Hi there, I'm so glad to have found your website... My name is Catherine Sherratt and was born in Arawa hospital on a lovely tropical summer morning at the end of 1980. My father Stuart Sherratt (who may just be remembered as one of the "POMs"! ) worked in the Electrical division of BCL. My mum, Marie, was the "froggy" woman who trekked halfway accross the world to marry him..
I am still in contact with some of the families that lived in Panguna and Arawa (who are now living in Australia) and we have taken to calling eachother "whenwe's" seeing as we never get a sentence out that doesnt start with "when we were on Bougainville" !!
finding your website has made me emotional again about the lovely life I had as a child in Panguna...and I certainly can't escape that fact, seeing as it says Arawa on my passport, no-one has a clue where it is ! However I can't not tell anyone because when I'm asked where I'm from, I can't leave out the fact that I was born in paradise... a paradise that was being destroyed by the mine, and the nationals wanted the land back. I often think about going back to the island to meet the people. I saw the "Coconut War" documentary and am facinated at how people on the island have used technology from the mine with the knowledge of their ancestors, with incredible results...
Anyway, perhaps there is someone out there on the website that remembers our family,
Love and Peace,
The Sherratt Family, UK
catshez@gmail.com
