Happy New Year!

(don’t mind the German introduction — the video is in English)

 

T
here are myriad New Year’s Eve customs worldwide. In Japan, toshikoshi soba noodles are eaten to bring in the coming year. In Anglo-Saxon countries, finding someone to share a New Year’s Eve kiss with as the clock winds down has become a boon to the romantically-challenged. In Germany, however, a different tradition has taken form: every year on December 31st, TV networks broadcast an 18-minute-long black and white two-hander comedy skit.

In 1963, Germany’s Norddeutscher Rundfunk television station recorded a sketch entitled Dinner For One, performed by the British comics Freddie Frinton and May Warden. The duo depicted an aging butler serving his aristocratic mistress, Miss Sophie, dinner on the occasion of her 90th birthday. Although four additional spots have been set at the table, the nonagenarian’s friends have long since passed away, and the butler is forced to take their places in drinking copious amounts of alcohol while toasting Miss Sophie’s health. Hilarity, as it is wont to do in such cases, ensues.

Since its initial recording, the clip has become a New Year’s Eve staple in Germany. Although Dinner For One has never been broadcast in the U. S. or Canada, the clip has spread throughout Europe to Norway, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Austria, Switzerland, and beyond the continent’s shores, to South Africa and Australia. In Sweden, a bowdlerized 11-minute version of the clip has been produced, where, for decency’s sake, much of the butler’s boozing was excised alongside its attendant comedic effect. In Denmark, after the national television network failed to broadcast the sketch in 1985, an avalanche of viewer complaints has guaranteed its subsequent yearly appearance. Although the category is now defunct, the clip held the Guinness World Record for Most Frequently Repeated TV Program.

Above, you can view the original 18-minute comedic opus and celebrate New Year’s day in the same way that much of Europe will ring in 2015.

I wish you all a happy new year! Rest assured, it'll be the same procedure as last year.

 

 

Down memory lane with Louis Tagovono

 

The above photos are from Louis Tagovono's facebook page. And there are more. Just click here, then click on 'Open Photo Viewer', and click next and next and next ...

 

 

Christmas 1980 on Bougainville - Recollections from the Blogmaster

While in Brisbane in 1980, MORGAN EQUIPMENT asked me whether I would be interested to return to Bougainville Island. Would I ever! They had problems with their incumbent financial controller and company secretary and wanted me to "clean up" the place and introduce some tight financial and administrative procedures while he was on leave. I flew back to Bougainville just before Christmas - and Shirley joined me shortly afterwards - for the first time since 1974 and it was almost like coming home! I revisited all the old places, Kieta, Arovo Island, Camp 6, and Loloho Beach, however, time did not permit to see Panguna and the minesite again.

The signs of trouble ahead

Loloho, this time with Shirley

Shirley with Kieta in background

Buying local produce

Good ol' Loloho

Gone past the airstrip

Shirley at Kieta

Trying to find my old donga at Camp 6

More of Loloho ...

... which used to be my favourite place ...

... when I lived in Camp 6

Oh for the good ol' days ...

... when we were young and life was oh so simple!

Pigs crossing!!!

Anchors away!

A long and boring Sunday at Kieta

MORGAN EQUIPMENT was a good company and their boss, Roger Brandt, a very pleasant man to work for. Having sorted out a great many of the accumulated problems in the first week or so of my being there, he promptly made me an offer of a permanent position which I said I would seriously consider. He even gave Shirley a job as receptionist for the short two or three weeks we were there. An attractive salary, house and company car and future opportunities with MORGAN EQUIPMENT on any of their other world-wide projects.

Morgans complex at Birimpa

The office entrance

Ready for a day's work

Shirley with company car

The comfortable office

The Monster needed constant attention

Workstation in main office

Shirley tries the computer

Those huge harddisks held a mere 10MB!

The company house

Tasting the fruits of the garden

Outside a company townhouse

Filling up!

Sunday at Arovo Island

Shortly after New Year we flew back to Brisbane where a job offer from Ranger Uranium was already waiting for me. So what did I do? I took the Ranger job. Was it a mistake? Yes, I think so because a couple more years on Bougainville would have been most beneficial to both Shirley and myself. (Funnily enough, when I returned from Saudi Arabia in 1985, MORGAN EQUIPMENT once more offered me the job and I again let the opportunity slip)

 

John Gemmell emailed:

Hi Peter,

My name is John Gemmell. I was at Kieta from 1964 to 1967. I was a plumber and worked for a Rabaul company called Paul and Thompson. We did a lot of work for the government and also C.R A.

The geologist at the time was Ken Philips, and everyone used to board at the Kieta hotel as there was nowhere else to stay. The hotel was owned and run by Helmut Kroening.

Social evenings were held at the Kieta Club next to the pub.

The only way to Panguna was by helicopter. I can remember the road being constructed and how scary it was when we first used it.
I am having trouble remembering names but now that I have found your excellent website perhaps it will jog my memory.

Cheers John
whatevermudgee[AT]me.com

Some books on Bougainville

 

You may be able to buy them on ebay.

 

Geoff Finnigan emailed:

Hi,

I worked in Bougainville in 1970/71. I was employed by H.H. Green electrical contractors to work on the Panguna mine site. We were one of the first contractors to be on the mine site installing a diesel-powered generator station for the electric shovels. Our dongas were on site 10 hrs a day 6 days a week, Sundays down to loloho beach for R&R.

Spent 6 months at Panguna and went back to Melbourne. 3 months later, with no work in Melbourne, I returned for another 6 month contract.

H.H.Green became Kilpatrick/Green. Our primary job was the power generator station at loloho. Many happy memories of Bougainville. The money was good also. Loved the sunsets especially at Panguna. It was the first time I saw hardened workers having a beer whilst watching the setting sun.

Geoff Finnigan
ballingarry[AT]icloud.com

 

 

Mekamui News

 

This recent photo of the Panguna mine pit was taken from the Mekamui News website. For more photos, click here