Joining the Company was a fresh look at life in New Guinea. To spend six months far away up on the North-west part of the country was something of a challenge. The Outstation was located on an old coconut plantation originally owned by two German settlers, Herr Hook and Herr Carey. Locally the area was known as the “The Hook and Carey Lease” The legend was that the Water Stone Tribe to the East had eaten them. Made a good story, maybe it was true. The village of Vanimo was several miles away to the West on the other side of Daumlingi Bay. It had some unique features. The village was alleged to have a custom of fishing without nets or lines. They simply ‘sang’ to the fish which then jumped into the canoes. Father Ray who conducted a mission nearby said with a smile “Well actually they have a found a root in the jungle that they call ‘rope dynamite’ which they process into a powder. When sprinkled over a shoal it knocks the fish out and they float to the surface. The fish can be eaten a day or so after.” Interesting stuff, eh? The Army Camp had not changed nor was the trip up any different. Another pilot flew the Norseman to Dick’s relief.
Joining the company a few weeks late was a bit of a disadvantage, but the reins came easily. Lt Bill Dagg had been acting 2i/c and he returned to Five Platoon just in time to depart for Green River. Ron Hamlyn had Four Platoon but Sergeant Ti Mali Ti Rosi was acting platoon commander of Six Platoon. Mali was a good lad but Wal was reluctant to be the first company commander to send a patrol out without a European. The CSM was “Dinger” Bell and he had a convenient crook leg. The CQMS could not be spared so Wal Campbell decided to take out Six platoon patrol himself. When the time came Wal lined up the patrol and it was as usual about a hundred yards long. A great string of porters carrying rations mainly headed out following the patrol. The custom was that as the cargo of a man was used, he was paid off and just went home. About two weeks later Sgt Mali came up from the Water Stone East of the camp with most of the patrol. He said that Wal had kept a half a dozen men, piled them up with rations taken from the others, hopefully to last with the reduced size patrol for the remainder of the mission. Wal was determined to carry out the task. When he got back a few weeks later he angrily said, “The patrol report of a similar patrol is all rubbish.” He rummaged through the Q Store and found all the file copies of previous patrols. He found that many more of them were spurious. Some patrols had gone out for a few days, found a good camp site and then did some fishing and pretended it was survival training.
Quite unannounced, the next Norseman brought Lt David Millie, an aviator, to command Six Platoon. Bill Dagg was to be promoted to be 2i/c of C Coy in Manus and left on the same plane so now Five platoon had no Pl Comd. Sgt Suua took charge and let everybody know he was boss. Wal asked Dick to take out all the HQ staff for a patrol through the Krisa villages. There were Killipas, Killiwis and Killiwi. They were interrelated and were ardent gardeners having been the main supplier of root vegetables to the Kiap, the Mission and the Army at Vanimo. Digger Campbell 2i/c of A Company next for duty at Vanimo arrived and volunteered to come too. The Top Sergeant Lafe was to be patrol 2i/c. Dick lined them up. There were the signalman, three cooks, a driver, a bugler/drummer, two pioneers and all the batmen. A few halt and lame who avoided previous patrols were rounded up and this heterogeneous montage took off for the Daunda Creek and the Bridal Veil Falls half way up the Bewani Mountains. The camp dog “Billdong” came too and seemed to know where to go. A RP&NGC constable brought up the rear. The climb was steep and after a short break at the falls the patrol continued up the range. The base wallahs were all a bit puffed. So was the patrol commander. Being the adjutant for two years had undermined the fit young NS Pl Comd. It didn’t get much better but the bargaining with the Luluais and Tul Tuls about volumes, varieties and quality of root vegetables was useful, more for Digger than Dick. When they came out of the bush at the Water Stone, they were all glad to be back and a beer tasted extraordinarily tasty.
This is a good time to just mention more about Father Raymond Quirk, who ran a mission at the Village of Vanimo over the other side of the Daumlingi Bay. He was fairly casual about the routine of the Mission. Mass was said when he was good and ready. The bells rang out over the Bay at any time of the day. However, he had a great concern for the native villages he served all the way up to the border and well down towards Sissino to the East. He was troubled by a sort of ‘Murder Incorporated” – a cult of secret men or a man in every village who were the monitors of public morals. When a native custom is broken there is a range of punishments that are enforced by the Luluai or Tul Tul. These range from loss of privileges, whipping or some sort of spear maiming something like the Australian Aboriginals did. They vary from village to village.
Really bad crimes are dealt with differently. There are men (or a man) called “Sanguma”. Nobody knows who they are and they are just another man in the village going about normal business. Their identity is carefully concealed even from their wife (meri). When a villager breaks a major law, when he goes to his sleeping pad, he finds a broken Cassowary feather. He knows what that means. It has been part of the folk law told to children from their birth. With extreme guilt and emotion approaching panic, because he knows he is going to die, he tries to escape. He rushes into the jungle so consumed with fear he crashes into trees, falls over branches and to bruise himself extensively. He hears the foot fall of a phantom Cassowary (local name Duk Duk) and that is the sound he hears “Duk Duk Duk Duk” coming nearer all the time. The victim is exhausted and falls to the jungle floor. The sound comes nearer and nearer. Suddenly it is there. It kicks the victim severely. He faints but eventually recovers and makes his way back to the village. Several weeks later he suddenly falls sick and dies.
Father Ray took exception to these sudden deaths and consulted the District Commissioner who knew something about it but had never done anything. Ray quoted “Thou shall do no murder”. He found out about the feather on the bed business and went out into the jungle with a PIR shotgun and shot a large Cassowary. Plucked it bare and that day put a feather on every sleeping place in Vanimo village. Everybody scampered except the Sanguma. The village constable and Father Ray grabbed him and hauled him up to the Mission. The man was evacuated to Wewak where the RP&NGC people grilled him, threatened him and he finally confessed and copped a long sentence in Lae. Father Ray reconstructed the Cult practice. The job of Sanguma was passed from father to son and there was complete secrecy. The feather having been put out, the Sanguma shadowed the victim in the jungle mimicking the sound of the Duk Duk. It was he who kicked the man and when he was unconscious took a sharp sliver of bamboo doused it in the muck and mess of the jungle floor full of germs and with one thumb depressing the flesh opposite the kidney stabbed the sliver deep into the body near the kidney. On releasing the pressure only, a small hole remained. The man returned to village and died of kidney poisoning as nature took its course. Father Ray announced that the problem was solved but who knows what is happening in the back blocks of the Sepik today.
A great winding up “Sing Sing’ was held when the AV Tarra arrived to take Wal and half the company to Wewak to be flown home to Taurama. The Tarra returned a day or so later for the rest of the company with Dick as tail-end Charlie. Half of A Coy had come in the Tarra on both occasions. This time the Tarra missed Wewak and went straight to Madang for the B Coy second half to be flown home. Dick eyeballed Captain Stark and reminded him that the Tarra would load half of C Coy going to Manus that afternoon and he had better not go to the Madang Pub today on pain of a slow death. Brave words worked because 2i/c D Coy radioed Dick a few days later and reported that they had got to Lorengau okay.

Interlude in Taurama

Everybody was glad to be home to a happy family who were getting used to the man of the house being away so often. The post-outstation tidying up didn’t take too long. Very few took their discharge but about half the company took Leave for two months. Without much notice Dick was advised to also take leave which should have been taken nine months ago. Lyndall was excited and so were the children. Having arrived at aged five and two their memories of Australia were hazy. This was a tremendous, exciting adventure. Met by relatives on both sides a very relaxing leave was taken. The highlight was their introduction to television and soon the routine was done in the morning, and everybody sat boggled eyed until the programs finished. The return trip to Moresby was in a DC6B an extended version of the DC4 and a most uncomfortable ride. The aircraft didn’t seem to be trimmed properly. Everybody was air sick. They were glad to get off the darn thing.
They were met by Wal Campbell who announced that he was now the Adjutant since Adrian had “Gone Finish” and that the married quarter at Murray Barracks was to be vacated and that a brand-new quarter at Taurama was waiting for them. The boi-house couple who had worked for the Flints for a couple of years had moved some of the stuff and all that was left was furniture and personal stuff. Lyndall was accepting of the move, but it would mean that she would have to go to work in the car over the Taurama Road every weekday and that did not thrill her a little bit. Annie the house girl worked tirelessly, and her husband Bourki had already dug a kitchen garden and planted some flowers around the house. The kids were delighted that the new house had ceiling fans. Sleep might be a little better.
Things had been moving along. Major Ron Faulks had assumed command of B Company. He was the first major to command it since Bob Murdock had left in 1957. Adrian Clunies-Ross had done the Manus tour in 1958 as a lieutenant and Wal Campbell had done the Vanimo stint in 1959. Second Lieutenant Jim Devitt had signed on again, promoted lieutenant and as 2i/c was preparing the company for the trip to Manus. 4 Platoon was still without a platoon commander, but second lieutenant Geoff Chipman had taken 5 Platoon on and second lieutenant Bill Lunny had the sixth. A new CSM Des Middis had arrived, and he was of a new breed. He was a specialist marksman trainer with new ideas to improve the rifle shooting skill of Pacific Islanders, currently poor shots. A new CQMS was Hughie Campbell. They had been moved successfully to Manus and it was time for Dick to re-join his company. Colonel Norrie called him into his office. “When you arrive at Manus, you will assume command. Major Faulks is to be the new 2i/c as Major Trenerry is to go South to a Tac 5 examination for promotion to Lt Col. Off you go, keep in touch.” Gobsmacked, Dick went home to pack up to leave a resigned family. “Where is he going now?” said the six year old daughter.

Vol 6: Outstation – Manus Is