PNG's world war history an important legacy

Transcript

The historical significance of world war events in Papua New Guinea has become a key tourism asset for the country.

Last year a number of events took place in Rabaul to mark the Centenary of Australian military deployment to the Gazelle Peninsula to capture the militarily strategic German wireless station at Bitapaka.

New Zealand-born Reg Yates, who has been visiting PNG for almost 30 years, was centrally involved with bringing overseas visitors to various World War I centenary events in East New Britain.

He spoke to Johnny Blades who began by asking him about the importance of Bitapaka.

REG YATES: The Germans had warships based on the coast in Northern China but like any warship they were dependent on communications. And it just so happened that the German telecommunications company Telefunken had put in wireless stations all around the world, some of which still exist and there's the remains of one down in Bluff (far south of New Zealand) and they had all gone in using the same groundplan and layout, and if Australia and New Zealand forces could seize them, then it took away the ability of the German warships to communicate back to Berlin.

JOHNNY BLADES: Now we know that the Australians managed to overcome the German forces fairly easily in that stanza of the war, but there was a submarine lost which has been a mystery. Has there been some recent development about the AE 01?

RY: I heard only a few days ago that the search for the Australian submarine AE1 which disappeared in St George's channel, just outside Rabaul harbour, might have been found, but I've heard nothing more since. The Australian navy and private individuals and I think the Australian Submarine Association, which again is individuals, have been searching for some time but whether they found it I don't know at this stage.

JB:  Amazing that it's never been found though isn't it?

RY:  Yes.  A submarine is a pretty small vessel anyway and any sea is a lot bigger sea.

JB:  The World War I experience in PNG, how do you see it next to the World War II one which was obviously so bloody?

RY:  Yes.  The Australian capture of the wireless station at Bitapaka in Rabaul, it led to the surrender of the German government which was based at Madang.  The Germans didn't really have the forces there.  In complete contrast to World War II when the Japanese came down through  The Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, New Guinea and across to the Solomons with large forces but then found within a year or two they just couldn't maintain those forces.  By the end of the war the Japanese forces were reduced to literally living off the land.

JB:  Is there an understanding of the importance of the wars in Papua New Guinea or of the role that Papua New Guinea played in World War II as well?

RY:  By Papua New Guineans yes.  Australians and I must say that New Zealanders         are still plentiful as expatriates in New Guinea as well, particularly flying helicopters over there with searching for minerals and that sort of thing.  Australians/New Zealanders have always been well regarded by the Papua New Guineans because they always treated each other with respect.

JB:  I mean do you think we as New Zealanders and Australians recognise the role that the Papuans, the Papua New Guineans played in those crucial World War II phases?

RY:  Yes.  On the military side Papua and New Guinea as it was then known, it was a territory of Australia, they were able to field three battalions worth of soldiers during World War II.  Most of them were used or detached as scouting units for the Australian and American forces who were fighting there.

JB:  Do you think it's something that Papua New Guinea could make more of, in terms of value as a tourism destination, the fact that it was this crucial sort of juncture in the war?

RY:  Yes.  The Kokoda track is very well known to Australians.  It's roughly 100 kilometres over the Owen Stanley range just north of Port Moresby.  Trekking, that's well-regarded but it has to be organised.  There's enough pitfalls walking through the rainforest, especially for trekkers who may be middle-aged and need to be shown the right way to go about it.

JB:  Up in Rabaul you recently took some groups up there for the events that marked the centenary, how do you find things in Rabaul?  Obviously with the volcanic eruptions it's had some huge challenges to get back on its feet.  Do you think it's a town that is going to be able to survive because it was a great town once wasn't it?

RY:  That's correct.  I've just been visiting people in Christchurch and thinking about it, there is that same sort of view that Christchurch has had the earthquake and Rabaul has had the volcano but what do people do?  In both Rabaul and Christchurch for example, the majority stay on and I suppose just keep their fingers crossed but they've got to live somewhere and they make the best of it.  I've walked      down from Rabaul with five others to a place called Toll Plantation where there was a massacre of Australian soldiers who'd surrendered to the Japanese.  A World War II tragedy.  Then I came back and was then involved with some 45 tourists who had arrived for the World War I centenary at Bitapak Cemetery or the cemetery now, where the German wireless station had been in 11th September 1914 and that went well.