Forestry Research Note SR. 27, Department of Forests, Boroko, PNG. 10 pp; Howcroft N H S 1978 Exploration and Provenance Seed Collection in Papua New Guinea 1976/77. Araucaria cunninghamia Lamb and Araucaria hunsteinii K. Schum. Forest Genetic Resources Information No 8, FAO, Rome; Howcroft N H S 1978

Data Sheets on Species Undergoing Genetic Impoverishment. 1. Data Sheet on Araucaria hunsteinii K. Schumann. Forest Genetic Resources Information No 8, FAO, Rome.

Araucaria cunninghamii (Hoop Pine)

Hoop Pine has been an indigenous softwood species of great economic importance in PNG.35Whether sourced from natural stands or plantations the species provided high quality sawn timber and plywood. Early provenance locations recognised were Bulolo, Okapa and Lake Kutubu in PNG and Queensland. Selection in natural stands was carried out from 1963 to 1965. Four clone banks were established in Bulolo over the period 1963 to 1969 by patch grafting in the field.36 Selection in local Bulolo plantations started in 1972. Grafted and seedling seed orchards were started at Bulolo in 1973.

35 The species also occurs in rainforest habitats of northeast NSW and east-central Queensland, Australia and in Papua and West Papua, Indonesia. Some botanists have assigned the Australian occurrences (0-1,000 m altitude) to variety cunninghamia, while the New Guinea occurrences have been given the varietal name papuana (100-2,700 m altitude).

36 Hoop Pine clone banks. No. 1: Grafted 1963 – 1964, 28 ortets, 88 ramets; No.2: Grafted 1965, 7 ortets, 25 ramets; No. 3: Grafted 1966, 26 ortets, 301 ramets; No. 4: Grafted 1968-1969, 18 ortets, 176 ramets; Total: 34 ortets, 590 ramets.

“Plus trees” of Hoop Pine (left, tree with three painted rings) and Klinkii Pine (right) selected in the Bulolo plantations in 1973. The form of the Klinkii Pine was usually always excellent.

Collecting scion material for patch grafting from the apical leader of a Hoop Pine in Bulolo. This required an experienced climber (arrow) to ascend to the very top of the tree! This approach was necessary as scions harvested lower down and from side branches, when grafted, always grew in a plagiotropic manner (more or less horizontal).

Araucaria hunsteinii (Klinkii Pine)

This species also provides high quality sawn timber and plywood, but since the cessation of planting Hoop Pine because of its susceptibility to attack by Hylurdrectonus araucariae, 37 the resistant Klinkii Pine had become more important. More than 30 superior phenotypes were selected from natural stands from 1963 to 1965. Two small clone banks were grafted in 1964 and 1965 and contained 44 ramets from 8 ortets. A third clone bank was established by patch grafting ramets from 12 ortets in 1970. Three trials using open-pollinated progeny of selected parents were established in 1967, 1969 and 1970. Selection of “plus trees” in plantations started in 1972.

37 Gray B 1973 The immature stages of Hylurdrectonus araucariae Schedl and H. pinarius Schedl (Coleoptera: Scolytidae: Hylesininae). Journal of Entomology (B) 42(1):49-58; Gray B 1974 Sex ratio, relative size and order of attack of adults of Hylurdrectonus araucariae (Coleoptera: Scolytidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 67:144-145; Gray B 1975 Distribution of Hylurdrectonus araucariae Schedl (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) and progress of outbreak in major hoop pine plantations in New Guinea. Pacific Insects 16: 383-394. Gray B 1976 Infestation, susceptibility and damage in Araucaria plantations in Papua New Guinea by Hylurdrectonus araucariae Schedl (Coleoptera: Scolytidae). Bulletin of Entomological Research 66: 695-711; Gray B and Lamb K P 1975 Biology of Hylurdrectonus araucariae Schedl (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), a pest of hoop pine plantations in Papua New Guinea. Bulletin of Entomological Research 65:21-32.

Natural stand of Klinkii Pine near Bulolo. The lone tree in the centre was one of 30 superior phenotypes selected in natural stands during the period 1963 to 1965 and carefully retained here in 1974, after the surrounding forest has been harvested and cleared for grazing cattle.

Separate batches, by parent, of tubed open-pollinated seedling progeny of Klinkii Pine (front and left front with dark green foliage) in the high shade nursery Bulolo Forest Station in 1973, in preparation for establishing a seedling seed orchard in 1974.

In recognition of the work done on wood properties of E. deglupta in relation to pulpwood production I was admitted as a Member of Appita in 1973.

I applied for position R124 FO 3 in October 1973.

Overseas duty travel to east Africa and New Zealand

I proposed a tour of duty overseas to discuss and promote work on breeding eucalypts in general, and in breeding E. deglupta specifically, and try to obtain as much relevant feedback as possible from face-toface contacts.

W L Conroy, Secretary, Foreign Relations Division, Department of Foreign Relations and Trade wrote to the Director of Forests approving my tour of duty to Africa and New Zealand from 21 September to 17 November 1973 with full salary and a generous overseas travel allowance. To meet this timetable, which was planned around several international meetings and workshops, I had to request a deferment of recreation leave for five months, so that leave could occur after the duty travel. The Public Service Board also granted this request. The itinerary was arranged by various conference organisers and incorporated parts of post conference tours in Africa and a meeting on vegetative propagation in New Zealand.

This travel is described in Rainbow Eucalypt Man and a number of papers was presented in the meetings and workshops along the way:

Davidson J 1973 Decayed wood in living trees of Eucalyptus deglupta Blume. IUFRO Division 5, Working Party S5.01.9, Cape Town and Pretoria, South Africa.

Davidson J 1973 The association between wood basic density and some measurable wood parameters and possibilities of growing wood of optimum density in tropical plantations of Eucalyptus deglupta Blume. IUFRO Division 5, Working Party S5.01.3, Cape Town and Pretoria, South Africa.

Howcroft N and Davidson J 1973 A provenance trial of Pinus caribaea in Papua New Guinea. Combined Meeting of IUFRO Working Parties S2.03.1 and S2.02.8, Nairobi, Kenya

Howcroft N and Davidson J 1973 An international provenance trial of Pinus merkusii in Papua New Guinea. Combined Meeting of IUFRO Working Parties S2.03.1 and S2.02.8, Nairobi, Kenya

Howcroft N and Davidson J 1973 A provenance trial of Pinus kesiya in Papua New Guinea. Combined Meeting of IUFRO Working Parties S2.03.1 and S2.02.8, Nairobi, Kenya.

Davidson J 1973 Provenance trials of Eucalyptus deglupta in Papua New Guinea. Combined Meeting of IUFRO Working Parties S2.03.1 and S2.02.8, Nairobi, Kenya.

Davidson J 1973 Some physiological aspects of rooting cuttings of Eucalyptus deglupta. Meeting of IUFRO Working Party S2.01.5, Rotorua, New Zealand.

Davidson J 1973 Incompatibility symptoms in grafts of Eucalyptus deglupta. Meeting of IUFRO Working Party S2.01.5, Rotorua, New Zealand.

Davidson J 1973 Techniques of grafting Eucalyptus deglupta. Meeting of IUFRO Working Party S2.01.5, Rotorua, New Zealand.

Davidson J 1973 A technique for rooting seedling cuttings of Eucalyptus deglupta. Meeting of IUFRO Working Party S2.01.5, Rotorua, New Zealand.

Establishment of Air Niugini

Air Niugini was established in November 1973 as the national airline of Papua New Guinea with the government holding 60% of the shares, Ansett 16%, Qantas 12% and Trans Australia Airlines 12%. It started out as an exclusively domestic carrier. It expanded to offer international services shortly thereafter. In founding the airline, the Government aimed to encourage regional development in a country without an extensive road network. The airline was established using DC3 (photographs) and Fokker 27 aircraft. Air Niugini aircraft carried Australian registrations (VH-XXX) until 1974 when PNG was allotted its own designator (P2-XXX).

Above: Air Niugini’s first aircraft were Douglas DC3s, the one shown here still with Australian serial VHSBS. After 1974, PNG had its own country designator (P2-) as seen on this Macair Cessna 402, P2-ELP (below). About this time, after a number of fatalities in single-engine aircraft accidents, PNG public servants were advised where possible to travel in twin-engined aircraft. This Cessna, photographed at the “old” Lae Airport, was typical of the twin-engined fixed wing aircraft used by Forestry staff for charters to undertake aerial reconnaissance of forest areas and for staff transport among localities not serviced by the scheduled airline.

PNG becomes Self-Governing

Mr Somare led the country to Self-Government on 1 December1973.

The Papua New Guinea (Staffing Assistance) Act 1973 becomes operational

The Department of External Territories, in a circular dated 29 November 1973 (five pages shown on the previous and on this page), informed serving officers that the Papua New Guinea (Staffing Assistance) Act would become operational on 1 December 1973, the same day on which Self-Government was proclaimed.

Overseas “permanent” public servants become employees of ASAG

Under the Papua New Guinea (Staffing Assistance) Act 1973, on 1 December 1973 all overseas permanent officers of the Public Service of PNG automatically became employees of the Australian Staffing Assistance Group (ASAG)38 and no longer officers of the PNG National Public Service.

Papua New Guinea Tropical Forestry Research Note SR. series 1973

This Research Note series started in June 1973 with the printing of a paper presented by me to Research Working Group (RWG) No. 1 of the Research Committee of the Australian Forestry Council Meeting on Tree Improvement and Introduction. This was the Third Meeting of Representatives held at Mt Gambier, South Australia, 30 October to 3 November 1972. The reason for printing the paper in full as a research note SR. 1, with Neville Howcroft as co-author, was because only a summary was included in Appendix 1 of the Proceedings of the Meeting at Mt Gambier.

38 ASAG became the mechanism for advancing the salaries of certain classes of expatriate public servants. It had been negotiated between the Australian and Papua New Guinean Governments to guarantee the continuity of the administrative services during the transitional period of Australian disengagement. Under the Agreement, which lasted from 1973 to 1975-76, the Australian Government paid the salaries of the expatriate public servants it had recruited for the Papua New Guinean Public service over the years preceding self-government. Their conditions were meant to be kept in line with ‘high’ Australian standards.

Similarly, a paper on “Natural variation in Eucalyptus deglupta” and another on “A tree improvement programme for Eucalyptus deglupta” summarised as Appendices 22 and 23 in the Proceedings of the same RWG Meeting were printed in full as SR. 2 and SR. 3. Below is a list of Research Notes with me as author or coauthor that were printed from June 1973 through to the end of the year.

Davidson J and Howcroft NHS 1973 Papua New Guinea Tree Improvement and Introduction Progress Report 1972. Papua New Guinea Tropical Forestry Research Note SR. 1, Department of Forests, Boroko, PNG. 9 pp.

Davidson J 1973 Variation in Eucalyptus deglupta and its effect on choice of criteria for selection in a tree improvement programme. Papua New Guinea Tropical Forestry Research Note SR. 2, Department of Forests, Boroko, PNG. 9 pp.

Davidson J 1973 A tree improvement programme for Eucalyptus deglupta in Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea Tropical Forestry Research Note SR. 3, Department of Forests, Boroko, PNG. 5 pp.

Davidson J 1973 Improving production from Eucalyptus deglupta in the Territory of Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea Tropical Forestry Research Note SR. 5, Department of Forests, Boroko, PNG. 9 pp.

Davidson J 1973 Forest tree improvement – Kamarere. Papua New Guinea Tropical Forestry Research Note SR. 6,

Department of Forests, Boroko, PNG. 14 pp.

Davidson J 1973 A description of Eucalyptus deglupta Papua New Guinea Tropical Forestry Research Note SR. 7, Department of Forests, Boroko, PNG. 10 pp.

Davidson J 1973 A technique for rooting seedling cuttings of Eucalyptus deglupta Blume Papua New Guinea Tropical Forestry Research Note SR. 8, Department of Forests, Boroko, PNG. 12 pp.

Davidson J 1973 Techniques of grafting Eucalyptus deglupta Blume. Papua New Guinea Tropical Forestry Research Note SR. 9, Department of Forests, Boroko, PNG. 15 pp.

Davidson J 1973 Some physiological aspects of rooting cuttings of Eucalyptus deglupta Blume. Papua New Guinea Tropical Forestry Research Note SR. 10, Department of Forests, Boroko, PNG. 20 pp.

Davidson J 1973 Incompatibility symptoms in grafts of Eucalyptus deglupta Blume. Papua New Guinea Tropical Forestry Research Note SR. 11, Department of Forests, Boroko, PNG. 10 pp.

Davidson J 1973 Conservation of the gene resources of tropical Eucalyptus deglupta. Papua New Guinea Tropical Forestry Research Note SR. 12, Department of Forests, Boroko, PNG. 10 + xi pp.

Davidson J and Fairlamb J 1973 Provenance trials of Eucalyptus deglupta in Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea Tropical Forestry Research Note SR. 17, Department of Forests, Boroko, PNG. 21 pp.

Davidson J 1973 Decay in living trees of Eucalyptus deglupta Papua New Guinea Tropical Forestry Research Note SR. 18,

Department of Forests, Boroko, PNG. 31 pp.

Unfortunately, the matching identities of the national staff were not recorded at the time, but they included Henry Ivagai, John

Staff at the Forest Research Station, Bulolo, 1973. 1. Ross Wylie, 2. Peter Shanahan, 3. Neville Howcroft, 4. Jeff Fairlamb, 5. Ian Barber, 6. Jack Simpson, 7. Lonnie Merrifield, 8. Barry Gray, 9. Evelyn Grinstead, 10. Pamela Vaggs, 11. Betty Nissen and child. I am behind the camera; in hindsight I had the equipment including a tripod which would have allowed me to be in the photographs too. Dave Lamb had left the year before for Port Moresby and John Dalton had been posted to Dami Forest Research Station.

Dobunaba, M Ikime and M Tobeli.

Staff of the Silvicultural Research Section, Forest Research Station, Bulolo, 1973. 1. Neville Howcroft, 2. Jeff Fairlamb. John Dalton was absent since he had been posted to Dami Forest Research Station near Cape Hoskins on New Britain. I was behind the camera.

Return from recreation leave and promotion to FO 3

After the overseas travel to Africa and New Zealand, I took a period of deferred recreation leave in Australia from 18 November 1973 to 3 January 1974 and resumed duty in Bulolo on 4 January 1974.

After a successful application, I had been promoted to FO 3 on 3 January in position R124 (notified on 8 January 1974 (above)), but no Forest Officer Class 3 position existed on the projected establishment list for the Forest Research Station Bulolo in 1974 (above left). At Barry Gray’s suggestion I was held against the vacant Entomologist Class 3 position CR6. HDA from FO 3 to FO 4 commenced from 25 February 1974 in view of my leadership role in the national “Lowlands Reforestation Project” in addition to holding the post of Officer-in-Charge Silviculture Section, Forest Research Station, Bulolo.

From 30 April 1974, I received HDA to FO 4 (Principle Research Officer/Officer-in-Charge Forest Research Station = Position CR 3, Bulolo), after the departure of Barry Gray from PNG.

Visit to Bulolo by Edgard Campinhos Jr of Aracruz Florestal S A.

Aracruz Florestal S A at the time was a forest company responsible for the management of 85,000 hectares in northern Espirito Santo and southern Bahia states of Brazil. Many of the early plantings of Eucalyptus at Aracruz originated from Brazilian seed from hybrids of E. grandis, E. saligna and E

“

urophylla”. These plantings were extremely variable, had relatively low yields and high susceptibility to certain diseases. The yields averaged 22m3/ha/yr and 80% of the trees infected by a canker. Later plantings with seed from South Africa and Zimbabwe had somewhat higher yields and greater disease resistance, but production was still below Aracruz’s expectations. The Company began research on vegetative propagation of eucalypts in 1974 as part of a tree improvement programme to increase yields and produce more homogenous planting stock. The Company learned of the work by Peter Burgess on vegetative propagation of E. grandis with APM at Coffs Harbour, Australia and my work on E. deglupta in PNG through the papers presented by us at Rotorua in 1973 and published in 1974.39 Edgard Campinhos (right), head of the Aracruz research team was despatched to Coffs Harbour and Bulolo in 1974 to meet both of us in turn face to face. At Bulolo I showed Edgard the work on grafting, rejuvenation and growing cuttings of E. deglupta. He was provided with copies of several papers of mine on vegetative propagation including Tropical Forestry Research Note SR. 8 that, among the methodology described, contained the circuit diagram for the “artificial leaf” that controlled the periodic operation of the mist sprays.40I also showed him photographs of the clonal plantation I had established at Vudal in 1967/68 and revisited in 1970. The initial work by the Aracruz researchers was successful and by 1975 the first clonal material was planted in the field. In 1979 they made the first commercial planting of one million rooted cuttings. Aracruz supported this research work at the time by injecting nearly three million US dollars a year, almost 4% of Company’s annual recurrent expenditure!

Research Note on progress on tree introduction and improvement 1972 - 1974

A progress report was prepared on tree introduction and improvement in PNG over the period 1972 –1974 and published as a Tropical Forest Research Note. This was undertaken mainly to have available a written handout to give to an increasing number of interested visitors to the Forest Research Station in Bulolo and to its field trials on Geshes Road 53:

Howcroft N and Davidson J 1974 Papua New Guinea tree introduction and improvement progress report 1972 – 1974. Tropical Forestry Research Note SR 26. Department of Forests, Boroko, PNG. 10pp.

The next pages show the Geshes Road 53 area in its heyday with numerous trials and seed orchards.

39 Davidson J 1974 Reproduction of Eucalyptus deglupta by cuttings. New Zealand Journal of Forest Science 4(2):191-203; Davidson J 1974 Grafting Eucalyptus deglupta New Zealand Journal of Forest Science 4(2):204-210. Burgess I P 1974 Vegetative propagation of Eucalyptus grandis New Zealand Journal of Forest Science 4(2):181-184.

40 When I visited Aracruz in 1980, I found they had built from scratch artificial leaf controllers by following that circuit diagram. See also the companion article “Rainbow Eucalypt Man”

Road 35 Geshes experimental area in its heyday, 1974. Top: Plots of imported Pinus varieties and provenances.

Bottom: Near the junction of Geshes Road 35 and Bulolo-Lae road (on the right); Pinus seed orchards and clone banks (the latter at the top right near the road junction), and eucalypt clone bank (right foreground). These areas were neglected after research staff moved from Bulolo to the Forest Research Institute in Lae, and now (2020) are completely occupied by houses (see Epilogue).

neglected after research staff moved from Bulolo to the Forest Research Institute in Lae. Frequent fires occurred after plots became overgrown with kunai grass. Only a few trees remain now (in 2020) from the E. deglupta seed orchard where occasional seed collections are still made from about a dozen trees. These areas have been almost completely occupied by houses (see Epilogue).

Road 35 Geshes experimental area in 1974. Two adjacent photographs, the bottom one adjoins the top one on the left. Top: Klinkii Pine grafted seed orchard on the right, E. deglupta seed orchard (grafted clonal section) on the left with a small overlap. Bottom: E. deglupta seed orchard (half-sib seedling section) on the right, Hoop Pine grafted seed orchard on the left. These areas were

ASAG administrative arrangements

On 22 April 1974, ASAG staff were advised of new administrative arrangements in Staff Circular No. 1/74 which was issued from ADAA, Canberra.

Two clauses in this Circular point to possible reasons why I had difficulties in resolving issues with my employment status vis-à-vis my promotion in the Department of Forests and “transfer loan” to the PNGUT:

“Incompleteness of some personnel records transferred to the Brisbane Office has also created difficulties in the expeditious handling of salary and allowance adjustments and in the answering of queries from employees.” and,

“

…. the engagement on an overtime basis of a task force of personnel from other Australian Government departments in Brisbane.”

Two more ASAG Staff Circulars (Nos 2 and 3/1974) were issued from “The Australian Office” of ASAG in PNG. These dealt with payments on separation and variation of overseas allowance, child allowance, education allowance and fares and rental allowance. (See on the next two pages.)

Staff numbers in the Department of Forests 1973 and 1974

Expatriate professional and technical staff numbers in the Department of Forests continued to decline, several departees were former “permanent” public servants, wanting to exit the Territory “sooner rather than later”. The table below shows staff numbers for 1973 and 1974.

Downtown Bulolo in 1974. Main road and “Company” houses.

Bulolo in 1974. 1. Commonwealth New Guinea Timbers sawmill, 2. Department of Forests nursery, 3. Department of Forests workshop, 4. Department of Forests storerooms and seed store, the building under the numeral “4” used to be the office when I was in Bulolo as a Cadet in 1963 - 1964. In the top right hand corner, Heads Hump LA is being reforested progressively at a very slow rate after the fire in 1972.

Department of Forests housing in Bulolo in 1974. 1. Davidson household, 2. Godlee followed by McCarthy households.

Bulolo in 1974. Above: The Davidson household in relation to the Department of Forests Bulolo Station Office and car park and the Research Station carpark. The roadside kamarere of Keravat origin were useful in providing material for cuttings experiments. Below: The Forest Research Station in 1974.

Bulolo in 1974. The short commute of less than 100m from “our” house (top) to my office at the Forest Research Station (white arrow in the bottom photograph) is shown. There were occasions when our son, standing in his cot at the nearest side window of the house (top) would call out to me when he saw me over at my office during work hours! (All my career fortunately I have had ultra-short commutes to work: UNE Cadetship (1962-1964), 5 mins by bus; Bulolo Cadetship vacation employment (1963-1964), 5 mins walk; Forestry School Canberra (1965), on campus; Brown River Cadetship vacation employment, on station; Forestry ANU after marriage (1966-1967), 5min by car in Yarralumla; Keravat 1967-1969, on station, 2 mins walk; Forestry ANU Canberra from Acton Commonwealth Hostel (1968), 10 mins walk; Forestry PhD Canberra (1969-1972), 10 mins by car from Page, Belconnen; Bulolo (1972-1975) on research station, <1 min walk; PNGUT on campus (1976-1980), 4 mins by car or 10 mins walk; FAO Rome (1982-1984) 10 mins walk; Consultancies (1984-2005) from home office base in Armidale; BRS Canberra 2005-2009, 5 min walk, and later, after the office moved to Civic, 10 min by bus).

About once a month we made a private weekend trip by road from Bulolo to Lae and return. The gravel road varied in condition but mostly it was passable with our car. Land slips and washouts were the most common causes of closure. In some parts a bulldozer was on permanent deployment to clear the road, as seen in the bottom photograph taken in 1974 in a location where there was frequent slippage of the land above the road.

After we had installed a chest freezer it was possible to buy meat and poultry at bulk prices from Awilunga. In the bill at left from mid-1974, 6 chickens were purchased for 70c/lb ($1.54/kg) and a hindquarter of beef cut up and labelled at 52c/lb ($1.14/kg)!

Left: The bridge over the Markham River on the way between Bulolo and Lae in 1974. It was single lane and back then made up of many spans of army Baily Bridge end-to-end. Each span had a sag in the middle, so it created an up and down lurching ride in a vehicle. The northern approach was subject to frequent landslips from the steep slope above. Right: Our preferred place of stay in Lae was the Huon Gulf Motel, near the inland end of the old Lae airport. These were the charges in 1975 (R/O = room only (adult persons)). While travelling with one young child from 1972 and two young children from 1974, “free cots” were appreciated.

National Forest Policy for PNG in 1974

The National Forest Policy for Forestry was based on the National Eight Point Improvement Programme (underlined).41

1. A rapid increase in the proportion of the economy under the control of Papua New Guineans Increase opportunities for local participation in forest activities and encourage the development of locally owned or predominantly locally owned forest enterprises including reafforestation.

2. Equal distribution of economic benefits including a move towards equalizing incomes. Direct a greater share of the benefits from forest development towards the landowners and other nationals involved in the industry.

3. Decentralized economic activity planning and Government spending, with emphasis on agricultural development and village industry. Forestry is a rural industry – promote forest industries in rural areas, stimulate village participation – involve forest owners and local government in all phases of forest development, including reforestation and management.

4. An emphasis on small scale artisan services and business activity. Create opportunities for local businessmen and artisans to participate in transport, logging and all other activities related to forest industry.

5. A more self-reliant economy less dependent for its needs on imported goods and services. Promote the use of local forest products to replace imported goods. Replant and manage the forests so that they will continue to provide for the needs of future generations of Papua New Guineans.

6. An increase in capacity for meeting Government spending needs from locally raised revenue. Promote the development of profitable forest industries to improve revenue returns through royalties and taxes.

7. A rapid increase in in the active participation of women in both economic and social activities. Explore ways of increasing opportunities for women to participate in forest activities.

8. Government control and involvement in those sectors of the industry where control is necessary to achieve the desired kind of development. Forests are a national asset and must be managed in the national interest. To ensure the people of Papua New Guinea both now and in the future receive maximum benefits from the management of the forest the National Government will formulate and regulate policies governing the use of forest resources.

41 Source: Mr Bruce Jephcott MHA, Minister for Natural Resources, Forest Policy Papua New Guinea 1974.

Meeting in Lae with Vice-Chancellor Sandover

Having heard Gloria and I were in Lae and staying at the Huon Gulf Motel on one of our weekend visits to Lae, Dr Sandover arranged to meet with us over lunch at the Motel (he paid!), where he put the hard word on me that I should apply for the recently advertised Chair of Forestry at the PNGUT. Until then I had not been aware that the position recently had been advertised widely internationally. Dr Sandover had done his homework (possibly also in discussion with Kevin White) suggesting that my double first degrees (BSc and BSc (Forestry)) would be significant assets in calming the conflict in the two universities by striking an appropriate balance between conservation and utilisation of PNG’s forest resources. (My BSc from the UNE included majors in botany, ecology and soil science.) He insisted my Schlich Medal (considered equivalent to an Australian University Medal) and PhD in Forestry from the ANU placed me high in the academic rank required for a Foundation Chair of Forestry, the first Chair Dr Sandover wanted to create in the young PNGUT.

I apply for the Foundation Chair of Forestry at the PNGUT

I obtained a copy of the advertisement. It was appearing worldwide in scientific journals and newspapers over several months. On arriving back in Bulolo after my meeting with Dr Sandover, I prepared and submitted an application in April 1974. For referees I used: Professor J D Ovington, Head Department of Forestry School of General Studies and Professor L D Pryor both ANU Canberra ACT; Dr D A N Cromer, Director-General Forestry and Timber Bureau Yarralumla ACT; Dr W E Hillis, Co-ordinator, Wood and Forest Science Forest Products Laboratory CSIRO South Melbourne; and, Professor N C W Beadle, Department of Botany UNE Armidale.

Given the widespread international advertising for the Chair, the closing date for applications was set at the end of 1974, meaning the final selection from among the candidates might not take place until after interview(s) of shortlisted candidates in early 1975.

Another consultant examines the Department of Forests

During the development of the National Forestry Policy for PNG in 1974, yet another forestry consultant was fielded in PNG with overseas technical aid.

The Commonwealth Fund for Technical Aid fielded, G L Carson42 , to the PNG Department of Forests. He reported on “Forestry and Forest Policy in Papua New Guinea” in July 1974 (above). Under the heading “Training” in his report, he made the following points:

“Develop training schemes and facilities to equip nationals to participate in all aspects of forest industry through ownership, employment and management activities. Action is being taken to:

. expand the output from the Forestry College at Bulolo of forest managers and include a course on logging methods

. create a new training centre for industry technicians at all levels and in the interim period to use training facilities in New Zealand and of the Department of Forests

. provide professional training combining the resources of the two universities and the Forestry College from 1975 . increase extension training facilities and seedling supplies for commercial wood lot planting at the village level.

Most notable was his support for professional training “combining the resources of the two universities and the Forestry College from 1975”, a point duly noted and welcomed by both Kevin White and Dr Sandover following their feud with Dr Richardson and the UPNG during 1973.

Research on introduced legumes at Bulolo

The then CNGT was conducting a beef cattle grazing enterprise over large tracts of land around Bulolo. The Company expressed interest in expanding grazing under the forest plantations. An extensive programme was conducted by the Forest Research Station on introduced legumes for planting under the araucaria plantations and for suppressing kunai grass weed competition in young pine plantations. This programme was led by Nev Howcroft with considerable success and which warranted a national field day held in Bulolo to present this work to the wider community.

Company grazing lands adjacent to the Araucaria plantations southeast of Bulolo in 1974.

Cattle grazing in the margins of a Klinkii pine plantation in 1974. Research was conducted to introduce a more palatable shade tolerant ground cover legume under the trees.

Participants in the field day on introduced leguminous ground covers held in Bulolo. 1. Bob Thistlethwaite, Chief Research Officer (Department of Forests, Port Moresby), 2. Nev Howcroft, Research Technical Officer, Forest Research Station, Bulolo, 3. Dick McCarthy, OIC Bulolo Station. In the bottom right hand corner an ABC reporter from Lae records proceedings on tape.

Top: Nev explains the use of Stylosanthes guianensis, a native of Central and South America, to suppress grass and weeds in a young pine plantation along the Geshes Road area, Bulolo. The benefits of cut forage and green manure from this nitrogen-fixing species were other benefits. Bottom: Kevin White (in broad-brimmed hat) and others make a close inspection. The arrow points to one of the young pine trees which were individually ringtended periodically to prevent the legume from also climbing over them.

I apply for promotion to Forest Officer Class 4

In September 1974, the position of head of the Forest Management Research Branch at the Forest Research Station was redesignated at a higher salary level of FO 4 (Position RM9).

The following advertisement for the position appeared as advertisement No. 405 in Government Gazette No. 61 dated 5 September 1974.

I applied and my application was acknowledged on 9 October 1974.

My temporary transfer to the PNGUT in Lae

With a selection committee still waiting for the closing date for overseas applications for the Chair of Forestry, after which interviews for short-listed candidates would need to take place, there was increasing anxiety that the Forestry degree course might not be up and running in Lae by the start of Term 1 in 1975.

During another one of my visits from Bulolo to Lae, Vice-Chancellor Sandover took what I considered the unusual step of inviting me to meet the University Council while it was in one of its sessions. This was a daunting and intimidating prospect which took place at the next meeting of Council. What impressed me most was not the Members but the giant laminated timber table around which the Council Members were seated! Soon after this meeting and probably having gained the agreement of Council in my absence, the Vice Chancellor floated the idea of me coming to Lae immediately to design and start up the course.

It was also revealed at this time that the selection committee for the Chair of Forestry included ViceChancellor Sandover; Professor Ovington, Head of the Department of Forestry ANU; and Kevin White, Assistant Director Research and Training, Department of Forests PNG, as well as other members.

After I was introduced to the PNGUT Council, discussion must have occurred between Dr Sandover and Kevin because a short time later I was contacted by Kevin to find out whether I would agree to a “temporary transfer” to “assist the authorities there in preliminary planning for the Forestry Course” in Lae. I agreed, a decision that later caused me much aggravation over several years to try and retain my benefits owing to me under the ESS for former “permanent” public servants. I was also at the time unaware of most of the internal machinations that had occurred between the two universities and the Department of Forests over the forestry course and also of the internal staff and student troubles and conflicts concerning the administration of the PNGUT.43

Kevin wrote to the Chief Officer, Australian Office, ASAG in Konedobu on 15 November 1974 seeking approval for my “temporary transfer” to the PNGUT in Lae. I could find no specific correspondence from the Chief Officer (Mr Barber) stating that ASAG agreed to the transfer in writing. Agreement,

43 It was only after I was appointed Pro Vice-Chancellor that I gained access to the relevant files in the PNGUT Vice-Chancellor’s office and after the publication of Ian Howie-Willis’s book in 1980 (loc. cit.) that I have been able to reliably piece together the account given here of events at the time.

perhaps verbally, must have been given however during discussions between Barber and White, because ASAG later intimated in correspondence that my transfer had been “approved”.44

Kevin White’s letter (over Director Don Macintosh’s name) to Mr Barber, the Chief Officer, Australian Office, ASAG, requesting approval of my “temporary transfer” to the PNGUT dated 15 November 1974.

We packed up some basic belongings for a temporary move to Lae, leaving Bulolo on 15 November.45The University provided an AR20 style house on campus free of rent for our use.

44 See for example the letter from N S Kenna, Senior Inspector, Overseas Staffing Branch to Chief Officer, ADAB, Canberra dated 18 October 1978 presented here later.

45 Dr Jack Simpson was made Acting Officer-in-Charge of the Forest Research Station in my absence.

On my arrival at the PNGUT in November 1974, I was introduced to the temporary accommodation for the new Department of Forest Studies46 in an unoccupied utility building across the road from the Department of Chemical Technology.

There was a room for the Head, an adjacent room for an office, a room for staff, a room for lectures and a large room that could be used for laboratory activities. There was no furniture in any of the rooms. My future “office” was completely bare except for a green rotary dial telephone and telephone book on the floor in one corner!

Temporary accommodation for Forestry at the PNGUT late 1974 – 1976. My office was at the near end of the building in the top photograph (with power lines in the way of an unobstructed photograph!) Further along were a staff office and a lecture room (photographs below).

Mrs M Barton was recruited as temporary Departmental Secretary. Furniture was drawn from existing stock in the University store. The “Department of Forest Studies” was “operational” from the beginning of December 1974 with just the two of us!

The first order of business was to determine what had been covered in the courses at the UPNG undertaken by the first students that would enrol in Lae in early 1975. The PNGUT, which had thus far operated on a three term per year basis, planned to adopt a two-term year from and including 1975, so my future course planning also would have to take that change into account. I changed the name of the

At first the forestry course was referred to as a “Degree Course in Forestry”, the new Department at the PNGUT was initially called the “Department of Forest Studies”. The name was changed to “Department of Forestry” from the beginning of 1975.

Department to “Department of Forestry” when the Academic Board approved the name of the Degree as “Bachelor of Science (Forestry)” rather than an earlier proposal of “Bachelor of Forest Studies”.

1975

For the first semester in 1975, it was clear the I could not undertake by myself all the teaching that was required. International recruitment procedures were started immediately for two lecturers, one in Silviculture (plantation silviculture and, if possible, expertise in forest mensuration and forest protection) and one in Forest Management (and, if possible, expertise in forest policy, forest economics and forest finance). Meanwhile, I would undertake the design and presentation of lectures and practical work in Silviculture of Indigenous Forests, and Forest Tree Improvement (including tree breeding). Suitable course units in Surveying, Cartography and Hydrology were agreed with other University Departments and approved by the Academic Board for immediate implementation. Proposed Wood Anatomy and Timber Identification and Wood Science and Technology courses also required immediate attention. A once-off rescheduling of courses planned for 1975 could accommodate these courses being presented by visiting lecturers in blocks while waiting for the two Departmental lecturers to be recruited and prepare their course materials.

The first Forestry Degree students arrive in Lae

The first five Forestry students arrived at the PNGUT for the start of the First Semester, 1975. Four were Papua New Guineans and one from the Solomons.

Me and the first five students. From left: Jack Noah, Joseph Ben, Sampson Gaviro (Solomons), Dike Kari, and Oscar Mamalai. (Photograph: PNG Post Courier, Lae Extra, 1 April 1975)

Alec Chang (an ex Bulolo Forestry College graduate, after being sponsored for the next two years at the UPNG by the Fiji Government) soon joined them, making a total of six enrolled in the Third Year of the four-year course.

The Department of Forests was actively supporting and taking a keen interest in forestry students in the pipeline in 1975. The then Director J L Auna hosted the students currently enrolled at the UPNG in the garden at Forestry Headquarters in Hohola.

Forestry students in the garden at Forestry Headquarters, Hohola, Port Moresby in 1975 with the then Director of Forests J L Auna. Top left: Students in the Preliminary Year at UPNG (Director Auna fourth from right). Top right: Students in First Year UPNG (Director Auna standing second from right). Left: Students in Second Year UPNG (Director Auna standing fourth from right).

I commenced the forestry teaching programme with lectures in Silviculture of Indigenous Forests and Forest Tree Improvement. The students attended courses in Surveying, Cartography and Hydrology as agreed in other Departments.

For about half of the Wood Anatomy and Timber Identification course I was fortunate in procuring the service of Dr Ted Hillis from the CSIRO Division of Forest Products, Melbourne. His salary was covered by CSIRO and the PNGUT covered his travel and living expenses in Lae. CSIRO also provided at no cost to the University sets of microscope slides to be used for teaching wood identification. These were prepared from the collection of PNG woods held by the CSIRO in Melbourne. Also provided were black and white negatives of these slides taken through a microscope, from which prints and a teaching manual could be prepared. A number of microscopes for student use arrived among the first orders fulfilled for

equipment. Responding to a request by me, the Division of Forest Products of the Department of Forests provided labelled sets of hand samples of PNG timbers.

The other half share of the Wood Anatomy and Timber Identification course on wood technology and forest products was conducted in a block during a sponsored visit by Professor Everett Ellis47 from the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. Professor Ellis brought with him a suitcase full of hard-to-source wood technology text books for which he was reimbursed by the PNGUT and the books deposited in the library for student use.

As a result of these interim arrangements, a full programme was able to be taught for Semester 1 1975.

In 1975, the OHE sponsored several joint committees of the universities to deal with new course proposals. A number of important presentations were made at the annual Waigani Seminar. In the PNGUT during course development I was able to take note of the various discussions and trends in national development in general and in forestry and the timber industry in particular.

Changes in forestry legislation in PNG

The PNG Government sought assistance from the FAO to undertake a complete revision of the legal structure of the forest industry in the country. A Mission of two persons, F B Zenny and J E RäderRoitzsch, visited PNG between 14 February and 3 April 1975. The main body of their report was a critical appraisal of the main factors then affecting progress in the forestry sector. The second part comprised a draft Forestry Act to be submitted to the Government. A table of contents is given below.

47 Professor Everett Lincoln Ellis (1919-2005), University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand with expertise in pulp and paper technology, wood anatomy and identification and forest products.

Application for Forest Officer Class 4 position

In May 1975, I applied for a Research Management position RM27 advertised at the level of Forest Officer Class 4 (Ad No. 2518, Gazette No. 37, May 1975). I received a notice dated 2 July 1975 that my application “has been received”. However, the fate of this application has never been revealed to me.

New arrangements for payment of salaries and allowances for ASAG employees

At the beginning of 1975 the marriage allowance paid to ASAG employees was increased to $2,300 per annum backdated to 9 October 1974 (ASAG Staff Circular No. 1/1975).

In addition, with the impending introduction of its own Papuan New Guinean currency on 19 April 1975, all salaries and allowances paid into ASAG employees’ bank accounts in PNG from that date would be in Kina and Toea (ASAG Staff Circular No. 2/1975).

New currency for PNG

Introduction of PNG currency took place on 19 April 1975, initially at 1:1 parity with Australian dollar. There was a dual currency circulation period of eight months during which Australian coins and notes were progressively withdrawn. From 1 January 1976, the Australian Dollar would cease to be legal tender in PNG. Expressing the new currency in language and print at the time was set out in widely circulated leaflets in both English and Tok Pisin (Pidgin English) (see next page).

Payment of my salary during secondment to the PNGUT

It seemed at this time that the ADAA had not been keeping up with my situation on secondment. I began to raise queries on HDA, accrual of long leave and furlough entitlements and the status of cadetship and study leave bonds. The Director of the Department of Forests J Auna was very supportive in attempting to sort out these matters. There seemed to be some confusion on where the relevant records were held and who was responsible, Brisbane or Canberra offices of the ADAA and/or the Public Service Board of PNG. (Letters next page.)

2K note (bottom) compared with the Australian $2 note (top) both front (left) and back (right). Initial note denominations issued were 1, 2, 5 and 10 Kina. Later, the K2 note was replaced with a K2 coin and 20, 50 and 100 Kina notes were added.

Initial coin issue. From left: 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 toea and K1. Later the 1 and 2 toea coins were withdrawn, a 50 toea coin was added, and a K2 coin was issued in place the K2 note.

National Investment and Development Guidelines for Forestry

National Investment and Development Guidelines for Forestry were published in 1975.48

Guidelines

1. As a general rule, no agreement between the Government of Papua New Guinea and a foreign enterprise will be by an Act of the House of Assembly,

2. In the appraisal of investment projects, a company’s records of employer/employee relationship in other countries will be taken into account, and,

3. The technology utilized should be the most labour-intensive determined to be economically feasible.

Minimum Terms and Conditions

Any foreign enterprise or individual wishing to engage in an integrated timber industry must agree to:

1. Comply with the laws of Papua New Guinea as amended from time to time,

2. Permit Government or Papuan New Guinean equity participation or options of equity participation to the extent determined to be practical and appropriate,

3. Train Papua New Guineans for all levels of employment under a specific programme approved by the Government,

4. Within the framework of the industrial relations legislation, agree to involve to the maximum extent practicable, Papua New Guinea employees in decision making relating to terms and conditions of employment,

5. Encourage and assist Papua New Guinea corporate entities or entrepreneurs in establishing business associated with the timber projects and directly connected with the main timber operations,

6. Utilise sources of supply and services available in Papua New Guinea, preferably Papua New Guinean owned, unless adequate justification for not doing so can be provided.

Design of a new building to house the Forestry Department at the PNGUT

In addition to the design of the forestry course there was an urgent need to plan for a new building the provide the space required for teaching and for staff that would be required when the two years of forestry students were up to strength were up to planned numbers from 1977 onwards.

With the PNGUT being granted the right to teach the final two tears of the four-year course in Agriculture and the introduction of the new three-year Diploma course in Fisheries Technology there was a change in emphasis to ensure that the new building could accommodate, at the time it was understood at least temporarily, Agriculture and Fisheries Technology as well as Forestry. The building name changed from “Forestry” to “Natural Resources”, and urgent government funds were approved and appropriated to enable the building to be brought forward by more than a year.

The intention at the time was that Agriculture and Fisheries would eventually move into their own specialist accommodation to be built on campus.49

Before I left Lae to return to Bulolo I had spent time with the PNGUT Buildings Officer and a firm of architects to come up with a conceptual design. The building would be built almost entirely of wood. The two-storey layout incorporating a large void adjacent to the upstairs corridor and through ventilation from front to back through louvered walls would allow the long narrow building to function and be comfortable without air-conditioning, except for small rooms housing sensitive equipment such as balances and microscopes which could be sealed and cooled by small air-conditioners and dehumidifiers.

It was intended the roof would be wood shingles, pressure treated in a small pressure treatment plant that had been ordered from Scandinavia for the Forestry Department as a teaching aid.

49

What was not foreseen at the time was that all four years of the BSc in Agriculture would come to Lae, while the three-year Diploma in Fisheries Technology, under pressure from the Department of Agriculture Stock and Fisheries, would relocate to Port Moresby and later to Kavieng.

I wrote to Kevin White on 25 April 1975 with the news that the building was being brought forward. In his reply of 1 May he expressed his wish that he too would like to see forest products used in its construction. I provided the Buildings Officer and the Architects with draft information on PNG timbers and shingle manufacture which were published later during the actual construction phase. Kwila was used as the dominant theme in the building for both the structure and cladding fulfilling Kevin’s wish.

Near-final concept floorplans for the Forestry/Natural Resources building in April/May 1975.

Appointment of lecturer Dr Julian Evans

After an exhaustive international selection process, I was able to appoint the first member of the lecturing staff of the new Forestry Department. He was Dr Julian Evans from the UK. Dr Evans joined the UK Forestry Commission in 1971, first serving as a District Officer at Neath in South Wales, then in research at Alice Holt Lodge. He took unpaid leave from there to come to the PNGUT.

Wood Preservation Seminar July 1975

On 25 March 1975, following a suggestion from Ted Hillis, visiting lecturer, that the PNGUT Forestry Department host a seminar on wood extraction and utilisation in PNG, I wrote to the Forest Products Research Centre in Port Moresby about the idea. Colin Levy wrote back on 16 April that a Tropical Wood Preservation Training Seminar was already in the advanced stages of preparation for July 1975. As a result, I arranged University funding for myself, Dr Evans and the Forestry Students to attend.

Attendees at the PNG Wood Preservation Seminar, Port Moresby, 4 – 24 July 1975.

Front row left to right: J Barnacle (Australia), F. Pana (PNG), J. Aglua (PNG), J. Maniak (PNG), J Wokias (PNG), L Hingano (Tonga), J Noah (Forestry Student, PNGUT), J Ben (Forestry Student, PNGUT).

Second row: M Odeyinde (Nigeria), J Evans (Lecturer, Department of Forestry, PNGUT), C L Teng (Malaysia), T Bellem (PNG), E Obese-Jecty (Ghana), K Yalu (PNG), P Regione (PNG), M A Latif (Bangladesh), P M Basenke (PNG), L Soare (PNG), F N Tamolang (Philippines), M C Tewari (India), F C Francia (PNG), S. Gaviro (Forestry Student, PNGUT), P Apini (PNG), T Tuliaupupu (Western Samoa), D Kari (Forestry Student, PNGUT).

Third row: F Chu (Singapore), K F Chin (Malaysia), B Anuwongse (Thailand), J Davidson (Acting Head, Department of Forestry, PNGUT), S R Kashyap (Fiji), H K Seng (Malaysia), J H Foxton (Australia), P W Millar (New Zealand), F R Siriban (Philippines), O Mamalai (Forestry student, PNGUT), C R Levy PNG).

Fourth row: R M Hull (PNG), A J McQuire (New Zealand), H Greaves (Australia), R Johnstone (Australia), W O Mirisa (PNG), J Loki (PNG), F Guinaudeau (New Caledonia), T Stout (New Zealand), F Tesoro (Philippines), M Henningsson (Sweden).

Fifth row: P Eddowes (PNG), B Henningsson (Sweden), J Gardiner (PNG), S Rayner (PNG), M Fougerousse (France), T Lightly (PNG), F W Laka (PNG), P G Mata (Philippines).

Back row: R Stokes (PNG), N Tamblyn (Australia), ? , B Clifford (Australia) D Fullaway (US Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands), A Baynes (PNG), L C Hing (Malaysia), J Sariman (PNG), I Hunt (New Zealand), P West (PNG), I Whitworth (England), F Dale (Australia).

(Photograph: A Powter (PNG)).

Appointment of lecturer Napoleon T Vergara

After advertising internationally, Mr Napoleon “Nap” Vergara was appointed lecturer in Forest Management, Forest Policy, Forest Economics and Finance. Previously he was Associate Professor of Forestry Economics University of the Philippines, Consultant Presidential Economic Staff Philippines, National Economic and Development Authority Philippines, and Consultant Presidential Commission on Wood Industries Development Philippines. His main areas of interest included forest production economics, forest finance, forest management and policy.

Inaugural course structure for the four-year Forestry Degree course

By the time of my return from Lae to Bulolo in August 1975, I had a firm approved plan for the preferred course structure, the general requirements of which had been incorporated into the Degree and Faculty Rules. The initial degree course was developed for four years, each of two semesters, plus the addition of a preceding “Preliminary Year” if necessary.

The first two years were to be taken at the UPNG. By arrangement, students who had completed at least two years of an approved course at another university or tertiary institution could be allowed to transfer to the PNGUT for the final two years of the forestry course (subject to approval by the PNGUT Academic Board).

The preferred inaugural course structure from the beginning of 1975 was:

YEAR 1: Preliminary year (UPNG)

YEAR 2: (UPNG)

First Semester: 01.106 Basic Biology B

02.101 Chemistry I

09.102 Basic Physics I and Scientific Computation and 08.111 Mathematics IA or 15.100 Introduction to Politics

Second Semester:

A

IA

Note: The subject “Introduction to Politics” was an alternative to “Mathematics IA” in First Semester, but students who did not take “Mathematics IA” in the First Semester were required to take it in Second Semester instead of “Man and His Environment.

YEAR 3: (UPNG)

First

Ecology

Second Semester:

IB

23.305 Rural Sociology (two-thirds of curriculum only) 23.104 Soils I

- Introductory Botany for Forestry Students (in place of one-third Rural Sociology)

01.216 Introduction to Forestry

YEAR 4: (PNGUT)

First Semester:

SV421 Forest Surveying

AB261 Planning and Controlling

FR414 Forest Mensuration

FR411 Principles of Tree Improvement

SV160 Elementary Drafting

FR402 Wood Anatomy and Timber Identification

CE520 Hydrology I

Second Semester:

FR409 Wood Science and Technology

FR414 Forest Mensuration (continued)

AB262 Formal and Informal Organisation

FR406 Forest Finance and Resource Economics

FR412 Foundations of Silviculture and Forest Protection

YEAR 5: (PNGUT)

First Semester:

SV431 Photogrammetry for Foresters

AB574 Business Administration II

FR501 Harvesting and Utilisation of Forest Products

FR503 Forest Management I: Administration, Policy and Law

FR504 Silviculture of Indigenous Forests

FR505 Plantation Silviculture

Second Semester:

FR501 Harvesting and Utilization of Forest Products (continued)

FR505 Plantation Silviculture (continued)

FR506 Forest Management II: Production Planning, Operations Analysis and Control

FR507 Forest Management III: Land Use and Multiple Use, Resource Management, Environmental Protection

FR509 Practical Exercise

For PNGUT: SV = Department of Surveying, AB = Department of Administration and Business Studies, FR = Department of Forestry, CE = Department of Civil Engineering.

Course descriptions

These are arranged in the order given in the structure above (a lecture or tutorial was nominally about one hour long, practical and laboratory sessions were about three hours long).

UPNG:

01.106 Basic Biology B

Two lectures, one three-hour practical session and one tutorial per week.

Course description

An introduction to cell biology through structure, function and reproduction of animal and plant cells. Detailed studies of biological concepts such as inheritance, evolution and ecology.

02.101 Chemistry I

Two lectures, one practical and one tutorial per week.

Course description

The first course in Chemistry. Atomic theory and the concept of the molecule; chemical formulae, equations and measurements, structure of gasses, liquids and solids: atomic structure and the periodic table; ionic and covalently bonded compounds; chemical reactions, chemical equilibria; chemistry of water and aqueous solutions.

09.102 Basic Physics I and Scientific Computation

Two lectures, two tutorials and one laboratory session per week. One tutorial per week is devoted to the kind of computations found in science and to use of the slide rule; the laboratory session emphasizes measurement skills.

Course description

Kinematics, force and energy; fluid statics and dynamics; thermal physics.

08.111 Mathematics IA

Two lectures and two tutorials per week. Monthly tests and assignments.

Prerequisite

Preliminary Year Mathematics option or equivalent.

Course description

Inequalities; graphs of polynomial and rational functions; trigonometric, exponential and logarithmic functions; introduction to sequences and series.

15.100 Introduction to Politics

Four hours of lectures and tutorials per week.

Course description

The ways in which individuals and groups strive for influence, power and authority in a variety of situations, the aspirations, interests and world views they express and represent, the structures which govern the political process. This course is designed to introduce students to these aspects and enlarge their skills in identifying, analysing and evaluating the issues involved in any political situation. Course materials are based upon case studies of contemporary problems and issues in PNG and world politics, current affairs items from the press, radio and other sources, and background reading.

01.105 Basic Biology A

Two lectures, one tutorial and one laboratory session per week.

Course description

A common-core course designed for science, agriculture, forestry, medical, dentistry and education students. Introduction to the study of life through the taxonomy, structure and function of animals and plants.

02.102 Chemistry II

Two lectures, one tutorial and one practical per week.

Prerequisite

02.101 Chemistry I

Course description

Further study of chemical reactions; water and hydrated ions; ionic equilibria – acids, bases and hydrogen ion reactions; the pH scale and dissociation constants of acids and equilibria; oxidation-reduction reactions and use of standard half-cell potentials; electronic structure as the basis of chemical reactivity and bonding (valence shell electron pair repulsion theory); dipole moments, polar and nonpolar molecules; intermolecular forces; an introduction to the chemistry of carbon compounds; hydrocarbons, petroleum. Practical sessions in organic chemistry designed to illustrate the theoretical syllabus.

09.103 Basic Physics II

One lecture, one tutorial and one laboratory session per week.

Prerequisite

09.102 Basic Physics I

Course description

Electrostatics; electrolysis; DC circuits; magnetic effects of currents and induced emfs; wave motion; sound and light.

13.104 Man and His Environment

Two lectures and one tutorial per week.

Course description

Develop awareness of the origin of humans, the dispersal and evolution of plants and animals and the relationships between humans and their environment.

01.115 Introductory Ecology

Two lectures, one tutorial and one four-hour practical per week.

Prerequisites

01.105 Biology A or 01.106 Biology B

Course description

Ecological and systems concepts; concepts of energy, feeding relationships, productivity and primary productivity; astronomical, geosystem and biogeochemical cycles; nutrient budgets; population characteristics and dynamics; factors affecting population size; the structure and function of ecosystems; local ecosystems, human populations and human ecosystems; applied ecology – the optimum yield issue and biological control.

23.102 Biometrics

Two lectures and three to four hours of tutorial/practical sessions per week

Course description

Tabulation and presentation of data; sampling techniques; elementary probability theory; distributions and their characteristics, binomial distribution; chi-squared test; correlation and regression; design of experiments and analysis of variance – completely randomized, randomized block and latin square designs.

03.131 Economics IA

Three lectures and two tutorials per week.

Course description

The emergence of the modern world economy from 1600; population, trade, technology, investment, subjugation, colonial expansion. PNG in the world economy today. Structure of the PNG economy: a comparison with that of certain other countries. Strategies and views of development in some agrarian countries: Japan after 1868, Russia after 1929, China and North Vietnam after the Japanese War, Tanzania and Kenya after independence, Fiji.

01.216 Economic Entomology

Three lectures and one practical per week. Students are required to make an insect collection and participate in field projects.

Prerequisites

01.105 Biology A and 01.106 Biology B

Course description

Insect structure, classification, physiology and ecology with special reference to insects of agricultural and medical significance in the tropics.

03.132 Economics IB

Three lectures and two tutorials per week.

Prerequisites

Pass at E level or better in 03.131 Economics IA

Course description

1. Conditions of Production and Productivity: the subsistence economy and the modern commercial – bureaucratic economy. Determinants of productivity: specialization, diminishing marginal returns to a factor; economics of scale. Location of productive activity.

2. Business in Melanesia: Forms of business organisation. Business concepts, indications and arithmetic: costs, depreciation, profit, assets, liabilities, net worth; a basic accounting framework; interest, rent dividends, yield, earnings.

Performance of small business in PNG and reasons for some failures. Prospects of extension of small-scale technologies in Melanesia. Determinants of and limits to, the saleable output of a business.

3. Financing a business: Financial institutions and other sources of funds. Operating financial institutions. Money: its nature and functions.

4. Determination of price in the commodity markets: Relationships of price, demand and output. Attempts to control prices.

5. The economy as a whole: National income and other aggregates.

6. Distribution of income, wealth and power. Factors determining distribution in PNG. Attempts to modify distribution.

7. Self-sufficiency and self-reliance. Possible meanings and value of various approaches.

8. Quantitative methods. Recapitulation and practise of methods used in 03.131 Economics IA.

23.305 Rural Sociology

Two hours of lectures and two hours of practical work per week.

Course description

An introductory course in sociology with emphasis on the comparative study of rural social organisation as a basis for understanding social problems in the rural areas of PNG. (Forestry students attend first two-thirds of the course only.)

23.104 Soils I

Course description

Soil profile: texture, structure, soil water, porosity, density, aeration, clay minerals and cation exchange capacity. pH, soil organisms and organic matter, plant nutrients, soil factors affecting plant growth.

Introductory Botany for Forestry Students

Two lectures, one tutorial and one practical per week.

Prerequisites

01.105 Biology A, 01.106 Biology B

Course description

An introduction to plant biology. Plant structure, morphology and anatomy in relation to function. Introduction to plant physiology. Plant diversity – the major groups of plants. Plant pathology. Plant evolution. Fungi in the forest ecosystem. Vegetation history.

01.250

Introduction to Forestry

Approximately fifteen hours of lectures and field visits. Presented by several professional staff of the Department of Forests PNG.

Course description

An introduction to silviculture, management and utilization of forests; entomological, pathological and silvicultural research; forest policy and forest resources in PNG.

PNGUT

SV 421 Forest Surveying

Three hours of lectures and practical work per week.

Course description

General principles in surveying. Applications of ground surveying in forestry. Principles of plane surveying. Measurement and setting out of distances and angles.

Computation and closure of traverses. Degrees of accuracy. Instruments and techniques for forest surveys. Precision of field measurements. Planning field surveys. Ground surveys for location, design and setting out of forest roads. Computation and mapping of survey data.

AB 261 Planning and Controlling

Two hours of lectures and one tutorial per week. At the completion of the course the student will be able to i) apply managerial planning and control techniques to work situations, and ii) more effectively apply inter-personal skills in group situations.

Course description

Introduction to management technologies and theories; planning and forecasting, including policy formulation, objectives and planning techniques, controlling including relationship planning, information collection, corrective action, management by exception.

FR 414 Forest Mensuration

Three hours of lectures per week. Practical work and field exercises – 30 hours per semester.

Course description

Fundamental relationships between tree and stand variables and their use for quantitative estimation and for understanding tree behaviour. Measurement and estimation of the diameter, height, volume and age variables of trees, standing and felled. Stem form and taper. Growth processes and tree shape. Stem profile. Stem bole area. Crown dimensions. Increment in tree variables and its measurement. Factors influencing the estimation of stand variables. Tree size distributions, stand basal area. Stand height. Stand volume. Site productivity. Stand density. Increment. Yield.

Principles and methods of forest resources management inventories. Contribution of forest mensuration to forest management.

FR 411 Principles of Tree Improvement

Three hours of lectures and practical work per week.

Course description

The mechanism of hereditary transmission. Natural variation within and among populations, including wood properties. Provenance. Heritability. Selection. Breeding methods and genetic gain. Controlled breeding in forest tree species. Seed orchards and progeny trials. Clonal selection and propagation.

SV 160 Elementary Drafting

Three hours of lectures and practical work per week.

Course description

Elementary plan drawing and cartography as applied to survey drafting, plotting, lettering, conventional signs and symbols, standard plans, enlargement, reduction and reproduction.

FR 402 Wood Anatomy and Timber Identification

Three hours of lectures and practical work per week.

Course description

Significance and origin of cambium. Periclinal and anticlinal division of cambium initials. Gross, microscopic and submicroscopic characteristics of wood cell types, cell wall sculpturing. Anatomy of reaction wood. Anatomical and other features used in wood identification. Principles and use of keys for wood identification. Recognition of characteristics of wood of the main commercial tree species of PNG, both indigenous and exotic.

CE 520 Hydrology I

Four hours of lectures and practical work per week.

Course description

The disposition of water in the atmosphere, on the earth’s surface and underground. The hydrologic cycle and its processes. Introduction to meteorology and climate. Stream flow measurement. Introduction to flood prediction. Drainage.

FR 409 Wood Science and Technology

Six hours of lectures and practical work per week.

Course description

The importance of, and increasing world demand for, forest products, and the resources available. Wide range of properties in products from tropical forests. The fine structure and chemical constitution of the wood cell wall (cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin) and possible induced changes. Secondary wood changes (formation of heartwood, wound- and wet-wood, discoloured and decayed wood. Variations from normal wood quality (growth stresses and brittle heart, reaction wood, spiral grain, wound formation and deposits). Minor forest products (resinous materials, oils, etc.). Permeability of wood. Extraneous components (starch, fats, polyphenols, resins, etc.) and their influence in utilization (adhesion, durability, pulp, etc.). Preparation and storage of wood chips. Pulp and paper manufacture including the influence of wood properties on paper properties.

Distribution of water in wood and in the tree stem. Structural factors affecting the permeability of wood. Shrinkage, swelling and dimensional stabilisation of wood. Capillarity and diffusion. Drying of wood. Wood preservation (processes, preservatives and standards). Mechanical properties (strength and its determination, machining). Acoustical and thermal properties. Combustion of wood and fire retardance.

FR 412 Foundations of Silviculture and Forest Protection

Three hours of lectures and tutorials per week. Practical work, and forest visits – 30 hours per semester.

Course description

Environment and tree and forest growth – mechanism of influence on tree physiology and effect of forest on microclimate –implications for practise of silviculture -damage caused by extremes – protection requirements and practice. Fire protection

plans, practice and economics. Protection against other vegetation – concept of competition, damaging effects, protection measures. Protection against animal damage – role and place of grazing in the forest. Protection against humans – detrimental effects on forest and forest products. Forest pathology and entomology – mechanism of damage and protection measures for fungal diseases and insect pests of economic importance to PNG’s forests and forest products. Interaction between disease occurrence, susceptibility and the health and growth rate as influenced by other environmental factors. Technical aspects of forest protection. Protective role of forests and forest cover – importance in total biosphere.

SV 431 Photogrammetry for Foresters

Three hours of lectures and practical work per week.

Course description

Fundamental of aerial photo interpretation, and its use in forestry. Stereoscopic vision tests. Elements of aerial photography: cameras, film and processing. Forestry requirements for aerial photography. Elements of photogrammetry. Photo interpretation. Principles and techniques of mapping from aerial photographs.

FR 501 Harvesting and Utilization of Forest Products

Four hours of lectures and tutorials per week. Practical work and field exercises – 15 hours per semester.

Course description

Harvesting, including operations at the stump, extraction of logs from stump to forest landing and transport of logs from forest to processing plant. Thinning, clear felling and selective logging. Short wood, single log length, multi-log length, tree length and whole tree systems of logging. Logging and the environment. Logging systems in relation to the requirements of sawmills and other wood processing plants. Log reception, storage, sorting and selection at sawmills and other wood processing plants. Saws and their function in sawmills. Sawing patterns. Moving material through sawmills and disposal of waste. Sawmill productivity and efficient mill design.

Defects in timber. Visual and mechanical stress grading. The manufacture of plywood, particle board, fibre board and pulp and paper. Integration of forest industries. Siting of forest industries in relation to supplies of raw materials, availability of labour, power, water supply, effluent disposal and markets for finished products. The role of utilisation in forest management. Safety procedures and practices.

AB 262 Formal and Informal Organisation

Two hours of lectures and one hour of tutorial per week

Course description

Formal organisation including line, line/staff, functional and clientele structures; divisionalisation, decentralization, centralization; delegation of authority, departmentation. Internal organisation including the work group, social relations, motivational theories, the individual and need satisfaction.

FR 503 Forest Management I: Administration, Policy and Law

Four hours of lectures and tutorials per week Practical work and field exercises – 15 hours per semester.

Course description

History of forest management in general and in PNG. Management theory and the manager. Forest management, objects of management and factors affecting them. District and administrative organisation. Mensuration and management, rotations, cutting cycles. Management inventory. Regulation of forests. Yield calculation and determination of cut. Planning, control and records in forest management. Status of forest management and management of the main forest areas in PNG. Factors influencing the development of forest policy. The main elements of forest policy in various tropical countries. Forest resources and historical development of forest policy in PNG. Likely future trends. Forest law and regulations, in general and in PNG. Land tenure laws.

AB 574 Business Administration II

Two hours of lectures per week. The course is designed to: i) provide a basic understanding of administrative processes in the context of rural development, and ii) develop an awareness of the principles of formal and informal organisations as instanced by work situations.

Course description

Bureaucracy; autonomous institutions; public enterprises; government financing and budgetary processes; national and district planning; rural development. Organisational structures; authority, responsibility authority; the work group; social relations; motivational theories.

FR

406 Forest Finance and Resource Economics

Five hours of lectures and practical work per week.

Course description

Forestry in the PNG economy. Marketing methods and research, the pricing of forest products. Comparative advantage and trade in forest products. Production economics, theory of costs and cost analysis. Time preference functions and discounting. The rate of interest and resource allocation over time. Stumpage appraisal and the theory of rent. Evaluation of forestry projects, analysis of balance sheets. Valuation and damage appraisal. Cost-benefit analysis and programme budgeting. Economics of resource conservation and multiple use. Consumption of forest products in PNG. The future of forestry in the economic development of PNG.

FR

504 Silviculture of Indigenous Forests

Three hours of lectures and tutorials per week. Forest visits – 15 hours per semester.

Course description

History and conditions of the indigenous forests. The silvicultural decision as a response to ecological, economic, market and environmental factors relating to the forest area. Silvicultural practice and environmental conservation. Use and development of tropical forests. Seed production and regeneration in tropical forests. Selective logging, intensive logging, pulpwood logging. Regeneration treatments, including thinning and use of herbicides. Clear cutting, site preparation, direct seeding and planting techniques.

FR 505 Plantation Silviculture

Three hours of lectures per week. Practical work and field trips – 30 hours per semester.

Course description

Tree nursery practice. Characteristics, variability and treatment of tree seed. Control of nursery and plantation weed species. Plantation design. Preparation of planting sites and planting. Relationship between plantation growth and soil and climatic factors, site cultivation and use of fertilizers. Problems of continuing production under forest monoculture. Periodicity of tree growth. Silvicultural characteristics. Growth and yield of selected plantation species. Dominance, tolerance and competition. Thinning. Initial espacement in plantations. Effects of thinning on the production of wood. Factors affecting thinning decisions. Economic aspects of thinning treatment. Natural and artificial pruning. Effects of artificial pruning on trees, stands and wood quality. Rotations.

FR 506 Forest Management II: Production Planning, Operations Analysis and Control

Four hours of lectures and tutorials per week. Practical exercises – 15 hours per semester.

Course description

The principles of problem-solving techniques and their application to natural resources systems. The theory of systems; objectives, models, feedback and control. Deterministic models; marginal analysis and investment analysis. Probabilistic models; analysis involving risk and uncertainty, statistical decision theory and game theory. Management planning, normal forest, linear programming, dynamic programming and simulation models. Production and pricing policy with respect to district, regional and national goals, technological change, macro-economic and institutional problems.

FR 507 Forest Management III: Land Use, Multiple Use and Resource Management, Environmental Protection

Five hours of lectures, tutorials and practical work per week.

Course description

World population trends and the increasing demands placed by humans on the resource base. Nature of renewable natural resources. Resource surveys. Conceptual framework of defining policy objectives, decision making and implementation of programmes of resource use. The forester as a natural resource manager. Forest values with respect to timber production, wildlife, grazing, water yield, protection, recreation, amenity and conservation considerations. Integration of different uses of forest land and of forestry with other forms of land use.

Concept of natural systems and of unstable equilibriums. Biotic and environmental change. Pollution. Introductions and invasions. Relative attributes of native and man-made forests. Interpretation of dynamics of forest ecosystem processes in terms of (a) organic production and turnover, (b) nutrient circulation, (c) Hydrologic cycle and, (d) solar radiation, energy balance and flow. Application of computer models to forest ecosystem functioning. Site potential and factors limiting biological and economic production from forests.

The recreational need. Impact of recreation and tourism on resources and forest management. Selection, establishment and management of scenic areas, nature reserves and national parks. Economic and social functions of national parks and forest areas. Land use planning and landscape design. Role of tree and forests in rural and urban landscapes.

FR 509 Practical Exercise

Thirty hours of tutorials and practical sessions.

Course description

A working plan for a forest area drawn up using real data.

Staff of UPNG in 1975and their main teaching responsibilities for the forestry course

Professor K P Lamb, MSc (Hons) (N Z), PhD (Canterbury N Z), FRSA

Professor of Biology, Dean of Faculty of Science

Previous appointments: School of Biological Sciences University of Sydney, Plant Diseases Division DSIR New Zealand.

Main areas of interest: Physiological ecology, especially of plant parasitic insects, economic entomology.

Professor W C Clarke, PhD

Lecturer (Man and His Environment)

Previous appointments: Senior Research Fellow, Research School of Pacific Studies ANU, Associate Professor University of Hawai`i, USA. Taught courses in cultural geography, human ecology, and conservation of natural resources. Main areas of interest: Cultural ecology, ethnobotany, human ecology and problems of development.

Dr T N Khan, MSc Ag (Agra India), PhD (Western Australia)

Senior Lecturer (Biometrics)

Previous appointments: Lecturer, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.

Main areas of interest: Plant breeding and genetics, plant pathology, agronomy.

Dr J H Beard, BSc (Hons), PhD, AIFST

Senior Lecturer (Chemistry I and II)

Previous appointments: Lecturer in Chemistry, University of Missouri USA, Lecturer in Chemistry, Reading Technical College, Lecture in Chemistry, The College of Arts, Science and Technology, Kingston Jamaica.

Main areas of interest: Analytical chemistry (especially gas chromatography), chemistry of natural products (essential oils, foods, spices), aflatoxin content of crops in PNG, flavour chemistry, food science and technology, science education.

Dr R L Parfitt, BSc (Hon) (London), MS (Michigan), PhD (Adelaide)

Senior Lecturer (Soil Science)

Main areas of interest: Crop nutrition, soil nitrogen and phosphate, clay minerals, volcanic ash soils.

Dr D R R Gowdie, BSc, PhD (New England)

Lecturer (Coordinator) (Basic Physics I and II)

Previous appointments: Lecturer in Science, Armidale Teachers’ College.

Main areas of interest: Radio and electronics.

Dr L Hill, BSc (Hons), PhD

Lecturer (Basic Biology)

Main areas of interest: Reptile and amphibian ecology and physiology, environmental management.

Dr T V Price, BSc (Hons), PhD (London), DIC, MI Biology

Lecturer (Plant Pathology)

Previous appointments: University of Adelaide, Department of Agriculture Kenya.

Main areas of interest: Epidemiology and control of plant pathogens, biological control, chemotaxonomy of fungi, physiological plant pathology.

Dr D G Frodin, SB (Chicago), SM (Tennessee), MSc (Liverpool), PhD (Canterbury), FLS

Lecturer (General Botany and Systematics)

Previous appointments: Division of Botany, Department of Forests, Lae.

Main areas of interest: Systematics of Araliaceae (especially Schefflera) and Lauraceae, floristics and biogeography of Papuasia, bibliography, botanical education (including popular booklets).

Dr I M Johnstone, MSc (Hons) (Auckland), PhD (Kansas)

Lecturer (Plant Physiology, Ecology, Cryptogamic Botany)

Main areas of interest: Plant physiological ecology, the functional analysis of tropical ecosystems.

Mr U Lilje, BEc (UPNG) MA (Waterloo)

Lecturer (Economics)

Previous appointments: Tutor in Economics UPNG.

Main areas of interest: Resource allocation, appropriate technology in third world countries.

UPNG Waigani campus in 1975. (UPNG photograph)

PNGUT Taraka Campus, 1974. 1. Main entrance, 2. Vice-Chancellor’s residence, 3. Administration, 4. Departments of Architecture and Building, and Accountancy and Business Studies, 5. Duncanson Hall (under construction), 6. Department of Applied Physics, 7. Department of Electrical Engineering, 8. Department of Mechanical Engineering, 9. Department of Civil Engineering, 10. Department of Language and Social Science, and Department of Surveying, 11. Matheson Library, 12. Department of Chemical Technology (under construction), 13. Department of Forestry (temporary accommodation), 14. Chemical Analysis Laboratory, 15. Halls of Residence and Dining Facilities (one more complex of six blocks just completed), 16. Staff housing (part), 17. Union Complex, 18. Playing fields (part), 19. Main road to Lae town. (PNGUT photograph)

Staff of PNGUT in 1976 and their main teaching responsibilities for the Forestry course

Dr J Davidson, BSc (UNE), BSc (For) (Hons), PhD (Forestry) (ANU)

Acting Head of the Department of Forestry (temporarily seconded to the University from the Government Department of Forestry) (Lecturer Principles of Tree Improvement, Wood Anatomy and Timber Identification (in association with Dr Hillis visiting lecturer from CSIRO Division of Forest Products, Melbourne), Forest Mensuration)

Previous appointments: Officer in Charge, Forest Research Station, Bulolo, PNG.

Main areas of interest: Tree breeding, wood quality and tropical eucalypts.

Dr J Evans, BSc (Hons), PhD (Wales)

Lecturer (Plantation Silviculture, Forest Mensuration, Forest Protection)

Previous appointments: Forestry Commission United Kingdom, Swaziland Government Technical Assistance Scheme.

Main areas of interest: Second rotation problems, crop/site interaction, forest fire protection.

Mr N T Vergara, R Cert (Philippines), BScF (Philippines), MF (NY)

Lecturer (Forest Management, Forest Policy, Forest Economics and Finance)

Previous appointments: Associate Professor of Forestry Economics University of the Philippines, Consultant Presidential Economic Staff Philippines, National Economic and Development Authority Philippines, Consultant Presidential Commission on Wood Industries Development Philippines.

Main areas of interest: Forest production economics, forest finance, forest management and policy.

Mr G P Atkins, BE (NSW), MIE (Australia)

Senior Lecturer (Hydrology) (Department of Civil Engineering)

Previous appointments: Senior Lecturer in Agricultural Engineering (Roseworthy Agricultural College South Australia), Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering (Bendigo Institute of Technology, Victoria). Main areas of interest: Flood flows and flood prediction.

Mr K I Massey, MNZIS, Registered Surveyor, MASPNG Lecturer (Surveying) (Department of Surveying)

Previous appointments: R G Brickell, Moss & Partners N Z, Wall, Bogle, Payne N Z, Forest Surveyor N Z Forest Service Rotorua, Conservancy Surveyor NZ Forest Service in Rotorua and Nelson, Senior Surveyor, M O W, Turangi, N Z. Main areas of interest: Forestry surveying.

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.

Students were required to be proficient in the use of various survey instruments, especially those being used at the time in plantation establishment, marking compartment boundaries and in forest resource surveys.

These included the Suunto Clinometer, Suunto Compass, Altimeter and Abney Level.

Right:

I introduce students (from left) Dike Kari, Sampson Gaviro and Joseph Ben to the Suunto Clinometer and Suunto Compass. Photograph: PNGUT Audiovisual Department.

Above: Meanwhile, back in Kempsey, the Macleay Argus carries a short note on my appointment to the PNGUT on secondment.

Also, the tree height calculator developed by Gary Archer50was examined and used by the students.

Two versions of a tree height calculator developed by Gary Archer. The early version on the left was in imperial units, the later one on the right in metric units. The outer and inner circles (“tree height” and “length of baseline” respectively) are fixed, while the middle circle (“instrument reading” and “slope of baseline”) rotates on a central pivot. The calculator on the left has a table of distances to be set out on various average slopes to describe the radii of plots 1 chain in diameter. The calculator on the right allows tree heights to be measured from baselines of any length between 10 and 30 metres, on any slope between 0 and 120 percent and especially suitable for use with metric Suunto clinometers that have a percent slope scale.

50 Archer, G R 1972. A simple tree height converter [for measuring tree heights in steep topography with poor visibility]. Commonwealth Forestry Review 51(3):246-253

Left: Suunto Clinometer top, Suunto Compass bottom and Altimeter. Right: Abney Level, especially suitable for accurately setting a particular angle of elevation.

Panic recruitment of overseas staff to replace losses from the PNG Public Service

Reacting to the more rapid departure than expected of former expatriate officers from PNG, the Department of Territories in Canberra began an international recruiting drive for replacements, under contract, with advertisements placed widely in the Australian and international press.

PNG vacancies advertised on p18 of the Daily Telegraph Supplement, Monday 26 July 1975. Despite me and other foresters having been given notice on 31 July 1973 that “our services are no longer required”, this advertisement in Australian and overseas newspapers is calling for applications for engagement under contract of Chemist (Forests), Entomologists (Forests), Forest Officers, Senior Drafting Officer (Forests), among other professional and tradespeople. This was before the notification from the Chief Minister and the Chairman of the Public Service Board of 2 September 1975 (see later).

Safeguarding and publication of my research on E. deglupta

Time was running out for my continuing service in PNG. The date then advised for my retention was 31 December 1976, only a little over one year away. It would not be possible to complete the analyses, writing up and publication of the increasing body of work on E. deglupta in that time. I wrote to the Director of Forests on 20 May 1976 to request permission to continue to write up and publish this work after I had left the Department, that is from the PNGUT or even after I had left PNG. I provided a list of

possible papers and topics such as the ongoing provenance and progeny trials. Permission was granted by Director Auna in a letter dated 19 June 1975.

Safeguarding the black and white photographic record of my research in PNG

All the way from my time at Keravat in 1967, Col Roach in Port Moresby had been developing my 6 x 6 cm black and white film negatives and returning them to me along with 10 copies of 8 x 8 inch (about 20 x 20 cm) prints of each frame. These I had captioned and stored. Some prints had been used already in the Research Note series, my PhD thesis and elsewhere. I now sent a packet of one each of some 80 of these different captioned prints to each of the Regional Forest Offices, Lae and Rabaul, the Forest Office at Keravat, the Research Station at Dami and the Forest Office in Madang in the hope that some would survive on file for posterity. The negatives, each in its own captioned envelope, and a complete set of prints were stored in one of the empty insect drawers in the air-conditioned and dehumidified insect collection room at the Forest Research Station Bulolo. I also kept one set of prints with me.

Fear of the collapse of economic development of forestry and forest products in PNG

The Minister for Natural Resources and Minister Assisting the Chief Minister (Special Projects), Mr Bruce Jephcott MHA, made public in the Post Courier (p5 Thursday 31 July 1974, reproduced on the next page) details of his position on the timber industry and forestry in PNG. This came after the release of the PNG Forest Policy in 1974, discussion earlier at the annual 1974 Waigani Seminar, and a slew of comments by a wide spectrum of politicians, scientists and academics, most of it negative, and particularly critical of the Department of Forest’s performance on “reafforestation”.

Mr Jephcott correctly identified the then major problem in implementing reafforestation immediately after harvesting the former mixed-species forest:

“… the traditional land owner is very reluctant to commit his land to the future production of timber for the relatively long period necessary to ensure the continued growing and supply of the volumes of timber required to keep each industry operating in perpetuity.”

Not obvious then was that, within the next decade, the burgeoning expansion of the oil palm industry in PNG would occur. Oil palm’s much earlier and higher returns to growers on lands that would have been highly suitable for reafforestation, meant that a landowner would be even more unlikely to choose to use his land to grow trees for wood and fibre production alone after harvest of the original forest.

I return to the Forest Research Station, Bulolo

I returned to my post as Officer-in-Charge, Forest Research Station, Bulolo on 15 August 1975. My stint at the PNGUT was acknowledged in the University weekly news (left).

The good news was firstly that the ADAA had figured out my entitlements for Long Leave and Furlough, recognising that my study leave, both paid and unpaid, had been counted as service as intimated in correspondence exchanged prior to that leave. Secondly, that the PNG Public Service Board had advised that

Staff and students of the Forestry Department at the PNGUT in August 1975, just before my return to Bulolo. From left to right: Mrs M Barton, temporary Departmental Secretary/PA, me, six students (Dike Kari, Oscar Mamalai, Joseph Ben, Jack Noah, Sampson Gaviro and Alec Chang), Mr N Vergara and Dr J Evans (two recentlyappointed lecturers). (Photograph: PNGUT Audiovisual Department.)

my obligations under my cadetship bond had been fulfilled, despite the later advice that the Public Service Board did not issue “official letters of clearance”.

Back to preschool in Bulolo for Ivon

Ivon was glad to be back in the Bulolo Preschool. This turned out to be brief however as my employment circumstances took another path.

Ivon (bottom left corner) returns to activities at the Bulolo Preschool in late 1975.

Offer of a revised retention date for my services and winding up of ASAG

On 2 September 1975, I received a letter over the signatures of the Chief Minister and the Chairman of the Public Service Board that requested I agree to continue my service in PNG until 31 December 1978.

This was two more years beyond 31 December 1976 that was offered earlier by Mr Somare in his “your services are no longer required” letter of 31 July 1973!

However, there was a catch! In the Joint Statement by Mr Somare and the Australian Prime Minister and Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Whitlam (“Annexure A”) that new staffing arrangements would be introduced from 1 July 1975 to encourage those now employed by the Australian Government in ASAG to transfer to direct contract employment with the PNG Government before the ASAG arrangements were wound up on 30 June 1976. Again, the passage marked in yellow later proved crucial in negotiations with the Public Service Board over whether a contract with the PNGUT was a contract with the PNG Government.

Further, for those permanent officers like myself, who wished to complete a specified period of contract employment with the PNG Government, the Australian Government would accelerate payment of the balance of the annual instalments of compensation due under the Employment Security Scheme at that time. For example, an officer who completed two years of contract employment with the PNG Government would receive the balance of the instalment payments payable six months thereafter. This meant the total compensation would be received over a period of 2½ years instead of over 5 years.

PNG Independence Day

Back

After I had been only a little over a month back in Bulolo, Dr Sandover was negotiating with the Department of Forests for my return to the University in Lae on a continuation of the original secondment. The Department agreed in a letter to Vice-Chancellor Sandover drafted by Kevin White on 24 September 1975.

At this time a date for my return to Lae had not been set, but the expectation was that I would move “as soon as possible”.

PNG gained its independence on Tuesday 16 September 1975. The Proclamation was made by the Governor General Sir John Guise.

Prince Charles officiated, Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and Australian Governor General Sir John Kerr attended. Mr Somare became the first Prime Minister of PNG.

to the PNGUT in Lae on secondment

Interview for the Chair of Forestry at the PNGUT and my subsequent appointment

In the first week of October 1975, I was shortlisted and interviewed for the position of foundation Professor of Forestry at the PNGUT. I was summoned to appear in the Council Room at the PNGUT. The interview panel was chaired by Vice-Chancellor Sandover, and both Professor Ovington and Kevin White had travelled to Lae to attend in person. A fortnight later I was advised that I was the successful applicant. An announcement appeared in the University weekly news sheet dated 24 October 1975.

My appointment was also announced in the PNG Post Courier on Tuesday 28 October1975. The paper used a file photograph taken in April 1975 during my earlier secondment. From left the students were: Jack Noah, Joseph Ben, Sampson Gaviro (Solomons), Dike Kari, and Oscar Mamalai.

Duplication of colour transparencies and copying documents.

Now that I would be leaving the Forest Research Station, there was an urgent need to duplicate the Kodachrome and Ectachrome colour slides connected with my research. The originals were sent to Kodak in Melbourne for duplication and return. As was done for the black and white photographic negatives, the originals were stored in one of the vacant insect drawers in the air-conditioned and dehumidified room housing the insect collection at the Station.

Without access to a copier, I used both my own 35mm camera with a macro lens and my photographic enlarger to copy plans and documents relating to my research on E. deglupta. I photographed my entire Departmental personal file. I used my enlarger in reverse for some large items like plans and drawings. This involved placing the subject flat on the easel board which could be illuminated by four 500W photoflood lamps controlled by an on-off time switch. The colour, black and white panchromatic or high contrast black and white film to be exposed was placed in the enlarger negative carrier under appropriate safelight conditions and exposed by the photofloods for a set length of time. The films were then developed and printed in the normal way to provide a handy set of records that I could take with me.

Symposium on Ecology and Conservation, Wau

On 4 November 1975, a Symposium on Ecology and Conservation in PNG was held at the Wau Ecology Institute. I presented a paper entitled “Interaction of Production Forestry with Conservation Objectives and Multiple Use of Forest Land in Papua New Guinea”.

51 Abstract: The implications of increasing population and effects of natural phenomena on the forests of Papua New Guinea are considered. The physical, physiochemical and sociological influences of forests on the ecosystem are described briefly. An introduction to production forestry in the country is followed by an indication of future trends in utilization of the forest resource. As an example of several large-scale operations contemplated, the Gogol wood-chip project is described in detail to illustrate use of land classification and coordinated land use planning prior to development. Some illustrations are given concerning management plans to meet production, conservation, ecological and multiple use objectives which contribute to a lessening of adverse social and environmental impacts in the Gogol Timber Area. Finally, some recommendations are made concerning future management of large-scale production forestry with conservation and multipleuse of forest land.

51 Davidson J 1976 Interaction of Production Forestry with Conservation Objectives and Multiple Use of Forest Land in Papua New Guinea Pages 49

71 In Lamb K P and Gressitt J L (eds) 1976 Ecology and Conservation in Papua New Guinea. Wau Ecology Institute Pamphlet No 2, Wau, PNG. Later, the Wau Ecology Institute was taken over by the traditional owners and the infrastructure including animal and butterfly enclosures dismantled. Settlers moved onto the land and removed what was left of the surrounding secondary forest.

The Hayden Labour budget in August 1975 (the fulcrum of the later November constitutional crisis in Australia) had announced, without warning, a large cut in Australian Development Assistance to PNG’s first budget post-Independence. It deducted from the intended development assistance transfers the considerable sums that had been committed to retirement and severance of expatriate former PNG public servants. This was the budget that was connected with the dismissal when the upper house (Senate) of the Australian Parliament withheld supply (comprising money bills and their appropriation).

On the eve of Independence in September 1975 Gough Whitlam and his Minister of Foreign Affairs Don Willesee had met their counterparts Michael Somare and Albert Maori Kiki plus the PNG Minister for Finance Julius Chan. The PNG Ministers were accompanied by Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister Rabbie Namaliu, Secretary for Finance Mekere Morauta, Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade Tony Siaguru, and Ross Garnaut – the latter in his then role as First Assistant Secretary working for the Secretary for Finance on financial and economic policy. Mr Somare and his Ministers strongly objected to having the retirement and severance costs of expatriate former PNG public servants deducted from Australia’s contribution to the PNG budget. Only about two weeks before Independence, in paragraph 7 to the Annexure to the PNG Public Service Board letter of 2 September 1975 (see earlier), Mr Whitlam and his Government had made a commitment for Australia to cover these costs. Nevertheless, the deductions to the PNG budget did proceed and the cuts were felt through all arms of the PNG Government, including the Universities.

Notification of my promotion to Forest Officer Class 4

After a delay of more than a year the Exempt Employee Selection Committee of the PNG Public Services Commission notified that my application for Position RM9 Forest Officer Class 4 was successful! No explanation was ever provided for the long delay.

As a result of my successful application, I was offered two options:

a) Immediately enter contract employment with the PNG Government, or,

b) If I intended to take up contract employment with the PNG Government at a future date, transfer to the position on a higher duties basis until I cease to be an ASAG employee

Whitlam Labour Government dismissed on 11 Nov 75

On the day I finished up in Bulolo, 10 December 1975, I elected to go with option “b” and advised the Public Services Commission by returning the signed original and duplicate copies.

I leave Bulolo for the last time on 10 December 1975

There was a flurry of packing up. We divided our effects into two parts. About half were loaded into two lift vans that I had built myself from Klinkii pine plywood and sawn timber. These were sent to Lae to be shipped to Armidale at Government expense as one of the two uplifts we were allowed under the ESS. The other half was loaded into a furniture van that had been sent up from Lae at University expense to be carried to the house that had been allocated to us on campus.

Above: A last look at “our” house in Bulolo. The extra temporary railings had been installed at the top of the steps by me to stop our young children toppling over what was a considerable drop of three metres to the ground. Right: Ivon and Joanne (in wheelbarrow) ready for the trip to Lae!

Wau and environs in 1975. Compared with the 1963 photograph on page 81, the town and airstrip areas are mostly unchanged, while clearing and gardening on the near hills and Mt Kaindi (1,978 metres elevation) in the far distance, has markedly reduced the forest cover over the intervening 12 years.

A last look across Bulolo in December 1975. Forestry College buildings are in the middle, the CNGT mill behind them. In the distance are the Heads Hump LA compartments that were decimated by the fire in 1972.

Recreation leave in Australia, Christmas 1975

We accompanied our effects down to Lae, and the next day, 11 December 1975, proceeded to Australia on leave. Once again, our visit back to Kempsey, Clybucca and Armidale attracted the local press. I granted an interview, but, as is often the case, the reporter mixed up some of the facts and used part of a photograph that they had used before out of context! 1976

Recreation leave included three public holidays, which meant we arrived back in Lae for me to resume duty on 30 January 1976.

On 1 January 1976, Australian currency had ceased to be legal tender in PNG.

The Davidson family soon after their posting to Lae, seen here at the entrance to the Lae War Cemetery at the beginning of February 1976.

Lae in 1976.

Lae in 1976. The relatively new buildings in the foreground housed various Departments of the Administration, including the Regional Forest Office and the Post Office. Private mail boxes were located next to the Post Office. Shops mainly occupy the blocks in the distance. Burns Philp was in the pale blue building on the left and the Lae Theatre (Cinema) further along. On the right is the Roman Catholic Church.

Living in Lae

With two children to be delivered to preschool and with me needing a car for work, we found it necessary to purchase a second car, a new Galant sedan.

One occasional weekend pastime was a trip to the old WW II airstrips at Nadzab where one could drive on some of the long straight runways that still existed. Since these were “off-road” it was possible to push our other car, the orange Colt GTO, to very high speeds without having to obey a speed limit!

The University held a hobbies and craft competition with an exhibit in the Library. I entered several aircraft models in various categories and came away with three “firsts”. The award for first was a blue certificate and a selection of the entries was on public display in glass cabinets in the University library for a couple of weeks.

Lae Airport in 1976. An Air Niugini DC3 is shown about to start a take-off run from the inland end. This view is from Mt Lunaman, looking up the Markham Valley in the distance.

I was inducted into the Rotary Club of Lae early in 1976 in the category of “Forestry”

The Rotary Club of Lae met for a weekly luncheon on Tuesdays in those years at the Huon Gulf Motel in a very pleasant small function room that was located where the “pokies” room was later. This room comfortably seated numbers of around 40-45, had privacy, and a piano which got regular and extensive use during the Club Assemblies with our partners that were held quarterly and which extended well into the night (or morning!).

Col Levy was invited to speak at one of our luncheon meetings on decay in wooden boats, which was a topic of great interest to Lae Rotarians many of whom owned boats for recreation.

The Club ran a lucky-numbers stall each year at the annual Morobe District Show, as well as many raffles, to raise funds.

A major project in which I was involved was the construction of a school building with a concrete floor and corrugated iron roof at a remote village near Lae to replace one made out of bush materials.

Lae Play School

Ivon was old enough to start at the Lae Play School from the beginning of 1976 and Joanne from 1978.

I was soon co-opted on to the Board of Management of the Play School and then elected Chairman of the Board, a post that I held until I resigned in December 1979, just prior to my departure from PNG.

The Play School (right) backed on to the Botanic Gardens and sometimes was broken into during the night though there was nothing much inside worth stealing. The building was fitted with alarms and when one was triggered the police used to call me out to inspect the premises and reset the alarm. Since I had to travel in from the University, this callout became somewhat of a burden as the

attempted burglaries increased over time and usually occurred in the middle of the night or the small hours of the morning! The brochures reproduced here page give some idea of the programme and fee structure of the Play School in 1976.

Malaria control programme by spraying

Malaria was rife in Lae. The PNG Department of Health ran a Malaria Control Programme that involved spraying of houses and other buildings. Since “our” house at the University had good insect screens all around, we were not subjected to the inconvenience of an internal spray or requested to have our childrens’ blood tested. The spray used was DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, a colourless, tasteless, and almost odourless crystalline organochlorine chemical compound).52The University had its own DDT fogging machine which was driven around the campus periodically.

Previously, in both Keravat and Bulolo, we had not been subjected to such a spraying programme. Both Gloria and I, and our children after they were born, religiously took our chloroquine tablets every Monday morning while in PNG. Fortunately, we were never afflicted by the disease, either in PNG or after we returned to Australia.

52 DDT became infamous for its adverse environmental and human health impacts and was banned for all agricultural and similar uses but retained for malaria control in several countries including PNG because of the lack of effective alternatives.

Another Notice of Termination of Employment

In a Notice dated 16 February 1976 I was advised that my employment would terminate on 17 June 76 on basis of three months’ notice from 18 March 1976. “Your employment is being terminated because your services are no longer required” Maxwell Jolliffe, Delegate of the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs!

This was the third such notice, each with a different termination date, notwithstanding that Mr Somare originally had written to me back on 31 July 1973 to invite me “to continue my service until at least December 1976”!

This latest notice came about because both the Australian and PNG Governments decided to wind up the ASAG by 30 June 1976 (ADAA letter next page).

The Australian High Commission in Port Moresby followed up the new notice with a circular and letter dated 27 February 1976 and 8 March 1976 respectively (previous page) pointing out that the termination referred only to my services as a member of the ASAG. It was expected that former permanent officers of the PNG Public Service would take up contract employment with the PNG Government after ceasing employment with the ASAG.

That being the position, my retention date of 31 December 1978 set out in the Public Service Board letter of 2 September 1975 over the signatures of Mr Somare Chief Minister and Mr Pitoi Chairman (see earlier) still applied, independently of the ASAG termination notice.

Soon after the notice from ASAG I was advised of my leave entitlements at separation (left) and also my entitlements from the PNG Superannuation Scheme (below). Indicative of the continuing confusion was that although both notices originated on the same day (29 April 1976) one was sent to the University of Technology PO Box address in Lae the other to the PO Box of the Forest Research Station in Bulolo!

My Letter of Appointment to PNGUT dated 30 April 1976. Of particular note was that while the salary and allowances in the Agreement were expressed in Australian Dollars, payment would be made locally in Kina at the prevailing rate of exchange. The “Chair of Forestry” meant the post of administrative Head of the Department of Forestry. “Professor” was the top academic rank within the University (in ascending order: Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Reader, AssociateProfessor, Professor). In the case of the new Forestry Department at PNGUT, this was the “Inaugural Chair”. At the time, I was to be the only full Professor in charge of a Department in the Faculty of Natural Resources (other Heads were: Agriculture, Associate-Professor Quartermain; Fisheries Technology, AssociateProfessor Ananthan; Chemical Technology, Dr Dale).

Official Letter of Appointment to the Chair of Forestry at the PNGUT

Having a contact expressed in Australian dollars (A$) and paid in the equivalent in Kina during the period1976 through to 1980 was disadvantageous as one received less and less Kina for Australian Dollars (A$) over that time (left hand graph). (This adverse situation occurred again however after about 1987, when contracts then being written in Kina were worth less and less in terms of A$ (right hand graph).)

I accepted the 30 April 1976 offer of appointment to the inaugural Chair of Forestry at the PNGUT on 17 May 1976. This contract, to start on 19 June 1976 and run to the end of the academic year in 1978 was carefully crafted to run on after the wind up of ASAG and to conform to the retention date of 31 December 1978 set out in the Public Service Board letter of 2 September 1975 over the signatures of Mr Somare Chief Minister and Mr Pitoi Chairman. This was to conform also with the condition that if I took up a contract with the PNG Government for two years or more, the benefits payable under the ESS for former permanent officers would be accelerated from 5 years to 2½ years.

At the time, the PNGUT was one of the two State Universities founded under an Act of the PNG House of Assembly. The University Acts made the State Universities (at the time only the UPNG and the PNGUT) Statutory Bodies of the Government of PNG. This fact was reinforced by the Chancellor of both Universities being appointed out of the OHE. Therefore, a contract with the PNGUT was in effect a contract with the PNG Government satisfying another condition of the acceleration of ESS payments.

Since the Government Department of Forests wished to continue its support to the PNGUT Forestry Department with my secondment (see Director’s letter dated 24 September 1975) and that this would be at a FO4 level under option “b” of my promotion letter of 2 December 1975, the University initially would be required only to top up the difference in my salary until my termination with ASAG on 17 June 1976 and the start of the UPNG contract on 19 June 1976 (one day’s grace was allowed to cover any possible ambiguity arising out of the Jolliffe termination notice dated 16 February 1976).

In the first year after Independence frequent student strikes and demonstrations had become part of the PNG political norm.

In March 1976, students at the PNGUT went on strike to oppose their University’s localization policies. Uppermost of their demands was for the immediate appointment of a national Deputy Vice-Chancellor who would take over as soon as possible from Vice-Chancellor Sandover whose privilege and affluence they despised. Council agreed and later Mr V M N Tigilai, former Chairman of the Universities Finance Review Committee and who had recently succeeded Rees as Director of the OHE, was appointed in the new post of Deputy Vice-Chancellor. The position of Registrar (then held by Ian Irving Gass) was also prepared for localization by appointing a national in an acting capacity.

Third Meeting of the Botanical Society of Papua New Guinea

I prepared a paper for presentation at the Third Meeting of the Botanical Society of Papua New Guinea on 1 May 1976 with the title “Three Dimensional Forestry in Papua New Guinea”. The Meeting was held with the support of the Forestry Department at the PNGUT.

Summary: Three-dimensional forestry is a practical and modern concept of multiple use forest farming involving forestry, field cropping and animal husbandry.53The term is used to emphasise a trio of benefits rather than the single one normally obtained either from conventional field agricultural crops or from production forests. Three-dimensional forestry illustrates clearly the favourable results of efficient integration of forestry and agriculture into a single combined scientific system.

Main advantages are: potential high returns on a small investment; machinery and expensive field operations are not

53 The outline of this paper was based on two papers by Sholto Douglas: Sholto Douglas J W E H 1968 Land-rescue agriculture: threedimensional forestry. Impact 18(1):5–25; Sholto Douglas J W E H 1969 Choice of species and layout in 3-D multiple use forest projects. Quarterly Journal of Forestry 63(1):31-47. A paper by Clarke was recommended for background reading: Clarke W C 1975 The maintenance of agriculture and human habitats within the tropical forest ecosystem. Paper presented at the Symposium on Man and the Biosphere Project – The Ecological Effects of Increasing Human Activities on tropical Forest Ecosystems, 28-30 April 1975, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

required; backbreaking toil and long hours of work are not necessary. Agro-forestry could provide rural populations in Papua New Guinea with a rewarding and purposeful type of life and promote a spirit of self-reliance.

Three-dimensional forestry could have great potential in Papua New Guinea. There are many genera, species and varieties of plants54 which could be tried in a pilot project in the lowland tropical rainforest. A project of this type could be funded by external aid sources.

The Department of Forestry PNGUT joins the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO)

In 1976 the PNGUT paid its first annual subscription for its Department of Forestry to join IUFRO. Staff participated in a number of IUFRO Working Parties.

My own personal involvement in 1976 and subsequent years was in a number of Working Parties, including:

Working Party (WP) S1.01.06; Tropical and Sub-tropical Forest Ecosystems

WP S2.02.2; Conservation of Forest Gene Resources

WP S2.02.8; Tropical Species Provenances

WP S2.03.1; Breeding Tropical and Sub-tropical Species (Chairman of sessions on improvement of wood quality in tropical species)

WP S2.03.8; Genetic Improvement of Wood Properties

WP S2.01.1; Water Relations and Mineral Nutrition

WP S2. 04.2; Breeding Theory

WP S2.01.05; Reproductive Processes (Chairman of sessions on vegetative propagation for plantation establishment)

WP S1.07; Tropical Silviculture

WP S5.01.3; Specific Gravity

WP S5.01.9; Defects of Fast Grown Eucalypts

While working in WP S2.03.1 Breeding Tropical and Sub-tropical Species, I saw the need for more concerted action on tropical eucalypts so formed an informal IUFRO Action Group on Tropical Eucalypts which I led and convened. IUFRO did not have provision for Action Groups so at the 16th IUFRO World Congress in Oslo Norway June/July 1976, a new Working Party S2.03.10 Breeding Eucalypts was sanctioned with me as its inaugural Chairman. Also set up was a new complementary Working Party S2.02.9 Eucalypt Provenances.

I invited three Co-chairmen to join me in the running of the Working Party on Breeding Eucalypts: Dr Ken Eldridge (Australia), Dr Gerrit van Wyk (South Africa) and Dr Arno Brune (Brazil). Membership carried over from the former Action Group so from time to time numbered from about 250 to 280 scientists worldwide. With the support of the PNGUT Forestry Department, I published a periodic

54 A detailed Appendix at the end of the paper lists many potential species of tree legumes, food trees (other than legumes), fodder legumes pasture and herbage, fodder trees and forest trees for fuel and timber.

Newsletter that was printed and distributed to the members by airmail in the era before email communications.

Arguments surrounding my contract employment outside “the Public Service proper”.

From May 1976 through to November 1976 there was a string of correspondence among The Australian High Commission Port Moresby, the PNG Department of the Public Services Commission, the Australian Development Assistance Agency in both Brisbane and Canberra, The PNG Department of Forests Port Moresby and myself at the PNGUT re my employment outside “the public service proper” and my entitlement or not to HDA up to my severance from the ASAG, and eligibility or not to accelerated benefits from the ESS.

The day after I received the copy of the letter dated 24 September 1975 from the Director of the PNG Department of Forests to Dr Sandover Vice-Chancellor PNGUT that the Department was willing for my secondment to the University to continue (see earlier), I wrote to the Australian High Commission on 25 September 1975, to seek clarification of my position in regard to continued service until the wind up of ASAG, my promotion to the FO4 position and eligibility for accelerated ESS benefits expecting a prompt answer before I committed myself to my continued secondment to the PNGUT from the beginning of 1976.

Unfortunately, I could not obtain any clarification in time and decided to proceed to Lae. Discussions must have proceeded between the Australian High Commission and the PNG Public Services Commission in Port Moresby over a protracted period, since on 13 May 1976, almost eight months after my initial enquiry, the Australian High Commission wrote to the Public Services Commission setting out the advice that they had received, the core of which was “An ASAG employee who accepts a PNG Government contract to work in a statutory authority or other public institution (i.e., the University of Technology) would be regarded in the same light as an employee accepting direct employment in the Public Service”. Their letter (below) was copied to me for information, while regretting the delay of almost eight months in replying to my letter of 25 September 1975.

It seems the Chief Officer’s opinion was ignored by the PNG Public Services Commission at the time and there followed a flurry of confusing correspondence through the remainder of 1976 that failed to resolve the issues. Compounding the confusion was that letters to me were being addressed to PO Box 134 Bulolo (the box number of the Forest Research Station where I was formerly employed, c/Department of Forests Port Moresby, Department of Forestry PO Box 793 Lae (the PNGUT box number) and PO Box 1814 Lae (our private box number at the Lae PO), and thus some important communications requesting information may not have reached me, judging from the letter from the Chairman of the Public Services Commission in May 1976, addressed to the Forest Research Station Bulolo, but hand carried to me at the University in Lae (right).

Department of Forestry Brochures and Logo

A brochure, information sheet and Forestry Students’ Handbook were produced by me to help promote the forestry course.

I designed a logo to appear on the Department letterhead, banners and so on. The tree represents the natural and planted trees and forests of PNG, the pair of hands on each side at the base represent the hands of the forestry graduates in their role of a nurturing and protecting the trees.

Another student strike

In August 1976 it was the turn again of the UPNG with another student strike, this time with a march protesting against the Government’s Public Order Bill. Though the Government backed down and withdrew the Bill, it had become obvious that the relationship between the students and Government had become more mutually antagonistic.