Wokbung Wantaim

  The old radio can still connect PNG's Rural Heart. Something the current desire for modern tech advancement still struggles to get it right. Source: Alamy photos Remember those evenings in the 90s when you visit the village, bathed in the warm glow of the fire under the smoky thatched roof? You all gathered around the fire, and the gentle hiss of your uncle's kettle sings a counterpoint to the crackle and pop of the AM/SW radio as he wrestles the dial. Suddenly strange foreign languages flitting by, then the sweet relief of that familiar voice – NBC National, NBC Morobe. Your uncle hushes everyone, hoping to catch news relevant to him, his village, maybe even a teacher's posting or a health notice. Simple, yes, but it worked. Everyone, even in the most remote corners, knew when to tune in, creating a shared space for vital information. Fast forward to today. Communication has exploded, a cacophony of options – FM stations, pre-loaded USB drives, the siren song of social m...

  MV Ialibu: A Ship's Name Rooted in Faith but met with controversy The MV Ialibu, a vessel owned by ELCPNG and operated by iroks limited, is more than just a ship. For those who don't know its story take the name as a source of controversy when it was first launched back in 2019 but for those who knew, the name always stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of Lutheran missions in Papua New Guinea. Initially, the choice of "Ialibu" for a seafaring vessel raised eyebrows. After all, Ialibu is a landlocked mountain region, 2,000 meters above the waves. Whispers of political influence swirled, linking the name to a hefty government donation by then-Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, who represented the Ialibu/Pangia district. It was O'Neil who donated the 10million kina of public funds and as expected the rumors of controversy in naming the ship. But the name ialibu was more than just a political electorate. The story goes deeper, beyond whispers and controversi...

The beat of the Kundu drums, a rhythm so strong. Bringing people together, with joy in their hearts, A celebration of life, to share and rejoice. A symbol of peace and joy. The spear, a symbol of defenders and warlords, a tool of the hunters. To protect the people, to fight for justice, to hunt and feed. A symbol of strength and responsibility.  The pig tusk, a traditional money and economy, a token of systematic intelligence for sustainability of life. A symbol of pride and a tale of wealth & prosperity. Together they reveal Pasin Morobe All resting on the Kumul blong Morobe, giving it meaning, a mere symbol without substance. A skinny bird, only covered with big colourful features. Too afraid to fly off the branches itself into the strong wind. But with the three, In Anutu We Trust and Prosper. ********** WGuti - 5th February 2023

Oh Lae City,  a rainy gem in the core of Huon Gulf,  nested right in the midst of three rivers, a scenic stand. Pouring from the skies all year, it's rainy Lae, feeding Busu, Markham and Bumbu flowing into the Gulf,  maintaining Lae's greenish majestic awe.  From the east, Busu river, narrow and fast, Flows with speed, a force commanding into the Huon Gulf, from the Waeng/Nabak heights down.  From the West, Markhamm river, mightly wide and slow, Winding its way throgh the valley, a gentle ebb and flow out to maus Markham. Bumbu river, right through Lae city, A lifeline for the urban dwellers. It pours down keeping the 3 rivers flowing. Oh Rainy Lae! WGuti / 18 Jan 2023 *********** Image source (LCA website) : https://lca.gov.pg/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Lae-4-1500x650.jpg

Come and visit our hidden paradise in Morobe, Finschhafen District, Kotte LLG, Kumawa Village. Surely you'll be blown away by the beauty of our mysterious Qoya mountain waterfalls with clear blue/green crystal natural pool, peaceful virgin rainforest.  PC & Caption: Bryan Wenani (source: https://twitter.com/angrablome/status/1353237418695036930)  

  A five-year-old Papua New Guinea girl in Australia is raising funds for Angau Memorial Hospital in Lae through collection and sale of empty cans and bottles. Kiana Ainie Arang loading empty cans and bottles onto her dad’s truck. Kiana Ainie Arang, daughter of former PNG champion kick-boxer and professional boxer Kartu ‘Wantok Warrior’ Arang, felt compelled to do so after seeing a heart-breaking Facebook picture of an old man lying on the floor of Angau. Arang, from Kabwum in Morobe, is now married to Australian woman, Lisa, and they have four children: two girls and two boys. Kartu and Lisa Arang run a growing property management services and cleaning business in Wollongong and Newcastle in New South Wales Kiana, according to her dad, has raised $1000 (K2692) so far and is still going strong. “Around April of last year,” Arang recalls, “I was reading a post on Facebook with a photo of a sick, old man from a remote area of Morobe in pain lying on an...

reminiscing the string band days    This is the Langema string band of Simbang village, Finschhafen with their song "Ai Ngamoa"    Enjoy listening!  

Battle of Finschhafen The Landing at Scarlet Beach on the 22nd of September 1943 marked the start of the Battle of Finschhafen, which saw Australian and American troops perform a pincer attack on the town of Finschhafen. This battle, and the subsequent counterattack was part of the Huon Peninsula Campaign that took place in New Guinea during WWII. The Japanese had been expecting an Allied attack on Finschhafen since July 1943, and Japanese high command had deployed a mixed force from three divisions, totalling approximately 5,000 men in a series of defensive positions around the town. Allied intelligence underestimated this force, as being only between 300 – 2,100 strong. On the 22nd of September, the Australians began establishing a beach head at Scarlet Beach and its surrounding coves, before commencing the advance on Finschhafen. Advancing through thick jungle with limited vehicular support, the soldiers were often forced to carry the stores themselves due to a shor...

1943 - The remains of the Sattelberg Church, Finschhafen This is a painting by Nora Heysen that shows the remains of the Church at Sattelberg after the 8 days of heavy bombing by the Allied troops attacking the Japanese stronghold on Sattelberg. Finally on 24th November 1943 the Japanese had to flee Satelberg the night before and the Allied force completely secure the hilltop of Satelberg. The caption of the painting reads "The timber remains of the church at Sattelberg Mission; only the cross and the pulpit are left standing" And further abstract from a news article found on the National Library of Australia online database reads "REMAINS OF CHURCH - A heap of timber, a few curiously carved figures, and a sturdy cross still standing and still undamaged was once the mission church. The wooden figures with brilliant robes and deep brown faces were the native artists' conception of the Saints. Lying among the timber was a gaudy pulpit carved from t...

Do you know that a former Royal Australian Navy boat given as a gift to the PNGDF Navy in 1987 was named after Dregerhafen in Finschhafen, Morobe Province? Oct 2013 - HMPNGS Dreger entering Sydney Harbour Before we jump to that, lets go back... First of all, where does the name of the place Dregerhafen come from? Dregerhafen is infact two words, Dreger and Hafen. Just like Finschhafen, Finsch and Hafen. Finsch named after Otto Finsch the German explorer who explored most of the North Western part of the island of New Guinea. The Finschhafen proper is the habour in which Maneba wharf sits formed by the Nugidu Peninsula (point). Hafen in German means Harbour so it is Finsch-Harbour. Now back to Dregerhafen. Further south of Finschhafen is Dregerhafen. The place is named after Captain Martin Dreger, another German but this time he was the captain of the 1884 expedition on the sailing ship named "Samoa" that took Otto Finsch around the Pacific laying claim ...

Finschhafen, The Aftermath of the War   What was it like right after the war?   There were three known major plantations in Finschhafen back in the days, the #Heldsbach , #Salankaua and #Timbulin . The three lie within almost ten miles from each other. There were no vehicle roads before the war, but only horse tracks interrupted by numerous small creeks. Finschhafen (Buming to Mape), World War 2.   How big was it?   Here are two sources of reference that can give you a glimpse of how big it was. During the war Finschhafen had become the third largest military port in the world, after London and New York. At times there were one million Allied soldiers stationed at Finschhafen. It was one big war city between #Mape river and Buming river. Dozens of side roads criss crossed the plantation and connected numerous warehouses, recreation centres, churches and movie theatres. Military equipment of all description and in huge quantities were for the trip to Japan. (Source:...

1944 - Maneba, Nugidu, Finschhafen proper  FINSCHHAFEN, NEW GUINEA. 1944-04-03. AN AERIAL VIEW TOWARDS THE OCEAN SHOWING SHIPPING AND PORT INSTALLATIONS AT THE HARBOUR  Australian War Memorial

A possible story by Immanuel Namandi. From the south coast of Morobe Province where the former Morobe Patrol Post is located, today it still holds the name. 'Moro' is a certain tree that is commonly found at the Mou river and 'Be' means mouth. When the Yekora locals were paddling in a canoe together with a German missionary approaching the mouth of the river.. The locals spoke in their local dialect saying Moro ra be..something like the y are approaching the spot. The German ask them again about the name and he recorded it naming the area. Morobe . Also, Interestingly Morobe Patrol Post station was formerly named by the Germans as Adolfhafen.

Tingim ol barata long ples taim ol laik igo salim kofi, ol maunten mangi bilong Morobe lusim ples na ol i mas wokabaut nogat rot blong kar nogat kofi buyer klostu ren na tais, nogat PMV nogat kar, 3,4,5,6 hrs ol i mas wokabaut kat jean soka Jersey Karim maunten bag taitim soka socks long het kapa torch long back poket werim soka boot, 6 spikes hap moning yet ples ino lait ples i kol yet 3,4,5 am putim long solda hap ful bag ating 20,30 kilo kofi Tais na karanas ino wanpla samting Ol i kam na igo 50,60,70,80,90,100 kina ol i kisim na imas baim suga na ti oil na salt niuspepa bilong brus bateri bilong tos na redio ol i mas go bek hariap nogut moni pinis mun ikam yia igo ol i wokabaut yet -end- by WGuti/2016