1 September 2012
24 August 2012
From the webmaster of the Bougainville website:
We've just come home after a couple of hours' 'aquatic therapy' in the heated indoor pool at Ulladulla. In the men's changeroom I found a discarded CAMAY soap wrapper which immediately brought back memories.
During the construction phase of the mine in the early 70s when I lived at Camp 6 at Loloho, we received with our weekly towel change a new piece of CAMAY soap, whether we had used up the old one or not. Usually we hadn't and there was CAMAY soap all over the camp.
A certain surveyor would collect all the CAMAY soap he could get his hands on and also regularly empty the crib rooms of all their LIPTON tea-bags and ARNOTT'S Scotch Finger biscuits all of which he would parcel up and send to his family in Perth.
If you have ever been to Perth and seen a family with a lovely complexion and an aversion to LIPTON tea and ARNOTT'S Scotch Finger biscuits, you will know whom I talking about ☺
21 August 2012
George R. Diaz emailed:
I was there in 1971 for six months , representing the Euclid Service dept. I was the Tech. supporting the fleet of R105. Great experience missed baseball season in USA that year left in October, great site!
George R. Diaz
geodays1[AT]frontiernet.net
19 August 2012
Selwyn Hopley emailed from Maleny in Queensland:
Hi There,
I have noticed your Bougainville website before but did nothing about it. I am now retired and would like to add my name to the list of people who worked on the Bougainville Copper Project and enjoyed the experience immensely.
I worked for Morrison Knudsen Fluor as a surveyor in 1970 initially building the access road up to the mine and based at Camp 5 at Nairovi and arrived just after the big slip occurred on the road. I then transferred up to Camp 4 at Panguna setting out the road down to the Jaba River and mine structures including the primary crusher. In 1971 I moved down to Arawa working for Thiess Bros surveying the roads and infrastructure for the new Arawa Township. I had a great time on Bougainville with an overland walk down to Buin through the Jungle with some mates during the big strike in 1970 and a look at Admiral Yamamoto’s Betty bomber on the way. Also climbing Mt Balbi in 1971 with 3 friends after flying up to the Rotokas village airstrip on its flanks in a Missionary Aviation Fellowship Cessna.
I spent several years off and on after this contracting on PNG projects such as the Highlands Highway, Ok Tedi Copper & Gold Mine, Misima Gold Mine, Lihir Gold Mine, Kutubu Oil and Gobi Oil Fields mainly in a fly in / fly out role. I think I can honestly say that these were some of the best and most interesting years of my life so far.
I am now watching the grass grow up in Maleny on the Blackall Range above Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland and enjoying the sound of the birds and the cows off to milking.
Regards,
Selwyn Hopley
email selhopley[AT]optusnet.com.au
18 August 2012
Congratulations!
The Bougainville Induction Video has just been viewed for the 1,000th time!
Spread the word and share your memories with others!
17 August 2012
Admiral Yamamoto's Betty Bomber
Hi Peter
Attached are a few of photos that might interest some of your bloggers, they are from a trip to Buin and a stop off to see the wreckage of Admiral Yamamoto's Mitsubishi G4M "Betty Bomber" shot down be USA P38 Lightnings in 1943. When trying to locate the main wreckage we stumbled across a wing tip that was near perfectly preserved on the jungle floor. Details on Yamamoto can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoroku_Yamamoto
regards
Nick
Translation:
- Horizontal script -
山本 元帥 (Yamamoto gensui) - Yamamoto, Commander-in-Chief
御 終焉 地 (on shuuen chi) - (on does not have meaning, just emphasising respect) Death, Place -----> The place of death
- Vertical script on the left side -
山本元帥景仰会 (Yanamotogensui keikoukai) - Yamamotogensui Memorial Association
会長 駒形十吉 (kaicho Komagata, Jukichi) - Chief executive Jukichi Komagata
1 August 2012
FOR SALE: Waterfront Property near Batemans Bay
Absolute waterfrontage - no public access! Enjoy sailing, swimming, and fishing at your doorstep! The sense of peace and tranquillity is absolute: no traffic, no noise, no "next-door" neighbours, and never to be built out! Go to
31 July 2012
Nick Murphy emailed from the U.K.:
Hi Peter,
I emailed via your website but have also tried directly to ask do you know of anyone who has a copy of the film "Bougainville Copper 1979"? It was a promotional video, probably aimed at investors in the company. A film crew came in to do it. As I recall it has good footage of the mine, island etc. Be good to see a copy on U-tube!
left to right: Back Row - Trevor Davison, Stuart Burns, Tapia ? Oripa ? Ron Corbin, Bob Woodward; Front Row – Alan Westcott, Nick Murphy, Steve Oliver, Judy ? Kevin Hughes, Paul Widdon.
regards
Nick
email nick_murphy1948[AT]btinternet.com
30 July 2012
Ian Louth emailed from Christies Beach in South Australia:
I spent a year on Bougainville in 1978 when I was a 24 year old boilermaker doing maintainence in the concentrator at Panguna and living in that fabulous Panguna apartment block for single guys two in a room. I can honestly say that the experience was a milestone in my life and probably set completely my attitude to the way mining is conducted in the third world. Flying in from Pt Moresby and seeing the grey smuge that was once the mouth of the Jaba River for I dont know how far out to sea then viewing the hole excavated in the island was certainly an eye opener. I however will never forget the stunning beauty above and below the water on the other side of the island and the way the Bougainvilleans conducted themselves. Running with Panguna HHH did me a lot of good also.
I was a keen diver in those days and when I realised where I was had my gear sent out from Australia . A group of us from Panguna ; Kevin Hart being the only name I remember out of about five of us worked on the out of order BSUC boat and got it going. We then had every Sunday off and went diving. Dont ask me about refurbishing of concentrator cells with an oxy torch and arc welder but ask me about the time on the big wreck when we had 200 feet visbility and the boat was floating in the sky 110 feet in the sky above us.
A couple of years ago when I got into song writing I though that my feelings about my time on Bougainville should be expressed. I wrote the song by simply tying real memories together. A lot of the imagery is about the place itself as well as the diving we did there.I perform this song at folk clubs and venues and it always touches someone in the audience to the point of talking about it to me afterwards.
I sympathised with Bougainville landowners and the BRA cause at the time of the conflict and while others may differ my view is that money to shareholders does not come at any price. The song is attached if anyone is interested.
email ilouth[AT]optusnet.com.au
Bougainville Blue © Ian Louth
( On 2nd in D
C/Am/F/G)
C Am F G
Palm trees bleached coral , a dugout canoe
C Am G C
Paddled on flat sea , Bougainville Blue
F C F G
Calm clear waters , splashed colours onto
C Am G C
Deepest of shades, Bougainville Blue
F C F G
White wake behind us , reef islands in view
C Am G C
Splitting the water, of Bougainville Blue
F C F G
Deep under neath , hiding from view
C Am G C
Ghosts of the past , Bougainville Blue
F C F G
Ships of an old war , our boat flying too
C Am G C
Across the sky , of Bougainville Blue
F C F G
We dug a hole in the island , copper and gold for you
C Am G C
Poisoned the Jaba River , Bougainville Blue
F C F G
Francis mined the pylons , took back power when they blew
C Am G C
Crippled the mine , closed for all time , Bougainville Blue
F C F G
Strong proud people , mi lukim you
C Am G C
Keepers of an island , Bougainville Blue
F C F G
Memories forever , of a place I once knew
C Am G C
Home of the butterfly , the Bougainville blue
F C F G
The deep green forests, the wet dripping bamboo
C Am G C
The slow moving fluttering, of a Bougainville Blue
F/C/F/G/C/Am/G/C
For a live recording, click here.
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