Merry Christmas 2011

Hi all,
Just wishing you a Merry Christmas & Happy and Prosperous New Year.
We are heading back to the Island once again, lucky us!, Stay in touch.

Trev, Siloni & Zahi.

Tigan, Zima, Rineta & Zeto.

Lachlan & Mia.

Mr Lachie with fish, and Trigger.

The War in the Pacific - The Battle for Munda Airfield.

The War in the Pacific circa 1943 was big, go read about it. This is where John Kennedy in his PT103 got sunk by Jap destroyers.
The Japs started building an airfield at the original Lambete Plantation under the cover of the coconut palms.
The Australian Coast watchers spotted it, told the Yanks who came to chase the Japs out, A good book to read is "The Munda Trail". It took the yanks a few months to push through from Laiana to Lambete and push the Japs back out past Noro. A TV series called "Black Sheep Squadron" was based on this, and the movies of the PT103 were based around here & Rendova Harbour.
We are told that Hombupeka was used as an anti-aircraft combat point, with the two or so mounds - one at our front door, being the gun emplacements. Given the amount of spent shells & cartridges and coke bottles around - makes sense.
These pics are historical and not mine, thanks to whomever, but are great in history, those who know the area will pick the locations.

These two pictures below are great finds, of the Ondongo Airstrip at Diamond Narrows near Noro.





Helena Goldie Hospital, Munda.

Back in about 1996 I started helping HGH at Munda while with the Rotary Club of Sunnybank Hills. Since then we have helped to arrange dozens of volunteer team trips to HGH Munda - Rotary, others, Shalom College, etc. It's a work in play and will be one way or the other for years to come.
Virtually all the helpers - volunteers have been touched by this place - it gets in your blood!
You will never grasp the 'situation' here unless you are on the ground, a few pictures here..
With support from Metroll Bundaberg & BlueScope & Rotary we re-roofed the General ward building in Feb 2011, long overdue.
Thanks to everyone who continues the work...........................

Re-roof of General Ward

Children's Ward

Outpatient's Building

Maternity Ward



Munda Town 2011

Some today pics of Lambete:

Lambete Market with cargo boats in, Hombupeka behind.

Lambete Market outside Agnes Lodge, with Hombupeka in the background right.

Skull Island

Down in Vona Vona Lagoon is Skull Island, a small island that has traditionally been used as a ceremonial burial place dating back to the days of head-hunting. Many rival chiefs or ancestors are buried here and hence their remains. Don't touch the remains unless you are an ancestor!! Tabu, and further more you may end up feeling the curse.. We often take tours here, then down to Mandou to pay respect and custom fee, and then more than likely back around to 'Lola' - Zipolo Habu resort (see the link).
Here are some recent pics, tour lead by our good friend Sunga Boso.

Tomoko - The war canoe.

The Tomoko is the most traditional of all Roviana war canoes, their decorative style sets them apart. Once mostly used in head hunting tribal wars, the Nguzu carried on the bow would indicate if they were coming in war or peace. Each year Munda hosts a carnival at which various villages send their Tomoko to compete.

Here are several pictures of various Tomoko lined up on the shore at Hombupeka.

Crocs & more

Over the past year the crocodile population has been getting noticed more as they move closer into the inhabitited areas around Munda. Theorise as you may over the impacts of logging, food sources, loss of habitat and so on,, they spoil the 'serenity'. Our RAMSI freinds have a hit team that come around to remove them, sooner the better, we had our mate sunning himself on the beach in front of the house last week !
So here is the answer:

Crocodile Recipes..........Yum !

Some of our Carving & Shell collection.

Hombupeka at Dusk, from Kekehe.

Diving at Munda

Over the years we have dived all around the Roviana Lagoon and beyond. With or without diving guests we still enjoy finding new places, treasures & relics. The Cave of the Custom Shark at Ndoke Ndoke is one of the best, together with Tombatuni past Sassavele and the Kasi Maru a sunken Jap freighter around past Noro at Mbairoko. The wall dives are massive & majestic, you need to count your depth down as there is no bottom. You can dive in 3 metres or 30+ metres with still plenty to see and the rest stops are picturesque.
...Enjoy !

At Ndoke Ndoke, Cave of the Custom Shark.

This is the pool at the start of the cave dive.

TC diving Kasi Maru in 8 metres.

Trevor, Noel & Mick between dives.

Our Dive Munda

Back in 2001 a few of us got together in Brisbane and decided to start up a Dive Shop at Munda, well that's what cemented my relationship with Munda. Several hundred dives later and through the good & the bad, well it was all good fun, and thousands of stories. Still is one the best diving regions in the South Pacific.

Dive Munda - The Original

This is my spot - after a hard day at the office !

Did I mention the Seafood !!

We love our seafood and the fishing. Just to upset you more we pay around {AUD} $4.00/kg for reef fish, $12.00/kg for Lobster & Mud Crab and about $5.00 for a bag of 30 bloody big oysters.
Yum ! All great with a cold SolBrew on the verandah in the afternoons.

Yeah, Good one Noel,,tough catch that one!

Our Island Home

During 2003 we built our house on Hombupeka, designed by us to take advantage of the beautiful views out across the Roviana Lagoon and back over to Lambete & Sesieta, yet protected a bit from the West wind that can come in from the Munda bar. We used all local timbers - Kwila, Vasa, White Beech,, it was a challenge, but worth the effort.