Congratulations to those who came before who set in place the structures; congratulations to those from all levels who built upon the foundation, and continue into the future to build a nation – and most importantly congratulations to the citizens of Papua New Guinea. Fifty years is a great achievement.

I lived in Rabaul only for a few short years but even so PNG became embedded inside me, so much so that nearly fifty years later when the opportunity arose I was driven to write my family saga about five generations of the imagined Seeto family whose family was divided into Australian and Papua New Guinea citizens in 1975 around Independence of PNG. Each of the historic moments of Rabaul – volcanic eruptions, military occupation, the change of colonisors from Germany to Australia, the Seeto family adapted, and their futures were shaped. The 50th anniversary might be a time to review the past, even if only through glimpses. Find my book on https://wendyglassby.com or https://lilyellenpublishing.com