ANCIE SCHINDLER
| A 1953 memoir in the possession of Ancie's son, Dr Ivan Schindler

ROSEWOOD, QLD - The road from The Highlands to the Markham Valley floor had become a reality. A road, did I say, more like a track, which wound down the steep mountain sides to the flat Markham Valley.

The only Europeans to have travelled it as yet were the ADO (Acting District Officer) Kainantu and the PO (Patrol Officer) Rupert Haviland, who was in charge of the labour cutting out the track.

PETER LAYTON *
| East Asia Forum | Extracts

An AI-generated illustration of Australia's proposed nuclear powered submarines participating in naval exercises

BRISBANE - Grand strategies are whole-of-government, involving diplomatic, informational, military and economic power.

They are of most use to states with limited power that need to focus scarce resources on their most important concerns.

STEVE LANGLEY

NEW ENGLAND NSW - In the late 1950's and again in the early 1960's, I twice signed as a ship steward on TSMV Bulolo (TSMV being an abbreviation of Twin Screw Motor Vessel).

It was a most enjoyable ship to work on, with its exciting itinerary travelling from Sydney to Brisbane then across the Coral Sea and around the Pacific island ports of Port Moresby, Madang, Samarai, Lae and Rabaul, back to Moresby and Brisbane and then its home berth at Burns Philp Wharf in Sydney Harbour. It was a round trip of about two weeks.

Back in Sydney for about two weeks, Bulolo unloaded cargo and passengers and then replenished preparing for its new passengers, loading fresh supplies and cargo and finally passengers. Then off again on the Bulolo’s Pacific Islands odyssey run.  It was a most enjoyable journey, 

In my book of my life story, Erskineville to the Bush, I also tell of the unfortunate time I fell overboard in the Coral Sea and my rescue, to be faced with a severe dressing down by the ship's captain, Bill Wilding. My poem, Man Overboard, also tells this story. 

My book is a composite of many nostalgic and memorable instants in my adventurous, sometimes reckless, youth.

________

A MEMOIR OF AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE

Erskineville to the Bush by Steve Langley, Venture Publishing USA, 2017, 776 pages, hardcover & paperback. ISBN-10: ‎1943265798

Steve was born in Paddington in 1936 and grew through the World War II years in the then slum areas of St Peters, Erskineville and Newtown. He was three when his father joined the Australian Imperial Force famed Sixth Division in 1939 and fought in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Steve’s German born, naturalised Australian grandfather then took on the role of father, mentor and friend. But to the street children and pupils of Erskineville Public school, Steve was a Nazi and he was bullied constantly. He learned to fight back and later made the breakaway to find a better life.

Erskineville to the Bush is the story of Steve’s life from the 1930’s, through World War II and after the war. It covers his varied career on land and on ships doing the Pacific Islands run. There was a broken marriage and then, with a new partner and 10 month old baby son, his move to an abandoned homestead on Bullock Mountain in NSW.

There, in the high ranges of the beautiful New England region, Steve found a wonderful way of life when he created a long distance horse trekking business catering to riders from all parts of the world.

JOSEPH TUAN VIET CAO
| DevPolicyBlog

BOMANA - After saying morning mass one day, I was preparing my breakfast when a couple from Laloki Village dropped by. The man, in his forties, told me his problem.

He is a member of Nasfund, the national superannuation fund, and eligible to withdraw money. So he needs to fill in a form and it is required that I, as his parish priest, confirm the information with my signature and parish seal.

ROBERT PARER CMG MBE

CORINDA QLD - On Wednesday 17 December 1941, 10 days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour brought the USA into World War II, the Australian government despatched a large passenger ship, SS Katoomba, to Port Moresby.

Its main and urgent mission was to take on board Australian mothers and their children, dependents of Australian men who were working in Papua New Guinea.

BAKA BINA

PORT MORESBY - I had waited at Kokopo airport all day, and when the plane eventually landed it refused to take off. So back to the hotel. Time on my hands.

There on PNG Attitude was AG Satori's poem, ‘Eghe! Koloka moho napa ma! Eghe!’, together with a fine translation which – while I understood the Tok Pisin version – I appreciated. So did a lot of readers, I’m guessing.

DENGHUA ZHANG & BERNARD YEGIORA
| The Conversation

CARLTON, VIC – In recent years China has been steadily increasing its footprint in the Pacific as it attempts to deepen its influence and challenge the traditionally strong relationships many countries have with the US and Australia.

But what do people in the Pacific think of China’s expanding interest and engagement in the region?

Sir Gibbs Salika GCL KBE CSM OBE (Supreme Court of PNG)

MICHAEL KABUNI
| Academia Nomad

PORT MORESBY - Are the District Development Act (DDA Act) and the Kumul Consolidated Limited Act (KCL Act) unconstitutional?

At the recent national development forum organised by the Consultation, Implementation, Monitoring & Implementation Council, Papua New Guinea’s chief justice, Sir Gibbs Salika, called both acts “bad laws.”

AG Satori, the grand old man of PNG poetry, has a favourite secluded place in the mountains where he goes to find inspiration to write (Image by Bing)

AG SATORI
| Noveba 2023

AG Satori’s poem in Goroka Tok Pisin dialect has been kindly translated into English by the great man for the enjoyment of all our readers - KJ

Stephanie Alois, Apoya, naispla meri Koloka ya, AG Satori tok sorre olsem em i no nap rait olsem yu or Maikol long raitim gutpela singsing lo sandin blo leva. Tasol em laik givim tok lukaut long yu long despela taim bihain taim leva bilong yu bai tru tru bruk.

Photo-illustration by Bing.com

NEWS DESK
| Act Now

PORT MORESBY - The unlawful use of forest clearing authorities as a cover for illegal large-scale logging by foreign-owned companies in PNG has been further exposed in a new report from by Act Now!

The report focuses on the Mengen agriculture project in East New Britain Province and reveals how Malaysian logging company, KK Connections, committed to establish forest plantation and agriculture projects if it was given a forest clearing authority (FCA).

MICHAEL DOM

Son, of all the things you could possibly
Become, do not, I say, do not ever
Become a poet, son. Let me list three
Reasons why, and hopefully when I am
Gone, you’ll understand my views. Here’s number
One. They smell of dog poop steaming in the
Sun. The pong hits your nose, and they call it
Song. Cruel bastards! Number two, they’re filthy
Bums, always begging for coins, licking their
Gums, to sweet-talk or befuddle you for
Fun. And three, they’re crooked as a hook and
Some. They’ll steal all your glory and when they’re
Done, the newspapers won’t know your name from
Tom. Dick, son, become a politician.

NEWS DESK
| PNG Business News

PORT MORESBY - Minister for International Trade and Investment, Richard Maru, wants to see the establishment and commercialisation of the kava industry in Papua New Guinea.

Minister Maru expressed his enthusiasm after learning from Fijians who attended the recent World Indigenous Business Forum in Port Moresby that the demand for kava in Fiji and the Pacific had outgrown supply.

NEWS DESK
| Act Now

PORT MORESBY - A new Timber Legality Risk Assessment published by civil society organisation Act Now concludes that there is a very high risk that almost all logging occurring in natural forest areas in Papua New Guinea is illegal.

The assessment is based on a comprehensive review of all the available literature, including reports of official government inquiries, court cases, international organisations and civil society groups.

STEPHANIE ALOIS

Catch a glimpse of you in the rear view mirror
Your hazel eyes sparkling with happiness
Sets my heart on fire each time
Everything is becoming clearer
My longing for you grows stronger
You are the love that love made for me

GEORGE D LUNDBERG
| Medscape
| Additional notes by Keith Jackson

LOS GATOS, CALIFORNIA - Death is not the enemy. Human death is normal; we all die. The real enemies are premature death, disability, pain, human suffering, and the prolongation of dying. All the rest is mostly noise.

At its core, the likelihood of an American experiencing premature death is all about availability and ease of access to beneficial and harmful products and services, determined by geography, driven by economics; diverse and often inequitable but with logical, even predictable, outcomes.

MARTIN HADLOW

SAMFORD VALLEY, QLD - In late July, the Brisbane branch of the Naval Association of Australia, in collaboration with the DVA, hosted a public event to recognise the Coastwatchers of WWII.

This was held at Jack Tar Place on Brisbane city's South Bank, immediately adjacent to the Queensland Maritime Museum. Jack Tar Place is dominated by a statue of a sailor and the whole area is dedicated to honour all who served in the RAN, including the Coastwatchers.