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PNG Frequently
Asked Questions
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via Papua New Guinea
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via Papua New Guinea
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Please note -- Whilst all care has been taken in preparing and maintaining the FAQ's about Papua New Guinea it is not possible to be able verify every answer. The information is provided 'as is' and I can not accept responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by anyone resulting from the use of this information.
Please verify the information for yourself from a government source, travel agent or other similar organisation.
This database does not contain information about other countries. It is only about Papua New Guinea (PNG).
History - General List of Categories
Do you have a possible inclusion for this "PNG History" category of FAQ? If you do then please let me know
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- When was Tolukuma discovered?
- When was gold discovered near Porgera?
- When was gold found in the Eastern Highlands?
- What was considered to be a mileston in prospecting and gold mining in PNG?
- When was New Guinea made a Mandated Territory of Australia?
- When was gold discovere din German New Guinea?
- When was gold was first discovered in PNG?
- Who was the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Chairman in 1973?
- What happened to German New Guinea after 1914?
- Who administered German New Guinea?
- Has Queen Elizabeth visited PNG?
- Where can I find important PNG Dates?
- When was first European contact made with PNG?
- What year was PNG first inhabited?
- Where did the first inhabitants of PNG come from??
- Who have been appointed and or acted as Governor General of PNG since 1975?
- Who was David Osborne Hay?
- Who is Pala Walo?
- Who was Mr Keith Terrett?
- When did Superintendent Thomas Shacklady, BEM die?
- Has the Pope ever visted PNG?
- Queen Elizabeth II is the head of PNG but has she ever visited the country?
- Where is the JK McCarthy Museum?
- Approx how much was the Kina worth at the time of the initial float?
- Who floated the Kina in 1994?
- In what year was the PNG Kina floated?
- When did British New Guinea became Papua?
- When did Europeans first explore the highlands of PNG?
- When did PNG gain independence?
- What year did PNG gain Self Governance?
- Who was PNG's first legislative counsel?
- What year did the League of Nations officially hand over German New Guinea to Australia?
- When was British New Guinea created?
- What year did Jim (JL) Taylor die?
- Who was the first PNG defence force commander?
- When did PNG become a colony of Great Britain and Germany?
- How long did it take to fly from Sydney to Port Moresby in 1965?
- When did Sir Albert Maori Kiki die?
- Who was the first European explorer to penetrate any distance into the PNG interior?
- When was the University of PNG Opened?
- When was the first tea factory opened at Kurumul in the Western Highlands?
- When did Radio Mount Hagen first broadcast?
- When did the first people come to Mount Hagen??
- When did the first Australian patrols reach the Western Highlands?
- When did the planting of tea start in the Western highlands?
- Who composed the PNG The National Anthem?
- When did the Sogeri High School start?
- When was Papua (Southern part of New Guinea Island) declared a protectorate of Britain?
- How much was the minimum wage paid to a "native" of PNG in 1960?
- Do you have any information on Don Westley, first school teacher at Bainyik in 1958?
- I was flying Electras to Lae in the 1960's and the bow of a sunken ship was visible just off the end of Lae airstrip - it was a good radar reference coming into Lae in bad weather! What was this ship and its wartime history? Any info would be greatly appreciated.
- Was there a Terence Kelly who died in 1950-51 in the Commonwealth Army in PNG in a Volcanic Eruption?
- Where did the Amphlett Islands of the D'Entrecastuax group in Milne Bay get its name from?
- Did the British sign a treaty with PNG when it colonised it? Thanks Dianne
- when Mt Lamington errupted in 1951, what was the population of the towns around it?
- Am interested in having a look at some traditional tattoos that were used in the papuan region especially the motuan/motu-koita areas, any thing you have thank you so much
god bless.... marylouise
- What year did the St Mary's International School in Lae, Papua New Guinea, start?
- How did Pala Walo become Director of Music?
- When was Samurai island first used as a centre for administration? Was the first centre set up by the British? When did the Australians take it over?
- Who was Papua New Guinea's first Woman minister?
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- When was Tolukuma discovered?
Tolukuma, discovered during helicopter-supported regional reconnaissance geochemistry in 1985, saw mine construction begin in May 1995. The mine now operates without a road link, depending entirely on helicopter support.
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- When was gold discovered near Porgera?
Government patrol officers who entered new territories panned to test drainage systems for gold, and between 1933 and 1939 Jim Taylor and John Black identified gold downstream from Porgera.
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- When was gold found in the Eastern Highlands?
Prospecting by Ned Rowlands in the Eastern Highlands led to the discovery in 1928 of gold near Kainantu, while in 1930 the Upper Ramu River was declared a provisional goldfield, and from 1934 the Sepik and Torricelli regions were explored.
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- What was considered to be a mileston in prospecting and gold mining in PNG?
The first Lae to Wau aeroplane flight in 1927 was a milestone not only for aviation but for mining. This led to the next stage in development of the Morobe Goldfields.
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- When was New Guinea made a Mandated Territory of Australia?
In 1922, New Guinea was made a Mandated Territory of Australia by the league of Nations.
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- When was gold discovere din German New Guinea?
Ernst Tappenbeck discovered gold in the lower Ramu River in 1898 and a German syndicate worked gold in the Waria River from 1901 to 1904.
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- When was gold was first discovered in PNG?
Gold was first discovered in Papua New Guinea in 1852 as accidental traces in pottery from Redscar Bay on the Papua Peninsula.
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- Who was the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Chairman in 1973?
I believe it was Sam Piniau.
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- What happened to German New Guinea after 1914?
New Guinea was then placed under the Australian Naval and Military Expenditionary Force (ANMF) from 1914 to 1921. In 1922 New Guinea became the Australian Mandated Territory of the League of "C" Nations.
After World War II, both Papua and New Guinea experienced joint rule under Australian Administration until Sixteenth September 1975 when Papua New Guinea became an Independent nation.
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- Who administered German New Guinea?
German New Guinea was administered by the New Guinea Company from 1885 to 1889.
In 1889 the Imperial Germany Government took control, and the colony was administered through the German Government Officials until 1914.
From 1902 until 1914 the colony was run by Dr. Albert Hahl.
After 1914, and as a consequence of defeat during World War I, Germany lost New Guinea to the Allied Forces.
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- Has Queen Elizabeth visited PNG?
Yes, Queen Elizabeth II has visited PNG in 1963 and again 1977.
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- Where can I find important PNG Dates?
Some of the more significant historical dates can be found below and other dates are hidden under the various categories. Use the search box to help find the answer your want. Keep the question simple to find an answer.
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- When was first European contact made with PNG?
It is believed that the first European contact was in the year 1526 to 1527 by the Portuguese explorer Jorge de Meneses. He named the island Ilhas dos Papuas (Island of the Fuzzy Hairs)
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- What year was PNG first inhabited?
It is believed that Papua New Guinea was originally inhabited by Asian settlers over 50,000 years ago.
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- Where did the first inhabitants of PNG come from??
The first inhabitants of Papua New Guinea, probably migrated from the Indonesian archipelago, arriving in PNG about 50,000 years ago.
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- Who have been appointed and or acted as Governor General of PNG since 1975?
Governors-general (representing the British monarch as head of state)
16 Sep 1975 - 1 Mar 1977 Sir John Guise (b. 1914 - d. 1991)
1 Mar 1977 - 1 Mar 1983 Sir Tore Lokoloko (b. 1930)
1 Mar 1983 - 1 Mar 1989 Sir Kingsford Dibela(b. 1932 - d. 2002)
1 Mar 1989 - 31 Dec 1989 Sir Ignatius Kilage (b. 1941 - d. 1989)
1 Jan 1990 - 27 Feb 1990 Dennis Young (acting) (1st time) (b. 1938)
27 Feb 1990 - 4 Oct 1991 Sir Vincent Serei Eri (b. 1936 - d. 1993)
4 Oct 1991 - 18 Nov 1991 Dennis Young (acting)(2nd time) (s.a.)
18 Nov 1991 - 20 Nov 1997 (Sir) Wiwa Korowi (b. 1948)
20 Nov 1997 - 20 Nov 2003 Silas Atopare (b. 1951) (from 1998, Sir Silas Atopare)
21 Nov 2003 - 28 May 2004 Wiliam "Bill" Jack Skate (acting) (b. 1953 - d. 2006)
28 May 2004 - 29 Jun 2004 Jeffery Nape (acting)
29 Jun 2004 - current Sir Paulias Matane (b. 1931)
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- Who was David Osborne Hay?
David was an administrator of PNG from 23 Dec 1966 - 1970 - He was born in b. 1916
Jack Keith Murray from 31 Oct 1945 – 1952
Donald Mackinnon Cleland from 1952 – 1966 – He was Sir Donald Mackinnon Cleland from 1961
Leslie Wilson Johnson from 1970 - 1973
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- Who is Pala Walo?
He was the first PNG born Director of Music of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary Band who comes from Hula Village in the Central Province of PNG.
C.I. Pala Walo, MBE, trained in Deal at the Royal Marines School of Music, and is the first PNG citizen to hold the post of Director of Music.
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- Who was Mr Keith Terrett?
He was a former Director of Music of the famous Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary Band. (See also Tom Shacklady and Pala Walo)
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- When did Superintendent Thomas Shacklady, BEM die?
He died at the age of 88 on the 25th of January, 2006. He wrote the PNG National Anthem - "O arise all you sons of this land"
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- Has the Pope ever visted PNG?
Yes Pope John Paul II visited PNG on two occassions as the head of the Catholic Church.
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- Queen Elizabeth II is the head of PNG but has she ever visited the country?
Yes, several times.
Queen Elizabeth -- 1974, 1979 and 1982
Prince Andrew, Duke of York -- 1991
Prince Charles -- 1966, 1975 (Independence), 1984,
Princess Anne visited with her mother in 1974 and visited again in September 2005.
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- Where is the JK McCarthy Museum?
The J.K. McCarthy museum is off to the side of the Goroka airstrip, a lengthy walk from town. The museum has some WWII relics. If you attend the annual show then it is in the same area but with a different entrance to the show.
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- Approx how much was the Kina worth at the time of the initial float?
On the first day of the float the Kina was worth US$ 92 cents but immediately fell by 6.5 percent to 86.05 cents. The Kina, in mid 2005, is now only worth around US$ 30 cents.
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- Who floated the Kina in 1994?
Sir Julius Chan was the Prime Minister at the time of the float of the Kina.
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- In what year was the PNG Kina floated?
It was floated on the 10th of October 1994 after a devaluation of 12% was unsuccessful.
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- When did British New Guinea became Papua?
British New Guinea became Papua in 1906.
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- When did Europeans first explore the highlands of PNG?
The inland Highland region, thought to be too inhospitable for habitation, wasn't even explored until the 1930s. Astoundingly, European explorers in search of gold instead discovered over one million people, living in fertile mountain valleys and in cultures that hadn't changed since very much since the Stone Age.
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- When did PNG gain independence?
By the 1960s there had emerged a significant independence movement in the country, and in 1975, after a brief period of internal autonomy, Papua New Guinea declared its full independence. (16th September 1975)
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- What year did PNG gain Self Governance?
PNG gained Self Governance in 1973.
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- Who was PNG's first legislative counsel?
It was Sir James Fraser, a Scotsman, who died in Port Moresby on the 13th of February 2007 at the age of 71. He arrived in PNG in 1976 from Tonga.
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- What year did the League of Nations officially hand over German New Guinea to Australia?
The League of Nations handed German New Guinea over to Australia as a mandated territory in 1920.
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- When was British New Guinea created?
In 1888.
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- What year did Jim (JL) Taylor die?
Kiap Jim Taylor died in June 1987 at the age of 86. He died at Goroka after spending 61 years in PNG (New Guinea)
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- Who was the first PNG defence force commander?
Ted Diro was PNG’s first defence force commander from self-government in 1973 to 1982
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- When did PNG become a colony of Great Britain and Germany?
PNG became a colony of Great Britain and Germany in 1884. Between 1884 and 1888 Papua was a British protectorate. It then became a colony of Great Britain in 1888 and continued with that status until 1906. Sir William MacGregor became the first Lieutenant Governor of Papua for part of this period. Papua then became Australian Papua and continued to do so, under the aegies of the longest serving Lieutenant Governor, Sir Hubert Murray, until 1942 when both Papua and New Guinea came under control and direction of the Australian Military rule.
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- How long did it take to fly from Sydney to Port Moresby in 1965?
The plane (Locheed Electra's) would leave Sydney at Midnight and arrive after sunrise about nine hours to nine and a half hours later. (with a stopover in Brisbane)
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- When did Sir Albert Maori Kiki die?
He died in March 1993.
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- Who was the first European explorer to penetrate any distance into the PNG interior?
D'Albertis was the first European to penetrate any distance into PNG's daunting interior. Reaching the northwestern tip of New Guinea in April 1872, D'Albertis marched inland for about 20 miles.
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- When was the University of PNG Opened?
The University was established in 1965 but was not officially opened until August 1967 by the then Governor General of Australia, Lord Casey.
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- When was the first tea factory opened at Kurumul in the Western Highlands?
The tea factory was opened at Kurumul on the 7th of July 1967 by Mr. Charles Barnes, the then Australian Minister for Territories.
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- When did Radio Mount Hagen first broadcast?
On the 6th of June 1966
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- When did the first people come to Mount Hagen??
Scientists believe people lived at Kuk swamp near Mount Hagen 20.000 years ago.
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- When did the first Australian patrols reach the Western Highlands?
The first Australian patrol, led by kiap Jim Taylor and the Leahy brothers, entered Western Highlands in 1933.
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- When did the planting of tea start in the Western highlands?
Tea plantations began near Minj in 1964. Since then, there has been large-scale reclamation of the Wahgi swamplands for this crop.
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- Who composed the PNG The National Anthem?
The National Anthem was composed by Tom Shacklady, the Bandmaster of the Royal PNG Constabulary Band, and won a competition for a new anthem in the period just before Independence.
Tom died in early 2006. (25 January 2006)
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- When did the Sogeri High School start?
It started in June 1944 when the first 18 students moved into what was the 113th Australian Convalescent Depot.
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- When was Papua (Southern part of New Guinea Island) declared a protectorate of Britain?
On the 6th of November 1884. The Royal British Navy had a show of strength with the following ships present - Swinger, Harrier, Raven, Espiegle, Dart and the largest battleship in Pacific waters the Nelson all being in Port Moresby harbour.
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- How much was the minimum wage paid to a "native" of PNG in 1960?
16 Pound, 5 shillings per year. (25 shillings a month)
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- Do you have any information on Don Westley, first school teacher at Bainyik in 1958?
Sorry, I have not been able to find out any information for you. Perhaps a reader might be able to offer something?
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- I was flying Electras to Lae in the 1960's and the bow of a sunken ship was visible just off the end of Lae airstrip - it was a good radar reference coming into Lae in bad weather! What was this ship and its wartime history? Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Sorry I do not know that answer but I will ask around and see if anyone can come up with an answer.
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- Was there a Terence Kelly who died in 1950-51 in the Commonwealth Army in PNG in a Volcanic Eruption?
sorry unable to find out any information for you. Perhaps a reader might be able to help?
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- Where did the Amphlett Islands of the D'Entrecastuax group in Milne Bay get its name from?
The Amphlett Islands are mere specks on a good map of Milne Bay Province but I have not been able to find out who they were named after.
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- Did the British sign a treaty with PNG when it colonised it? Thanks Dianne
Who would it have signed with? There are 800 + language groups within PNG.
In 1885, Germany formally annexed the northern coast and Britain took similar action in the south. In 1906, Britain transferred its rights to British New Guinea to a newly independent Australia, and the name of the territory was changed to the Territory of Papua. Australian troops invaded German New Guinea (called Kaiser-Wilhelmsland) in World War I and gained control of the territory under a League of Nations mandate.
See also -- http://www.vanderheijden.org/ng/history.html
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- when Mt Lamington errupted in 1951, what was the population of the towns around it?
Sorry - not sure of that.
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- Am interested in having a look at some traditional tattoos that were used in the papuan region especially the motuan/motu-koita areas, any thing you have thank you so much
god bless.... marylouise
Hi, I have not been able to find a tattoo worth mentioning. In fact the only one I found was not worth reproducing.
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- What year did the St Mary's International School in Lae, Papua New Guinea, start?
Sorry, I can not find an answer to that question. I am still waiting on a reply from one person but all the other people I asked could not provide an answer.
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- How did Pala Walo become Director of Music?
Not sure of that answer. He was the first PNG born Director of Music of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary Band.
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- When was Samurai island first used as a centre for administration? Was the first centre set up by the British? When did the Australians take it over?
Can anyone help?
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- Who was Papua New Guinea's first Woman minister?
Was it Nahau Rooney or Dame Josephine Abaijah? Can anyone help?
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Please note that this is not "Ask Jeeves" — you cannot type a whole sentence as your query. Enter a word, a phrase, or several words and press search.
Please remember that this is a FAQ database about Papua New Guinea.
Doing a search for PNG or New Guinea or even P.N.G will probably not return much. Keep the search simple. i.e. if you want to find out the population simply enter "population" without the quotes. There is no need to have PNG / P.N.G or whatever in the search string.
