I’ll start with an indelible memory. In mid-1970, as the senior reporter on the ABC radio flagship show, PM, I travelled around Australia for several weeks with the Royal Family. When they arrived in Sydney at the start, the handful of Australian reporters making the entire tour had the rare privilege of an hour with the Queen, Philip, Anne and Charles at Government House.
We were given ten minutes, one on one, with each of them. Royal flunkies from London ensured we kept circulating. With the Queen, I amused her by telling her the pidgin English for herself and Philip.
I told her about Moresby and a Hagen sing sing, and that PNG people loved and respected her. My ten minutes were up. A flunkey asked me to move on.
The Queen said: “No. This is very interesting.” We chatted about PNG for another ten minutes.
I told her PNG people would warmly welcome her paying a state visit. In mid-May 1974, I was based in Peking for the ABC as the first Australian journalist resident in Mao’s China. I was delighted to read in The Australian that the Queen, Philip and Anne were on a state visit to PNG.
But back to Moresby in 1961-2. I was sickened early on to learn that locals were encouraged to call we white men Taubada. I was told this was Motu for Big Man.
Of course, John Guise and others never used it but enough did to sadden me. Another abomination was the butcher shop in the centre of town. Whites used the front entrance to the store and were served at a proper counter.
Locals w.
