"Golden Years" on Bougainville
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- Опубликовано: 10 сен 2024
- Bougainville Island is a place in Papua New Guinea where many Europeans came to live and work. The island was beautiful and it's people were peaceful and friendly. The mining company was generous to it's workers and supportive to the the islanders. In 1988 things changed but this video only deals with life before that. Many of the former workers still regard their "Bougainville years" as their best years. If you found this interesting you may care to check out a Bougainville web site that contains dozens of similar images historical and more recent. bobbox25.wixsi...
For one of my more recent videos follow the link. ruclips.net/video/ct5TFl-x2Ew/видео.html
Live there camp 6 when I was 12 for 8 years the 70s with my parents Loloho was our playground I can still speak fluent Pidgeon their language I'm 55 now & I always will have a special place in my heart for Bougainville ❤ we were there on Independence Day at Arawa, the 70s earthquake's, the riots when they wanted all foreign people off their island, we were very lucky only because my dad was good to the local people & we all got on well with them they left us alone my parent's were Ringa & Mayron Witehira from NewZealand if anyone comes across this & knew them,my dad worked for Ted Reinhart who died there in Bougainville the 70s his wife was Gail, there was alot of Aussie's & Kiwi's living there back then I still remember some of our neighbors Shona & Roy, Tiana & John, a Maori guy who use to collect all sorts of Beetles & butterflies can't remember his name 🤔 alot of good memories there then we moved to the main land PNG Kundeawa loved it there to but Bougainville was my favorite it was wild & free I hope it is left like that & not torn to threads for their wood,gold,copper 🙅♀️ leave this beautiful Island in peace it will always be a second home to me 🙏❤😊
My Bougainville years were some of my best, I had 3 years in Camp 6 and later 9 years in Arawa. Being there from 74, I experienced many of the things you did.
@@bobjackson4720 Hi Bob I visited Bougainville from 1982 to 1985 - I thought it was an incredibly wonderful place. Your pictures of Arovo brought back many fond memories - although, when I was there, the Arovo jetty didn't have a roof. As luck would have it, I went back to Panguna ( and the mine site ) in 2014 and saw the .utter devastation that befell the place. One last irony, was that an old and tattered Red Chinese flag flew over the open mine pit - no doubt a sign of things to come.
Thank you for your good comment on my island home, Bougainville Island. I am proud to be a Bougainvillian. You're welcome to Bougainville anytime.
God bless 🙏🤝🏻
My dad were in deep silent when I showed him this slide.. And he added in tears that you're his great friend..
Sorry I missed this, is you father Michael?
If it is Michael, I would like to hear from him, I would be happy to send all my pictures of our adventures together.
@@bobjackson4720 yes, he is.. I'll let him know so you may have a word with him.. He's in the village right now but will be here in town anytime..
@@joylinepye6601 I'll look forward to it. I know someone else looking for Michael.
@@bobjackson4720 will get back to you as soon as I inform my dad.. He's at work now.. Cheers😊
I hope to visit Bougainville soon. It is a dream for me. My cousin was an airman if VMF-216 and was shot down and survived near Buin. On November 28th 1943. He ditched in the water. He went MIA when he was shot down over Rabaul December 19, 1943. I wish to visit Torokina and Buin. Very expensive to visit from Alaska. Someday soon though!! Thanks for the pics
Bougainville was a very special place, I will always remember the years I spent there. I hope you make it there. I'm not sure about getting round the island these days. I suspect from Arawa there will be the occasional mini bus to Buin but I'm not sure about Torokina, when I lived there I was not aware of any roads that went there. Google maps still shows no roads. It might be possible to fly in.
Hi, sir, you are most welcome to my place. actually, i am from Buin in the southern region near Solomon Islands. we travel to Solomon islands by boat. yeah, i just saw your comment, so i decided to reply to you.
regards from south Bougainville 🤝🏻
Thanks for the memories Bob ,i was there in 1970/71 worked at Panguna and Loloho. It is a beautiful part of the world.
Geoff Finnigan
Thanks Bob,
‘70 -74
My father worked for BCP
Lived in Arawa attended tupukus elementary. (I’m 56 now)
Photos brought back fond memories: Loloho beach rope swing, kieta sailing club, Arovo is.
“greeny” fueled drunken HHH festivities.
The beautiful native culture..
An era lost in time…
Now well into my 70's, I spent over 7 years on Bougainville, with BCL in B16. from end of 1970. Loved every day there except for a tragic event when my then wife was assaulted in our Arawa Sect 16/69 house. Miss it and the friends I made there, though several have since passed and sadly, some were victims of the unrest. Gee I stayed at Camp 1 for a year and then Kaweronh Haus, before marrie accom came my way. Loloho, Birempa, Panguna and Arawa, are indelibly melded in my heart. "Bougainville, Maus Bilong San Kamap"
The Region has a special place in my heart. I was born in Bouganville when Panguna was just starting. Thankyou for those pictures, specifically the Waterfall at Rumba mission, and kieta. I will visit the island some day soon. Thankyou very much Bob.
I spent many of my best years on Bougainville that is why I love my memories of the place. I'm glad you liked the video. There are several other Bougainville ones.
Fantastic! I am following!
Thank you for these wonderful memories. Bougainville is a special place. One as a child and now an adult I will never forget. I recently returned with my sister and our memories will always be of beauty and wonder. One day I hope this returns. As the people of Bougainville are still wonderful people.
Thank you Bob for sharing the beautiful pictures, I grew up in Arawa when my dad was working with Bougainville Copper Ltd and I'd say as a child had a most spectacular life, going to places such as the Loloho beach, the drive-in cinema at Loloho and going on trips to the cold place " Panguna". Your video is very good and touching as it brings back such memories of a great time on a black Island with remarkable beauty and its' treasures and people. It was the best developed Province of Papua New Guinea but whatever went wrong was beyond anyone's control except those in the hierarchy.
Yes it was a great time for thousands of people. If you are interested there is also a web site with over 400 images and Bougainville music.
I had tears down my cheek looking at these beautiful memories - my dad works for the BCL power station in Loloho and Panguna.i spend all my weekends at Loloho beach and sometimes at Panguna swimming pool. Thank you Bob.
I was at the power station for many years
There is also a video about the power station if you are interested.
We lived there in the 70smy dad worked for BCL to & loved Panguna,Loloho was our playground lol what year was your family there?
@@bobjackson4720 I would be interested. I was part of the TMG recce group that deployed in 1997. Whilst there i found a packet of negatives i can show of the power station surrounds before the crises and some photos of the control room in 1997.
@@allisterburridge2481 Hello Allister, I have a separate video just on the story of the power station, (start to finish). If you have stuff that wasn't featured on that I'd love to see them. (If you want to share them). I post on sites where people like to see the old Bougainville images.
Thanks for the memories Bob I am 55 now and lived on Bougainville from 1970 to 1974 with my parents what a wonderful place to grow up I have some great photos from up there I spent most of the time in Panguna we would go down to Kiera and Arawa on the weekend.
Hi Bob, thanks for posting your memories of Bougainville. I arrived there in September 1971 as part of a 7 man crew which commissioned and operated the first two units at Loloho power station. Later we were joined by a similar contingent from the UK and together we became the original operating crew. My youngest daughter was born in Panguna in June 1972, the last expat baby to be born there before the hospital was shut down because the new one in Arawa had opened. Your pictures reminded my of the fantastic time we had - weekends in the Loloho doings, scuba diving and fantastic times on Arovo 'Pub' islands. It's been quite emotional reliving those wonderful days, on the one hand it seems like just a little while ago but we left there in 1974 - 46 years ago - unbelievable!
Hello Theo, I remember hearing your name mentioned many times. I knew many of the early people and the UK staff. I knew Luke, your brother I think. I arrived July 74 and finally left Dec 88. I have made a video just about the power house. Also look out for my web site it contains many old and many new pictures of Bougainville. bobbox25.wixsite.com/bougainville
John Black, Alan Terry, Jim Watts, Eric Healy, Joe Dunn, John Dutton, Henry Pearson, John Gill, Peter Lukey, John Houston, Peter Bazelt, do these sound familiar?
Hi Bob, you arrived about the time we left. John Black, and Alan Terry came from the UK. Don Houston was our Instrument Supervisor, John Gill - maintenance supervisor. Jim Watts was one of the 7 people recruited from Hazelwood Power Station, as I was. Eric Heeley was too but came later. The original crew was Alan Wilson, Jim Watts, Tom Griggs, Ron McInnes and myself. John Dutton was the original Operations Manager, and Henry was the Maintenance manager. Peter Bazelt has been to visit us in Australia a few years back. When we arrived in Sept 1971 the major components were in place, and the CW inlet structure was being built.
@@tvandermeulen As you probably know Ron McInnes ended up running the show. Bougainville wasn't my longest job but it was my best.
grew up there from 1970 until 89 still love the place
If it would not for the social unrest, Bougainville will be one of the Perl in the pacific.
Wow thanks for this video. As someone who grew up during the conflict I never see the real beauty of my own beloved island. So beautiful 😍
Bougainville Island and its people together made a beautiful place, it is a tragedy that a few misguided people with weapons and the PNG army caused such suffering and damage. I have no idea how it is now, but I really hope it will recover.
@@bobjackson4720 yeah everything going back to normal now. There is a referendum vote going on this week. So the people will now decide for their political future whether they want to stay under png or independence
thank you so much for sharing. all these fascinating pictures comes very close to my opinion of paradise.
and the wonderful music, wow, soo good.
greetings from Switzerland
My pleasure, the music was created by musicians from the island. I spent 13 years on that little bit of paradise, and over thirty years later the memories are still strong.
Thanks for your story. You must be in your 80's by 2021.
Early seventies.
I lived there with my mum, dad and brother from 73 to 74 when my dad worked in the Panguna mine. We had an A house in Arawa and I went to Bovo Primary with Mrs Rice. I have many great memories of place - including a trek from the mine down to Arawa through the bush!
Always great to see peoples pics. I arrived as a 7 year old in late 1969, my dad brought the tugs up from Brisbane to get the work started at the port. Yep, before the port was a port, no power station, concentrator etc .. We lived in the married quarters at Loloho camp 6, front row to the beach.. I remember lots of kids my age and similar whose parents worked for Bechtel / Dillingham / Thiess etc … parents would organize for fun nights at the club where us kids where formed into a choir called the Nuts & Bolts … first school was down near Toniva, which was a hairy old drive bouncing around in 4WD for a few months, then to Arawa school, then Tupakas where we moved in to a brand new elevated home right next to the right and a stones throw from the school. At some point dad (Richard Wilson) switched to the PNG gov and down to Kieta we went where dad and a couple of others set up the KSCC .. Kieta sailing and cruising club, or was that the Aleing and Boozing club … someone found me an Arafura Cadet catamaran where I started my love affair with sailing. Such awesome times, I have this memory of school uniform being orange tee shirt and a pair of swimmers, tragic times like the landslide that took a corner out of the haul road and many men with it, the speed boat race from Camp6 across the bay and back in two identical speed boats that collided right in front of us all on Loloho beach killing one of the drivers. Week trips to Buin and Buka on coastal trading vessels, the constant earthquakes and smoke pumping from Mt Bagana, every afternoon for hours diving on the reef, picking up war time debris. We left in late 74 via Rabaul & Madang where we spent a couple of months in each place. Fabulous time in my formative years … Andrew Wilson.
Sir, thank you for making this slide show. I am actually from Bougainville Island province (AROB) Buin, south Bougainville.
credits to my beautiful island home 🏡 💙 💕 ❤️ 2024
Thanks in a million for this yester years peak into the past on Bougainville,North Solomons back then.
I just loved the pristine environment so cool and very charming on a daily basis as shown vividly.
I missed my chances of being denied by my maternal grand parents to go to small Buka in 1988.That's when the crisis broke out but to this I hope to see the Autonomous Region of Bougainville one fine day.TA!
Bougainvillean here, thanks for sharing your memories. Appreciate it.
Bob thank you so much for the wonderful memories, thought we lost it all. The Golden years..
Thanks for you kind words. If interested I have a web site with many of these pictures and also more recent ones. bobbox25.wixsite.com/bougainville
Great video thx.
I was a dive instructor at Bougainville dive club 1980 - 1982.
Still think about the diving everyday.
Neville in Melbourne.
Thanks Bob for the memories....I wish I was there to enjoy the early days of Bougainville.💔💔
Hi Bob, many thanks for posting this; it brought back wonderful memories of our 3 Bougainville years. I taught at AHS '76-'78, then at the Tech in '79. My wife took over Toniva pre-school from Judy Lancaster, then taught at Bovo. We lived in Section 13/30.
I also saw your video on the Power House - recognised lots of people in that including John Coward; Peter Bateman; Alan Jackson; Clive & Judy; lots of others, oh.....and someone called.....Bob Jackson!
Thanks, it was a great time for many of us. I knew the Lancasters well, and as a Power House Pom worked with her husband. Nice to here from you and hear the old names. If you like, see the web site for more pictures. I think I remember you but the brain cells aren't what they used to be.
Excuse me for asking but was your wife a petite blond lady?
@@bobjackson4720 yes.....she still is!!. We lived next door to Jim & Jan Hall in section 13. They were great friends. We're still in touch with Jan. Also still in touch with John Coward's ex (Heather).
@@johnfish8064 Jim Hall sounds familiar and the Cowards. I'm glad you have managed to remain married, I failed at that twice, third time lucky? After my initial response memories came back. I think the earlier years were much more social than the later years. I left at the end of 88. Just before the end. (Not that I knew that at the time). Nice to hear from you.
Hi Bob, these are beautiful pictures. And the music 😌 My family has an attachment to Kieta, most of my cousins grew up there, they still rave about Loloho beach. My husband's family was there too in the 70s and 80s, I had the privilege of going there to observe the Referendum as a State employee and got to see for myself what the fuss was all about. Looked so much better back then though I must say.
I'm glad you liked the video. It was a very special place for many of us. You might also like the web site it also features many pictures. bobbox25.wixsite.com/bougainville
Ich vergesse Bougalnville nie, es war meine schönste Zeit, nette Leute und fair Management!
Brings back old memories
To see lots more (500+) images of Bougainville see my Website bobbox25wixsite.com/bougainville
Thank you Bob.
It's so beautiful island 💕👍
Great from Melanesian people from West Papua 🇨🇺
Good video Bob,lots of memories,I worked for Zillmer at Kobuan,worked at Panguna all the time,good photo of Kieta Hotel,The Phantom ran the place in 82-83,drank alot at the Halfway House at Kobuan across from Zillmers yard,Peter Wallerich,Murray Alderton,Paul Burgess,Murray Edward's,Peter Goodenoff and loads of others
Peter seemed a good bloke, he ran in HHH at times. I once went to his house for a pool party, it was one of my best Bougainville experiences
Hello Bob, my Dad is in all tears as i showed him this slides....Do you still remember my Dad Bob? The camp 6 boys he is one far left standing. He use to clean your Donga.......please inbox me your contacts( gmail, etc...) if all good with you so we can share some old memories......
Yes I remember your dad he was always kind and friendly and looked happy in his work. I don't really have any PNG contacts. If your dad wanted a copy of the picture or any others. I would be happy to email it to you, if you send your details.
Bob great memories👍👍
wow amazing
Credit to my beautiful island
Beautiful place ,beautiful people black and white working together for great opportunity and prosperty then somehow greed and revolution destroyed all one has to waonder can it ever be reversed !.
Well done!!
Hello. I worked in the concentrate section from July 1975 to Oct 1975.
The golden years were followed by a civi' war. If the mining company was so beneficial to all, what went wromg?
People can be radicalised anywhere. A very small number of radicalised individuals promised endless wealth to simple villagers and they fell for it. The radicals demanded 14 billion dollars to allow the mine to continue and when they didn't get it they immediately started to destroy company assets with explosives they had stolen from the mine. The mining company was obliged by PNG law to negotiate only with the PNG government, they were trying to change that so that they could deal more directly with the local landowners when the destruction began. Like everywhere, destruction leads to a downward spiral that no one can control. The PNG army and police force did not have the sophistication to deal with the matter. So you are a PhD, big deal you weren't there and know nothing.
@@bobjackson4720 I don't have a PhD and I wasn't there but this is an inadequate response. You don't know what the poster knows or even whether he was there. If this copper mine brought nothing but benefit to the local people, it would be a first. Could the large influx of "red skins" have been a factor? Thank you for sharing your opinion on the situation at Panguna. Too bad about your uncalled-for last sentence.
Thanks !
Wonderful pictures. I take it this is '75 to '78?
I was there 74 to the end of 88, the picture are from that period.
And now they're back to subsistence farming and drinking from puddles. What it was and what could have been
Now you go work in Bougainville and you have to slum it...
I am in the UK at present,got stuck here with covid
Bob,do you remember the Phantom at Kieta Hotel or Halfway House at Kobuan
Sorry I was a bit of a hermit. Apart from Arawa HHH I didn't do much socially. I hope you get back to Australia without too much delay. UK is good in small doses but I wouldn't want to be stuck there with Covid all around me.
@@bobjackson4720 does HHH stand for Hash House Harriers?
Bob,are you on fb mate?
And the mess that is still there pollution of the river and seas , the locals got nothing
The mess is still there ,polluting of river and sea