Recent Comments frequently enjoys readers’ contributions that are passionate and full of insight. But this, by ARTHUR WILLIAMS formerly of New Ireland and now of Old Wales, was special...

I FELL FOR a beautiful, young New Irelander and we mostly enjoyed 17 years of married life together.

At first I was known by the white expats of Kavieng as the ‘white kanaka’ but when we remained together through good and hard times their initial silly attitudes changed.

It was the pre-Independence, so naturally a few ‘black power’ males resented our relationship.

I readily accepted a mostly lovely extended family with my mum and dad-in-law; perhaps the best this world could provide.

I was proud, from my meagre resources, to help the young ones of the family through their schooling and was always available for them to seek my advice, which they often accepted but sometimes rejected too.

It cost me over the years, but what is money for? Mind you, I not merely inherited a clan but also a whole tribe who I grew to love and miss in my lonely retirement in UK.

Plenty of them accepted and respected me enough to trust me with being their Provincial Assembly Member.

On the death of my wife I was traditionally expected to remarry into the same matrilineal clan and did so ~ despite my greying hair.

She too, like her sister, was a real beaut and we enjoyed ten years of marriage registered both customarily and by our church.  Alas, perhaps the age gap was too large for our relationship to be sustained and so I lost her and have been separated now for too many years.

We met cordially when I lived in Kavieng a few years ago and our teenage daughter is currently living with me.

Do I regret my 40-year connection with PNG? No! It made for a fulfilling and often useful life among great people.

I believe I did it the right way by marrying my island girls rather than having temporary relationships with one or more before leaving PNG for good and with mixed race kids left behind who too often are not even recognised by their so sad dads.

At a grassroots school meeting at Taskul in 2007, the subject of condoms and AIDS was discussed, without prior knowledge of the people attending.

I was delighted to hear the unanimous opinion of the meetings was that condoms promote immoral behaviour and that it is far better to be faithful to your one spouse.

These were not only Catholics but also people from the nearby United, SDA and Pentecostal Church communities. It was great to hear the islanders supporting my basic marital belief too.