My responsibilities: New Guinea Islands, Madang, and Central Provinces

compatible to exotic flowering plants such as Roses, Dahlia, Lupins, Hollyhock as well as others like Gerberas and Columbine. Wild indigenous additions were Rhododendron and the much-loved Impatiens hawkeri, often with variegated leaves and exceptionally large colourful flowers of which there are many varieties. The towns and villages were planted with a wide variety of genera of tree species such as the Australian and New Guinea Eucalyptus, the New Guinea Araucaria were conspicuous among the array of tall trees as were other Conifereae such as Southern and Central American Pinus and exotic Cyprus. Throughout the highland’s areas the most frequently encountered tree had to be the two common members of the Casuarina family Casuarina oligodon and the Gymnostona papuana. In some areas the Tasmania black wattle had been introduced. From memory our last stop was at Lake Sirunki between Wabag, and Laiagam This area was to be our choice for a seedling seed orchard of Pinus patula at a later date but for the present we were looking here at establishing Eucalyptus plantations for fuel wood and a large species trial of different species of Southern and Central American Pinus and our Araucaria

cumminghamii. My responsibilities: New Guinea Islands, Madang, and Central Provinces

After my introductions to the highlands my next visit was to Rabaul and Keravat. Here I had to measure all the species trial plot along the Vudal section of the road to Kairak (Vudal), and along the road through the Keravat forestry plantations to the Keravat Corrective Centre or Calaboose here we conducted annual measures of the teak plantation growth and yield plots Papua New Guinea’s second clonal teak seed orchards was located here at little Vudal Plantation. The Plantation was comprised of the largest Kamarere (Eucalyptus deglupta) plantation at this time and the second largest PNG Forestry teak plantation after the Central district plantation outside Port Moresby. Annual and periodic measures included extension plantings of Kamarere at the Keravat National High school; all Balsa (Ochroma lagopus = O, pyramidalis) plantings. Natural regeneration of cut over Keravat forest, planted Terminalia brassii as well as Octomeles sumatrana, Intsia bijuga and other natural regeneration Terminalia species. Measuring all these trials plus new yield plots, initially took me up to six weeks to complete. I was informed by Mr, Eric Hammermaster that it would take 3 weeks. But apart from the fact that my plot tree current annual increments were far greater than any tree girth measure I had ever encountered many had to be rechecked to confirm the increment; the daily rain fall that started around 11. 30 put an end to measures early every day, and the field sheets had to be hung out like washing to dry under cover every afternoon. These sheets were returned at the end of the field trip with a completed report to Port Moresby. The damp weather persisted only on the weekdays but not the week ends. Nobody wanted to work weekends; it was time to dry clothes but also to accept invitations to visit homes and see the sights of Rabaul. No one at HQ complained. They had been through this too. I learnt a lot about teak and Kamarere plots as well as checking the health and condition of balsa when they shrink in girth from the previous measure. Usually this is due to stress from insect attack or because they were dying or dead. With Kamarere our biggest problem was dealing with the shift of the top of the buttress up the tree trunk with new growth making previous years point of measure no longer useful. Thus, requiring two measures and a change of point of measure for the second one and getting higher up the trunk. Fortunately, I had two assistant field officers to assist me find the plot the first Man was Tinga who was a bit handicapped having lost an eye, the second man was from Bougainville, his name was Alikana Towolongo. They were invaluable and assisted most other visitors as well.