by Frank O’Brien – Palms Participant Mendi Diocese, PNG 1971-74.
Feature image: Frank O’Brien far right with umbrella with Palms participant John Griffiths beside him.
From my September 1970 [preparation] course at Kincoppal College I remember one piece of advice, ‘keep quiet for the first six months of service as you know nothing’. That was good advice on general behaviour and interaction with the community and one’s co-workers in the field.
Certainly, in aspects of safety in my trade of timber working it was necessary to convey the best practice for the safety of all concerned but in what I picked up as a humourous way, as the work group seemed to enjoy but also get the point of it. Where local practice seemed to be dangerous to me without the right (expensive) equipment I left it to the work group as I quickly learnt to trust their superior knowledge derived from long term use.
Western knowledge versus local knowledge
This ‘custom’ versus twentieth century Western knowledge showed many times at work and play in PNG. One time our Councillor who was a teacher in the Catholic Parish School defended the strong handed treatment of women by men in his clan. Disagreeing, I suggested care and concern for women could be another way of cooperating. Soon after on the morning walk up to the sawmill site above the village we came upon a man being attacked by two women with digging sticks. Very concerned I asked the other workers why they weren’t helping their mate. Not our problem they said, he wanted two wives, and he got them, his problem! From that I made a mental note to avoid marriage guidance as a career.
Village Life
Another aspect of village life was the concern by all for the disabled and elderly, something that had diminished in my hometown then and increasingly since then to my mind. This was evident in the giving of food to these less able and assistance in getting around. At play after Mass on Sundays, basketball and volleyball was on for hours. I of course knew all the rules and insisted on everyone following same. Not for long! The object wasn’t to qualify for the Olympics but to join together to have fun and relax on the Sabbath. Realising that, I relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed the communal spirit and exhausted myself.
Defining moments
Defining moments included handing a hammer to a young boy about 10 and watching him intuitively use it to drive a nail into the timber for the first time and realising more than him as to how much his life was changing. My life was changing also but I was the last to notice until arriving back in Sydney and fitting into the rat race again. My mother said PNG had spoiled me as I did not want to do the usual things as before.
Eating at restaurants, rushing here and there and working to achieve monetary success didn’t have the same appeal. Luckily my good friends stuck with me and gave me time [to adjust] so that we are still good friends and they have travelled to a similar place in Sydney society today as I have. I guess we rubbed up against and influenced each other for the good.
Summing up I would say placement in another culture helped change me more than I helped there as I worked in PNG twice after my placement.