Eric Hammermaster TPNG Forests 1957 - 1979

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.

26 Personal communication Ken Granger 29th July 2021. TPNG Forests 1963-1971. 14

Eric was a major contributor to the PNGRIS – AusAID Project National Forest Inventory Land Use and Natural Resources which was led by CSIRO.

A major work was 1995 Forest Resources and Vegetation Mapping E T Hammermaster and J C Saunders CSIRO/PNGRIS 1995 reflecting the progress made in mapping PNG vegetation since the 1970’s with the advent of the computer era and associated digitisation.

Eric and Mary moved to Terranora in the late 90s where they still live.

Hammer27 was a very professional person with a somewhat sardonic sense of humour and a fondness for whiskey and making his own home brew.

27 Personal communication Ken Granger 29th July 2021. TPNG Forests 1963-1971. 15

Bibliography

NAME

Eric Hammermaster YEAR OF BIRTH 1936 DATE JOINED FORESTRY PNG 1956 as a forestry cadet WHAT WAS YOUR OCCUPATION Forest Officer WHAT LOCALITIES DID YOU WORK IN Throughout PNG. Domiciled in Bulolo; Port Moresby and Rabaul WHAT DATE DID YOU LEAVE PNG 1979 LIFE AFTER PNG FAO 1979-1986

DID YOU RECEIVE A PNG FORESTRY CADETSHIP Forest consulting between 1986 and 2000 with several trips back to PNG Yes

IF SO WHEN 1957-1959

DATE OF GRADUATION RECALL ANY PNG FORESTS PERSONNEL. 1960 Alan Cameron; Rick Stokes; Gerry Vickers; Evan Shield; Peter Connell. Ken Hart deceased; Bob Dixon deceased; David Dun deceased; Alan Ross deceased; Robin Levingston deceased; Don McIntosh deceased.

ACRONYMS ACT Australian Capital Territory ACIAR Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research ACLMP AusAid funded World Bank Land Mobilisation program. AEC Administrators Executive Committee AFS Australian Forestry School AFPNG Association of Foresters of PNG AIF Australian Infantry Forces AMF Australian Military Forces ANBG Australian National Botanical Gardens ANGAU Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit ANU Australian National University APMF Australian Paper Manufacturers Forestry Pty Ltd APPM Australia Paper and Pulp Manufacturers ASIO Australian Security Intelligence Organisation ASOPA Australian School of Pacific Administration AusAID Australian Aid Agency BA basal area BCOF British Commonwealth Occupational Force 1945-52 “Beer Time” Any time. BFC Bulolo Forestry College BGD Bulolo Gold Dredging Company BUC Bulolo University College C Commonwealth cm Centimetre CALM Western Australian Department of Conservation and Land Management CFA Commonwealth Forestry Association CNGT Commonwealth New Guinea Timbers Bulolo CRE Commander Royal Engineers CRE CRE is a term inherited by RAE from RE and is the term for the Commanding Officer of a RAE unit which is headed by a Lt Col. Although the officer is called the CRE the name is also used for the name of his unit. E.g., CRE Aust Forestry Group or 1(NG Forests). CSIRO Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation CHAH Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria DASF Dept of Agriculture, Stock and Fisheries DBH/ dbh Diameter at breast height DEPT Department DPI Department of Primary Industry DOF Department of Forests e.g. For example Etc et cetera (more of the same) FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation F &TB Forest and Timber Bureau Canberra FIM Forest Information System FPRC Forest Products Research Centre Hohola FRG Forest Red Gum

FRI Forest Research Institute Lae

Forkol Bulolo Forestry College GAB Girth above buttress Gbhob Girth breast height over bark Gubab Girth under bark above buttress GIS Geographic Information Systems ha Hectare IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development IFA Institute of Foresters of Australia IFY International Year of the Forest ITTO International Tropical Timber Organization JICA Japanese International Cooperation Agency L of N League of Nations LRRS Land Resource Soils Survey (branch of CSIRO) m3 cubic metre MM Military Medal NAA National Archives Australia NARI National Agriculture Research Institute NB New Britain NFCAP PNG National Forestry and Conservation Action Plan no. Number NG New Guinea NGF New Guinea Forces (relates to plant collection of Lae Herbarium) NGIB New Guinea Infantry Battalion NGO Non-Government Organisation NGVR New Guinea Volunteer Rifles NZ New Zealand NSW New South Wales NTSC National Tree Seed Centre PNG Bulolo OISCA Organisation for Industrial, Spiritual and Cultural Advancement International Japan. P or p page PIB Papuan Infantry Battalion PIR Pacific Islands Regiment PNG Papua New Guinea PNGAA Papua New Guinea Australia Association PNGAF Papua New Guinea Australian Foresters Magazine Series PNGFA Papua New Guinea Forest Authority PNGFIA PNG Forest Industries Association PNGRIS Papua New Guinea Resource Information System PNGUT PNG University of Technology POM Port Moresby Q Queensland QF Queensland Forestry RAE Royal Australian Engineers/Australian Army RPC Royal Papuan Constabulary RRA Rapid Resource Appraisal SFM Sustainable Forest Management SP South Pacific UK United Kingdom UN United Nations

Unasylva Journal of FAO of UN UNE University of New England Armidale NSW UNEP United Nations Environment Program UNI University UNITECH University of Technology Lae PNG UNRE University of Natural Resources and Environment UPNG University of Papua New Guinea UQ University of Queensland US United States USA United States of America TPNG Territory of Papua and New Guinea TUBL Territory United Brewery Ltd TA Timber Area TA Timber Authority TRP Timber Rights Purchase Vol volume VSF Victorian School of Forestry WA Western Australia WB World Bank