JOHN Farley is a local bloke who has developed a passion for the history of our diggers in Papua New Guinea (PNG) – and in fact loves the people he has met upon his way.
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He’s a bit reticent to talk about himself at first, but soon warms to the task when he meets a kindred spirit.
John became interested in the islands to our north when his father and father-in-law related tales of their World War II experiences – fascinating tales of lovely people.
John is a farmer, a trekker and a Vietnam veteran.
He has travelled to PNG five times, starting by walking along the Kokoda track – sometimes in small groups and other times leading larger groups.
His interest has mainly been in the small things – a bullet here, a coin there, maybe a helmet buried in the jungle.
He has investigated airplane crash sites and wondered about the lives of the pilots – there was once a cairn near Gona with a dog tag commemorating the life of an Australian soldier.
John chased up the name in the Recovered Remains section of the War Graves Commission in Canberra, to find that the dog tag belonged to a living person who was in the CMF and had lost his identification in more recent times.
John had nothing but praise for the efforts put into their investigations by these dedicated people in Canberra.
John was so impressed by the natives he met along the Kokoda Track, that he returned with his wife and lived with them in an isolated village.
This involved flying to Sanananda on the north coast, where the Japanese first landed.
The natives were beautiful, interesting and guileless people whose hospitality was amazing – John and Judy ate fish and pig and fruit, and thoroughly enjoyed simply mucking around with their hosts.
On several of his trips, John saw Japanese barges pushed into the water – there are many of these wrecks along all coast lines in PNG, and they serve as a magnet for colonies of fish to breed amongst.
There is certainly good fishing for anglers up there.
John’s fascination with military history and also natural history has seen him recently visiting the Galapagos Islands, and he would love to investigate Easter Island next. What a fabulous interest and excitement awaits him.