Built For The Glory Of God

Built For The Glory Of God The Story Of Building The Roads At Ukarumpa

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By Charles Micheals

This book is provided free of charge. However, if you would like to make a gift to the ongoing work of the author and his work with Wycliffe Bible Translators and help cover the cost of producing this book and others like it, please go to: Support Charles and Barbara Micheals' Work With Wycliffe Bible Translators https://www.wycliffe.org/partner/cbmicheals

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Built For The Glory Of God The Story Of Building The Roads At Ukarumpa

The value of roads – Children line up to travel by bus to the Aiyura International Primary School, then located near the Aiyura Airstrip (Photo courtesy of Craig Campbell)

Winter Park, Florida

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© 2016 Charles J. Micheals

Published by the Aiyura Valley Historical Society

Winter Park, Florida

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN: Pending

First Printing 2016 (Not for Sale) Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

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Dedication To the men who planned, designed, developed and maintained the roads at Ukarumpa which faithfully served the Christian missionary workers engaged in Bible translation work in Papua New Guinea.

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Built For The Glory of God The Story Of Building The Roads At Ukarumpa This is a story needing to be told. It is the story of the men who developed the roads and bridges at Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea where the largest mission center in the world is located to support the largest effort in Bible translation the world has ever known. It is the story of men with great vision who not only dreamed of turning the rugged New Guinea highlands into a highway for the Lord, but also worked to see their dream become a reality so that every language community on this island nation would have God’s Word in their own native tongue.

With tireless effort, these men planned the roads, scooped, shoveled and graded the roads and then over sixty years with successive teams of committed mission personnel from the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) maintained these roads. This was and is no small task as Ukarumpa is located in one of the most remote places in the world.

Without the effort of these men, the work at Ukarumpa would likely have never even got started. Even if the work would have somehow started without roads, Bible translation work in Papua New Guinea would certainly not have happened to the degree it has today.

Today, Ukarumpa is a thriving community which serves as the main center of operations for SIL’s work of Bible translation and language development in the country of Papua New Guinea. It is located in Aiyura Valley of the Eastern Highlands province which rests in the shadow of the foreboding Bismarck Mountain Range. Ukarumpa is also the main missionary training center for SIL working in the country.

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Ukarumpa sits on what was traditional fighting ground between two local warring tribes, the Gadsup and the Tairora language communities. The Australian government in 1956, offered SIL that land and a dozen other sites between the town of Kainantu and Mt. Hagen. The Aiyura Valley location had housed the failed ‘Peacock Plantation’, which was located near the small airstrip that was initially built in the late 1930s and upgraded during World War II. The valley also housed the Highlands Experimental Agricultural Station (Ag. Station) run by Aubrey Schindler and his wife Ancie and their support helped smooth the way for the SIL center to be developed. The valley for SIL was also strategic as it was central to reaching the many language communities needing God’s Word.

Dr. Jim Dean later said that of all the places he and the other SIL leaders visited, Aiyura was the best place for Bible translation work to commence in the country. The Australian government was also pleased with SIL’s decision to located there because they wanted to bring peace to this fighting ground. It was only later on that SIL discovered how the land had been used for things other than a plantation!

1946 – Aubrey Schindler (Agricultural Station Director) and Native Policeman looking toward the land where Ukarumpa is now located. Aiyura Airstrip is located on the far right. The land at that time was being developed by a plantation called the peacock Plantation, which eventually failed, which lead to SIL being invited in to settle this land. In 1956 SIL was given a 21 year lease on the property that later on grew to be a 99 year lease from the 1956 date. (Photo courtesy of Ivan Schindler)

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The location of Aiyura Valley in the Eastern Highlands meant that in such a remote location the local language communities nearby had never heard the name of Jesus before SIL began work there. Only a few brave Lutheran missionaries had ventured into the Eastern Highlands before the 1950s and so when SIL settled there in 1956, the Gospel was largely unknown and no language community nearby had any Scripture in their local tongue.

Since then, Ukarumpa has grown from a swampy valley to a well-manicured 500 acre modern complex, complete with all the necessities of life of any small town in Australia or America. Over the past sixty years thousands of missionary personnel with SIL have served at Ukarumpa with almost 8000 people over this time calling it home. All have come to labor and do their part in helping bring the translated Scriptures into the heart language of the people. The paths, roads and bridges at Ukarumpa have all supported the Bible translators and support workers and their families along with hundreds of Papua New Guineans working there and who have joined in the task.

As a result of the Gospel going out from Ukarumpa, the Christian church nearby and elsewhere grew. Today in Aiyura Valley alone, there are seventeen flourishing protestant Christian congregations! To God be the glory!

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Prelude It might seem that the Ukarumpa roads are quite ordinary, but these roads are different as they have helped bring God’s Words into the heart language to the people of Papua New Guinea. They are special because these roads were built to serve Jesus Christ and the expansion of His Kingdom!

Why else are these roads so important? Because

from

these

roads

God’s

ambassadors of reconciliation are calling all men to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation.

John 6: 68, “Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Chuck Micheals helps unload Rossel New Testaments arriving at Ukarumpa by road from KSS Transport in Lae, PNG (Photo courtesy of Charles Micheals)

Roads have always been helpful to people in many ways. Not only do roads bring the Words of Life to people, but they are also used for helping communities flourish. They help move the men and machines needed to build the infrastructure for education and health purposes and to sustain businesses. They serve families in countries like Papua New Guinea move their produce from gardens to markets to sell. Roads help unite families together and bring needed supplies to a community. They also help move needed government workers such as the police and health care providers to the places where they are needed. However, any roads most precious cargo are the ones that carry God’s written Word and the men and women who bear those Words to those lost in sin.

One only needs to look at the system of roads used during the times of the Romans to see how important roads are. On those Roman roads the apostles and many other disciples of the Christian faith traveled and with these men came the Gospel of God. On those roads, they would carry the Gospel in all four directions and eventually to countries like Papua New Guinea, which are literally at the ends of the earth.

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Most people will be surprised that there are over 60 references to roads in the Bible. Roads played an important role in the Exodus of Israel from Egypt (Exodus 13: 17 – 18), to angels who found a woman sitting by a spring of water on the way to Shur (Genesis 16:7), to Moses who sent messengers to the King of Edom to ask for safe passage on their roads (Numbers 20: 14 – 17), for those fleeing punishment (Deuteronomy 19:3), for armies (both to conquest and to be conquered) (Joshua 21:19, I Samuel 17: 52, Isaiah 15: 5 and many more) and for the advance of the Gospel (Matthew 22: 9 – 10, Mark 9: 33, Luke 13: 26, John 4: 43, Acts 8: 36, Acts 9: 11 and many more). Roads even played a role in the parables of Jesus with the story of the man on his way to Jericho who fell among robbers (Luke 10: 30 – 33). Probably the most famous road in history is the road, the Via Dolorosa or the road to Calvary (John 19: 16 – 20, Luke 23: 26 – 33 and Hebrews 13: 12) that Jesus took on his way to His crucifixion and death.

John 19: 17 – 18, “Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.”

Luke 23: 26 – 28, “As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.” 1516 - Jesus carrying the cross (By Raphael) (Photo Public Domain)

Jesus also taught about the two roads in life, the one road that leads to death and the other road that leads to life.

Matthew 7: 13 – 14, “Go in through the narrow door. The door is wide and the road is easy that leads to hell. Many people are going through that door. But the door is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life that lasts forever. Few people are finding it.”

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The Bible even speaks of the rough places becoming plain and the mountains being turned into highways.

Isaiah 49: 11, “I will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up.”

As with all things that might look small and insignificant, many small things are really very big and significant thing. The Bible reminds us of the mustard seed of faith that can say to a mountain be moved and it will be moved.

Matthew 17: 20, “He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Zechariah 4: 10, “Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the LORD that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel?”

Building roads is important work, but few know how important the small things are such as maintaining and caring for the roads at Ukarumpa. To the men who worked these roads, it has not been a chore, although the work has been difficult. Rather, it has been a labor of love even though there have been challenges.

Working on the roads has come with not only with long hours of labor, but also with sore arms, calloused hands and tired bodies. With that work has also come the laboring for long hours in the care of the equipment needed to develop and maintain the roads. Then there has been the countless hours of backbreaking manual labor as men have dug and maintained the barrets on the sides of the roads which kept the water running away from the roadway. This all is no small feat in a part of the world that is so remote and with heavy rains. The average rainfall is 120 inches a year and sometimes much higher! However, each hour of labor has been worth it all as it has helped build the kingdom of God in Papua New Guinea.

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A typical afternoon at Ukarumpa (Photo courtesy of Craig Campbell)

In one sense, the roads at Ukarumpa are “small things”. They look like dirt roads anywhere, but the roads at Ukarumpa which are insignificant to the world have been the roads that the Gospel has been carried on by Bible translation workers. We are reminded in Zechariah 4:10 to not despise the day of small things.

These “small things” have paved the way for the Bible in the mother tongue to be delivered to over two million people from 350 different language communities in Papua New Guinea. And this Gospel has borne fruit in the lives of the people. What had been a barren land of sin and shame has now become a highway for our God as thousands of Christian churches have been planted throughout the country, God’s Word is preached with clarity, understanding and power and tens of thousands of people are now believers.

The men and now women who work on the roads and in the offices of the department that care for them are as committed today as when the roads were first proposed and developed and these roads continue to serve the SIL community was well today as they have in the past. They not only serve the local Papua 12 | P a g e

New Guinea community, the staff who work with SIL, but they also continue to serve visiting families, businessmen passing through and government officials. They even carryied several Prime Ministers of the country.

August 22, 1980 – Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan visits Ukarumpa (Photo courtesy of Bruce Neher)

Each person who has lived at Ukarumpa for any length of time knows what a challenge it is to keep the roads in good order and everyone who has traveled these roads, including the author over a course of fifteen years, have appreciated the sacrifice and hard work given to make it possible for the Bible translation work to continue. My prayer is that the Lord will continue to supply the work with staff committed to keeping these roads usable.

The short story that follows is mainly about the building of the roads and the people who made that possible. We will peek into the lives of a few people who have roads named after them and some of the interesting adventures of even cars that have gone airborne on the roads! As time allows, more information may be added to the book. However, the book while describing the sacrifice of the builders

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and maintainers, it is really the story of what God is doing to bring His Word to the people of Papua New Guinea. Therefore, the book is written to give Glory to God for the great things He has done!

My thanks go to these who helped make this book possible: ❖ Dr. James Dean, first Director of the work of SIL in Papua New Guinea and his son Timothy Dean. ❖ Bruce and Joyce Hooley, Wycliffe Bible Translators, USA Buang Bible Translators. ❖ Karl and Joice Franklin, Wycliffe Bible Translators, USA Kewa Bible Translators. ❖ David Cummings, former Wycliffe Bible Translator, Australia, President, and his wife Ruth. ❖ Hap and Glady Skinner, Wycliffe Bible Translators, Australia, Industrial and Autoshop staff. ❖ Craig Campbell, Wycliffe Bible Translators, USA, Construction Manager at Ukarumpa. ❖ Laveryl and Max Voss, Wycliffe Bible Translators, USA, serving with SIL in Papua New Guinea for many years with LaVeryl involved in Construction work. ❖ David and Melissa Raube, Wycliffe Bible Translators, USA, serving with SIL in Papua New Guinea as school teachers for the missionary children and local staff families. A special word of thanks goes to my wife Barb for her patience with me during the time it took to collect material and to write this book. She encouraged me to keep working on this project and gave advice on many practical things. She also helped with editing and proofreading. Without her help, this work would not have been completed. Many others, too numerous to fully name, also helped with various remembrances for which I am grateful.

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Chapter 1 Roads At Ukarumpa – The Names

1965 – Welcome sign - Ukarumpa (Photo courtesy of Chuck Greenlund)

It is not known exactly who actually laid out the roads at Ukarumpa. Des Oatridge, a Bible translator with his wife Jenny for the Binumarien people, remembered making a map for the roads in the early years of Ukarumpa. David Cummings, a Bible translator with his wife Ruth for the Weri people, also played a role in the layout of the roads. However, who actually developed the first plan for the roads in those early days remains a mystery.

Developing the roads at Ukarumpa was a very challenging task in those early years. The ground was so boggy and had large holes under the kunai grass that were called “melon holes” as they were often shaped like a ball and full of water. This meant that much of the property was soaked to quite a deep level and 15 | P a g e

the first roads put in were boggy for quite some time. The development of the roads thus required using gravel from the nearby Ba’e river, but the process of building dry roads that would handle heavy loads took some time to finish. At times in the early days, the Kunai grass was so tall that Ray Nicholson and David Cummings would borrow horses from the Aiyura Agriculture station so that they could see each other as the put in long stakes so that the work teams from the villages around could see where to cut and clear the undergrowth for the roads.

1958 - Lex Collier on tractor, making a track to the river through the Kunai grass and pitpit for a new Ba’e River ford. (Photo courtesy of Bruce Hooley)

While exactly how the first roads were established is not fully known, what is known is that as the center developed and more roads were created there was a decision made to name the streets to help people refer to where members of the branch lived. There were a number of suggestions made for names and the issue came to the Branch Conference one year. Bruce Hooley proposed they be named for each allocation (language name) as new ones were made, but that was ruled out because people thought later allocations would miss out from not having enough streets and the people concerned might get upset.

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1953 - Map of Aiyura Valley (Photo courtesy of the Australian National Archives)

It was finally decided first of all to name a few roads after prominent linguists, hence: •

Bloomfield Boulevard (North and South)

•

Dean Street

•

Dempwolff Gardens Road

•

Firth Avenue (North and South)

•

Pike Place

•

Pittman Point Road

•

Sapir Road

The Summer Institute of Linguistics’ founder, William Cameroon Townsend, learned his ‘descriptive approach’ to linguistics from Dr. Edward Sapir1. Several other linguists, Leonard Bloomfield, Otto Dempwolff and John R. Firth made a significant impact on Townsends understanding of linguistics that 1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Cameron_Townsend

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1960s – South Bloomfield Boulevard (Walt & Vonnie Steinkrauses yard in bottom right hand corner, the Philippines House is the large house on the right, with the airstrip in the far distance (Photo courtesy of Karl Franklin)

he needed for his Bible translation work. They also helped Ken Pike when he was getting started in his linguistic studies.

These men were often quoted in the early days at Ukarumpa as the men on whose shoulders they stood on as they were early into descriptive linguistics. Dr. Richard Pittman was one of the early founders of Wycliffe Bible Translators and SIL and his linguistic abilities and leadership helped the work in Papua New Guinea get started. Dr. Jim Dean, also a linguist with Wycliffe was the first Director of the work in Papua New Guinea and was one of three men who first scouted out the Aiyura Valley as the locations of SIL’s center of operations. Therefore, the last names of these seven linguists were chosen as the first six major names for the roads at Ukarumpa that were then built. Likely the names were decided on by the first branch Director, Dr. Jim Dean with the help of Ray Nicholson. The Dean Street road was built at a later date and so that street was named by others in leadership.

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1973 – The Ukarumpa center with an approaching rainstorm – Main building with the cubicles in the center is the Linguistic offices. The ‘house’ to the far right center is the Guest House. The long building in the foreground is the Administration offices with the Meeting House to the left of that. The large building to the left center is the SIL Members’ Store. Other houses are homes of the SIL missionary staff. (Photo courtesy of Wycliffe Bible Translators Archives)

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Bloomfield Boulevard

Leonard Bloomfield (Photo of picture hanging in the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics in Dallas, TX)

Leonard Bloomfield (April 1, 1887 – April 18, 1949) was an American linguist who led the development of structural linguistics in the United States during the 1930s and the 1940s. His influential textbook Language, published in 1933, presented a comprehensive description of American structural linguistics. He made significant contributions to Indo-European historical linguistics, the description of Austronesian languages, and description of languages of the Algonquian family.

While at the University of Illinois Bloomfield undertook research on Tagalog, an Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines. He carried out linguistic field work with Alfredo Viola Santiago, who was an engineering student at the university from 1914-1917. The results were published as Tagalog texts with grammatical analysis, which includes a series of texts dictated by Santiago in addition to an extensive grammatical description and analysis of every word in the texts. Bloomfield’s work on Tagalog, from the beginning of field research to publication, took no more than two years. His study of Tagalog has been described as “…the best treatment of any Austronesian language…The result is a description of Tagalog which has never been surpassed for completeness, accuracy, and wealth of exemplification.”

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Bloomfield's only other publication on an Austronesian language was an article on the syntax of Ilocano, based upon research undertaken with a native speaker of Ilocano who was a student at Yale University. This article has been described as a "‌tour de force, for it covers in less than seven pages the entire taxonomic syntax of Ilocano.2�

2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Bloomfield

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Dean Street

Dr. Jim and Gladys Dean with children Sheri and Tim (Photo courtesy of Tim Dean)

Dr. Jim Dean - Jim and Gladys Dean went to the Philippines to begin Bible translation work in 1954 with the Bilaan people in southern Mindanao who speak the Sarangani Blaan language. Shortly after this time, Dr. Dick Pittman visited the Deans and while there asked the Deans to go to Australia to head up SIL’s linguistic school while the current directors took a furlough and then head on to the Territory of Papua and New Guinea to see what the Lord had in store for SIL there.

The Deans prayed about this and as they prayed one night Jim had a vision (the only one he had in his life) where the Lord made it abundantly clear that they were to go to New Guinea. In the vision, the Lord used Isaiah 40 to reassure him that it was okay for them to go. He awoke Glady and they prayed about it and then thanked the Lord, knowing they were released from the work in the Philippines even though they had just arrived. They said goodbyes after spending less than two years in the Philippines and travelled to Australia to take over for Harland and Marie Kerr at the SIL linguistic training school while the Kerr’s were gone for year and then headed up to New Guinea to begin new work there.

It was at the SIL school that the SIL Australian Council asked Jim how he could develop a center of operations in New Guinea when they only had £100 in the account which wouldn’t go very far. Jim said they were trusting the Lord to provide both finances and staff to do the work.

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In 1956, Dr. Jim Dean, who was by then selected be to as the first SIL New Guinea Branch Director took a trip to New Guinea with Dr. Dick Pittman (one of the founders of Wycliffe Bible Translators and the Summer Institute of Linguistics) and Bill Oates (who was the first SIL New Guinea Associate Branch Director) to find a place where a base of operations center could be built.

Dr. Jim Dean, Dr. Dick Pittman and Bill Oates (Photo Courtesy of the James Dean Family)

In order to take this trip, a meeting had to be set up with the Australian Minister for the Territories, Mr. Paul Hasluck, since Australian was governing the Territory of Papua and New Guinea at the time. A member of the Australian Council or SIL was able to make that introduction. Mr. Hasluck gave the SIL leaders a letter of introduction to Mr. Donald Cleland, the Administrator of Papua and New Guinea. That introduction was important because he had to grant permission to travel around the territory.

Mr. Cleland instructed them to meet with the Director of Education for the Territory, Mr. W. C. Groves. In their meeting with Mr. Groves they discovered he had a real heart for the tribal people of the territory. He approved the visit by these three men and so assigned to them his linguists, Mr. Tom Dietz, to go along

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1948 – Aiyura Ag Station visit by Sir Donald Cleland (right,) Agricultural Research Station Director Aubrey (Center) and New Guinean Staff (left) (Photo Courtesy of Ivan Schindler)

with them. By God’s providence, Tom had been trained in linguistics at the SIL linguistics school in Australia. Tom later married a girl from Hanuabada village and he became Chief Interpreter at the House of Assembly in Port Moresby. In that role he brought several of the language helpers down to the SIL School in Australia for linguistic training. Tom was also involved in the early work with the MAPANG Missionary Association3. The visit to New Guinea was necessary not only to find a center of operations from which to begin Bible translation work for the more than 850 languages in the Territory, but to also word samplings from a number of New Guinea languages. On the survey trip, word lists were recorded from some thirty-five languages from Lae throughout the Highlands to Mount Hagen.

3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFIyEuI7jKc

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When the men got to the Kainantu area to look over various properties in the lower part of the Highlands region, Mick Foley, the Assistant District Officer, gave one of his police officer to the group as they visited the area. When they got to the Agricultural Research Station in Aiyura Valley they met with the station director, Mr. Aubrey Schindler, who later on became a good friend of SIL and gave great assistance to the center as it developed.

Mick Foley (far left), Aubrey Schindler (fourth from left) in Kainantu – 1958 ANZEC Day (Photo Courtesy of the Schindler Family)

As the men looked over the adjacent valley they were told to consider Aiyura Valley as a most suitable site for a SIL operational headquarters. The land had been a traditional site of fighting between the nearby Gadsup and Tairora language communities, but the government had purchased the land from the local people to stop the land from being used for fighting.

The valley was situated at 5,100 feet and seemed ideal for a plantation. The Peacock Plantation, called the ‘Peacock block’ plot was started, but the fertile ground proved to be too small for a viable coffee plantation and so Mr. Peacock turned it back to the government. However, the 500 acre piece of property seemed ideal for a Bible translation training center. There was good land for building on, a nearby airstrip that had been built for the Aiyura Agricultural Research Station and had the support of the government. The local people were also friendly.

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1952 - View of Aiyura Valley from the top house at the Aiyura Agricultural Research Station (Photo courtesy of David Carne)

1951 - DeHavilland Dragon at Aiyura (VH-AON) (Photo Courtesy of David Carne)

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As the day wore on, plans were made to fly to Goroka, a small town further into the interior. A small Dragon airplane flew in to pick up the men at Aiyura, but the small airplane had only three empty seats, although four were promised. So, Jim Dean and Dick Pittman stayed on and spent the next two days walking around the 500 acres. As they walked they prayed that the Lord would give them this land if it was His will. After their visit the government offered a 99 year lease for the property. The lease was signed by Dr. Pittman and witnessed by Jim Dean on October 4, 1956. The initial leasing costs were £100 a year and as time rolled on and the value of SIL working in the country became apparent, that yearly fee was eliminated.

It was a surprise to these men later when they found out that the land for the center was the traditional fighting grounds between the Gadsup and Tairora language groups and who lived on either side of the valley. Although others knew this, it was news to the SIL men! There were some armed confrontations that could easily have led to bloodshed and death in the early days, but friendships were made and the work grew and soon the largest mission center in the world would be built.

Jim Dean pointing out Aiyura Valley (Photo Courtesy SIL PNG Branch Archives)

Looking over Aiyura Valley in the 1950s (Photo Courtesy (Photo Courtesy of the Australian War Memorial)

On a side note, Jim Dean’s family flew into Aiyura a short time later after the first house was built. They were driven to the center at Ukarumpa, arriving just as the day was ending. The vehicle had to stop at the Ba’e River as the dirt road from the airstrip did not continue from there into the center.

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1965 – Chuck Greenlund and a few Gadsup boys in front of the Dean’s home which was built in 1956 (Photo courtesy of Chuck Greenlund)

1970s map noting both Dean Street and Carey Circle (Photo Courtesy SIL PNG Branch Archives)

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The family had to cross a fallen log over the river, the only bridge at that time. They walked up the bush trail to a houses in the distance. All there was to see was a window of yellow light in the gloom.

They became the first family to set up residence at the base. That night, the children (at that time, Sharon, Timothy, Roseann and David, the baby who had been born in Australia in 1956) slept together on sleepingbags spread on the woven floor. The house had only kerosene and coal oil lanterns for light, no running water, and an outhouse bathroom. Showers were conducted with stove heated water, from a bucket and showerhead that had to be pulled up by rope and pulley. There they made a home and the work of Bible translation had begun!

2006 Papua New Guinea stamp set featuring SIL’s 50th anniversary in PNG (Photo courtesy of rosebedsstampshop.com)

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Dempwolf Gardens Road

1938 - Otto Dempwolff (Bildspende der Rechteinhaberin, Tochter von Otto_Dempwolff)

Otto Dempwolff (May 25, 1871 in Pillau, Province of Prussia – November 27,1938, in Hamburg) was a German linguist and anthropologist who wrote about Austronesian languages. He graduated from the Luisen-Gymnasium in Memel in 1888 and then studied medicine. He received his doctorate in Berlin in 1892.

During his military service he spent time as a doctor in Tilsit and in Hamburg. He applied as a tropical doctor with the New Guinea Compagnie, but he was turned down because he was to young. They advised him to gain more experience by going on two trips to South America and serving as a ship's doctor. He did that and after he returned he finally received a long-awaited contract for service in what was then known as German New Guinea. He served in Friedrich-Wilhelmshaven (Madang) from 1895 to 1897.

From 1898 to 1911 he worked as a medical officer in the German military in the German colonies in SouthWest Africa and East Africa. While in Africa he became acquainted with the Nama and Sandawe languages and later on published an ethnography on the Sandawe language.

During this time he returned to German New Guinea for two years of research on malaria. While in Friedrich-Wilhelmshaven he came in contact with several Melanesian languages which he had a chance

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to study. He wasn’t able to continue that work as in 1911 he resigned from the military for health reasons after contracting malaria several times.

In 1913 Otto returned to New Guinea and again began studying its languages, but this time as a private individual. He stayed in the country studying languages until World War I broke out. He was interned in Australia and then deported back to Germany.

After the war he worked at the at the University of Hamburg in the Department of African and South Seas languages under Professor Meinhof. He spent some time studying the Nama language he had learned while in Africa, but he was mostly involved with the Melanesian and Austronesian languages. In 1920, he wrote his thesis on Indonesian labials.

On his 60th birthday, Otto received an honorary doctorate from the University of Kiel and became head of the newly created seminar on Indonesian and Pacific Languages (now called the Asien-Afrika-Institut). He is still regarded as one of the best connoisseurs of the Austronesian language. His three-volume work on the comparative phonology of Austronesian vocabulary is still widely used and translated into other languages.4

4

http://www.dempwolff.de/

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The Dempwolff Gardens

Early 1960 - The Dempwolff Gardens – The building with the metal roof in the background is the original Meeting House and the new Meeting House used today is in the far background (Photo courtesy of Karl Franklin)

The garden at the end of Dempwolff Gardens Road was started by Walt and Vonnie Steinkraus. They started the garden originally to give the Wycliffe members an opportunity to have their own garden for growing vegetables. As the national men and women came to visit Ukarumpa and helped out with various translation training courses they too began to garden there. Eventually the garden area grew into a garden that an SIL member looked after and provided as a service for the other members.

At that time, a 20 liter bucket of vegetables was brought to the members’ doors. This saved each member for having to take the time to tend to their own vegetable garden lots. For a number of years in the 1960s this service was provided by SIL member Jeff Bailey.

As Walt and Vonnie were inveterate gardeners, they also came up with the idea that an orchard in this area would eventually supply fruit for the members. On orchard was planted with several varieties of fruits (i.e. lemons, oranges, etc.), but the fruit trees did not perform as well and as the center grew the time necessary to maintain the gardens and orchard grew less and less. The introduction of the store at 32 | P a g e

Ukarumpa5 also meant more canned food products were available. Eventually, when the first National Training Center was built on the opposite end of the center the garden area was relocated to an area closer to that training center since the national men and women lived on that training center site (see map below – the new garden was relocated toward the Jungle Camp area and the old orchard wasn’t tended to any more). The area today is the location of the gravel wash and the stone crusher.

1971 map of the center – October 1971 “Informant” Branch Newsletter (Photo courtesy of the SIL PNG Branch Archives)

5

https://issuu.com/cbmicheals/docs/godsgrocers_chapters1-4, https://issuu.com/cbmicheals/docs/godsgrocers_chapters5-8

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Firth Avenue

John R. Firth (Photo Public Domain)6

John Rupert Firth (June 17, 1890 in Keighley, Yorkshire – December 14, 1960 in Lindfield, West Sussex), commonly known as J. R. Firth, was an English linguist and a leading figure in British linguistics during the 1950s. He was Professor of English at the University of the Punjab from 1919–1928. He then worked in the phonetics department of University College London before moving to the School of Oriental and African Studies, where he became Professor of General Linguistics, a position he held until his retirement in 1956.

His work on prosody, which he emphasized at the expense of the phonemic principle, prefigured later work in autosegmental phonology. Firth is noted for drawing attention to the context-dependent nature of meaning with his notion of 'context of situation'. In particular, he is known for the famous quotation:

You shall know a word by the company it keeps (Firth, J. R. 1957:11)

Firth developed a particular view of linguistics that has given rise to the adjective 'Firthian'. Central to this view is the idea of polysystematism. David Crystal describes this as:

6

http://www.angela.senis.org/John-Rupert-Firth.html

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An approach to linguistic analysis based on the view that language patterns cannot be accounted for in terms of a single system of analytic principles and categories ... but that different systems may need to be set up at different places within a given level of description.

His approach can be considered as resuming that of Malinowski's anthropological semantics, and as a precursor of the approach of semiotic anthropology. Anthropological approaches to semantics are alternative to the three major types of semantics approaches: linguistic semantics, logical semantics, and General semantics. Other independent approaches to semantics are philosophical semantics and psychological semantics.7

Firth published his only books while at University College London. Meant for non-academic audiences, these nevertheless contained the basics of much of what was later recognized as ‘Firthian’ linguistics. The approach of these texts, Speech (1930) and The Tongues of Men (1937), is the first sign of Firth’s continued desire to promote linguistics in Britain. Both books conclude with a call for the linguistic institutes establishments. Thus the Summer Institute Of Linguistics schools, being established at this time, went right along with that desire.

In the last page of Fifth’s book Speech, he notes that Britain needed to promoted the idea of English being the only possible world language and of other languages, together with its “partners in a world empire with hundreds of millions of Asiatics and Africans speaking hundreds of languages”.

The books Fifth wrote cover similar points, and such repetition is frequent in Firth’s writing. A positive way of viewing this is to recognise that Firth’s ideas, which were not of the linguistic mainstream, were, with the exception of his phonological work, remarkably consistent throughout his working life.

Firth also published several pieces on the phonology of languages such as Burmese and Tamil while at UCL. He spent 15 month in a research fellowship during this time and also spent time in India working on languages such as Gujarati and Telugu. In 1938, Firth moved to the Department of Phonetics and Linguistics at London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), where he was to stay for the rest of his career. He was made Head of Phonetics and Linguistic Department in 1941.

7

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Rupert_Firth

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Road map of Ukarumpa (Map by Terra Nova Publishing)

The year after Firth moved to SOAS, the Second World War began. When Japan entered the war in 1941, Firth ran intensive training courses in Japanese for members of the British armed services. This led to a substantial increase in the staff employed in his department, and Firth was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1946 for this work. He had been given a Chair in 1944, which meant that he was the first Professor of General Linguistics in Britain. Firth’s department flourished after the war, with continued government support following the recognition of SOAS’s strategic importance, given Britain’s imperial interests.

Just after the war, Firth published The English School of Phonetics (1946), his main contribution to the history of linguistics. This illustrates Firth’s conviction that he was working in a long linguistic tradition, stretching back centuries (including Henry Sweet, Alexander Melville Bell, John Hart and even Orm).

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At the time of his death, Firth was recognized in Britain as a central, distinguished figure in linguistics. He had been president of the Philological Society and had been awarded a number of honorary degrees. He had published around 40 articles and books. Firth was well aware of developments in linguistics in continental Europe and America, but his work was not influential outside Britain other than with SIL.

He lectured abroad, attended conferences and was an invited teacher at a Linguistic Institute of the Linguistic Society of America; nonetheless, some claim that Firth shared some of Britain’s insularity, lacking ambition to persuade those elsewhere of his ideas. He was certainly not understood in the United States, except by such figures as Kenneth Pike with SIL. Within Britain, however, Firth’s personal influence is indisputable. He was widely acclaimed as an inspiring teacher with organizational skill and the means to gain the support of others to his way of thinking. His performance in lectures and personal conversation were enthralling and a generation of linguists arose around him and helping spread linguistics to newly founded departments in Britain, with an identifiably ‘Firthian’ approach.8

8

http://www.lel.ed.ac.uk/homes/patrick/firth.pdf

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Pike Place

Ken Pike (Photo courtesy of SIL International)

Dr. Kenneth Lee Pike (June 9, 1912 – December 31, 2000) was the consummate scholar. His pioneer work in descriptive linguistics clearly identified him as an adventurous and penetrating thinker. But Pike was more.

As president of the Summer Institute of Linguistics (now SIL International) from 1942–1979, his task was to train and equip hundreds of linguistic students to analyze and put into writing any unwritten language in the world. He expanded SIL's work to more than 50 countries and helped to establish SIL's academic integrity. An author of more than 20 books and 200 articles, Pike was an internationally recognized linguistic scholar.

Pike wrote, "As I developed my linguistic principles, I discovered they extended far beyond language and linguistics. They spilled over into areas like anthropology, religion, sociology and philosophy. In fact, they turned out to be general principles about human nature itself.”

Ken Pike received his bachelor’s degree in 1933 from Gordon College (then in Boston). In 1935 he joined the Summer Institute of Linguistics and served in Mexico, studying Amerindian languages. He received his Ph.D. in linguistics at the University of Michigan in 1942 under Charles Fries (Leonard Bloomfield was also on his dissertation committee) and later served for 30 years on the faculty at the University of Michigan.

In 1949 he traveled to for the first time to Australia and North East New Guinea in November and December, working on the tonal language of Telefomin. In 1962 he returned to New Guinea and visited Ukarumpa where he led a linguistic workshop from February through June. He returned to New Guinea again in 1974 when he again led a linguistics seminar at Ukarumpa in September and October, in 1979 38 | P a g e

where he lectured at Ukarumpa in March and finally in 1981 when he returned to Ukarumpa to lead a consultant training workshop at Ukarumpa in January and February. 9

He was chair of the University of Michigan Linguistics Department from 1975 to 1977 and director of the English Language Institute at the University of Michigan at the same time. For a quarter of a century he divided his time between Michigan and SIL, as director of the SIL school at the University of Oklahoma and helping to establish other SIL schools around the world. He lectured in 42 countries and studied well over a hundred indigenous languages in the field, including languages in Australia, Bolivia, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nepal, New Guinea, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Sudan, and Togo. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1985.

Ken Pike’s contributions to the field of linguistics combined with his dedication to the minority peoples of the world brought him numerous honors. He was a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Merit from the Philippines and the Dean’s Medal at Georgetown University. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 15 years in a row and for the Templeton Prize three times. At the time of his death he was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Linguistic Society of America, the American Anthropological Association, professor emeritus of the University of Michigan, and president emeritus of the SIL. At least 25 encyclopedias have published entries on him.

He published 30 books, over 200 scholarly articles, another 90 articles for popular magazines, 8 poetry collections, and numerous other works— Scripture translations, individual poems, instruction workbooks, videos, and audio recordings.10

Pike was the recipient of 10 honorary doctorates and professorships from universities around the world, including the University of Chicago, Université René Descartes, University of Lima, and Albert-Ludwigs University in Freiburg, Germany. His leadership included serving as president of the Linguistic Society of America and president of the Linguistic Association of Canada and the United States. He received numerous awards and honorary degrees for his achievements, including 16 nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize.11

9

http://www-01.sil.org/klp/klp-chronology.htm http://www.nasonline.org/publications/biographical-memoirs/memoir-pdfs/pike-kenneth.pdf 11 http://www.sil.org/about/klp/kenneth-l-pike 10

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Pike became recognized as one of the United States’ most distinguished scientists. He was first known in linguistics through his famous textbook Phonetics (1943), his development in the 1950s of his theory called tagmemics, and through his popular “monolingual demonstrations.” Later he became recognized in anthropology through the growing popularity of his emic/etic concept.12 He died on December 31, 2000.

12

http://www.nasonline.org/publications/biographical-memoirs/memoir-pdfs/pike-kenneth.pdf

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Pittman Point Road

Richard S. Pittman (February 19, 1915 - August 21, 1998) was one of the early leaders of the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL). He led the organization's advance in the continent of Asia and was a gifted linguist, statesman, writer, educator, and mentor. He responded to his Christian, humanitarian and professional calling with amazing energy, awesome dedication, and great ability, at considerable personal cost, and with remarkable results.

In the spring of 1940 Dick and his wife Kay took two carloads of students from Dick's Spanish classes to Mexico. There they met Cameron Townsend, and, as those who knew Townsend might have expected, they wound up attending the 7th session of Camp Wycliffe in Sulphur Springs, Arkansas that summer. In the fall Dick and Kay, with their two year old daughter Mary Louise (later Marilou) travelled by truck to Mexico to take over from Townsend the Aztec (Nahuatl) language work in Tetelcingo, Morelos. They were based in Tetelcingo for 10 years, and their daughter Margaret Ann (Peggy) and son Robert (Bob) were born in Mexico during that time.

But the Pittmans were not destined to remain in peace in Tetelcingo. In 1943 Dick was elected Director of the Mexico Branch of the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL). This required frequent trips between Tetelcingo and Mexico City. In the summer of 1945 he studied linguistics at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and in 1947-48 he earned an MA in linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania. During the summers of 1947-1950, the Pittmans participated in SIL sessions in Saskatchewan, Canada, with Dick directing in 1948.

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The years from 1951-1953 witnessed a mind-boggling succession of activities and accomplishments. During most if not all of this time Dick functioned as a member of the Board of the Summer Institute of Linguistics and Wycliffe Bible Translators. In January 1951 he headed up the second session of the Australian SIL, and that spring he went to survey languages in the Philippines. There he met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Rรณmulo, who eventually became a close friend. In the summer the Pittmans were at the SIL school in the University of Oklahoma, and Dick returned briefly to Mexico to allocate Forrest and Jean Brewer to take his and Kay's place in Tetelcingo. That fall he entered the graduate program in linguistics at the University of Pennsylvania. He completed the program in less than two years, receiving his Ph.D. in 1953.

In the summer of 1952 Dick Pittman founded the SIL course at the University of North Dakota, which is now the longest-running SIL-University partnership in the world. From then until 1972, with the exception of two years (1955 and 1956), the Pittmans were at North Dakota every summer, with Dick directing the course through 1971.

In 1955 Dick was appointed SIL's Asia & Pacific Area Director. He travelled constantly over the next twenty years, and negotiated contracts with governments or their agencies for the beginning of SIL work in Papua New Guinea (1956), Viet Nam (1957), India (1960), Nepal (1966), and Indonesia (1974). He also made numerous trips to countries where official contracts did not result, including Laos, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. During a number of these years Dick held the post of Deputy General Director of SIL (the General Director being Cameron Townsend.)

In the late 1970's the Pittmans moved to the United States. Dick researched, designed, and supervised the construction of the Museum of the Alphabet and the Mexico-Cรกrdenas Museum in Waxhaw, North Carolina. These museums provide thousands of visitors yearly with the opportunity to learn a little about the great work of providing writing systems for the world's languages, and the part that Mexico and Cรกrdenas had in furthering that endeavor.

Dick Pittman was a prolific writer, though with typical humility he published a number of books with no author's name on them. They include, besides his linguistic work, a series of books on international relations and other foundational issues for SIL, and biographical works. He was a memorable teacher and

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mentor, with a constantly inquiring mind and an unforgettable penchant for apt analogies from biology and horticulture.13

Dr. Richard and Catherine (Kay) Pittman at the Guest House (Photo Courtesy of Eric Robert Barham)

13

http://www-01.sil.org/~tuggyd/tetel/bio-i-pittmanrichard.htm

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The center road to Ukarumpa village around that time that led to Pittman Point and eventually Ukarumpa village is the photo below. The buildings on the right were part of the Washington Project, and the rise behind them and to the right of the road is where the Tom and Gwen Webb later built their home.

North Boomfield Boulevard leading out to an area initially known as Washington’s Project. (Photo courtesy of Bruce Hooley)

The Washington Project was a project from University of Washington (Washington State) to do a number of studies in the area around Ukarumpa. There were a number of languages involved like Kosena, Kamano, Usarufa, Kanite, Fore, maybe Gadsup, Agarabi, Tairora. It was under the direction of Howard McKaughan who had been part of the SIL Philippine Branch.

Although the outcomes of the project are unknown with certainty, it is believed this projected showed that one could predict the language a person spoke (in that area) from his physical characteristics with around 70% accuracy.

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Sapir Road

Edwin Sapir (Photo of picture hanging in the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics in Dallas, TX)

Edward Sapir (1884–1939) was an American anthropologist-linguist, widely considered to be one of the most important figures in the early development of the discipline of linguistics.. Sapir studied the ways in which language and culture influence each other, and he was interested in the relation between linguistic differences, and differences in cultural world views. This part of his thinking was developed by his student Benjamin Lee Whorf into the principle of linguistic relativity or the "Sapir-Whorf" hypothesis.

In anthropology Sapir is known as an early proponent of the importance of psychology to anthropology, maintaining that studying the nature of relationships between different individual personalities is important for the ways in ways in which culture and society develop.14

14

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Sapir

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Groves Avenue One road at Ukarumpa was not named after a linguist, but rather a key government educational appointee, Mr. W.C. Groves. His personal friendship with the leaders of SIL, his desire through the help of his office to help SIL get started and thrive and his desire to help educate the Papua and New Guinea villager not only make it a fitting tribute to name a road at Ukarumpa after him, but to also highlight the Providential hand of God who appoints men to their offices for such times as this!

April 12, 1942 (L-R) Major W.C. Groves, Lieutenant A.G. Fischer in Port Moresby (Photo Public Domain15)

Groves Avenue was named after the prominent Australian Territory of Papua and New Guinea Director of Education, Mr. W.C. Groves. It was Mr. Groves, who was a keen educator and had significant interested with the languages of the island16, who lent his support for the survey of the land after having been asked by Mr. Wilson, the Acting Administrator of the Territories to assist SIL men, Dr. Dick Pittman, Dr. James Dean and Mr. Bill Oats. Mr. Groves was a friend of Harland Kerr's father and he suggested that Ken Pike endeavor to meet up with Harland when he went through Sydney at the time of getting ready to teach at the first SIL in Australia.

15 16

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/069386/ http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/69594130

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That connection between Ken Pike and Harland Kerr17 and his father appears to have happened and a meeting with Mr. Groves was planned for. Exactly how the men from SIL first met Mr. Groves is lost to time, but it is obvious that Mr. Groves was placed in this educator leadership position for just ‘such a time as this’ for the sake of the Bibleless in Papua New Guinea.

In 1956 that survey by these three men was undertaken by the Summer Institute of Linguistics to take word samplings from a number of New Guinea languages, and to look at the same time for a suitable place to establish a base of operations. On that survey, the scope of the language situation was partially discovered as word lists were recorded from some thirty-five languages from Lae throughout the Highlands to Mount Hagen. That trip also found a most suitable site for an operational headquarters, later known as Ukarumpa. It was located in the Lower Highlands at an elevation of 5,400 feet, adjacent to the Aiyura Agricultural Experimental Station.

THE CHALLENGE OF EDUCATION In Papua New Guinea - News Review Broadcast through 2FC by W. C. Groves (Wodonga and Towong Sentinel – Friday 25, 1947.

Today, because of changed conditions partly due to the war - and partly because of the new speed at which civilization marches on the development of the Native People of Papua and New Guinea is more than just a problem; it is a serious challenge; and that challenge must be met. The plans-of the present Administration provide that everything possible will be done, in a balanced and well considered way, to meet the challenge in the quickest possible time.

17

https://witumowituda.wordpress.com/our-story/

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Now, fully-formulated; and approved by the Commonwealth Government, these long-range plans provide for a comprehensive programme. of- health, education, social welfare and economic development for the one and a half million inhabitants. In the field of health, the need is for trained native hygiene officers, trained native nurses and fully trained native medical practitioners to serve their own people under understanding European guidance. In social welfare, the need is for trained natives for special services, especially in connection with improving the social standard and domestic, status of the women. On the economic side, there is ever increasing need for trained native agriculturists-as instructors and demonstrators for their own people; and also for natives trained to a high degree of skill in technical fields. Now it is obvious that these important developmental projects can be carried out only on the foundation of a suitable locally-adapted general education. And it is primarily the responsibility of the Department of Education, for the Administration, to organize the provision of this general education.

Trusteeship of Dependent peoples implies giving fully to opportunity the Natives themselves to participate directly in all aspects of their own Administration and in the economic development- of their own countries. This applies to Australia's Territory of Papua-New. Guinea. But for some time to come, so that the natives may be properly trained for this purpose, there will be need for expert and sympathetic European supervision of all the activities concerned. The most urgent immediate need in this connection is for educationists.

Some of us who are directly concerned with this matter, believe that it is the most worthwhile; the most satisfying, field of work. in the world today. For we have learned to know the Natives as a fine, natural and likeable people, with all the graces and virtues (and not all of the opposite) of good quality members of other races. So we are glad to take up the challenge I referred to above - and to give all we have of faith and work and human goodwill. And we are glad to line up with. the great band of Christian Missionary workers who have already made such a major contribution to the field; for some of us believe that we, too, are Missionaries in a special sense.

But there are not nearly enough of us, especially in the field of education. And I put it to you that here is a worthy field of service for young, well trained, idealistic' educationists, for whom there will be increasing need as our scheme extends.

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And I earnestly (and perhaps confidently) hope, not only for the sake of the Natives themselves, but in the spirit of Trusteeship, that such people will be offering; ready to join with us in what is a great human enterprise; prepared to meet one of education's greatest present-day challenges; actually helping, in a direct personal way, to bring about that change from a system of Trusteeship to one of Partnership which is our eventual aim - partnership between the people of Australia and those of Papua New Guinea, a partnership based on mutual respect and understanding.18

Other roads on the Ukarumpa center began to be named after other countries where SIL was working: •

Aborigine Street

1961 - SIL Australian Aborigines Branch established.

•

Bolivia Street

1955 - SIL Bolivia established.

•

Colombia Street

1962 - SIL Colombia Branch established.

•

Ecuador Street

1953 - SIL’s first group of SIL members arrives in Ecuador under the direction of Bob Schneider.

•

Ghana Street

1961 - SIL's first agreement in an African country

•

Mexico Road

1935 - First group of linguists go to Mexico to begin language work.

•

Philippines Road

1953 - Contract is signed for work to begin in the Philippines.

•

Peru Street

1946 - Linguistic work begins in Peru.

•

Vietnam Street

1958 - First SIL personnel begin work in Vietnam

Other names were also chosen •

Carey Circle

Named after William Carey, the great missionary to India. The road circled the area around the single men’s quarters which was opposite the Printshop.

•

Garden Estates

Road going out to the Training Center

•

Independence Street

1975 - Year of Papua New Guinea’s independence from Australia.

•

Pita Kasito Boulevard

The street in front of store was named in honor of Pita Kasito who worked at the SIL Members’ Store for over 30 years.

•

Ram Road

The Ram Road was named for the hydraulic ram which was located in the creek area behind the DORELO Children’s Home.

18

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/rendition/nla.news-article69594130.txt

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•

The Parkway

The circle road leading to the DORELO children’s home. The middle part of land between the circle drive was designed as a playground for the children in the Children’s Homes.

•

Valley View Court

Road overlooking the horse paddocks.

1980s - Pita Kasito (Photos courtesy of the SIL PNG Branch Archives and Charles Micheals)

1960s - Store Staff Back Row: (L to R) Darrell Lancaster, Cedric Grace, Unknown - Front Row: (L to R) Simon, Pita Kasito, Enoch Aranka, Other Unknown (Photo Courtesy of Mavis Creagh Goodlet)

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Pita Kasito Boulevard in front of and alongside of the SIL Members’ Store (Photos courtesy of Charles Micheals)

1980s - Pita Kasito’s family – (L-R – Back row) Pita, Rhoda, Amageno Fukao, (L-R - Front row) Bronwen (Blowen), Rex, Pejay, Oka (a cousin) - (Photo courtesy of Ken Najar)

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Carey Circle

William Carey (August 17, 1761 – June 9, 1834) was an English Baptist Missionary who became known as the ‘Father of Modern Missions”. His calling in life was to reach the nations for Christ! His motto was “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.”

He was sent by his mission board to India where he labored his entire life. arrived in Serampore on November 11, 1793. After spending about seven years in North Bengal, Carey, along with Joshua Marshman and William Ward established the Serampore Mission of the Baptist Missionary Society on January 10, 1800. They started the Serampore College in 1818.

The Serampore College Emblem The College coat of Arms contains: • The CROSS, the important symbol of sacrifice and love, as witnessed in the life and death of Jesus Christ. • The BIBLE, which is the Word of God for all humanity. • The Pelican of her Piety, feeding with drops of her own blood the three hungry young ones sitting on the edge of her nest symbolizing selfless service. • The Motto on the crest which reads in Latin, Gloriam Sapientes Possidebunt which means “Glory to the Blessed”, inviting all those entering the portals of this Institution to live up to the ideals cherished by the hard work of the blessed founders. 52 | P a g e

Besides his mission work, he helped stop the widow burning in India. In addition he was involved in seven Bible translations in India.

In 1972 he wrote his famous book, An Enquiry Into the Obligation of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens. In it he calls on using the influences of the colonial powers, the necessity of

missionaries being willing to accept great sacrifices and to be connected to church denominations. His work came on the heels of the Great Awakenings in the UK and USA.

The Great Awakening “The gospel spread both east and west, to Asia, to Africa, and to the Americas. In its history, North America has witnessed several awakenings, the most famous of which is the First Great Awakening of the 1730s and 1740s. This awakening began in 1734 under the preaching of the Calvinist Congregationalist pastor Jonathan Edwards in Northampton, Mass. It soon spread to other towns in New England. The awakening was spurred on in other colonies by preachers such as the Presbyterian Gilbert Tennent and the Pietist Theodorus Frelinghuysen.

Moravian missionaries had an impact on the awakening through their most famous convert, John Wesley, and through the impact they had on the itinerant preacher George Whitefield. Whitefield had traveled from England to Georgia in 1738, but it was his return to America in 1740 that truly had a lasting impact. Whitefield traveled from city to city and preached in the open to tens of thousands of listeners. While rejecting his friend’s message, Benjamin Franklin claimed that the positive effect of Whitefield’s preaching was obvious in the towns Whitefield had visited.”19

Note: Carey Circle was built in early 1958 when the first SIL PNG Brach Conference was being held. There were more people coming to the conference than there were houses. So, temporary bush houses were built around the semi-circle drive that was built as a means for people to access the temporary homes.

19

http://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/history-of-awakening/

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1958 SIL PNG Branch Conference – Photo taken in Walt and Vonnie Steinkrauses front yard. (Photo courtesy of Bruce Hooley)

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Chapter 2 The Roads At Ukarumpa – The Street Signs The streets for a number of years existed without names and for some time without any street signs. However, as the center grew, it became necessary to have the streets identifiable for new and exisitng members. However, while the streets and street signs went up, to this date few if any residents of Ukarumpa identify the place where they live by their names. Strangely enough, one of the street signs also was labled with an oft mistaken country name (Columbia instead of the spellling of the actual country of Colombia). It appears that the Americanized spelling was largely ignored and still is misspelled to this day.

1970s SIL Ukarumpa welcme sign (Photo courtesy of Bruce Neher)

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Bloomfield Boulevard looking toward Pitman Point Road with Ukarumpa village in the distance (Photo courtesy of Bruce Hooley)

Aborogine Street sign (Photo courtesy of David and Melissa Reube)

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Columbia Street (Photo courtesy of Max Voss)

Bolivia Street and Columbia Street signs (Photos courtesy of David and Melissa Reube)

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Groves Street, Pittman Point Road and Bloomfield Boulevard street signs (Photo courtesy of Gerwin and Petra Petersen)

Ecuador Street and Mexico Road and Ghana Street signs (Photos courtesy of David and Melissa Reube)

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Peru Street and Ecuador Street signs (Photo courtesy of David and Melissa Reube)

Pittman Point Road (Photo courtesy of Craig Campbell)

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Mexico Road and Columbia Street signs (Photo courtesy of David and Melissa Reube)

(North) Bloomfield Boulevard and Pittman Point Road signs (Photo courtesy of David and Melissa Reube) Philippines Road and (South) Bloomfield Boulevard signs (Photo courtesy of Max Voss)

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Ecuador Street and Peru Street signs showing their age (Photo courtesy of Max Voss)

Philippines Road and Valley View Court signs (Photos courtesy of David and Melissa Reube)

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Philippines Road and Vietnam Street signs (Photo courtesy of David and Melissa Reube)

North Firth Avenue and Vietnam Street signs (Photo courtesy of David and Melissa Reube)

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Ram Road (Photo courtesy of Charles Micheals)

Sapir Road sign (Photos courtesy of Max Voss)

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The Parkway sign

The Graden Estate lots sign

The three way corner of Mexico Road and Bolivia Street (Photo courtesy of David and Melissa Reube)

Bolivia Street and Mexico Road sign (Photo courtesy of David and Melissa Reube)

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Ecuador Street and Mexico Road sign (Photo courtesy of David and Melissa Reube)

Philippines Street at the intersection of Mexico Road (Photo courtesy of David and Melissa Reube)

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North Firth Avenue and Sapir Street (Photo courtesy of David and Melissa Reube)

Main intersection at Ukarumpa - Philippines Street at the intersection of Sapir Road – Post Office to the right and the Meeting House to the left (Photo courtesy of David and Melissa Reube)

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20 kilometer speed limit sign (Photo courtesy of Max Voss)

A four way stop at the intersection of South Firth Avenue and Sapir Road (Photo courtesy of David and Melissa Reube)

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The dreaded speedbump signs (Photo courtesy of Max Voss)

No Loitering sign (Photo courtesy of David and Melissa Reube)

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2016 – Ukarumpa center (Photo courtesy of Brian Frey) (Note the street marked as Mexico Street in-between the house section “C” is mislabled as it should be labled Bolivia Street)

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Chapter 3 The Pathways At Ukarumpa Before we describe the roads at Ukarumpa, it should be noted that Ukarumpa is mainly a community were people walk. While this is challenging at time due to the make up of the road beds and surfaces, there are a number of walking patchs on the center.

The pathways from the Teen Centre to Bloomfield Road (Photo courtesy of Charles Micheals)

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Some are also used as driveways to get to various homes tucked away in corners. Others connected sections of the center that otherwise would take significant time to get to. Such is the hill next to the Ukarumpa Cemetery, the walkways from the Teen Centre to the main road, the path that runs next to and through Impact Park and the other numereous paths that make walking easier.

Road/foot path with the road in the background leading to the Upper Oval and The Parkway road – People from the GET Global 2009 trip (L- R) Haleigh Tighe, Kate Fisher, Barb Micheals (front) and Alison Pressword (Photo courtesy of Charles Micheals)

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Chapter 4 Creating the Roads At Ukarumpa The work of building the roads at Ukarumpa was an activity that to this day is not finished. The center continues to grow, although at a much slower pace than it did in the early years. In the beginning, there were no roads since the area was traditional fighting groups between the Gadsup and Tairora language communities. The valley, known as Aiyura Valley was also a wet, almost boggy land. It was full of tall Kunai grasses and the water needed to be drained before roads could be built.

1950s – Aiyura Valley (Photo Courtesy of Ivan Schindler)

To aid in the ground water reduction, when the roads were built they were built with barrets running alongside of them to collect the water and divert it to the Ba’e River. Eucalyptus trees, which are native

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to Australia and New Guinea were also planted to help quickly dry up the valley floor so building could take place.

The construction of the road (Pittman Point Road) that extended to the Ukarumpa village and the road leading to the Dean Home was supervised by Karl Franklin and Ray Nicholson. They borrowed horses from Aubrey Schindler, the Director of the Agricultural Station to ride around the center to check on the progress of the road work. At that time, Karl was just beginning to learn the Tok Pisin trade language and needed to learn the word of the ‘center of the road’ so that it could be shaped properly and promptly found ot it was “namel” (the middle).

1956 – Looking toward North and South Bloomfield Roads – Possibly Launa Davis and children Ruth and Jean (Photo courtesy of the SIL PNG Branch Archives)

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1958 - Lex Collier driving tractor and Dick Lloyd clearing out the Ba’e River ford so that logs could be brought to the sawmill for processing (Photo courtesy of Bruce Hooley)

Gravel Washer/Stone Crusher – To create stone base for the roads and for concrete mixture (Photo courtesy of Craig Campbell)

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1968 - Jim Eckhardt grading the road and store parking lot (Photo Courtesy Cedric Grace)

Main entrance and unnamed street by employees housing (Photo courtesy of Charles Micheals)

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Late 1950s - Alex Vincent looking toward the Aiyura Airstrip. The road in front of the center homes is South Bloomfield Road and the road on the far left is North Bloomfield Road (Photo courtesy of Bruce Hooley)

1970s – Sapir Road and the Ukarumpa High School Sport day (Photo courtesy of David Carne)

Sapir Road, which ran between the Meeting House and the Administration offices and the Post Office and Employment Department. It also provided the sole access to these facilities.

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1970s – Sapir Road and the Ukarumpa High School Sport day (Photo courtesy of David Carne)

1987 - The SIL Training Center and Training Center unnamed road (Photo courtesy of Charles Micheals)

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The Ever Expanding Center

Earliest center photo (Probably around 1958) – Ukarumpa center road system (Photo courtesy of SIL- PNG Branch Archives)

Early 1960s – Ukarumpa center (Photo courtesy of Bruce Hooley)

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Early 1960s – Ukarumpa center (Photo courtesy of SIL-PNG Branch Archives)

Early 1960 – Ukarumpa center (Photo courtesy of Wycliffe Bible Translators Archives)

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1965 – Ukarumpa center (Photo courtesy of SIL-PNG Branch Archives)

1965 – Ukarumpa center (Photo courtesy of Karl Franklin)

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1967 – Ukarumpa center (Photo Courtesy of Eric Robert Barham)

1970 – Ukarumpa center (Photo courtesy of Wycliffe Bible Translators USA Archives)

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1970 – Ukarumpa center (Photo courtesy of Wycliffe Bible Translators USA Archives)

1970 – Ukarumpa center (Photo courtesy of SIL-PNG Branch Archives)

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1970s – Ukarumpa center (Photo courtesy of Wycliffe Bible Translators Archives)

1980 – Ukarumpa cnter (Photo courtesy of Bruce Neher)

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2012 – Ukarumpa center (Photo courtesy of Craig Campbell)

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Aiyura Airstrip Roads Although they were government roads, as a jester of goodwill and of practical necessity the roads surrounding the Aiyura Airstrip were for many years maintained by SIL PNG. This airstrip is used by SIL, Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF) and other private airplane companies. The Australian military use this airstrip for airplane training maneuvers.

1963 - The roads surrounding the Aiyura Airstrip. (Photo courtesy of Ivan Schindler)

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1965 - The roads surrounding the Aiyura Airstrip. (Photo courtesy of Ivan Schindler)

Roads around the airstrip (Map courtesy of Terra Nova Publishing)

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Roads around the Ukarumpa (Map courtesy of Terra Nova Publishing)

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1947 - The road to Kainantu leading from Ag. Station in the far hills and the Ukarumpa center not yet developed eventually on the far right) past the home of Professor Charles Schindler, founder of Professor Schindler’s School.20 (Photo courtesy of Ivan Schindler)

1952 - The Agricultural (Ag.) Station jeep on the road leading from Ag. Station in the far hills, the Ukarumpa center not yet developed eventually on the far right) and the Aiyura Airstrip in the center of the photo to Kainantu. (Photo courtesy of David Carne) 20

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Chapter 5 The Men Of Steel And Stone The men who developed and maintained the roads, bridges at Ukarumpa are known as the men of steel and stone. Their hard work made it possible to not only keep the roads passable, but kept the bridges passable as well. That’s because the Ba’e Rover runs alongside the south and east side of the center and these directions were the location where the airstrip, the elementary school and the nearby small town of Kainantu were accessed.

The men who maintained the roads worked in the Industrial Department. The Industrial Department was formed comprising electrical and water supply, roads, drainage, bridges, river control, gravel supply, auto workshop and engineering workshop. In the 1970s it had a mixture with seven expatriates and about 30 New Guineans working in the department. The managers of that department over the years were: •

Hap Skinner

•

Kevin Close (1969 – 1970)

•

Don Frisbee (1977)

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Jim Thrasher (1980)

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Brian Parson (late 1970s and then again in 1986)

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Cliff Gibson (1984) Cliff and Eleanor Gibson in photo below in 1984 and 2018

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•

Rod Neijake (1988)

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Norman Beasley (1996)

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Carl Sands (1998)

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James Nissley

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Clark Teders

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Tim Freeze

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Brian Frey

Other workers in the Industrial Department have been: •

Gene Aherns (Airstrip Construction)

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George Brady (Airstrip Construction)

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Eric Burrows (Engineering – He built the rotating gravel wash)

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Mac Lowcock (Appliance Repair)

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Bob McKenzie (Electrical)

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Hap Skinner (Airstrip Construction)

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Sammy Pearson (Bookkeeper)

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Jean Peters (Bookkeeper)

1994 •

Kelly Manempa (Foreman)

•

Penina Tasompi

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Melele Apako

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Eddy Iria

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Ron Abanka

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Saname Koyame

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Pilano Abuse

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Nohi Area

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Theresa Meikwar – Bookkeeper/Office Supervisor

•

Kadrey Domikar – Secretary/Receptionist

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1998 •

Loren Vander Wal

Arthur Pfeffer was an old identity at Ukarumpa, working in the then Saw Mill area. He also worked on center maintenance, which included all maintaining of the roads. He drove the old Allis Chalmers Grader also known affectionately as the “rain maker”. Everybody knew Arthur with a quiet Aussie dry sense of humor. He drove this ex Government Grader down to Ukarumpa.

Arthur Pfeffer works with Hap Skinner in grading the Aiyura Airstrip with the Allis Chalmers Grader (Photo courtesy of Cliff Gibson)

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One of Arthur’s last jobs was to grade surface the airstrip with Hap Skinner.

Arthur Pfeffer works with Hap Skinner in grading the Aiyura Airstrip with the Allis Chalmers Grader (Photo courtesy of Cliff Gibson)

In 1996 the department upgraded their equipment and purchased a 4-wheel drive tractor (Ford 6610) used for road maintenance and for work at the gravel washer. Prior to that time they used a 2-wheel drive tractors (Ford 4000). Part of the prior two years, the center road grader was not operational due to the inability to get spare parts. During that time, roads were graded with the use of an outside road contractor. However, Hap Skinner was able to find a similar model of the road grader from the Madang Tip, which was then used to cannibalize parts of the center road grader.

Between the years of 1996 and 1998, the Industrial department began installing cement culverts and head walls on many of the roads.

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Of course, it goes without saying that if you have roads, you also have an Auto Shop and what good is an Auto Shop and roads if the vehicles have no gasoline to power them? Thus, while the initial Auto Shop didn’t have gas pumps, they did have gasoline (petrol) available. Gas pumps were added when the newer Auto Shop was built sometime in the 1960s. These men who served in the Auto Shop too are part of the steel and stone men of Ukarumpa!

Chuck Greenlund who worked for many years and whose family provided many photos and other SIL PNG material used for this and other books was a mechanic of the finest order. His arrival at Ukarumpa was timely and his skill in fixing almost anything sent his way meant little ever sat unused. He served at Ukarumpa on two separate occasions and each time provided much needed support which has enabled Bible translation in the country to flourish! Chuck passed away on July 4, 2014.

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There have been many people who worked in the Auto Shop over the years. The managers of this team over the years were:

Wally Schott (1977) Bob Keizer (1980s) Norm McGuire James Nissley (also serve as a mecahnic)

The other men and eventually women, who work in the auto repair shop, pumped gas, order and sold automotive parts and worked in the office all played a part in making the roads at Ukarumpa serve the needs of Bible translation. Other expat workers in the Auto Shop have been: •

Arie Burijnes – Shop Supervisor/Mechanic Trainer

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Greg Gammon (also worked in Appliance Repair and Engineering)

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Ton Van Iperen

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Don Vander Ploeg

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Richard Swarzendruber (Panel Shop)

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Sharon Lithgow – Bookkeeper

The national workers in the Auto Shop have been: •

Christine Kalop - Bookkeeper

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Annette Domikar - Clerk/receptionist

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David Gudiri - Administrator Supervisor/Welder

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Raphael Totame - Motor Mechanical Trainee

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Billy Wano - Fuel and Parts Salesman

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Bauti Ose - Fuel Sales

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Tapi Abuke - Tire repair/Small engine and Motorbike repair, Welder/Metal Fabrication

•

Napoleon Bankoma - Tradesman Fitter/Machinist/Welder

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Samson Kaima - Panel Beater/Spray Painter

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Johna Piola - Apprentice/Supervisor Mechanic Tradesman

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Kuri Nenk - Motor Mechanic Apprentice

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•

Nathan Yawano - Motor Mechanic Apprentice

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Bemse Socke - Motor Mechanic Apprentice

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Ben Daffey – Welder/Fabricator Apprentice

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1962 – The original Auto Repair Shop at Ukarumpa (Photo courtesy of Chuck Greenlund)

1965 – The new Auto Repair Shop at Ukarumpa (Photo courtesy of Chuck Greenlund)

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1970s – The Auto Shop at Ukarumpa (Photo courtesy of the SIL-PNG Branch Archives)

1971 – The Auto Repair Shop improvements - Old double decker school bus (Photo courtesy of Gail May)

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1977 – The Auto Shop (Photo courtesy of Bruce Neher)

1985 – Bob Beversdorf, Barb Micheals and a SIL Member at the Auto Shop (Photo courtesy of Charles Micheals)

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1965 – Hap Skinner, Chuck Greenlund and national staff (Photo courtesy of Chuck Greenlund)

1971 – Steve Baptista fixing his motorcycle (Photo courtesy of Gail May)

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1960s – The Auto Shop Mechanic (Photo courtesy of Gail May)

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Chuck Greenlund Memorial Card

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Chapter 6 Vehicles On The Ukarumpa Roads Over the years both modern and old vehicles grace the roads of Ukarumpa.

The roads not only saw the regular assortment of vehicles, but also motorcycles, fire engines, dump trucks and other heavy road building vehicles, three wheeled vehicles and cargo carrying trucks from 8 ton to 40 ton! The first vehicle on the Ukarumpa center is the one shown below. It was owned by Bill Oates and affectionately called “Ebenezer”. The first motorcycle on the center was owned by Alex Vincent.

1957 - First vehicle on the roads was owned by Bill Oates - Here Alex Vincent and Des Oatridge leave for the first allocation to Tairora – Unsure of person talking to the occupants. Gadsup men to the left and others on the right are Dr. Jim Dean (Director), Ruth Nicholson in the short sleeves, Lyn Oates with arms outstretched with others unknown. (Photo courtesy of Bruce Hooley)

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Joan Carne with the Carne Children (Janet, Heather, David, Hilary) (Photo courtesy of David Carne)

Joan Carne with the Carne Children (Photo courtesy of David Carne)

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Eric Barham excavating the site for the Guest House21 (Photo Courtesy of Eric Robert Barham)

Eric Barham and Doyt Price preparing the site for the Guest House (Photo Courtesy of Eric Robert Barham)

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Posts use to construct the Guest House brought in for milling (Photo Courtesy of Eric Robert Barham)

Eric Barham transporting trusses from the sawmill for the Guest House (Photo Courtesy of Eric Robert Barham)

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1989 – Guest House guest’s vehicle (Photo courtesy of Eric Robert Barham)

1958 – New members headed to Jungle Camp at Ukarumpa (Photo courtesy of Walt Steinkraus family)

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1960s – Aiyura International Primary School bus (Photo courtesy of the SIL PNG Branch Archives)

1970s – Aiyura International Primary School bus (Photo courtesy of the SIL PNG Branch Archives)

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Trucks delivering goods to the SIL Members’ Store (Photo courtesy of Charles Micheals)

1989 – SIL Members’ Store Delivery Truck (Photo courtesy of Charles Micheals)

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1965 – SIL employee Simi Bakoma (Photo courtesy of Chuck Greenlund)

1970s – The Scrambles track showcased the large number of motorcycles driven at Ukarumpa (Photo courtesy of Bruce Neher)

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2007 – Vehicle line up for Ukarumpa Banquet (Photo courtesy of Craig Campbell)

Ukarumpa vehicles (Photos courtesy of Matt and Laura Young)

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1977 - Ukarumpa fire truck – Driver unknown (Photo courtesy of Cliff Gibson)

1977 - It’s not supposed to leak!!! Don Frisbee, Industrial Manager looks in on the controls (Photo courtesy of Cliff Gibson)

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Ukarumpa Fire Truck (Photos courtesy of Matt and Laura Young)

Junior and senior high school students are delivered to the Ukarumpa Banquet (Photos courtesy of Matt and Laura Young)

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1960s– Soap Box Derby at Ukarumpa (Photo courtesy of Wycliffe Bible Translators, USA Archives)

1960s– Yes, even horses used the roads at Ukarumpa - Vonnie Steinkraus on second horse to the left (Photo courtesy of the Walt Steinkraus family)

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Ukarumpa 6th grade student, Heejun Kang, riding his airwheel on Sapir Road in front of the Director’s Office. (Photo courtesy of David and Melissa Reube)

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Chapter 7 Accidents On The Roads Over the years, there have been a number of accidents on the roads at Ukarumpa.

Thankfully, none have

resulted in serious injury or death. Most of the accidents have been the result of vehicles going into the barrets (ditches) that line all the roads on both sides that carry water away from the roadway. However, there have been accidents of other types as well.

On several occasions over the years, vehicles have left the roadways and gone off into the nearby hill slopes. On one occasion a vehicle of teens coming back from a get together at night lost control of the car and crashed into the concrete barrier in front of the SIL Members’ store. Thankfully, these barriers stopped the van from heading into the store itself. There were no injuries reported.

The most serious accident involved one in the later part of the evening on a Friday night on Ecuador Street. A group of teens driving around after spending time at the teen center and as they came from the upper part of the Ukarumpa hill and making their ways back to the Teen Centre, decided to do a hill jump of sorts and as the came over the crest toward the log cabin house and was traveling so fast and getting so airborne that the vehicle actually landed on the grill of the vehicle and then proceeded to tip over, resting on the top of the van.

The author’s home at the time was right in front of the crash and when hearing the noise came out to investigate and found several teens outside the van walking and sitting on the ground, dazed as to what just had happened. Amazingly, no one was injured, although the van was a total loss and the roof of the car was smashed almost down into the steering wheel column!

Speaking of vehicles, there was one time when a vehicle left the road at Ukarumpa and ended on the top of the Ukarumpa High School roof. To date, it is unknown which group of people put it there, but it was done at the end of the school year!!! 116 | P a g e

Chapter 8 The Bridges At Ukarumpa Before there were bridges into and out of Ukarumpa, the Jeeps drove through the Ba’e River when the water table was low.

Crossing the Ba’e River before there were bridges (Photo courtesy of Bruce Hooley)

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The First Foot Bridge To Ukarumpa The first bridge into Ukarumpa was a simple foot bridge. While it would take some time to build a bridge that would withstand the weight of a vehicle, it didn’t take long for the early pioneers to devise a simple log bridge to cross when heading out to the Agricultural Station of Kainantu.

1st Footbridge to Ukarumpa (L-R) Alan Healey and unknown New Guinean – Photo courtesy of the SIL PNG Branch Archives)

After the first bridge was unable to handle the volume of people an addition foot bridge extending to the Gadsup side of the center was built around 1957. Gadsup helpers pulled the framework into place. In the photo on the next page, the photo shows Jim Dean and Bill Oates assisting across the river with other Gadsup helpers. Sharon Dean is in foreground.

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Around 1957 - Gadsup’s help building the foot bridge across the Ba’e River (Photo courtesy of Bruce Hooley)

Gadsup villagers on the completed foot bridge across the Ba’e River (Photo courtesy of Bruce Hooley)

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Completed foot bridge across the Ba’e River (Photo courtesy of Bruce Hooley)

1958 - Bruce and Bryan Hooley on the completed foot bridge across the Ba’e River (Photo courtesy of Bruce Hooley)

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The 1 Vehicle Bridge To Ukarumpa Center st

1958 – Preparing the first bridge leading into the center from Kainantu (Photo courtesy of Steve Grace)

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First bridge to and from Aiyura Valley (Photo courtesy of Walt Steinkraus Family)

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First bridge to and from Aiyura Valley (Photo courtesy of the Walt Steinkraus Family)

1960 - First bridge to and from Aiyura Valley (Photo courtesy of Bruce Hooley)

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The 2 Vehicle Bridge To Ukarumpa – The Mill Bridge nd

1958 – Preparing the first main bridge (Photo courtesy of the SIL PNG Branch Archives)

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1958 – Preparing the first main bridge (Photo courtesy of the SIL PNG Branch Archives)

1958 – Working on the first foot bridge across the Ba’e River (Photo courtesy of Wycliffe Bible Translators, USA Archives)

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As the center continued to grow so did the construction projects and the need to haul in timber from the surrounding tree lined hills became a more regular occurrence. The logs were hauled into the center from heavy duty trucks and so the need arose to build a more substantial bridge that would be strong enough to handle the heavy loads, but also close enough to the sawmill were the logs were cut into planks for building. Thus, in 1965 the construction stated on what was aptly known as the “Mill Bridge”.

1965 – The Mill Bridge (Photo courtesy of Chuck Greenlund)

The steel planking known as Marston Matting, left over from the allies use of it in World War II including the Aiyura Valley airstrip 22, was used not only on the bridges at Ukarumpa, but also in many other locations at Ukarumpa. This matting proved to be excellent for use on bridges as it did not collect water. The Mill Bridge had towers each end supporting two sets of cables which supported two crossbeams each a third of the span across. The running tracks were supported by these crossbeams.

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Construction sawmill operator Sali (from the Kamano language community) at the Ukarumpa Construction department sawmill (Photo courtesy of the SIL PNG Branch Archives)

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1965 Sawmill (Photo courtesy of Chuck Greenlund)

1965 – Building the Mill Bridge (Photo courtesy of Chuck Greenlund)

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Early photo of the Mill Bridge looking from the Ukarumpa center side (Photo courtesy of Chuck Greenlund)

Early photo of the Mill Bridge looking from the Ukarumpa center side (Photo courtesy of Chuck Greenlund)

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1965 – The Mill Bridge completed (Photo courtesy of Chuck Greenlund)

1965 – The Mill Bridge (Photo courtesy of Bruce Hooley)

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1989 - The current main bridge when first installed – Purchased from the Goroka government. (Photo courtesy of Cliff Gibson)

The main bridge today looking toward the Ukarumpa Center (Photo courtesy of Karl Franklin)

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The main bridge today looking toward the Aiyura Valley floor (Photo courtesy of Clark Teders)

At times, there have been various reasons why the bridges could not be used. This was mostly due to large amounts of rain that filled the Ba’e River to overflow its banks and thus covered the bridges or made them possibly unstable. The bridges have also been closed due to security related issues as well as accidents on a couple of occasions.

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Bridge Accidents

1989 – Accident on the main bridge coming from the airstrip and primary school to the center (Photo courtesy of Cliff Gibson)

On several occasions, heavy loaded trucks stretched the load capacity of the various bridges leading into and out of the center and caused the bridges to nearly collapse. Thankfully, no one has been injured on these bridges!

In regards to the main bridge into the center shown above, one of Kainantu Service Station (KSS) new trucks bought supplies up for the SIL Members’ Store at Ukarumpa when the bridge partially collapsed. The overloaded truck got half way across when one of the cables snapped on the left hand side as it approached the Ukarumpa center. These cables that were wrapped around a large timber anchors were corroded and snapped. This caused the side of the bridge to partially collapse. Fortunately, due to the wise planning of Cliff Gibson and the other men in the Industrial department, they had installed an

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armor rail on both sides, which actually held the truck up, stopping it from falling into the Ba’e River. On that day, there was another reason to be thankful. Just 90 minutes before the bridge collapsed, two busloads of children leaving the center for Aiyura Valley Primary School had passed over the bridge! God was gracious in preserving life!!!

Fixing the bridge was challenging. Thankfully and Providentially, Rod Neijalke had recently arrived from South Australia to take over the Industrial Managers job from Cliff Gibson, so the Directors gave Cliff responsibility for fixing the problem.

First, there was the significant work in removing the old bridge. That meant the center had no main access for several months. Thankfully, the Shephard’s bridge had been previously built (see Chapter 9) going though the village of Ukarumpa that led into the Ukarumpa center and the nearby Highland’s Highway. So, that entrance was spruced up and prepared to be the main center entrance during the removal and building process of the main bridge.

There were two options for sourcing a new bridge. A new Bailey bridge could be ordered from England for around $30,000, which would have been shipped to the north coastal town of Lae within the month. From there it would have been a straight shot to the Ukarumpa center. However, the Directors were concerned about the image of a brand new shiny bridge up at Ukarumpa. The feeling was it might make it look like the SIL Center always had to have the newest or the best. So, instead the Directors asked Cliff to seek a second hand Bailey bridge which would likely also cost less.

A search was made in the country and a second hand bridge was found in Goroka. Cliff and fellow staff member Eric Burrows went up to Goroka to inspect it. They discovered that many of the panels on the second-hand bridge had rust and were twisted. However, after the Director’s deliberated things, the decision was made to get the second hand bridge and restore it.

To handle the issues related to the second hand bridge, it was first sent to down to Lae to have it sand blasted after which it was brought back to Goroka where it was undercoated and painted. That process took several months. While the bridge was being worked on, the Construction department under Phil McBride’s leadership prepared all the concrete foundations on both sides of the river.

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On the bridge itself, a decision was made to go with a steel deck rather than timber because the timber always rotted out after a few years of use. This has proven to be a very wise decision!

When everything was ready for the bridge installation, the bridge was brought to Ukarumpa and assembled on rollers on the Ukarumpa village side of the river. Nicki Colburn from a nearby coffee plantation brought his dozer down with a big winch a pulled the bridge across the river. It was quite an effort and took the sweat and toil of many men to complete the installation.

The bridge, (30 tons of steel) and finished being erected on the May 24, 1988 and officially opened on June 27, 1988. Work on the new bridge (Photo courtesy of Cliff Gibson)

Work on the new bridge (Photo courtesy of Cliff Gibson)

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A second bridge accident happened some years later on the Shephard’s Bridge. One of the men working at the Industrial department was driving a truck from the Ukarumpa center though Ukarumpa village when the bridge collapsed and the truck almost toppled into the water. Thankfully, no one was hurt in this incident either.

The bridge coming from the center to Ukarumpa village (Photo courtesy of Cliff Gibson)

On one occasion, due to the main bridge’s structural issues, one of the Ukarumpa buses needed to be ferried across the Ba’e River. In the following photo, Craig Vanderduys drives the bus while the Industrial Department Manager, Clark Teders drives the tractor.

School bus being pulled across the Ba’e River by Clark Teders (Photo courtesy of Clark Teders)

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Chapter 9 The 1 Vehicle Bridge To Ukarumpa Village st

In order to ensure that there were several roadways leading into and out of the center over the Ba’e River, a bridge was built leading to and from Ukarumpa Village into the Ukarumpa Center. The first bridge to and from Ukarumpa village was a temporary one and the second one a longer lasting bridge.

First bridge to Ukarumpa Village – Robert Young is the first to cross (Photo courtesy of Bruce Hooley)

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First bridge to Ukarumpa Village – Robert Young is the first to cross (Photo courtesy of Bruce Hooley)

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The 2 vehicle Bridge To Ukarumpa Village nd

The second bridge going to Ukarumpa Village was named the Shephard’s Bridge. It was named after the Shephard family that gave money for its construction. They money was given by Ellen (Pittman) Shepard (1883-1984). Ellen was Dick Pittman’s aunt.

Ellen’s husband’s family had been involved in the bridge building business in New York. Ellen’s family, William Henry Shepard Sr. (1837-1909) had started the Havana Bridge Works bridge building business. Eventually the company moved into cranes and hoists (Shepard Niles Crane and Hoist, Inc.), but is no longer in operations. Ellen (Pittman) Shepard (Photo courtesy of Bob Pittman)

1960 – Construction of the Shephard’s Bridge to Ukarumpa Village (Photo courtesy of Steve Grace)

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1960 – Construction of the Shephard’s Bridge to Ukarumpa Village (Photo courtesy of Bruce Hooley)

Work on the Shephard’s Bridge to Ukarumpa Village (Welder – Hap Skinner) (Photo courtesy of Hap Skinner) Note: The Shephard (Blackwell) Bridge has the cable catenery supported by end towers. Many smaller cables from the catenery support the timbers across it.

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1960 – Dedication of the Shephard’s Bridge to Ukarumpa Village (Photo courtesy of Steve Grace)

1960 – Dedication of the Shephard’s Bridge to Ukarumpa Village (Photo courtesy of SIL PNG Branch Archives)

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1960 – Wal and Win Blackwell at the dedication of the Shephard’s Bridge (Photo courtesy of Gail May)

1965 - Shephard’s Bridge to Ukarumpa Village (Photo courtesy of the SIL PNG Branch Archives)

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Bridge Builders (L-R) Al Stuckey, Hap Skinner, Wal Blackwell (Photo courtesy of Chuck Greenlund)

2009 - Shephard’s Bridge to Ukarumpa Village in a sad state (Photo courtesy of Charles Micheals)

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Appendix – Other Nearby Bridges

1960 - Bridge on the way to Ukarumpa (Photo courtesy of Steve Grace)

1960s - Bridge on the way to Ukarumpa (Photo courtesy of Steve Grace)

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About The Author

Charles Micheals is a native of Michigan and lived the first thirty years of his life there, eventually working in the grocery industry. In 1985 his wife Barbara and their four small children joined Wycliffe Bible Translators and moved to the country of Papua New Guinea (PNG) where they worked with the internationally known non-profit linguistic organization, SIL International (formerly the Summer Institute of Linguistics). Charles served in a variety of administrative roles in PNG, including several years as the Chairman of the SIL PNG Job Evaluation and Wage Review Committee and on the SIL PNG Executive Committee.

During their 15 years of service in PNG, Bible translation work was completed in 67 languages and over 100 additional Bible translation projects were started. Today, almost 180 language communities, representing 1.8 million people in PNG have access to the Scriptures in their own languages.

In 2000, Charles and Barbara moved back to the USA and Charles served for several years as the Regional Director for Recruitment for Wycliffe, living in the Chicago, Illinois area. In 2004 they moved to Orlando, Florida where Charles served for six and one half years as the Vice President for Recruitment Ministries for Wycliffe. He currently heads up Wycliffe’s Management Recruitment and Professional Department and speaks at various mission conferences and colleges each year. Barbara coordinates several Wycliffe short term mission trips each year.

Charles holds a BS degree in Food Distribution from Western Michigan University and a MA degree in Organization Management from Dallas Baptist University. He served on the Board of Directors for The Finishers Project, a non-profit mission dedicated to helping people in the second half of life find places to serve in missions. He has also been involved in helping create and develop Mission Teach, a ministry dedicated to helping place teachers in MK (Missionary Kid) mission schools around the world and Military 145 | P a g e

Believer, a growing ministry dedicated to helping military personnel who are leaving the military, find opportunities for service in global missions.

Charles has also authored a number of articles about the work of SIL in PNG and other historical articles about life in the Aiyura Valley in PNG. (http://issuu.com/cbmicheals/docs)

Both Charles and Barbara are members of Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, FL and are involved in a variety of church activities there. Charles serves as an elder at the church. However, they are still members of Second Christian Reformed Church, in Kalamazoo, Michigan which is the church that commissioned them for their work with Wycliffe. All four of their children are actively supporting missions and church ministry work. Two of their four children are serving with Wycliffe around the world.

Back Cover – 1985 Road sign on the Highlands Highway (Photo courtesy of Charles Micheals)

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