On Hands And Knees

By Charles K. Abel

This book is a series of stories covering 140 years and four generations, a famous Reverend, two Knights of the Realm and a Deputy Prime Minister.

The setting is from the streets of 19th Century London, to the Kauri gum forests of New Zealand to the islands and mountains of Papua New Guinea.

The author, Charle

• Language: English
• Publisher: Clark & Mackay
• Release date: Nov 21, 2023
• ISBN: 9781923163102

Book preview

The Meaning of Life

From Four Generations

This book is a series of stories covering 140 years and four generations, a famous Reverend, two Knights of the Realm and a Deputy Prime Minister.

The setting is from the streets of 19th Century London, to the Kauri gum forests of New Zealand to the islands and mountains of Papua New Guinea.

The author, Charles Kauvu Abel, is the great grandson of the pioneer missionary, Reverend Charles William Abel of the London Missionary Society, and former Deputy Prime Minister, Treasurer and Planning Minister, and three-term parliamentarian.

He recounts a dramatic history, love story, enduring faith and joy in family, music, and sports.

A remarkable journey of discovery about the meaning of life!

Dedication

To my dear father, my two grandfathers, my great grandfather, and the country to which they were committed.

A sincere thank you to my best friend, Hacy, and our children, Nikita, Courtney, and Jordan, (and bubu Aaliyah), for your love and patience.

CKA

Preface

Four Generations, a family history and personal memoir by Charles K. Abel is a moving tribute to the author’s distinguished patrilineage and to his father, Chris Abel, who passed away in December 2022. Significantly, this publication is an invaluable contribution to Papua New Guinea’s rich oral and written history, which continues to branch out like the boughs of a tree, interconnecting the lives of diverse tribes and foreigners in both conflict and spiritual communion.

The history of the Abel family tree is well-known in Milne Bay Province. It is a story of "taim bilong tumbuna ikam long tete". Four Generations expands on this history by drawing on archives, letters, previously published work, and the family stories that have been passed down from father to son. In a fast-paced readable narrative, with thrills and fears of tribal warfare and white man’s war, and interspersed with the humanity and compassion of the Abel family’s mission, Charles Abel Jr. brings to life key moments in Papua New Guinea’s colonial and missionary history.

The publication revisits several colonial atrocities, including the brutal expeditionary force in 1903 in the Paiwa area, which is now part of the Rabaraba District, and how Charles Abel Senior intervened and sought reconciliation and peace with the Paiwa people. It also revisits his protests concerning the use of force and firearms as the means of ‘pacification’ at Goaribari, which led to a Royal Commission of Inquiry.

The publication also recounts the missionary expedition undertaken by Charles’ Grand Uncle, Cecil Abel, to the Kunika part of the mountainous Owen Stanley range in 1935, where he risked being murdered by the ‘natives’. Instead, he chose to camp with them and eat with them, convincing his tribal adversaries that he was not like other white people, but was a friend.

Through this personal memoir, the author continues the family legacy of dedication, adventure, and commitment to nation building. As a young man, Charles K. Abel traversed the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, working as a chief financial officer for a private company. He gained leadership experience to become a competent politician and Minister of State, and developed innovative policies to guide Papua New Guinea’s future development. Also, as an accomplished musician, Abel is one of the current generation of Papua New Guineans who knows the value of keeping history alive and who is determined to add value to the quality of life in Papua New Guinea, from what was planted in the ground by his forebears.

Sir Charles W. Lepani

Chapter 1

A Short Ride

I just want you to know that I love you, Dad

I love you too, Charlie, was the soft reply, and the last coherent words to me from my father.

I dedicate this memoir to my father, my formidable great grandfather and grandfathers, and the indomitable spirit of love and service that they exemplified.

I want to take you on a short ride through four generations of stories in the hope that you can be entertained and moved in a small way. It would be my absolute privilege to maybe add something of value to your life!

My great grandfather begins this journey as a London boy, who set off to New Zealand at 19 years of age, in 1881. He found his calling while living amongst the Maoris, learning their language, praying with them, and defending them.

He returned home to attend Cheshunt College, and as Reverend Charles William Abel of the London Missionary Society, he was diverted from his original intentions to return to New Zealand. Instead, he chose the relatively new field of British New Guinea, to which he sailed in 1890.

He built one of the most successful industrial missions of the day, based on Kwato Island, Milne Bay, at the eastern tip of the mainland of Papua New Guinea, and left an indelible legacy of faith, service, hard work, music, and cricket. The love story between he and his wife, Beatrice, whom he met on the journey by ship from London to Sydney, is one that lasted a lifetime.

These are themes that resonate throughout this book and four generations, up to today.

I write of the Paiwa Massacre, the Goaribari Affray, and suicide of Christopher Robinson, the survival of an ambush, and the sacrifice of a first-born daughter in the chapter, "Blessings and Burdens".

My grandfathers, (Sir) Cecil and Russell Abel, seemed to have little choice in their destiny to continue the ‘great work’ and they did so with the same dedication as their father. They were both Cambridge educated anthropologists and gifted writers, thankfully, leaving works behind that we can draw upon today.

Cecil was the charismatic elder brother who inspired a spiritual revival in a disheartened church, following the death of his father in 1930. His time was not without controversy when he left Kwato in 1951, but he would go on to make a significant contribution to the war effort, and in politics and the independence movement of the fledgling nation of Papua New Guinea. He was knighted in 1982. I write of these efforts in the chapters, "Monster on the Horizon", and "We the People".

Russell’s leadership of the church ushered in a period of thirteen years of stability and consistency. He was the quieter of the two brothers, with an artistic flair and was much loved by everyone who knew him. He died on a medivac flight out of Kupiano, Abau District, after being carried on a stretcher for sixteen hours from Amau Village, where the Kwato Church had built a mission.

I write of the Kunika expedition by Cecil, following a request by the Lieutenant Governor, Sir Hubert Murray, and followed up by Russell, to try to tame the dreaded inland Abau people, in 1934 (leading to the establishment of the mission at Amau), in the chapter, "Wallaby Country".

Russell and Cecil’s marriages were also wonderful love stories, and I have fond memories of (Lady) Semi (Bwagagaia) Abel, and Ruth Sheila (Porteous) Abel. Our grandmother, Sheila, was a kind and gentle lady who took care of my two brothers and I during our high school days on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland.

My father, (Sir) Christopher Abel, was born in a snowstorm in Dunedin, New Zealand, during the Second World War. He returned to Kwato Island at five years of age and spent seven years there, before going back to Australia for further education. He spoke fluent Suau (language) all his life, and published the Suau Dictionary in 2013.

He came back to Papua New Guinea in 1963, as an agricultural officer and spent time in the Mekeo area of Central Province, where he met my mother, Barbara (Kauvu) Abel. He spent time at Kokoda before going home to Milne Bay, where he made a tremendous contribution in the private sector, to the landowners, and to the Kwato Church. He was knighted for his services in 2018.

I will forever carry in my heart his profound example of love and dedication. Was it all smooth sailing? Certainly not. I write of some of our childhood trauma in the chapter, During a Snowstorm, and other adventures from his time in the chapters, Two Plane Crashes, and Rich Harvest.

Despite growing up with some privileges, I had the feeling of somehow being poor compared with the ‘neighbours’, and combined with my childhood experiences, I had a sense of insecurity as I went forth.

We were called the ‘caramel kids’ (because of our colour) and people used to snicker and talk about my parents’ domestic problems.

This drove me towards certain selfish behaviour as a response, including the perception that making money was the answer. I would find in wealth acknowledgement and happiness.

I write about some of the lessons that I learned about money through my father’s example and my experiences through the surfing days in high school, university, and the early working days after university, in the chapter, Caramel Kids.

I’ve basically trained five to six days a week since Grade 8 or Grade 9, such is my love for the discipline and meditational experience of hard physical work and exercise. In the chapter, Running for No Reason, I write of health and fitness, and my obsession, including time on the bodybuilding stage, diet, and sleep, and a time when people laughed at why we were lifting weights. Today, weight training and fitness saturates the social media and modern competitive sports and lifestyles.

Another theme is the passion for music. Charles William Abel introduced the Tonic Solfa music system to Papua and Kwato was renowned for its harmonious and enthusiastic singing of praise.

Dad made us coconut ukuleles, and I would immerse myself in his music record collection after school, using the old turntable record player.

I was in a popular high school singing group, and my brother, Owen, and I began thrashing around in bands on the university holidays.

The chapter, Coconut Ukulele is about this experience and my band the Wabo Knights, with three albums and two national Number One songs.

When I went to work in Mendi in the Southern Highlands Province, as the manager for Kiburu Lodge, I was introduced to a more intense, violent environment, and a beautiful and strong people in the inhabitants of the mountains. I went on to become financial controller for the parent company, Global Constructions, and learned so much from my bosses and these proud people. I describe this in the chapter, "Another Planet".

I was financial controller for a trucking company that was owned by the Ipili Porgera landowners, based in Lae City. We were responsible for making sure that 240 000 litres of fuel reached the Porgera Gold Mine every day, along one of the toughest roads in the world – the 800 kilometre Highlands Highway. I write of the demands of expatriate bosses, who were on ‘fly-in-fly-out’ rotation, endless compensation the highway drivers and wonderful people of Lae and the Highlands Highway in the chapter, A Trucking Life.

I owe much of the lessons of my life to my wife and best friend, Hacy Henao Abel. I emphasize a major theme of this book in the centrality of family and marriage in the chapter, The Queen.

The chapters, I Need My Son, and, On Hands And Knees, concern my ‘accidental’ entry into national politics and my time as the local Member of Parliament for the Alotau Open Electorate, where I served for three terms.

Ever since I can remember, I have had the unfortunate ability to see and feel certain things of a supernatural nature. This intensified when growing up at KB Mission where many soldiers from both sides were killed during the Second World War.

On the campaign trail in my first election, in 2007, I had perhaps the most disturbing experience of my life, from a visitor in the night. It has very much helped to shape my beliefs regarding the spiritual journey that I describe throughout the book. That chapter is called, The Witch.

In the chapter, Reaching for the Stars, I write of my time as the Minister for National Planning and Monitoring, and the thoughts behind the National Strategy for Responsible Sustainable Development (StaRS), the Medium-Term Development Plan 2, and the National Planning and Monitoring Act, that I initiated.

When I was the Minister for Treasury and Deputy Prime Minister, we undertook our country’s first-ever sovereign bond issue, including a roadshow around the world in eight days. I nearly killed myself, but the result was a three times oversubscription, and three international awards. This chapter is called, Eight Days.

Papua New Guinea is incredibly endowed with natural resources, yet we remain so poor. I begin this discussion and strategy to overcome this problem in, Reaching for the Stars. In the chapter, So Much Gold, I delve more into the issue of our non-renewable resources and their proper management, including my experience in the negotiations of the US$ 13 billion Papua LNG Project, the US$ 6 billion Wafi-Golpu Project, and the renegotiations of the Porgera Gold Mine fiscal terms, as Treasurer.

The chapter, "It Does Not Belong to You", contains my thoughts on what constitutes genuine leadership, and how it applies at all levels. I write of some of the political history in the formation of the National Governments in 2011, 2012, and 2017.

The final chapter, The Meaning of Life, crystalizes all of the lessons from four generations of service to this country, Papua New Guinea. It unlocks the secret to a successful life (well, just my humble interpretation anyway).

If you direct your thoughts and control your emotions, you will ordain your destiny. Napoleon Hill

God declares, I think of you and I have plans for you, prosperity and a future filled with hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Chapter 2

Blessings and Burdens

Evangelical missionary activity in the Western Pacific reached a climax in the career of Charles William Abel (1862 – 1930). His long lifespan, the remarkable range of his interests, the sustained energy of his ambitions, all gave his work a significance unrivalled by that of any other single missionary. (Wetherell, David. Charles Abel – The Kwato Mission of Papua New Guinea 1891 – 1975, 1996, p xi).

Resident Magistrate of the newly established North-East Division, Charles Arthur Whitmore Monckton, and his contingent of forty Papuan constabulary, mainly Orokaivans, including Sergeants Barigi and Oia, had made their way carefully by two oar boats to the shore several hundred metres to the south of Giwa Village of the Paiwa language zone. It was early March 1903, and several hours before dawn.¹

Monckton was determined to teach these people a proper lesson following reports of the murder of a mixed race, West Indian trader named Jackson. The Paiwa people were constantly raiding their neighbours and the Anglican Church had complained several times about the inaction of the government.

Monckton was quite proud of his reputation as a hard-nosed disciplinarian, and professed a ‘shoot and loot’ approach to troublesome natives in his later writings. He was born in New Zealand and had been a trader in British New Guinea, before applying for an appointment in the administration in 1897. He knew exactly from his experience of the Maoris in New Zealand, that disobedient natives knew only tough justice. On this occasion, he was particularly keen to see how the use of bayonets could be used in an arrest.

He gathered the team together on the beach and instructed that bayonets, which had been sharpened on the ship ride from Cape Nelson, should be fixed, and no shooting was allowed. All the village men were to be gathered in the centre of the village at gunpoint. He made it quite clear that any resistance whatsoever was to be met with violent force.

All were on full alert as they crept up to the village, as these were people of a fierce reputation. In the early light of dawn, they discovered a quiet village completely unaware of any prospective raid upon them.

With the village surrounded, several mangy dogs had begun to bark urgently. Monckton hurriedly had Sergeant Barigi call out in the Police Motu language several times, that the village was under arrest for the murder of trader Jackson, and that all of the men were to come out and stand in the middle of the village immediately.

As faces began to emerge from the doorways, there were several cries of consternation and fear and general chattering and hubbub. A child began to scream and cry. Gradually, the men began to materialize and gather and the constabulary squeezed in closer. A commotion suddenly developed to Monckton’s right, when he heard a shot go off and yelled, Use your bayonets you bastards! He could barely suppress his surge of excitement.

There was a melee, with people generally scattering in all directions, and making to get out of the village, screaming, and dogs barking. There were around twenty unarmed village men trapped in the vortex, and as they attempted to flee, the policemen dived upon them, stabbing indiscriminately with the ends of their rifles.

Shit, shit, shit!! Monckton swore as the scale and repercussions were realized in his clouded mind. He composed himself as he heard a female shriek break the morning air, and staggered over to the village centre. There were 18 bodies there, and several police were still stabbing at some of them. He suspected some tribal enmity was motivating the mutilation and ordered them to stop.

There was jostling and screaming continuing from one of the huts, and he discovered three prone naked village girls, and ten policemen pinning and raping them in turns. He watched the scene for several minutes before declaring, Hurry up, we have work to do!

The south coast of Makamaka is of minimal soil on hard limestone and coral. Monckton ordered that chunks of coral be tied to the bodies and thrown in the sea. After washing off the gore, the party with seven bound male prisoners made their way back to the oar boats. They burned all the houses and shot any pigs and dogs in the vicinity. All others had disappeared except for the three sobbing ladies.

It was found in the court hearings conducted in June of the same year by the Chief Judicial Officer, and Acting Administrator for Papua, Christopher Robinson, that the supposed victim, in whose name the punitive expedition was undertaken, was alive and well. Regardless, he sentenced one of the villagers to fourteen years hard labour, and the others to seven years for attempted murder. A further glaring anomaly was that he never called on him (Jackson) to appear at the hearings.

When further evidence emerged of the rapes by the constabulary, Robinson was compelled to reopen the case resulting in the mere dismissal of two policemen, with a fine of two pounds