EXTRACT FROM PNGAF MAG # 9B-5B4G1 Eminent Forester Ken Granger of 22 July 2021 page 34. The Wanigela survey was again led by Eric Hammermaster, with Gerd Streihler as the draftsman. They were accompanied by a film crew from the Commonwealth Film Unit to shoot the activities on survey for a film released as Tree Business. From all reports it was not a very happy camp because they were based at the Wanigela Guest House and the food they were served was predominantly frozen Wedgewood meat pies. The film crew finally rebelled, and “gaffer” taped a whole lot of frozen pies across the ceiling of the dining room. The film was a fairly faithful representation of survey work and life though it was a bit odd to hear Eric, Chris Brown and Gerd’s voices dubbed by actors though at least they did try to get Gerd’s German accent.
After Independence Ken visited them in Rabaul where Hammer was the RFO. He was having quite a bit of trouble from Julius Chan over illegal logging on New Ireland at the time. They had established themselves in a strong Rabaul expatriate community. Life after PNG26 On self-Government and Independence, Eric’s role became advisory only. He retired from the Department of Forests PNG in 1979. The Hammermasters left PNG in the early 1980s and worked for FAO firstly in Bangladesh. Eris was offered and accepted a position with FAO in Bangladesh, on a village forest resource assessment for two and a half years. This involved sampling products from holders, of subsistence gardens, fruit trees etc. It was a vastly different situation to the natural high forest of PNG. In 1981, Eric relocated to Liberia West Africa on a Forest Resources Project for the World Bank. He worked with a local team of air photo interpreters using side looking airborne radar photography. In 1982 Eric was moved to the Senior Forest Adviser over-sighting Capital Works, houses and new Forest Office Complex and Headquarters in Monrovia. Eric left Liberia in1985. While in West Africa, (Ken Granger recalls) Hammer became quite ill with a gut infection and was medevac’d out to London where he underwent surgery – part of his bowel was replaced by Teflon. The Hammermasters returned to Australia late in the 80s and settled in Brisbane. Eric undertook private forest consulting projects including: • Malaysia——Air photo interpretation of remnant forest areas and the “Orang Asli” (original population of Malay Peninsular). • AusAID projects in the Solomon Islands from 1989 to 1992. • Vanuatu Air photo Interpretation Project.
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Personal communication Ken Granger 29th July 2021. TPNG Forests 1963-1971.
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