The trials & tribulations of the kiapry
03 September 2024
KEITH JACKSON
NOOSA – I am told that the sometimes bitter division between a small group of former kiaps and the great majority of their ageing comrades continues.
I had thought it all over until recently, when it was brought to my notice that some of this seriously ageing and rapidly extinguishing band of brothers want further public memorialisation for themselves in the form of a public monument paid for and constructed by the government.
It seems this small group would also like recognition of an ‘honour roll’ that has been put together which seems to have led to a stupefyingly ignorant claim that the death rate of kiaps on service was similar to that of the 532 Australian servicemen killed in the Vietnam war and the many more who were seriously injured.
That strikes me as something that, if articulated in public, would make kiaps a laughing stock.
In fact the kiaps have received an award for their service, but this small hard core group apparently wants more.
In early 2009, ex-kiap Chris Viner-Smith asked me to support him in his advocacy for those who had been in the kiap service to be honoured with a special medal.
My thinking at the time, and still is, that the service - in its various forms from World War I to independence - had done enough in Papua and New Guinea to be publicly acknowledged for its pioneering and nation-building role.
I had observed them at work in PNG from the time I was posted in the Highlands as a young teacher and journalist until I departed after independence and I have known them since.
I believed the official recognition of their country was deserved, that it had been earned, and that with the appropriate advocacy a strong case could be made.
Accordingly, I accompanied Chris in a visit to Canberra and a meeting with the chief of staff to the Special Minister of State and various odds and soda from the Minister’s office and the bureaucracy.
These people were adamant that no special medal would be minted for the kiaps but they did leave the door slightly open for some other form of recognition.
It took a few years for Viner-Smith and some colleagues to force this door wider open and eventually the kiaps, thanks to their marginal role as sworn police officers, were included as recipients for an existing award, the Police Overseas Service Medal.
This was not highly relevant recognition but, in the circumstances of the federal government’s reluctance to mint a special medal, I believe that was an elegant outcome.
It has many opponents from with the ranks of kiaps, including from senior and well-respected men like Bill Brown MBE, Fred Kaad OBE and Harry West OAM (who I had nominated), recipients of individual honours themselves but who didn’t support more collective recognition.
Bill doubled down on his opposition late in 2022, calling the memorial concept “a nonsense” and noting that “distinguished former kiaps like Harry West and Fred Kaad have departed, but they did not support the push for either a medal or a memorial.
"They thought a library, or some appropriately named research facility, might provide more worthwhile recognition.”
There, that’s a good idea. Or perhaps a kiaps’ memorial organisation that attained something more of a presence than a web page.
With the assistance of sons, daughters and friends, an appropriate could constitute a ‘living memorial’ to the contribution of the kiaps.
But that sounds like too much trouble, so, sadly, a police service medal will have to do.
And shame on those who have sought to bully other kiaps they thought should support them or otherwise “react viciously”, as has been reported to me.
It’s time the memorial monkeys sat back in their armchairs, mulled over their Kauage painting, enjoyed their senescence, or what’s left of it, and gave their POSM a stroke or two.
Bill Sanders posted this summary of the recent meeting with DFAT on the Exkiap website:
Notes from the Kiap Memorial Steering Committee Meeting – 12 September 2024
(Apologies for the delay in getting these out to you – but I had a couple of things that took precedence).
What follows is my take on the meeting – to be confirmed by the Minutes in due course.
Attendees:
Chair: Dr Justin Lee, First Assistant Secretary Pacific Melanesia Division
Bec Burfoot, convenor and minutes
Joe Warisan, PNG Deputy High Commissioner
Sam Osborne, representing the Minister for the Pacific
Diane Heriot, Head Design and Collections, APH
Philip Roberts, representing Luke Gosling, MP
Bill Sanders, representing the Kiap Community
Points:
. There is a statutory (as in required by rules) process for the approval of the Memorial site.
. We have in principal approval from the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate.
. The National Capital Authority (who control everything that moves in the Parliamentary Triangle) will also need to approve the site - but for them this will be ‘minor new works’, so hopefully that should not be an issue.
. Then both Houses of Parliament will need to pass a resolution approving the site of the Memorial.
. The Memorial must fit in with the surroundings, so, the architect for the APH gardens has to be consulted, or in their absence, their estate.
. There will be no story board, so the wording on the plaques on the Memorial will need to tell the “kiap story”. (Personally, I’d like to see a story board inside Parliament House.
. It becomes important that your thoughts are presented – what you have given me so far has been passed on – the words and design. So, tell me.
. There is to be a brief for a design of the Memorial given to an architect – that should happen next week. I presume that the architect is provided with everything that we give the Committee.
. In my brief to the Committee I confirmed that we are asking for a ‘modest’ Memorial, and that the Memorial is to commemorate those Kiaps who died while working in PNG. (It is not for the living).
Other Business:
. PNG asked to give their thoughts on the plaque for the Commemorative Tree that the PNG PM planted – we are not part of that.
. DFAT does not hold any Kiap files – there may have been a time post-Independence when (some) of our files were held by them.
. National Archives hold what files are still around from PNG – DFAT are looking for sources of information on Kiaps and will engage with NAA (This may help Ross Wilkinson and Paul Oates in their searches for Kiaps. But just what it means to finding Kiaps, I’m not sure)
. A project for the 50th Anniversary will be ‘Somare/Whitlam’ awards. I mentioned our wish for a scholarship that commemorates departed Kiaps; maybe that could be included. More when I know more.
(A thought - it's important that we stay engaged with this Committee to make sure we get what we want. Negotiating the bureaucracy in this town is a bit eye opening! I will keep going for as long as possible).
. Next meeting will be mid-October.
Lukim yu.
Bill
0427322396
Posted by: Philip Fitzpatrick | 21 September 2024 at 01:41 PM
It appears in the minds of some few detractors, that the issue of recognition of those who died in the service of both Australia and Papua New Guinea has amazingly yet again become conflated with accusations of desires for personal aggrandisement.
These two issues could not be clearer in my mind and have always been separate.
At the ‘Shared Histories’ do at the National Archives, we paid tribute to those many dedicated people who went before me and who continued to work to help PNG progress into the modern world.
Those who point out that this was what we were hired for are quite correct. Yet there is a whiff of angst over whether anyone deserves some recognition as to whether the efforts of these people deserve any form of recognition of service simply because they may never have been issued with a uniform.
As I previously pointed out to the official blockers, this issue is surely irrelevant.
If those detractors deny the opportunity to recognise those who lost their lives, in many cases in very dangerous situations, surely that’s a personal view and should be left to the individual? Look at the example of Greg Harris’s sister not even knowing where her brother’s grave was or who was looking after it?
If there is to be some form of physical memorial to those who lost their lives due to their service, and there are plenty of other examples in Canberra, then surely there should be some form of explanation about what that service was all about.
Clearly, no one in contemporary Australia has been educated about PNG history and our association with our friends on the other side of the Torres Strait.
All the ventilating about who should get what is merely clouding a very important issue. Australia and Australians were working with the PNG people to constructively improve their circumstances and lives. That aspect should surely not be erased from our shared history.
Whether anyone wants to have their service recognised with something tangible after all these years is a personal matter both separate and divisible from any planned memorial.
Posted by: Paul Oates | 16 September 2024 at 11:59 AM
I like what you editorialised on your blog about this topic and was interested to read Phil Fitzpatrick's response.
On the ex-kiap website, Bill Sanders posted the following: "I won't be responding. My job for the last few years has been to represent faithfully the Kiap community and their wishes. I will continue to do that. Cheers".
Ironically Bill Sanders was anything but faithful, as he has failed to mention to the committee in Canberra the objections raised by Bill Brown in 2022.
I understand Sanders & Co did all their canvassing of opinions by way of a Facebook page, which very few, if any of the older kiaps utilise.
I believe that kiaps opposing a memorial should try and get a message to the special committee at DFAT to inform them that the submissions by Bill Sanders are not at all an accurate representation of opinions, which he claimed was 100% support in favour.
What do you think?
________
I have no view on this matter apart from what I wrote in my original piece. The author of the above comment provided his name to me but asked for anonymity to prevent the "vicious bullying" reported in my original article - KJ
Posted by: Anonymous (name provided) | 16 September 2024 at 08:52 AM
Keith - I am of a like mind with your comments and observations regarding the kiapry.
For fear of being both ostracized and made to feel an outcast, I now rarely post on the exkiap forum.
I believe the exkiap forum has become so opinionated by a small group of former kiaps that it does not reflect the feelings of the majority.
I am not in favour of a public monument or further recognition. That idea has long passed for me.
I have my memories, some of which we both shared of the Chimbu and other places in the Territory of Papua New Guinea over 60 years ago.
______
Good to hear from you again, Jack. Whenever I see your name, not having been in touch since those glorious days in Chimbu 60 years ago, I see in my mind the young man. Hope you're going well - KJ
Posted by: Jack Humfrey | 12 September 2024 at 10:25 AM
I have been involved since the mid-2000s, along with others, in establishing a memorial for this kiap's who died as a direct result of their role in PNG. (Not as a consequence of it years later either at home or elsewhere.)
During my period of involvement there has never been, to my knowledge, any formalised concept of any form of memorial to kiaps.
In fact, again to my knowledge, such a proposal has been and continues to be actively resisted.
As has been noted, such a memorial is a nonsense whereas the memorial to the deceased Kiaps is a recognition of what they sacrificed as well as a demonstration of respect for that sacrifice.
It may assist some, particularly the originator of this topic, to read the book by Claire James, 'ANGAU One Man Law' specifically pages 138-139 for some context and to remember District Commissioner Jack Emanuel's death in New Britain.
Posted by: Peter Briggs | 11 September 2024 at 09:41 AM
I can’t let this pass without comment as I have supported the proposal from an early time.
Perhaps some of the statements in this article have come from a potentially misguided source as they appear to be misconceived as to the concept behind the proposal.
The Honour Roll
Whilst we generally associate Honour Rolls with lists of military servicemen who died during wars, it is also known that some private and public organisations create such lists to commemorate members who died in the carriage of their employment.
In the case of the Kiap Honour Roll, my understanding is that it was created in the 1950s by Jim Sinclair and comprised about half a dozen names of those kiaps who had died in violent confrontations with villagers whilst attempting to make contact and extend government and law and order.
Apparently, the intention was to highlight the possible dangerous nature of the role to successive intakes of Cadet Patrol Officers at ASOPA by reading out the names and circumstances of those deaths.
Fast forward 50 years and in 2003 Peter Salmon created the Ex-Kiap website as a means of contact and to record historical and current events affecting the fraternity.
And while Chris Viner-Smith was undertaking his campaign for Kiap recognition, in 2009 Paul Oates began re-creating and expanding the Honour Roll on the Website including widening the parameters to include deaths from all causes whilst in service.
In 2012, research began into the compilation of a Kiap Nominal Roll from the many available sources of service information and has led to the identification of 2544 men who served as Kiaps including 491 National Officers to December 1973.
Expatriate officers were not recruited after 1972 and information on subsequent recruitment of Nationals is not readily obtainable after 1973.
This exercise greatly assisted the identification of names for the Honour Roll to its current total of 85, although no information has been located to identify if any Nationals died in service.
There has been discussion amongst ex-kiaps as to names that should or shouldn’t be included on the Honour Roll but hearsay information has not been able to be confirmed because of missing or incomplete records. For example, the most recent addition to the Honour Roll was only early this year.
The Memorial Proposal
In 2012 the Australian Government agreed to recognise Kiap service in PNG. As I understand it, a stand-alone Kiap medal was not considered and, as we were commissioned officers of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary, the Police Overseas Service Medal was considered the most appropriate symbol.
My further understanding from Chris Viner-Smith is that this came about because of support from the Australian Federal Police.
However, this was not just a Kiap gong as uniformed officers of the Constabulary are also eligible for the POSM under the terms of the award.
As a consequence, a proposal came from our group that the names on our Honour Roll, about 30 at that time, be included on the National Police Memorial.
This drew criticism as many of our group, although commissioned officers of Police, believed that actual policing made up very little of our duties, if at all.
As a result, a separate memorial was proposed and well supported. Of the approximate 100 who contributed to the discussion at that time, about 95% were in favour but other suggestions included a scholarship or no memorial.
Whilst there was some strong criticism for aspects of the concept and its organisation, unfortunately, impetus for the proposal petered out until a couple of years ago when Bill Sanders re-invigorated discussion and took the lead with the major points being location, design and funding.
I must admit that the comment about bullying surprised me as, in my limited involvement, I have seen no incidents of bullying or coercion of any type to get this proposal over the line.
The other major point is whether names on the Honour Roll be included or not. As there is still concern over the accuracy of the Roll and supporting information, the general consensus is that the proposed Memorial not include individual names.
What the Proposal Represents
There appears to be an impression amongst people that the proposal is to create a monument to kiap service generally but this is not the intent. The proposal is merely to build a modest memorial to those kiaps who died in the carriage of their duties.
It is certainly not an attempt to push Kiaps as the foremost public servants in PNG in its march to Independence or to denigrate the work of others.
In fact, many of the Kiap tasks could not have been achieved without the input of others as didimen, tisas, doktas and others frequently accompanied our patrols or assisted on stations.
Posted by: Ross Wilkinson | 08 September 2024 at 06:32 PM
I agree with Messrs Brown, Kaad and West and, at the risk of causing some offence - and I certainly don't mean to, why do some kiaps think they deserve a memorial? What about all of the other public servants: nurses, teachers et al (many of whom suffered the same isolation etc that kiaps endured) who contributed to bringing political independence and (a semblance of) nationhood to Papua New Guinea?
Posted by: Ed Brumby | 03 September 2024 at 05:54 PM
I’ve never been a fan of awards, memorials or medals or other forms of imperial honours. I didn’t, for instance, apply for a POSM for that reason.
As I understand it, the current idea for a memorial to honour those kiaps who died in service in TPNG comes from an agreement made earlier this year between prime ministers James Marape and Anthony Albanese and is being piloted by a committee set up in DFAT.
Ex-kiap Bill Sanders is coordinating the discussion and representing the kiaps on the committee. My observation is that Bill is a levelled-headed individual with no allusions of grandeur.
I have been following progress on the exkiap website and on the basis that it appears to be a fait accompli have offered a few suggestions about the style of the memorial.
That said, I still remain mystified by what actually drives the quest for recognition and honours among certain parts of the exkiap fraternity.
I also find the infusion of military overtones into some of the arguments rather quaint but I guess there were always kiaps who liked dressing up in khaki gear.
At the end of the day, no amount of medals and memorials are going to implant the history of the kiaps in the uncaring public conscience of Australia. The only way that will happen is through what has been written by them and about them.
Posted by: Philip Fitzpatrick | 03 September 2024 at 02:10 PM