The story of Sogeri High,

the school with charisma

A foreword by Sir Maori Kiki gives great authenticity to Pukari, voices of Papua New Guinea, which tells the story of the Sogeri Senior High School. For Sir Maori is one of a number of distinguished gentlemen who attended the school at Sogeri, many distinguished only by the fact that they became teachers and went to remote areas to carry education to their fellow countrymen and whose names are forgotten long ago except by the village children they taught.

Sogeri was founded as a school by General Morris, a fact which is not men tioned in Pukari, and was reluctantly con tinued after World War 11, during which it was founded, by the Director of Education, W. C. Groves, reluctantly because he en visaged it as a senior school for all Papua New Guinea, which it is and was, but felt that a more central location was desirable.

Groves met with opposition from the then Administrator, from Canberra and from his own staff. This opposition was because, already, even at that early stage of educational development in Papua New Guinea, a sentiment had grown up around the Sogeri School. Even then, there was something different about that school, something of personality, some sort of charisma which made Sogeri distinct from

any other institution anywhere in the coun try. But few remember that it had a war time history as well as a post-war history.

Many visits did I pay to Sogeri, and many week-ends from Moresby did I spend there, and took many visitors there.

For Sogeri I have a very deep affection, for the school and for the land about it. I can So it is with joy that I welcome this publication by Tofua Press which gives some idea of the important work being done at that high school, and the con tributions to Pukari by the students themselves, gives it a uniqueness worthy of the traditions of Sogeri.

Sogeri has had much fame in the past, and this publication might encourage a student at some time to write a thoroughly-researched work on the history of Sogeri Senior High School.

Pukari was written and illustrated by the students in the expressive arts courses of Sogeri Senior High School. One of their teachers, Barry Ison, completed the material and wrote an introduction.

Pukari came about as a result of a chance visit to Sogeri by Helen Raitt, a publisher, in the summer of 1973. When she saw the accomplishments of those students, she asked them to send her samples of their work and so Pukari resulted. The June issue of PIM contained some biographical details of Helen Raitt (p 57).

Sir Maori Kiki says in his foreword that the Pukari was chief in the Gulf District. It seems, he says, appropriate that this name should have been chosen for this book as the chiefs in the Gulf District were respon sible for teaching, upholding and en couraging traditions. The title page tells us that students of Sogeri High School relate, in Pukari, their traditions, interpret old designs, comment on their society, create new ideas, for that is the way of Pukari.

I don’t like the shape of the book, broader than it is long. This makes it hard to handle, but publishers seem sometimes to forget that a book has to be handled.

Also, I don’t like the glazed surface of the cover which makes it slippery. These features, in my opinion, detract from an admirable book, one which is really worthwhile and gives a broad view of development and tradition in Papua New Guinea, songs, music, stories, history and interesting illustrations. A proud record of a great school. Is there a man, who, having been a student there, is not, like Sir Maori, proud to say, “I went to Sogeri!” These will appreciate this book.

Peter Livingston

(PUKfIRI, published by Tofua Press, 10457-F Roselle St, San Diego 92121, California USA. Price 5U55.95).