Papua New Guinea 1962 - 1982. The last frontier.
This book is the story of PNG's journey from wild colonial exuberance to nurtured independence, entwined with a personal tale of the trials, tribulations and way of life in sometimes remote plantations set in Papua in the 1960s through to the 1980s.
Sorcery and the spirit world are a way of life, cannibalism and head hunting are still practised in a number of remote backwaters, and where not infrequent and sometimes dramatic events challenge the ability of one to master fear and stand firm.
It is also a time when several hundred diverse and isolated tribes including some of the world's last unknown, speaking one quarter of all planet earth's languages merging in the space of one lifespan to form one surprisingly homogeneous but troubled nation.
Becoming fluent in the two mainstream languages, the author delves into customs and culture, spiritual beliefs, witchcraft, and sets of personal values and strength of character which are prominent features of the people of Papua and New Guinea.
The book's Epilogue deals with the destructive conflict within the troublesome marriage between the European concept of rule of law, and the ancient practice of Custom, and what it might hold for the future stability of the country.
Papua New Guinea's story of transition from colonialism to Independence and beyond is paralleled with the author's journey interwoven with an entanglement of adventure, romance, isolation, violence, loneliness and sometimes reckless behaviour. It's a story told against a backdrop of towering mountain ranges, spectacular scenery, violent and precipitous weather and thick tropical jungle, a 20 year episode where time and circumstance have conspired to erase all opportunity for that experience to be replicated, either in PNG itself, or the rest of the world.
Indeed, the last frontier.
