Adventures of three intrepid former Missionaries in Papua New Guinea! Against all odds, but with great determination, Srs Carmel Boyle, Monica Shelverton and Breda Ryan, who years ago lived and worked in Ningil, took the opportunity to travel to Ningil when in Papua New Guinea for the celebrations of Fifty Years Foundation of the Mission. Since the convent was destroyed by fire last year (so nowhere to stay) and with the deterioration of safe travel these Sisters were given little hope of returning to their beloved Ningil. When the Aitape Celebrations ended, Breda, who had been responsible for the building of the Ningil clinic, Carmel and Monica, who had been responsible for building the Ningil Women s centre, discovered a truck was going to Ningil via Wewak. Gideon, the owner of the truck, warned it would be a very rough trip but that did not deter these intrepid former Missionaries. The group set off from Aitape at about 4.20 am and arrived at Wewak at midday. There were supplies to be bought and packed into whatever space was available and they set off again about 3pm. Three and a half hours from Ningil they experienced car trouble. Machinery was pulled apart and seemingly repaired but the ball bearings were broken and there were no replacements. Various vehicles stopped to help but could do nothing. Sr Carmel tells the story... We were able to phone Tom, a local Ningil man, said Sr Carmel, who agreed to assist and arrived at 3.00 am. The small township of Maprik was only thirty minutes away back in the other direction and no would be up so we would have to wait an hour. Then Tom would take Gideon to purchase the ball bearings. Another ute (Australian term for pickk-up truck) had pulled up with a whole family from Lumi. They agreed to stay with us for protection. By 5.30 am we were on the road again. In the middle of the night, Sr Lawrencia had rung someone in Ningil to say that we were on the way so be ready to welcome the Sisters! The Ningils did it in style! We arrived about 10.30am on Friday (thirty hours from take-off) and the locals had erected a special decorated archway. They stood on the other side and sang a song of welcome (only composed that morning) to invite us to pass through the archway and come onto their land. As I passed through I was rushed by two of the women, Catarina and Maria, past pupils from fifty years before. It took us an hour and a half to get from there to the house only fifty metres away. We sat under a tree and talked and remembered all the Ningils who had been in my first class. The people of Ningil gather to welcome the Sisters
I had forty children altogether but only twenty five were from the close little villages that made up Ningil. We wrote down all their names. Four girls and two boys had died. One girl had moved away with her husband to Aitape. Another two lads were there somewhere but I did not see them. But during the two days I was there I spent considerable time with each of the other 16, plus our two cook girls and a couple from other classes who wanted to be remembered too. One man was now longlong (mentally ill) as a result of cerebral malaria so I went up to the village to see him. I was surprised by the greeting of most of the men. There was no shaking of hands and pats on the back but rather big hugs and lots of tears. The tears were because I had honoured them and their village by coming to visit them. Srs Carml Boyle, Breda Ryan, Monica Shelverton and friends That first morning, whilst sitting under the tree, some younger women turned up and wanted to know who I was and what I was doing there. Sr Maria gave this great speech that I was one of the first Sisters to come to Ningil. I was their first teacher. They were ars nating (naked), dirty, with lots of sores. That did not worry the Sisters. The Sisters cared for them, taught them how to wash and be clean, tended to their sores and taught them in school. Before long the girls had skirts to wear and the boys had shorts. They were healthy. All we have and all we are is because of the Sisters! On Saturday at 11.30 am a number of people began to arrive to practice the hymns and readings in readiness for Lotu (Prayer and Worship) the next morning at 9.00 am. I told them that in my place in Blackwater, Queensland, the same sort of thing would have been happening. Four of my past pupils were Prayer Leaders or Ministers of Communion. We could not have Communion on Sunday as there were no consecrated hosts. But they were all there in their spotless white garments and formed the procession for the Lotu. They were all so reverent. Parishioners of Ningil in village Church waiting for the commencement of the Lay led Lotu
Lotu Procession One of the parishioners has a daughter who is professed with the Sisters of St Joseph of Cluny. I even saw a photo of her on a brochure advertising their ministry on a poster on the wall of the sanctuary in the church. Her Dad told me that he spends an hour before the Blessed Sacrament in the church every Saturday night so that he can get to know Jesus better! But that was a secret. Eddie, who was the Presider, took me by the hand into the church beforehand and told me that they wanted me to speak to everyone after the Gospel and tell them about the first year in Ningil. I said my Pidgin was not strong enough but he insisted that I would still be understood with a mixture of English and Pidgin. Later, another man came to tell me that he was the son of Caspar, one of Fr Tim s workmen, whom I had mentioned in my talk. After Lotu, Monica and Breda took lots of photos of all the different groups, then we had a cuppa before we watched the dramas they were in the process of preparing in case the Bishop should come in the next week. The first one was about the Sisters coming to Ningil. The story was well remembered with exact details in many cases, e.g. Fr Tim introducing Mother Gabriel and Veronica (Philippine) to the government official and the previous owner of the land on which we stood; Fr Tim (even imitating his voice) telling the village people that they were to send all their children to school; and the bit that really got me was the five Sisters all sitting on the stool just as we did in the chapel. The second drama was quite long and was the story of how Ningil came to be. It was really the creation story in their terms. It was so well done and just hilarious. Alfred Talis, son of Jack the first Member of Parliament from Ningil, was the director. Alois (past pupil of Sr Louis) was the chief actor he was brilliant. Gabriel Aris (past pupil of Patricia) was chief stage hand and made sure that everything worked to plan. I only remember these latter two from long ago because their names were often mentioned in our house because they were always up to mischief one way or another! Lotu Procession
Then it was time to set out again for Wewak. This was really the last goodbye to Ningil. The last two people I saw were Zita, our cook meri,(lady) and Peter, one of the past pupils. They just hung on to my outstretched hand and cried. It was a rather slow trip as Gideon had not been to bed and was flat out staying awake. He needed lots of stops to walk about and have some food, though I must confess that I was responsible for two of the delays on the way as I got rid of whatever it was I had for lunch that did not agree with me! We left at 2.30pm but after 10 minutes had to return because he had forgotten his driver s licence. Sr Lawrencia travelled with us to ensure our safety. It was 2.30 am when we arrived in Wewak and had to beep the horn to wake up Sr Regina Sabau so she could unlock the gate for us. Then we had a rest day (while the others travelled from Aitape) before rising at 3am (actually 2am because someone set the alarm wrongly!) in time to eat, pack the vehicle and have the eight of us travelling that day at the airport by 4am for 6.10am departure to Port Moresby. Site of the former Convent Srs Mary Tubor, Lawrencia and Clemencia were outstanding in their care and provision for us. They have no electricity and only one small solar light which was not the brightest. Since the convent burned down they have no refrigeration or stove. They have no access to radio, email, computers or postage, only phones. They have to gather their wood and cook over the open fireplace in a little cookhouse beside their house. Their garden was also destroyed so they buy their food daily. It is really a hand to mouth existence. It will take some time to get things set up again. They also need a new church but the locals have begun collecting the new timber and have it stored under some other buildings which are off the ground. The school and teachers houses are by far the best buildings together with the clinic and the women s centre. Sr Mary Tubor teaches in the school and Sr Lawrencia is a nurse at the clinic. The present circumstances of the Sisters are far more primitive than they were 50 years ago. However, the life of the people is much improved. They were well dressed, clean, literate and articulate. Their homes in the village were much the same but most were up off the ground. They still tend their gardens in the traditional way but there are more chooks to supplement their diet. They provided a couple for our food together with some fruit while we were there. Back in Queensland, from Blackwater we had sent up $1000 from our Mission Account to assist people who were suffering because of the drought. After much discussion with Sr Anne Lane and the Sisters, they had divided it up among the families of seven of the Sisters whose families were having hardship. They would have received about 230K each. Before I left two families had received their gift. For one family it meant food, the money to get home again to their island, plus, most importantly, being able to pay the 70K needed to enrol the youngest boy in college at Madang to do his Yr 11. Their big exams come halfway through Yr 11 and that decides whether they go on to Yr 12 and matriculate or repeat or drop out. The other family lives in the Southern Highlands. The mother rang in great consternation. Where had her daughter got this money? Where or whom did she take it from? Sister took some time to calm her down and let her know that the Sisters were there from Australia for the celebrations and they had brought the money from people in Australia to help them. Then her mother started loudly praising and thanking God and asking God s blessings on all those who had helped them.
For me, to be able to return to New Guinea for the celebrations of 50 Years Foundation of Presentation Sisters Mission, and to visit Ningil was all sheer gift for which I am very, very grateful. Please pray for all our Sisters in PNG and their people. Sr Carmel Boyle.