So what happened to the kiaps honour roll?
12 August 2015
KEITH JACKSON
AT the request of a group of four former kiaps, the honour roll of patrol officers and related district administration personnel who died in the course of their duties has been removed from PNG Attitude.
The more eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed its absence.
Paul Oates, Ross Wilkinson, Bill Brown MBE and Peter Turner ML BEM were concerned that some of the comments from readers were “sullying the real importance of the Roll” by including, for example, claims of paternity and disputes about historical incidents involving kiaps.
“Could we accord the Roll, and those who names have been entered on it, more dignity, respect and recognition?” asked one ex-kiap, and it was proposed that comments made subsequent to the Honour Roll be relocated to a new section of the blog.
I do not believe the comments “dishonoured" the roll. My view was that they were part and parcel of public commentary, discourse and conjecture and should remain.
Furthermore, given the mechanics of the blog, the task of extracting particular comments from some years of reader activity would be time-consuming and I did not want to commit to this.
By mutual consent, therefore, it was amicably agreed to remove the roll from PNG Attitude.
However, when the day comes that this blog reaches its end, as it inevitably must, in the interests of the historical record the roll and its associated comments will be offered to the National Library of Australia to join the annual NLA imprint for posterity of all that PNG Attitude publishes.
It only remains to thank Paul, Ross and their colleagues for the fine work they have done in researching and organising the names and details of those kiaps who gave their lives in the building of a nation.
They spent their time well.
The honour roll can still be found on the ex-kiaps website here
I notice the Grand Imperial Wizard and former advisor to Pauline Hanson, John Pasqueralli, has a feature article in this week's edition of The Spectator Australia:
http://spectator.com.au/2016/09/elephant-in-the-room/
Many former kiaps, especially in the Sepik region, may remember him:
http://exkiap.net/articles/miscellaneous/pasquarelli.htm
Posted by: Bernard Corden | 17 September 2016 at 08:13 PM
Careers with a challenge? There may have been some female chalkies, but I never saw a didimissus, and there were certainly no missus kiaps!
Although I could be mistaken there. I knew a few kiaps who left their wives in charge of the station whilst they were on patrol. Missus Assistant District Commissioner to be feared more than Mr ADC!
Posted by: Peter Turner | 13 August 2015 at 03:35 PM
Hi Keith, Thank you for helping to advertise the Kiap Honour Roll, attach relevant photos and for regularly updating it on your website for many years.
Posted by: Paul Oates | 12 August 2015 at 09:35 AM