This series of blog posts is part of the A to Z 2019 Blogging Challenge in which I will write snapshot memories of my early married life in the then Territory of Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea was my introduction to travel
Not just for work relocations
But on charter flights or
Trips Down South to family and friends.
Photos taken by Les Cass at the Trobs, probably from the 1960s.
Charter flights for government work
Meant surplus seats offered to others
Anthropology 101 and Malinowski
Brought to life
On my first adventure to the Trobriands –
Painted gourds with pig tusks
Carvings of all sorts
Near naked men in loin cloths
You’re not in Brisbane now, Pauleen.
He is on a work trip and I get to joy ride
Off to Woodlark Island where I see surf
Then making it back to Losuia – just
Confound that 100 foot hill in the clouds.
A working-class girl from suburban Brisbane
I never anticipated travelling to Europe
Despite my enthusiasm and aspirations
Employment conditions change all that.
On leave every two years at first then every year
Airfare Goroka to Melbourne goes a long way
Towards Port Moresby to Europe.
We tell the kids “go Rome, Athens?”
Then the offer comes…
“Go grandma’s?”. “No, Athens!”.
Now I can’t believe we left them so long
Thinking this would be “once in a lifetime”.
On another leave we introduce them
To New Zealand and interstate Australia
Visiting friends along the way.
Three years later they have quite an adventure
“Go Rome” is not such fun after a long, long flight
Port Moresby – Manila – Bangkok – Karachi-Teheran
Arriving in Rome at “sparrow fart” all tired and frazzled
But we did see Mt Etna with snow and still steaming.
Three Coins in a Fountain becomes one daughter’s obsession
Thereafter all water needs coins!
I still see their faces full of excitement
On arrival at the station in Venice.
Stolen passport and money
Make Amsterdam a challenge.
New Delhi was another challenge too far
Those very long-haul flights don’t help.
However, Kathmandu exploring was fine
Supported by our friends who lived there
A flight to see Everest
How many 6 and 4 year children can say that?
So many adventures that we would never have had
Without our time in Papua New Guinea.
Tok Pisin:
tambu – forbidden
em tasol – that’s all – regularly used, even now
tenkyu tru – thank you very much
tingting – think
Family history across the seas 
Travelling with children puts a whole new perspective on it. You certainly couldn’t waste those opportunities. We took our children to NZ and Bali but Europe was left for them and us to find on our own. In fact my daughter beat me to London when she toured with the Rock Eisteddfod. Not by much but I was 47 before I achieved that goal.
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I found it hard enough going regularly between NZ and Aus or even Bris to Melb. To Europe. Glutton for punishment, you two.
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Too silly to know better 😉
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Those first photos seem like an entirely different world and time. You have certainly been living an interesting life.
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It was certainly formative. My father-in-law travelled to inspect schools (and the teachers!) throughout the District. He was able to take unusual photos along the way but sadly many were destroyed by the mould which comes with living in the tropics. Having said that I saw much the same things when I visited the Trobs but as a young married I didn’t have a camera.
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