raonraonpng: Salamaua has called me back after serving the government for over 30 years

Friday, May 15, 2020

Salamaua has called me back after serving the government for over 30 years

Salamaua is my birth place and the place where I grew up and went to school, then got employed and lived away from Salamaua for many years. Returning to Salamaua and enjoying my retirement feels better than elsewhere I have worked and lived.
Mr. Wagu Ahi, 67.

Mr. Wagu Ahi tells of his early childhood days with experiences of growing up in a war torn Salamaua District, went to school there and finally ended up being a tradesman for PNG Telikom as the Telecommunications Technician in Port Moresby until his retrenchment in 2002.

He is one of those few people who have invested their time, trades and skills to make the telecommunication Earth station located at Gerehu to where it is now by adapting into the changing trends in technology.

Mr. Ahi was retrenched in 2002 and decided to go back to his birthplace (Salamaua) and enjoy his retirement peacefully in the place which holds most of his childhood memories and dear to his heart. His current house has been built opposite the area which used to be generator shed for whole of Salamaua Government Station and facing the beautiful bay towards the Huon Gulf.
To me, his retirement was more like; counting the steps backward again to recollect the fond memories of the childhood days and replay into cognition.

The tranquility, beauty and serenity of the place would definitely make such as Mr. Ahi to rewind his life in the imaginary world and smile away in awe for a satisfaction over his life or regret but such life's experiences makes up the balance of life in the process of living.

From the historical facts, Salamaua was one of the earliest townships developed by the explorers and colonial administration. Mr. Ahi has some knowledge on the history as orally told or its their local knowledge of what traversed in Salamaua.

One of the stories that is retold to this day in Salamaua is the significance of Black-cat Track. The Allied Forces might have the exact reasons for using the track. However, according to Mr. Ahi, the gold from Bulolo were transported on the track to Salamaua and shipped out of the country from there.

On the other hand, Japanese with the quest for expansion and dominance in the Pacific has set target to conquer Salamaua to establish as the strategic base for its eastern New Guinea Campaign and the Coral Sea areas. As per the historical records, on March 1942, the Japanese contingent landed in Salamaua and the small Australian garrison in the area withdrew as the Japanese landed and did not contest the invasion.

The Japanese invasion of Salamaua was to construct an airfield and establish a base to cover and support the advancement of Japanese forces on the ultimately unsuccessful Japanese land offensive towards Port Moresby along the Kokoda Track.

The Allied Forces did not gave up the hopes of reoccupying Salamaua to cause havoc on any further advancement plans by the Japanese. Hence, in an effort to repossess Salamaua, the Allied Forces launch a secret and undetected attack via the Gulf of Papua and over the Owen Stanley Ranges into Salamaua and raided the area with total of 104 bombers that accounted for 130 deaths and 250 wounded Japanese with more than 10 ships including seaplanes were destroyed by the raid and sank at Salamaua.

The raid caused severe destruction to most of the infrastructures built by the colonial administration and Allied Forces as well as Japanese during its time of occupancy.
Anyone could ever imagine the destruction and its aftermath in the area. The area must have been lifeless with debris all over as result of air-raids by 104 bombers repeatedly.

The WWII was over with contest for dominance and expansion of territory between Allied Forces and Japanese in the Pacific and similar raids were conducted elsewhere in PNG or bloody battles were fought and destruction to life, properties, environment and livelihoods of the people were beyond the expectation like in Salamaua with its effects still remains.

As such was the life for Mr. Ahi to experience and grew up in Salamaua after the war. He assumed that he was born 5-7 years after the WWII and Salamaua air-raid by the Allied Forces. He recalled growing up in the debris filled and damaged structures in Salamaua. The once major seaport and seawall are now under the sea due to the combined effects from post-bombs and sea corrosion.

Now the seawall is a major concern for the villagers of Salamaua as the effect from the global warming (climate change) is showing impacts on their coastlines and the area has been declared as Potential Disaster Zone by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) under its Disaster Risk Management Project which advocates and educates communities to be vigilant with Natural Disasters and Develop Plans on Risk and Mitigation.

Mr. Ahi said that; under his watchful eyes as a local citizen, things have changed for Salamaua naturally and physically. The business houses in Lae have established their retreat centers in Salamaua and it changed the setting of the area physically but naturally the sea is eroding away the peninsula and soon the Salamaua Point will be an island of its own from the mainland.

In-fact, Salamaua is eminent in the history books as well as embedded in the memories of most people who are one way or the are connected to the place. The places holds the historical significance of Papua New Guinea which is a national tourism asset and area of interest for tourists. The war relics, the natural vegetation and landscape to the beautiful coastlines and mountain ranges which Black-cat Track passes through. The area has the attraction features that is possible to create a tagline for itself among the world's best coastal destinations like; Phuket or Bali .

To open up Salamaua as the area of interest for tourists, there are few work that needs to be done with the community in collaboration with the Provincial Government and embrace the benefits of tourism as one of their livelihoods support economic activities in the community.

There are some operators doing the business of tourism at smaller scale by selling Salamaua in their packages at the moment but making it as a community-wide and expanding the operations and sharing the benefits entirely will somehow make the magic work for people of Morobe and Salamaua to reap the benefits in Tourism.