In the absence of two other literate officers all he had to do was sign them three times in the capacity of authorising officer, paying officer and certifying officer. The P.O. had to be especially careful about this because some contingencies had been returned by Treasury in the past because one signature was lacking.

The P.O. then had a meeting with administration employees on the Patrol Post including the police to study man-power requirements. The expert in this field was the Sergeant-Major of Police, a holder of several war medals and nearly thirty years’ experience in self-reliance, self-help and community development.

He had taught the P.O. how to be a magistrate and arbitrator as well as to avoid being speared in what was called uncontacted and uncontrolled areas. The Sgt-Major drew attention to a recent clash between two nearby village groups. 125 men were to appear next day before the P.O. for riotous behaviour.

Most of the able-bodied men of both villages were involved in the clash and, apart from the gaol being filled to capacity, the P.O. had considered there were the social and human aspects of having them away from their families for three weeks, depleting the villages of all its manpower in the particular season when subsistence was extremely difficult.

The next day it was resolved among the villagers that men women and children totalling some 250 people would assist in the project for half a day each for four weeks, with one meal provided, in-lieu of 125 men going to gaol for 3 weeks, with three meals and accommodation provided.

Court returns were duly submitted to substantiate a false requirement for vocabulary stores in meat, fish, salt, flour, hard peas, rice, soap and tea for it established a tremendous amount of good-will to give any volunteers who actually did come to assist the school project a hot mid-morning meal.

The additional calico ordered for the prisoners, who never went to gaol, would be the first two changes of dress the children would receive on their first day of enrolment.

Within several days the manpower requirements were adequate and 300 adults were well supervised and hard at work. Among them were 80 prisoners who went off without police escort in their own supervised teams to collect bush materials from station land.

Management was a small problem and as some long term 'trusties' who knew from past experience what bush materials were required were allocated as supervisors of village groups.

The Police were fully broken up into construction supervisors under the able management of the Sgt-Major. The sites for 3 married quarters, 3 classrooms and a sports field were marked out and levelled.

The pilot-owner of the Dragon Rapide that flew into Patrol Post 'X' was briefed on the scheme. His silence was assured because he also became the agent to purchase materials such as louvres, flywire, nails, screws, three-ply, hinges and stoves etc, from the coast; also several extra charters were paid for in cash out of sweet-potato money.

He also had the task of delaying the D.E.O.'s tour of inspection by one week and to ensure that space was not available for a surprise visit by the D.C., D.O. or the Auditor.

After the first week the project really started to take shape and evidence of structures standing, a new flagpole and stone-lined pathways drew the curiosity of many nearby villagers and their ready assistance in materials for thatching the roofs which were unavailable on the government station.

In the fourth week the outside work had been completed and work started finishing the interior of the houses and making school desks. 120 children (girls and boys) from the Government station and villages nearby and far away were listed in anticipation for enrolment.

Dormitories and gardens were commenced and orientation classes were started in the middle of the fifth week. A Medical Orderly, a Corporal, the office clerk and Sgt-Major's wife were class leaders. The Sgt-Major taught the children how to march and sing 'God save the Queen'. He took great pride in this as only several years earlier he had been to the Queen's coronation.

Finally in the sixth week the D.E.O. came on his tour to see the school buildings. He was welcomed not only by the school building, but massive cultivations around it, the flag flying in the breeze and 120 children, dressed in unbleached calico, singing 'God Save the Queen'.

In speeches it was related to him how the people had desperately wanted a school and how they had gathered their meagre resources together to build it. They knew his name and feasted him well.

He made a case study of their achievements and, although on completely false information, it seemed to fit in perfectly with techniques he had learnt at the London School of Economics. He wrote glowing reports to Headquarters and within another two weeks, three teachers were posted to Patrol Post 'X'.

Source: 19 Years & Counting in PNG | Nancy Sullivan Blog