All In a Holiday

It was good to finally get a full 8 weeks spell back to my island home of Samarai after having been in and out usually 2 weeks at most the past two years.

The island had been experiencing heavy down pours for more than usual months that everyone on the island including the surounding islands were very frustrated.

I suppose the more frustrated ones were the mothers as most of their washing took longer to dry out and even if it did it had that wet feeling with it.......others couldn't bring in the garden kaikai to the market and fishermen were unable to get out to sea as much as they would have wanted to.

For the island itself - it was really and truly soaking wet; as wet as I had never seeing it before - so much water everywhere it flooded places that never experienced flooding.

Couple pics here to show the flooding:

The Catholic Catechist house - Paul Titus

The Arada's Family block

Samarai Oval Looking towards old Kinanale Guest House - (Dart Street)

Samarai Oval looking towards Area Manager's house

Grade 3 & 4 Classrooms flooded (School BOM Chairman Tom Togisi. on the left and Cyprian Kaisa, School PNC Chairman on the right)

Inside of Grade 4 classroom flooded

My first 4 weeks was in the rain as well and yes I was just getting to that point when sun started poking its face out and shined on the island so the next 4 weeks was good for me, plenty of sunshine, plenty of beaches, plenty of blue sea.

And I could go cruising on my prized racer bike.

On a positive note there have been some developments on the island - the government wharf with its surrounding sea walls has undergone major repairs and it is good see some improvements to the public amenities. Some pics here of the wharf:

We now have Digicel network on the island too, with the Digicel tower been erected on the mountain slope at Sariba just above Dagadaga and Sidudu Community School. So if you are out fishing, on Doini Island (I dont know if Ware Island can get the signal), Dekadeka, Gonubalala or anywhere on Samarai Island you can talk to the world. Only if the contractor that is supposed to refuel the gennies that powers the transmitter forgets to refuel or is late then the network blacks-out - which is becoming the usual already.

So I can do phone interviews whilst having a picnic:

I had a grand 4 remaining weeks on the island mostly just laying back and taking it slow before having come back to work.

Will be posting my adventerous long walk crossing the Gulf Province into the Western Province next including photos.

Samarai Anglican Church

Samarai Island was declared as a Heritage Island by the Government of Papua New Guinea in 2006. The Prime Minister, Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare at the time when making this declaration, vowed that all historical sites, monuments or buildings would be restored. I believe that was one of many reason's why the Samarai Restoration Committee was established as well (I am still trying to get hold of the Declaration paper by the PM then and will post it as soon as its available).

Since then, very little has been heard about the Samarai Restoration Committee or its activities. We do know however that one member (a permanent island resident, Mr. Ernie Evernett) pulled out of the committee as he says, 'it was nothing but talking rubbish and drinking beer at Alotau in all meetings his attended.'

The island lost it's monumental Catholic Church structure (its the blue building with slates of glass almost obscured by the white house) some many years back. The island inhabitants at the time where a bit backward, communications unlike now, tourism an unknown venture and most probably the Government and 'the Church' most ignorant. I really don't know which but still we lost the original Catholic Church building.

The Anglican Church on Samarai Island has a history of its own. The architecture of a bygone era and a monument in itself. Infact it is the oldest building and the last of its kind on the island (I believe).
History has it that during the second world war when all buildings were put on and razed with fire for fear of the mpending Japanese invasion - the Anglican Church was the only building that did not catch burn down (although was set alight too) and eventually was the only building left standing. Of course, the Japanese never once came near the island (and when it did, they dropped two bomb sticks that completely missed the island) nor was the island bombed to simmering as was often 'mistakenly' penned by latter Pacific war historians.

Until 4 months ago, the Anglican parishioners practically stopped holding services in the building as the slates on the roofs were literally falling inside the building.
Three weeks ago, the parishioners got word that the Cardinal General of Anglican Church will visit Samarai and will do a 'Reconsecration' of the Church/ building.

This means he will officially declare the removal of all items holy from the building. Church services are and will now be held in the rectory next door.

What about the monumental building?

We are told that the building will be left to fall into pieces all on its own - it will not even be pulled down.

The 'working group' are currently making arrangements to make contact with the Vice Chancellor of University of Technology (who once lived on the island himself) to utilise it's architect/ engineering department (students) to help in renovating the building to its old self.

Following pictures of the building taken only recently (17th March 2010) will tell the true state of the building:

Samarai Reunion, Samarai

Recently, and only just now a 'working group' was formed made up of a core group of seven (7) people identified & nominated (who will have voting rights) with memberships open to anyone (residents & or ex-residents) that are interested, have links to the island (whether real or imaginary) but most of all "especially has the heart for Samarai Island, China Strait and the neighbouring islands & mainland communities.

Interested memberships has no voting power (by the way) when it comes to making decisions about anything or everything that comes before this core 'working group' BUT can of course contribute positively on ideas, suggestions, critiscisms etc during meetings.

The core group of seven (7) have a couple of things in common:

1. they are permanent full time residents on the island making Samarai Island their home.

2. are concerned about the general up keep of the island

3. are aware that sitting on their backside and watching the island plus some historical monuments fall apart is hypocritical.

A profile of each of the individuals will be posted at a later time when all relevant interviews/information are collated and approved by the group as correct (I do not want to be sued for posting wrong and degrading profile descriptions!!). Names of the core seven are listed at the end of this post including the three (3) people nominated as treasury/ book keepers who are by default identified as signatories to the bank account that will be open shortly (Bank account is not openned yet at the time of this post).

Pity I am unable to post a copy of the first meeting minutes on today (as I honestly do not know how to do that yet) but if anyone is interested to look-see the copy of the meeting minutes - email me or post your comment with an email address and I will forward to you in PDF format (so you dont change anything!!)

The aim of the group is:

1. raise awareness of the state of the island and it's surrounding island communities,

2. promote it's history including sites of historical significance

3. promote tourism activities

4. co-ordinate/ manage small project activities that it nominates to fund and do

5. liaise with those living elsewhere concerning their interests, links to the area

6. facilitate information

Note that the group does not see itself as replacing the district tourism authority, the government or the Samarai restoration committee for that matter. It will be non political, non religious, non profit and would be as informal as possible in its activities which mostly be basic and otherwise complementing the bigger picture of the said authorities or bodies.

The groups name identified during the meeting is Samarai Reunion, Samarai (with a comma) and during its first meeting also nominated WestPac Bank, Alotau as its banking facility.

And now shall I introduce names of the core seven (7) who have the voting rights and will drive us all. note that non of them will have official titles as all agreed in the meeting that this is an informal group and having titles is bullshit. Leadership is naturally following the seniority as it is on the island, of course we have other senior citizens that the core group can refer to as and where need be. The names without further ado:

1. Ernie Evernett - longtime resident, self employed (marine/ boats)

2. Rodney Abaijah - longtime resident, brother to former MP Josephine Abaijah

3. Maggie Tanaka - longtime resident who just loves Samarai Island

4. Maggie Sigamata - longtime resident, self employed (runs Samarai island Canteen)

5. John H. Marco - resident for the past 27 years, self employed (fuel servicing)

6. Paul Titus - former councillor (3 terms) and a very active youth coordinator.

7. Betty Andrew - born, raised and married on Samarai, current councillor, active youth coordinator;

The treasury/ book keeping team of three (3) whom are also signatories to the (yet to be openned) bank account are:

1. Carter Tanaka - wife of Richard Tanaka, longtime resident

2. Mary Abaijah - wife of Rodney Abaijah, longtime residents

3. Cypirian Kaisa - husband to Maggie Sigamata, self employed.

And lastly, ME MYSELF & I am the unofficial scribe, link, mail boy between you interested ones out there and the group on Samarai Island itself as I rotate back to Samarai Island from work breaks often enough as I live there.

Also there is TOBY AIWATI (facebook, emails etc) who can do the same I am sure as he also travels back to Samarai quite often too as he is a resident of Samarai.

The groups first priority right now is to raise awareness to everyone and anyone out there about the historical monument - Anglican Church building on Samarai Island.

Briefly, we have been recently informed that the Cardinal General of Anglican church will be visiting Samarai Island with the view to 'RECONSECRATE' (I believe the term is) the Anglican church (which means take everything holy i.e alters, the cross, holy water basins etc) and llet the building fall piece by piece. All Anglican Church services will be held in the rectory next door.

More of this with pictures in the next post........................................stay tuned!!!!

Love At First Sight

I believe I am one of the most luckiest person, besides my best friend ('TJ') to be actually living and working out of the island of Samarai, Papua New Guinea. The first time I saw Samarai Island was when I visited with my father in 1980 who just got transferred from Port Moresby. I was on school holidays then...............and regretted it. Not that I hated it but because I was not to live there the next two years, as both my parents connived to have me complete my 6th grade in Port Moresby.

You see my father was with the Department Of Transports, Marine Division as a Marine Surveyor and was transferred to Milne Bay Province, based on Samarai Island. I suppose he was based there instead of the main centre Alotau, because three of Milne Bay Province's slipways at the time were located within it's vicinity and along the main domestic shipping route of China Strait.

The six weeks christmas holidays was a blur (come to think of it) but I remember well that I tried to do everything all at once in one day - especially the swimming. In fact I got very sick when I came back to Port Moresby and my mother being a woman of very strong personal opinion decided Samarai was not the place to be for the whole family and insisted my father seek to transfer back to Port Moresby!!! One reason I had to recover quickly to suppress her fears.

We moved and took up resident on Samarai in end of December 1981, my mother, two sisters and two smaller brothers and I went on to attend Cameron High School in Alotau the next year 1982.

We eventually moved to Samarai and took up residency on the 20th January 1982, and I got registered to attend the Cameron High School (at the time a premier high school) in Alotau.

The island's laidback lifestyle and the beauty of it's people is worth mentioning many times over, those in the past, those who passed through on a visit, those who have come to live on it and those who still live there, literally and in their memories.

See some old photo's here from ex-residents with fond memories.

- Photo's of Samarai '83 -84 and some recent ones.

- Old Samarai. Tales of time gone by

Some interesting links here you must follow to gain more insight of the island. I suggest you follow their links too - some are truly fascinating:

- Milne Bay Province. A facebook group formed for those who have connections with the province

- Samarai Isle. Facebook for people who have connections with Samarai Island

- Jack Medley. Who lived on the island a teenager and was married there. Read some fascinating stories of yester-Samarai