By Jaive Smare
Source:
www.myamazingparadise.com
Link:
http://www.myamazingparadise.com/?p=208&lang=en-us
(Continued from previous post, the Panguna Mine Experience Part1)
- Young Nelson & Bosco looking over Panguna Mine. More pics at the end of this post.
Before the crisis, the Panguna town supported 3,500 people, married and single that worked at the mine.
Facilities included supermarkets, post office, banks, schools,
medical center, chemist, schools, cinemas, gymnasium and sports
equipments, taverns and more.
Staff was housed in either the married quarters or the single quarters depending on their status.
Zhon told me how when he was younger, they would all visit the cinema
to watch the latest movies from Hollywood and come down to watch sports
games under lights.
He said many of the workers had motorbikes parked outside the
apartments and when they passed, they could lots of rock and heavy metal
music being played on speakers.
He said the place was always filled with people.
But all that is just a memory now.
Panguna is very quite place now with a lot of large ruined buildings
and two lane paved roads with no cars and hardly any foot traffic.
But it is not a silent place. You can hear the sound of nails being
hammered and timber being sewn and the chatter of local kids as they
cycle up and down the wide streets of this town.
The late Francis Ona’s Mekamui Government organization and the
Autonomous Bougainville Government have entered into a partnership to
bring back services to the area at the center of the Bougainville
conflict.
The ABG offices including health facilities are housed in one of the old, destroyed apartment blocks.
They have reclaimed the building and built officeson top as well as a clinic on the bottom floor.
At Panguna you can hear the sound of hammering all through out the
day as the locals turn the ruins in accommodation for their families.
The structure of these buildings are still pretty solid with sewerage
lines and pipes still intact, they are just missing roofs and walls.
There is even a transit house up built on two levels of one of the accommodation buildings where visitors can stay.
The rate is K30 for Nationals and $50 dollars (any currency) for expatriates.
The transit house is run by Philip Takaung an ex-militant and a member of the Mekamui Organization.
There are three stores here, including Panguna’s own Stop and Shop, Jared’s ‘Custom’ Store and Chris Tarusis’s Trade store.
Chris also has a great little coffee shop as well.
The stores are all built on the foundations of all buildings that were destroyed in the conflict.
Where Chris’s Tuckerbox is located was the old Court House and I
think Jared’s Custom store must have been some sort of Government
office.
After having a chat with Chris, we wandered up into the hills to get a good view of the giant Panguna mine.
Before we got to the mine, we wandered through the streets, passed
the old gymnasiums and messes, past the giant Panguna swimming pool and
the sports fields with stadium lights that don’t work anymore.
We climbed up the hill to get a good look at the Panguna Mine.
It was such an awesome experience seeing it.
Its massive hole in the ground where once there was a mountain and
small flat plain I was told. I could see water cascading down the sides
into the pit floor where the water emptied out through the drainage at
the bottom that leads to the Jaba River.
There were sky-blue ponds in the pit and slopes, no doubt caused by the copper in the water exposed to air.
Old giant mining trucks were eerily still, silent and rusting in one long line in the distance.
Drill machines and giant BCL electric excavators could also be seen
lying idle on the ridges, rusty relics that hint at a past that was full
of activity.
Surrounding the mine was thick jungle upon which a blue haze seemed to permanently linger over.
I would probably count this as one of the most amazing moments of my life.
We returned back to Panguna town and had a chat with Chris and the
some of the others before Zhon caught the bus back and I stayed back for
the night.
I wanted to stay at the guesthouse, but the wife of the local man
responsible for education here insisted I should stay with them at their
place so the old man and I could chat.
It turned out to be a good decision. Patrick ITA is the Panguna
District Education Officer responsible for roll out of education
services here.
Panguna, during the crisis did not have any schools etc so many
youths here cannot read and write. With peace comes the opportunity for
education, which Patrick, a teacher and a former BCL trainer, believes
is important for Panguna.
Patrick is an interesting man, a musical man – whose life and the
lives of his family are intertwined with the past and the future of
Panguna, just like everyone else in Panguna.
Patrick and his wife, some of his children and extended family live
in a really nice residence in one of the disused ‘destroyed’ buildings.
The walls are thatched and it has like an open-air lounge with a great
view of Panguna.
It even has proper toilets. The buildings sewerage system and pipes
are still in place so they just connected a toilet bowl with flushing
system for modernconvenience.
I chatted with Patrick for most of the day and into the night. He
played the Dominic, a musical number on his accordion for me, to the
delight of the young kids in the area who came to watch him play. I made
a video which I will share later.
After dinner I left him and headed down to see Chris Taurusiat his
coffee shop. Chris is an interesting character, full of humor and
insight, a former fighter with shrapnel still stuck inside one of his
legs… but more on him in a later post.
Later that night, I head back up the stairs to Patrick’s place. The
place was cold and refreshing, the perfect climate for any wearing
traveler to rest in.
I sat down on the edge of his lounge looking out into the darkness as
one of his sons played awesome solo renditions on guitar on the floor
just below me.
I sat there thinking this has been such an experience; there was so
much music and color here, so much hope for the future, so much
laughter.
I kept thinking that every Papua New Guinean, every young Papua New
Guinean should make the journey out here. They should make the
pilgrimage to Bougainville, to Buka, to Arawa, to Panguna to learn and
be humbled. Cause we never fought for Independence it was handed to us.
Here, in this community, is the spirit of survivors starting again. Not
sure if it’s the are heading the right way or the wrong way, but in
Patrick Ita’s words they must move ‘always in forward gear.’
The next day, I rose early in the morning, had a breakfast of fresh
ripe Panguna bananas before having a chat with Jared about his ‘Custom
Store’ and Patrick Takaung about his transit house.
More on both in later posts, but Jared is interesting because he acts
like a middleman, he buys items such as baskets and other traditional
items from the Panguna locals which he sells in his store making a small
income. That’s why it’s called the custom store.
After taking more pictures, especially of the people, I hopped into a PMV that pulled up and head back to Arawa.
My adventure of a lifetime was over. But not the lessons learnt.
Enjoy these images.
Early Morning Waiting for the Bus
Workon one of the 'rooms' on the disused BCL quarters
Patrick Ita, having breakfast in his open air lounge with an awesome view
Three Panguna Kids enjoying the peaceful morning here
Panguna Guitar Player - this kid could seriously play
Panguna Town
On top of one of the disused BCL Quarters. Despite now walls and roof etc, still in good condition
Old BCL residence. Single quarters I think.
Young Nelson & Bosco looking over Panguna Mine
Panguna Town, share your thoughts
Panguna Swimming Pool. There were a lot of races here.
Panguna Pool Change Rooms, toilets...all destroyed.
burnt down gymnasium (i think) or school for Panguna town
Panguna Town Sports Field...with no lights
Panguna Town Gym...burnt
Former Panguna Police Quarters
Young man shows me how to play the pipes i just bought
Young Panguna girl panning for gold. Theres gold everywhere here.
Patrick Plays the 'Dominic' on his accordion.
ABG Panguna District Office. Patrick's office is on the 2nd floor and Panguna Medical center is on the bottom floor.
Nurse and Patient at the Panguna Medical center
Patrick Ita, Panguna District Education Officer in his Office at Panguna
Water drainage. Familiar to many who have been to Panguna
High spirited Panguna women heading home
Chris's Trade Store at Panguna
Jared at his 'Custom' Store with bags
Panguna Picture
Panguna Girls Say Goodbye!!!
If you would like to visit Panguna and stay at the transit house, give Zhon Bosco a call or email him. This is his contacts.
Phone: +675 71626393 /+675 76263583 or email info@bougtours.com.
Zhon gave me a lot of help getting to Panguna and he is the contact for many of the persons I spoke to and those who helped me.
If you have any memories or thoughts on Panguna, please share.
Related posts:
- THE PANGUNA MINE EXPERIENCE…part 1
- ARAWA, Bougainville; Images of the Revival from Ruins
- Two Beautiful & Spiritual Images of Mt Tarvurvur
- Hawaii Island of Manus, where the sea breaks on live ammunition
- Cycling in Manus – From Lorengau to the Loniu Caves
Keep PNG one the world map….job well done….
It is paradise on earth!
and an interesting way they sell their kaukau. Just out of curiosity how much is 1 basket of kaukau and could you buy small baskets of kaukau?