Personal Account

What I am going to talk about is an account of my life since the time of my childhood up until now before I die. Some of you may have a same experience such as mine. For me I would say the 24 years of my life on planet earth is the most enjoyable and memorable years of my life. Though I encountered ups and downs in life, my family would not let me down. We are always there for each other and there is often an atmosphere of peace and unity in my family. The reason for that would soon be discovered. We come from Biwat Village in Angoram District, East Sepik Province.

My father is a retired Correctional Service prison commander who served in the 1960s up till his retirement in 2009. Because of his duty to PNG CIS, we travelled a lot around the country until his retirement. My mother is a “jack of all trade”. She only completed her primary education. But nothing seems to be too hard for her despite her education level. She is a determined lady and learn as much as possible. She is the mistress of the house and takes good care of the six of us. I admired her for sense of duty and hard work. Apart from all that, she is a dedicated Christian. I have four sisters and a younger brother. I love them very much.  

For a typical Papua New Guinean father, a male child means a lot to him. He is the wonder drug, the backbone of the family. That is what my father believes in. It may be quite different for other Papua New Guinean fathers. But for my father, it is not. That is the fact and he would accept only that. The reason for that I still do not know.

My parents have four lovely daughters before me. My mum was satisfied with that. She was contented because she has four extra hardworking pair of hands to count on. But my dad was not. He had always wanted a male child. He would constantly argue with my mum for not giving him a son. My poor mum could not find the right answers to me father’s fury would humbly forgive him and pray that one day God will give them a son they deserve. The more she prays, drove me father really mad. He started cursing God for such misfortunate and went to the extreme of banning mum from praying in the house or go to church. However, this does not prevent her from believing in God. She is a committed Christian and performed her unfailing duty to love her husband and her four daughters unconditionally despite my father’s harsh approach towards them.

I was told by my mum that before I was born, they had never experienced the peace they experience today. Their lives were filled with constant fear and disunity. My father would go drinking every fortnight. He would spend ever thing on beer. When he comes home from the club, he would quarrel with them. He often chases them out of the house and says cruel things to my mum and my sisters. He would spend all the money on beer and my poor sisters would often go hungry. Of all those things he did to them, my mum still forgive him and convinced that one day a son will be born. God will give them a son who will bring peace and unity into her family.  

Before I was born, a Christian woman, one of my mum’s friends, had a dream. In the dream, she saw my mum giving birth to a baby boy and he shall to be named Joseph.  My mum’s prayers and tears asking God for a male son was only awhile away before it would come to pass. How this will happen is all in God’s hands, said my mum.

Before long, after the dream, my mum got pregnant. My dad heard of the dream but he was having doubts. On the month of May 1989, my mum underwent labour and was admitted to Angau Memorial Hospital in Lae. My father was working in Lae at that time. Finally, the long awaited moment has arrived. On 17^th of May 1989, I was born. My father wanted to name me Charles but my mother’s friends stick to their dream and named me Joseph instead. But now I have lots of names. Anyways, my birth finally ends their forever miseries and proclaimed as the ultimate price for peace to come about. Something they had always longed for. There was great rejoicing and celebration on the day I was born. Of course, my dad was drunk that day, but it was for a different purpose and a different reason altogether. He was dead drunk and praised my mum for giving him a son. He was thankful to my mum’s friends for coming to their rescue in those past dark days then.

The good Lord blessed them again with another son sometime later. My mum and dad then and till now were the happiest couple with six children. I considered myself lucky for having four older sisters to fend me and a younger brother to keep me company.

 

2-4s Hiway Angoram

 

Hangout @ Boram Point Wewak

 

what makes a man after 24 years of living

 

SLAP WEWAK_an achievement

SLAP Training, Wewak

A total of 33 nursing officers have successfully completed a week workshop on Service Level Activity Planning (SLAP).

The workshop was hosted by Catholic Church Health Services, E.S.P with the support from Christian Health Services (CHS) and East Sepik Provincial Health Office.

The aim of the SLAP Workshop is to train the nursing officers in charge of Catholic run health facilities on program/activity planning and setting health program targets and objectives to effectively and efficiently utilize vital scarce resources to deliver health care services to the people. Monitoring of health programs performance at the health facility level was one of the key components of the workshop.

Workshop facilitator, Mr Bernard Rutmat, Deputy CEO of CHS, said similar workshops should be conducted in the future and he will be delighted to help. East Sepik Provincial Health Advisor, Mr. Albert Bunat, at the closing of the workshop, said such training is important and as partners in health we should support each other in providing the necessary health services to the people.

The workshop was an accomplishment and the participants were thankful to the Catholic Church Health Secretary and the partners for making the training possible. The Workshop ended on Friday, 14^th November.

 

 

ANGORAM or MAROGNA_still the best

Angoram or Angurum, whatever way it is pronounced does not matter. It is a home away from home for many people in search for basic human rights for education and other public services. It is a government district situated on a Sepik River basin and was the dwelling place for many Europeans and Germans in the colonial era.

So what does Angoram have in stock for you? Needless to say, you yet kam na lukm. Angoram can be accessed by boat, using the great Sepik River or by road. PMVs are travelling everyday from Monday to Saturday into Wewak and back. Don’t get yourself lost.Kalap lo 2-4 ba yu kam lo Angoram

Ok now to the best part. Surprises!!!!

The people there are so friendly and nice. Trupla pasin Sepik is what binds them together. They are loving and caring. They are also renowned for their sense of humour and can make great companions. They are also great wood carvers, fishermen, weavers, architects, artists, and the list goes on. Tired lo totok. Yu yet kam na skelm.

Ol meri sepik wara too ya. They are mermaids without tails, called friends. Not forgetting ol resa pukpuks, the muno marns.

The Sepik River provides surplus of food, animals and plants all year round. You will never go hungry. Everything is cheap and straight from the natural environment. It is also a shelter to a diversified life of plants and animals united in one principle of survival, interdependence.

What else?

Let’s talk about their culture and traditions. They still practise the rite of passage, initiation, which is celebrated around the Christmas festive season and is often accompanied by great feasts and celebrations.

They also have the Crocodile Festivals which are held on National Events like Independence. Furthermore, they also host Canoe Festivals for pleasure and enjoyment.

They showcasing of such things are intended to keep their cultures and traditions alive and be passed on from generations to generations. However, not all of them are allowed to be viewed by the public as some are considered to be sacred.

Otherwise, Angoram has a lot more to offer. 

So maski westim,westim. Same speed...

 

17th May is new year all year around

T

here was a big debate in heaven over the next child in the queue. This was going to be the fifth child born to a Sepik couple. The fragile and innocent ball of cells waited patiently for the heavenly angels to finish their discussion. Finally His Excellency stood up and said, “I want that child to be perfectly made in my own image”. Upon the final comment, His Excellency ordered the work on that child to begin.

The child was wonderfully and fearfully made. Firstly, they work on his body image. The bones of his body were put into place and were covered with flesh and blood. After that, a hi-tech network of nerve system was built into the body. His body was brown in colour and tough in texture, compatible in tropical PNG climate. After that his body was protected with a tough defence of immunity and the skills and knowledge deemed relevant to survive in a Sepik community. He was going to be a male child and would have his father’s eyes, his mother’s nose, talk like his uncles and grow into a tall person like his forefathers. All of these things were compacted into that tiny ball of cells before proceeding into the work on his personality.

Then the work on his personality began. He was going to be a shy child, so he needs plenty of humbleness, some trust, a little bit of love, more politeness, right quantity of respect and so much strength to be a hard working child. He’s going to need a little bit of humour, and also some high sense of duty and responsibilities.

Lastly, the work on the future of the unborn child was carried out. The child was going to have a bright future, so they instilled some comprehension, understanding, some cleverness, a high sense of perseverance, and other abilities necessary to have a successful life. It took nine months for the work on that child to complete. His life was programmed to unfold in logical sequences over time.

 At last on 17^th of May, 1989, the child was brought into this world from heaven. The world rejoiced happily when he was born but the angels were so worried. They don’t know what his life on earth would be like and the child cried bitterly. He doesn’t want to let go of its safest place for the past nine months.

Soon after his birth, his life unfolded and he experienced a lot of things which he liked and others he disliked. There were also significant events in his life which he clings onto as his memories. 

At the age of four he would have a younger brother to keep him company in the family of four girls. Before that he was nearly killed in a cross fire between PNGDF and BRA in Bougainville. When he was five years old he lost his first baby tooth.

He did not like school very much. Bigger boys were so mean to him. He used to escape from classes. Soon his father found out and bashed him. Other time he was locked up in the toilet for disobeying his mother or goes without meal for playing marble too much.    

His 23 years of life on earth has been fun-filled. However, he is soft inside. Whenever, he is happy the angels smile and they cried when they see him sad.

His last four years in Divine Word University is almost over. He met a lot of friends from different parts of the country. He liked them but prefer the Health Management final year class of 2013 to be the best friends to be with. He doesn’t know what the future holds for him after he leaves DWU. But one thing he sure of is that, angels will always be with him and they can’t wait to welcome him back to heaven in his afterlife.

Dedicated to all those who were born in the month of May 1989.

Exotic Sepik River Scenes

Hello friends,

I am grateful and considered myself blessed to come from an ethnic society of untouched, unexploited virgin environment. I come from Sepik, a society renowned for its multi-linguistic culture.

It is the home of a great variety of people, plants and animals all united in one traditional way of life since the beginning of time.

There are many things to see and do. Sepik Society is divided by geography into three unique of habitants. There are Sepik from the coast, mountains and river. I am from the river.

Sepik River is one of the largest river in Papua New Guinea and flows from the mountains of Enga Province to Broken Bay, Kopar. It provides food and shelter for animals and people who live there.
People build their villages along the river banks and there is plenty of rain all year around.

The banks of the river is covered with a great wall and canopy of diversified vegetation. These naturally occurring resources provide building materials for the people.

The Sepik River people are great architects and expert carvers. They build nice houses, designed with traditional patterns and totems.

Tourists from different parts of the world often come to visit them. They buy carvings and crafts, take pictures of the beautiful Sepik River scenes and indulge themselves with the majestic traditional arts and dances. The Melanesian Tourism Services is the tour operator and is

Ambunti District

Kanengara Station

owned by Sir Peter Barter. He organises tours for the tourists


Gavamas Village in the Krosmeri Area of Sepik River upstream

east sepik province