With Brisbane reunion preparations building in intensity, this might be a good time to begin preparing for the experience. There’s no better way to do so than settling down with a rattling good read. And Gail Burke’s compilation of true stories by former teachers in Papua New Guiinea, Meeting the Challenge, is exactly that. If you haven't read it, the book is still on sale and remains a wonderful reflection of great times now, sadly, past.

In the 1950s and 1960s young Australians were recruited to teach in PNG, often the only reference material being a slender leaflet entitled, ‘Careers with a challenge’. As one of the adventurous people who met this challenge, Gail Burke recounts her own story and has gathered many others from her fellow teachers. The stories not only provide an invaluable insight to PNG and its people but offer a very entertaining account of how young Australians dealt with the cultural and other differences experienced along the way.

Meeting the Challenge provides a mine of information about an eventful period. You can order it from Copyright Publishing by visiting this website or by writing to the publisher at GPO Box 2927 Brisbane Queensland Australia 4001.

Meeting the Challenge: Personal stories of Australian teachers in Papua New Guinea pre-Independence 1955-1975. Edited by Gail Burke. 236 pages. Hard cover. $27.50 (incl postage)