It was said that, after the war, Dal Chambers returned to Hagen to try and find his child. The Yamka people told him that the woman and child had died at childbirth. In fact, Rok had been married into the neighbouring Mokei Komunka tribe.

The child, Paul Pora, was hidden from his father and other Europeans for some years for fear they might take him away.

For a long time, Paul Pora’s children were not aware that Dal Chambers was their grandfather. That Paul Pora also used the name Paul Pora-Schmidt led some people to believe that his father’s name was Schmidt.

He probably used the name in acknowledgement of a Lutheran family named Schmidt who, in his earlier days, assisted him with his education. It was also said, incorrectly, that Paul was the son of Ludwig Schmidt, an Austrian gold prospector who was active around Hagen, Porgera and other parts of PNG in the 1930s and 1940s.

People became aware of the connection between Paul Pora and Dal Chambers because of the resemblance between them and because Paul himself several times drew attention to the name ‘Chambers’.

The name ‘Dembit’ or ‘Dembits’ which appears in some Hagen church records after 1944 may have been an effort at pronouncing ‘Chambers’.  When Paul Pora’s mother was asked by her grandchildren about his father, she uttered a name that sounded like ‘Jemis’ or ‘Chemis’.

Apparently the Leahy family was aware of the connection between Dal Chambers and Paul Pora. In 1995 John Fowke published a book, Kundi Dan, which was mainly about Danny Leahy. In the book was the photo shown here of a group of expatriates on the airstrip at Mt Hagen.

Dal Chambers is in the photograph and there is a strong resemblance to Paul Pora, both in facial expression and stance. The photo was shown to some old Yamka Pepka men from Paul’s mother’s clan and they immediately recognised Dal Chambers as being Paul’s father.

Paul Pora studies politics and economics at the University of Papua New Guinea in the early 1970’s and went on to become the first Chairman of Air Niugini. He was three times member of parliament and spent time as Minister for Finance and Minister for Civil Aviation. He was a gentleman and a peacemaker.

His contemporary at university and publisher of PNG Attitude recalls him as “smart, gentle and a great pleasure to be around”.

At Paul’s funeral in 2010, the relationship to Dalkeith Chambers was mentioned by Garry Roche, who also knew Paul, to John and Dulcie, two of Paul’s children.

With assistance from Garry, Paul’s daughters Dulcie and Pauline later contacted Dal Chambers’ relatives in Australia.

The Chambers’ family had become aware of the possible connection just before being contacted by Garry Roche and Paul’s daughters. It was a situation that had to be handled carefully out of respect for Dal’s wife Joan Chambers (deceased) and her children.

More recently both families have had DNA testing done which proves that Paul Pora was indeed the son of Dal Chambers.

Dal Chambers’ children did tell Paul’s daughters that their father had gone back to New Guinea in the early 1950’s for an unknown reason. In more recent times, members of Paul Pora’s family have had friendly meetings with members of Dal Chambers’ family in Australia.

Group photo: Pilot Willy Schaffhausen a mission pilot died in Fokker aircrash near Alexishafen Madang in 1939. Pilot Charles Raymond (Bob) Gurney of Guinea Airways died in combat during World War II.  Gurney airport is named after him.  The Klemm monoplane may well be the one that was still flying recently (see Pat Studdy-Clift, ‘The Incredible Klemm’).

Authors’ note: Telling the story of Dalkeith Chambers and Paul Pora, is in some ways a sensitive issue.  As John Fowke noted in an earlier comment in PNG Attitude (see below), some missionaries also had relationships with local women and produced offspring, some of these cases are well authenticated. None of us are in a position to be too judgemental about such events.  It seems that Paul Pora’s father made a genuine effort to find him, his mother’s people decided not to help him, but he did try.

Footnote: John Fowke posted this comment in PNG Attitude on 24 March 2013:

I was approached a year or three ago by a lady of the same family who works for Patrick Killoran, Banz Kofi, in his office at Kagamuga. I was able to provide her with a photograph, and memories from my talks with late Dan Leahy of Korgua and Kuta back in around 1990. The Leahys, notably Clem and Joe, both present in Mt Hagen area today, all believe that Dan’s recollection that the Pora/Schmidt family is descended from Dal Chambers is correct. I expect that the present-day descendants of Father Ross would also be able to confirm this – they are present in Mt Hagen today.

Dan and Mick Leahy were in close contact several times with Ludwig Schmidt as he moved thru the Hagen area and on to Wabag and Maramuni and would have known if he had left a child behind him. I also found a reference to Dal Chambers’ war-service which I passed on to the lady mentioned above. I know nothing of his life after the war, or indeed if he survived it. On page 146 of my book Kundi Dan there is a photograph of a group at Mt Hagen on the old Mogei airstrip taken in 1938. Included in the group are both Dal Chambers and Mrs Chambers. The book is available from Patrick’s café at Kagamuga and from the Christian Bookshop in town.