In Pidgin, living in the past is called 'pekpek bilong bulmakau', but only by those who were not there. Working and drinking hard, living in a wild and beautiful country, facing dangers and meeting many great characters was an experience never to be forgotten.
Ours was the taim bipor, which was the time before Independence, before a new and hopelessly unprepared nation tried to continue the sophisticated administrative practices of its former colonial masters, usually with disastrous results.
As the country hurtled towards independence, I was putting the finish-ing touches on Air Niugini's internal audit department before flying out to what was then Burma to take up a new position as chief accountant in TOTAL - Compagnie Française des Pétroles' office in Rangoon.
When the then Chief Minister Michael Somare - soon to be Sir Michael and Prime Minister of the independent country of Papua New Guinea - heard of my impending departure, he expressed his regrets that I would not be there for the momentous occasion and said, "The least we can do is make our Independence Day the same as your birthday." And so it came to pass that my birthday and Papua New Guinea's Independence Day are celebrated on the same day each year.
I leave you to wonder if this is just more 'pekpek bilong bulmakau' while I visit the 'haus pekpek' before watching the 'taim bipor' movie "Walk into Paradise". Buy your own copy from the PNG-Australia Association.
