One of the most shameful omissions of successive Australian vernments since the end of the Pacific War has been their neglect to issue a civilian service medal to the New Guinea Carriers who were indentured to support Australian...
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OVERCOME by emotion Dr John de Courcy halts mid-sentence. Lying almost flat, his head propped against the thatched wall of a smoke-filled hut in the remote ranges of Papua New Guinea, he tries to describe those who have influenced his life. After a short pause, he continues without inhibition and his audience listens with empathy. It’s the kind of exchange that only a collective experience – bordering on near hell – is likely to deliver.
Read MoreINCLUSION OF PLACES IN THE LIST OF OVERSEAS PLACES OF HISTORICSIGNIFICANCE TO AUSTRALIAPublished by the Commonwealth of Australia, No. S150, Friday, 10 August 2007Cat. No. S15007, ISSN 1032-2345, Commonwealth of Australia,...
Read MoreThe influx of Australians trekking the Kokoda Trail in PNG has resulted in an increased awareness of the plight of our closest neighbour. Trekkers arriving in Port Moresby for the first time are struck by the squalor of the...
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After 15 years of roaming Papua New Guinea – climbing mountains, exploring burial caves, attending Highland ‘sing-sings’, leading numerous expeditions across Kokoda, and meeting politicians at the national, provincial and local government levels I thought I was beginning to understand this land of a thousand cultures.
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