What’s in a name?

DID you know that Sir Tore Lokoloko, former Governor- General of Papua New Guinea, was the son of a traditional paramount chief of the Moripip people of Gulf Province?

Or that John Kadiba was the first Papua New Guinean to be appointed a college lecturer overseas? Where was Deputy Opposition Leader, Father John Momis, bom? At Sala maua, Morobe Province on March 3, 1942.

Which ministries were held by lambakey Okuk in the first National Coalition Govern ment? Agriculture, Transport and Civil Aviation, and Educa tion (for only a month).

Did you know that Sir Julius Chan studied Agricultural Sci ence at the University of Queensland in the late 19505?

Or that Tegi Ebial, the son of a tribal war leader, was President of the Nipa Local Government Council for 16 years before becoming Premier of Southern Highlands Province?

Who was the first Papua New Guinean to be commissioned an officer in the Australian Regular Army in 1963? Second Lieutenant Edward Diro, who went on to become the first national Commander of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force and a Brigadier General.

Did you know that Gabriel Waipek, from Minj, Western Highlands Province, now Southern Highlands Provincial Secretary, obtained a degree in Education from UPNG at the age of 40-plus? Or that Dr James Jacobi, the popular Port Moresby medical practitioner and long-time president of the PNG Rugby Football Leauge, served during World War II in the Royal Australian Air Force, No. 30 Squadron (Beaufigh ters)?

Did you know that Peter Donigi, the well-known lawyer, finalised and signed Papua New Guinea’s accession agreement to the Lome Convention?

All these facts, which have

been supplied by the persons themselves, will be included with countless other biographi cal details in a book now in preparation to be published next year. The book is to be called the Papua New Guinea Dictionary of Contemporary Biography or PNGDCB for short.

The PNGDCB will provide short biographies or life histor ies of prominent and repre sentative figures in the nation’s recent past.

It will include persons who have made a significant con tribution since 1945 in the fields of politics, government and public life at national, provincial and local levels, in the churches and education, in the judiciary, police and security forces, in business and the professions, and in the arts, media and sport. Traditional leaders will also be included.

The editors currently esti mate that the book will contain about 1700 entries varying in length according to the signi ficance of the subject.

The longest entry will be 2500 words (for Mr Michael Somare), the next longest will be 2000 words (Sir John Guise, Sir Julius Chan, Mr Paias Wing ti and pehaps others) and so on in reducing lengths down to short “Who’s Who” type en tries of about 100 words for the lesser mortals.

The whole volume will con tain about 500,000 words.

Roughly three quarters of the entries will be for Papua New Guinea nationals, and the re mainder for expatriates. A wide range of authors are being invited to contribute entries on a voluntary basis.

A detailed questionnaire in English, Pidgin and Motu is being sent out with a covering letter to all persons who may be included.

All information supplied is treated with discretion and is not made public.

Completed questionnaires

will not only provide essential information for the PNGDCB, but will be of use in any future publication projects such as a Who’s Who in Papua New Guinea, or any number of specialist directories which may be produced in years to come.

It is also envisaged that supple ments to the PNGDCB will be published from time to time.

The biographical information collected is being stored on computer in a specially de signed data base. Each person who has been identified as a possible candidate for the PNGDCB will have a separate entry in the data base.

Entries will record details such as date and place of birth, parents, education, languages spoken and written, marriage, career, public activities and any special achievements. Details of other sources (books, news paper articles, directories, etc.) which give further biographical details will also be noted.

No details are recorded that are not either volunteered or already available in print. There are no plans to allow public access to the data base.

The editors of the PNGDCB are largely starting from scratch.

There is, to date, no Who’s Who in Papua New Guinea or any publication like it.

A full-scale Papua New Guinea National Biography, re cording in full, with scholarly precision, the lives of all the mighty dead, is far too ambi tious for current resources. A number of Papua New Gui neans are included in the British publication Who’s Who, the standard reference work for up-to-date information on to day’s influential and famous.

More are included in Who’s Who in Oceania, but the useful ness of this publication can be judged by a glance at some of the entries. Roy Evara appears under Roy, and the present Minister for Primary Industry appears twice once as Okuk, lambakey Palma, and again,

two entries later, as Okuk, Lambakey.

There is, in fact, very little easily accessible or convenient ly published information on Papua New Guinea’s leading personalities. And what exists can be frustratingly inaccurate and incomplete.

In addition, there is the prob lem that Papua New Guinea was until recently without writ ten records about its people and its past.

In any case, say the editors, the biographical history of a nation should be written by the widest possible range of people who possess specialist know ledge and insights, or who have a desire to use their writing skills to contribute to an important work of reference.

For this reason, the editors are inviting volunteer authors to participate. Where possible the editors will give guidance to available sources and will also advise on the length and format of entries.

The editors, however, ask volunteers not to rush to contri bute entries for Somare, Chan, Wingti, Momis, Okuk, Guise, Kiki, Cleland, Wedega, Diro, Matane, Taureka, Olewale, Abal, Kekedo, Gunther, Sama na, Hannett, Yaliwan, Hasluck, Bouraga, Rooney, Wamp, Groves, Yauwiga, Waiko, Vangeke, Johnson, Zurecnuoc, Kaputin, Kidu, Lokoloko, Abel, Kilage, Holloway, Abaijah, McCarthy, Eri, Morauta, Gire gire, Debila, Kondom, Yali, Paliau, Sigob, Goava, Rama, Wagambie, Watson, Ambo, Tokwepota, Leahy, Aba, Tolo lo, Mead, Chatterton, Arek, Kasaipwalova, Kabu, Sinclair, Toliman, Simogen . . .

All correspondence should be directed to: Andrew Griffin, Co-Editor, Papua New Guinea Directory of Contemporary Biography, Box 319, University P. 0., National Capital District, Papua New Guinea.