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AUSTRALIAN FORESTERS in PAPUA NEW GUINEA 1922-1975

PNGAF MAGAZINE ISSUE # 9B -5B4D1 of 20th July 2021 FOREST MANAGEMENT. Eminent TPNG Forester Chris Done Reflections on life in PNG and Western Australia

If we take this shortcut here, we should be able to get ahead of the field. Papuan Safari 1973. Photo Credit Chris Done1.

Perhaps that short cut was not a good idea after all. Photo credit Chris Done 1973.

Editor R B McCarthy2 2021.

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Chris Done TPNG Forests 1966-1975 Dick McCarthy District Forester TPNG Forests 1963-1975.

CHRIS DONE’S REFLECTIONS on LIFE IN PNG and WESTERN AUSTRALIA Chris commenced his PNG career with the Dept of Forests TPNG as a cadet forest officer in 1966 at the University of New England Armidale NSW and then the Australian National University where he graduated in 1968 with a BSc (Forestry). From 1969 to 1975 Chris initially was employed with the Headquarter Timber assessment group on large scale forest resource inventories as Tonolei Harbour Cape Rodney, Madang and Kiunga, before becoming Officer in Charge of Brown River Forest teak plantations out of Port Moresby. During this period, Chris is best remembered as a mad rally driver with forester Alan White3. Family cars were co-opted and transformed into high performance, state of the art rally machines (in his dreams) and off they went, from the Port Moresby Motor Sport Club, into the “wilds” of Papua. During their celebrated careers, Alan and Chris swapped roles. Alan became the ultimate navigator, and Chris tried to point the car in the right direction as much as possible. Alan and Chris enjoying a quiet coldie, after the presentation for the Papuan Rally 1973. Photo credit Chris Done.

In 1975, Chris was transferred to Bulolo as OIC Bulolo Wau District responsible for the Araucaria plantation establishment and management program. Chris’s Reflections on Life in PNG. Chris congratulated Dick for coming up with the concept of a compendium of recollections by Foresters in PNG before Independence. Great idea. He was lucky enough to read a few of the early contributions (Paul Ryan, Dave Lamb and Joe Havel) and looked forward to reading many more, both prior to and after publication.

Alan White TPNG Forests 1956-1976.

Being one of the later arrivals (he worked in PNG from ’69 till ’75 and had previously spent a couple of university vacations, at Kerevat and Bululo, as a cadet), he benefitted from the earlier experiences of many others, whose stories are recorded in this project. Projects such as Timber Assessment Surveys were ongoing, and he participated in several of these including Cape Rodney, Tonolei Harbour, Madang and Kiunga. Similarly, Timber Rights Purchase had been happening for a long time with Blue Ramsay at the helm, and Chris experienced this work at Aroa Delava. Rather than reminisce about his experiences on these projects, he thought he would concentrate on some of the “different” things in which he was involved. “Unique” is a much overused and often incorrectly used word, but he felt that many of the experiences they all had in PNG were, in fact, unique, and that it was a huge privilege to be involved in them. Choppers (mainly the Bell 47G-3B “Mash” variety) were, of course, the stock and trade in terms of getting “out bush” for reconnaissance and survey work. On one occasion, Chris flew from Moresby, eastwards along the Papuan coast on a seed collecting mission. He was to go out and come back loaded with Kamarere (E. deglupta) and Forest Red Gum (FRG - E tereticornis) seed. He cannot remember who gave him his marching orders, but the information proved to be spot on in terms not only of locality, but timing. Again, his memory fails him on exactly where they went, but they landed at a Kiap’s place where he was given a three-wheeler Honda motor bike for ground transport, and off he headed up a tight little path along a river valley, with a high-powered rifle slung over his shoulder. He also had a backpack with sundry other gear in it. Eventually he came to the stand of Kamarere just where it was supposed to be. Here, he learnt just how high the seed laden branches of the trees were as he struggled to fell some limbs from which to collect. Shot after shot found its mark (well, that is my story anyway) but the first limb hung on determinedly. He must have used a dozen or more rounds before it finally crashed to the ground and he was able to pick the capsules. It was then that he realised just how big the limb was. No wonder it had refused to let go easily. He chose his victims better from then on. Not surprisingly, he saw no one at all during this whole exercise. He was sure that the local populace must have thought that the war had started up again, and, wisely, stayed far away. Eventually they made it back to the patrol post and stayed the night. Next day, in the chopper, they headed inland to where the FRG was. It was, of course, in precipitous country, and the only relatively safe place the pilot could let him out, near the stand, was on a knife edge ridge line, over which he hovered whilst Chris carefully dismounted. Getting back on board was at the same place as with the hover. Those pilots were damn good, weren’t they? As he dismounted and re-boarded, the weight distribution changed drastically and suddenly, and whoever he was, was able to keep the machine relatively steady and, of course, safe. Not a huge amount of seed was collected but enough to add to other collections he supposed and to broaden the genetic base. At the end of this task, the pilot asked if Chris had finished all this mucking around, and did Chris want to see some interesting country on the way back. Of course, he did. They dropped into an adjacent valley where the pilot was able to pursue his passion of flying along a tight, tortuous gorge. What a thrill, and what spectacular scenery. Back to Jackson’s and so ended an exciting couple of days. Chris may have combined a couple of separate trips here, but he is sure you get the picture.

On another occasion, when they were at Tonolei Harbour, Chris went with the chopper to Panguna. This was where Bougainville Copper was setting up its operation, but, since it was late ’69 or maybe ’70, the operation had not commenced on a commercial basis. The chopper was given its 100 hourly service there and Chris’s job for the day was to buy a swag of Buka baskets for the survey team. Those things do not pack together too well so you can imagine just how crowded the little bubble was, on the way back to camp. We must have been able to keep most of the baskets out of the pilot’s vision and controls, as we made it safely. Similarly, Chris went with the Kiunga survey chopper to Ok Tedi where it was to get its 100hourly service. What spectacular country. This time too, the (BHP) mining operation had not commenced and one of the outstanding memories was of the clarity of those turbulent mountain rivers as they cascaded down from high altitude. They were extremely deep but, except where they tumbled down through rapids, the stones on the riverbed could be seen almost as clearly as if viewed through air. To see and hear about the sediment load which the mining operation was later to discharge into those pristine systems, was heartbreaking in every way. Old mate Morrie Gallen (FD Bululo ~1974) told Chris the following story from his time based at Bululo. He had spent most of his early days in PNG so probably knew the place and people much better than most of us. His story goes like this: My little yarn would not surprise anyone who had any contact with the locals from out of the hills in those days. I had gone around riding shotgun with the compound pays one fortnight and pulled up at one over on the Slate Creek side. They were predominantly guys from up in the hills across the creek (maybe Menyamya was up in there somewhere). As you remember at those compounds some of the boys had family with them and had set up little huts and gardens around the main compound structure. As they get their pays, I notice a young mother nursing a little baby who was dressed up in a little white satin dress they must have got from the Op shop in Bulolo. Anyway, she was a pretty and healthy baby only a few months old and I made a bit of a fuss over her saying how pretty and healthy she looked which was true. Well, I happened to be back the following fortnight and no baby. So, I asked the mum and dad where she was. They replied that she was dead, and I asked what the hell happened knowing that Pat Simpson (medical sister) used to do the rounds out there as well. They said that 2 young girls had come down from the village and were hanging out around the place. The family had gone into town after the last pay day and brought home a chook. When they cooked it the 2 young girls came up and demanded a share. The mum and dad said the two were "sangumas" and craved meat. Mum and dad said "No - go to buggery. We worked for it” etc. Some days later the 2 "sangumas" went home but the following day a butterfly landed on the little baby's arm, and next day, she was dead. The sanguma girls had got square. That mob around there also reckoned that certain "strong" men could turn themselves into Cassowaries and run from village to village, explaining how there were stories of them being in two places at once as they could run through the bush so quickly. I heard that on more than one occasion. Chris looks back on his PNG days as having been a great learning experience. The PNG people he worked with were, in almost every case, very dedicated to the job at hand and had 4

terrific bush skills. The country has dramatic scenery, and the culture of the people is incredibly diverse. Chris hopes that they can get it together to use these and other assets to improve their economic and social well-being, perhaps through tourism as well as forestry, agriculture, mining and so on. Talking of dramatic scenery, on a flight in a light aircraft in the Western Province, Chris was flying parallel to “…..” the massive Hindenburg Range, an impressive wall of rock, nowhere less than 2700 m in height and in places exceeding 3300m. It was an amazing geological feature of limestone. - quote comes from a book called The Architect of Kokoda, Bert Kienzle – the man who made the Kokoda Trail; by Robyn Kienzle. That is a great read for those interested.

“All in a day’s flying in PNG”. Tapini Airstrip – part of the Highlands and where Chris visited when you had to go to do forest extension work. Photo Credit Neville Howcroft.

A mate who survived quite a few years of being a pilot up there gave Chris some photos a couple of years ago. They give a bit of an idea of what the pilots were up against. Cloud cover was a huge issue, along with the incredible terrain and some bloody hairy strips. Chris was sure they had all sphincters tightly contracted on many occasions, as did the passengers. There would have been plenty of cleaning of the seats required. Reminded Chris of a story, which was in the book called The Architect of Kokoda - Bert Kienzle, written by his daughter-in-law, Robin. Fantastic book. The story involved a landing at a remote strip which did not end up well, but all passengers survived, including a PNG native warrior. They all walked away OK. On a later occasion the same thing happened again, and the plane came to rest on its nose, Chris thinks. The same warrior was on board, for his second flight. This time again, everyone survived without injury and the warrior just got out, picked up his bilum and went on his way, thinking that that was how all planes landed! Lots of lifelong friendships were forged within Chris’s forestry cadre during those years. One bloke who particularly comes to mind in this respect is Alan White (unfortunately now deceased). Not only did they work together on several occasions, e.g., Tonolei Harbour, and socialise as families, but Alan and he had a shared passion for motor rallies. They competed together for several years when work commitments and geographic constraints were not against them, and they always felt like that they did OK. After PNG days, the Whites ended up in Darwin and the Dones were at Kununurra. Given that these two centres are about 830km apart, it was possible to resume a limited social relationship, but rallying was not on their agenda by then. Life in Western Australia Long term PNG forestry colleagues as Paul Ryan5, Jim Riley6, Dick McCarthy7 and Jim Belford8 recall Chris as a bloke who would always get in and help, with a good sense of humour, and a good bloke to be with in the bush, or in town. They have no doubt that his PNG challenging experiences stood him in good stead in the next phase of his illustrious career when he joined the Western Australian Forest Department in 1975. Chris’s achievements were summarized in the article “A legend of WA’s bush now admires it from above” by Steve Butler’s Bush legends article in the West Australia newspaper of Saturday 12th December 2020. The double-page article in the newspaper declared Chris as a “bush legend”.

Chris Done personal communication 10 April 2020. Paul Ryan TPNG Forests 1962-1972 6 Jim Riley TPNG Forests 1967-1977 7 Dick McCarthy TPNG Forests 1963-1975 8 Jim Belford TPNG Forests 1970-1981 4 5

A precis of Chris’s WA career has been provided by WA forestry identities Rick Sneeuwjagt and Roger Underwood. From 1976 – 1985 Chris worked for the Forests Department of Western Australia initially as District Forest Officer Nannup then from 1979 he established the role of Regional Forest Officer of the WA Forests Department’s Kimberley Region. This involved amongst other things, the promotion of “Greening the North” in the Kimberley by encouraging planting and caring for trees on stations and communities and in townships. Chris pioneered Indian Sandalwood (Santalum album) growing in Northern Australia. Chris Done is widely renowned as Australia’s foremost Sandalwood expert. Chris planted the first Indian sandalwood trees at the Ord River Irrigation Area in 1980. At the same time, he established a small plantation on his own land which became the first sandalwood trees commercially harvested in the area. Today, Australia has a multi-million-dollar sandalwood industry with its thousands of hectares of plantations in the Kimberley, the NT and Qld. Chris was promoted in 1981 to the newly created position of Regional Manager for the Kimberley based at Kununurra where he was renowned as a pioneer land manager and practical conservationist. Chris travelled extensively throughout the Kimberley Region and knew almost every inch of this magnificent land and coastline. He developed a detailed knowledge of flora and fauna, geology, history, culture, fire management and land management issues. He developed an expert knowledge of Aboriginal rock art including co-authoring a book on the rediscovery of the ‘Bradshaw’ art site in the remote NW Kimberley. From 1985 Chris worked for CALM WA as Regional Manager of Kimberley Region. In this position he undertook regional integration of the three amalgamating agencies (National Parks Authority, Wildlife section of the Dept of Fisheries and Wildlife and the WA Forests Department). Chris was responsible for all regional activity including management of National Parks and Nature Reserves and Marine Reserves (2.5 million hectares). Chris played a key role in establishing the Purnululu National Park and numerous other Parks and reserves. Up to the present time he continued to provide leadership as Chair of the Purnululu World Heritage Area Advisory Committee Rick Sneeuwjagt WA State Fire Manager had much to do with Chris in the development and application of unique fire management practices in the Kimberley. Chris was a major force in confronting the need for improved bushfire management in the Kimberley, and in the early programs of aerial burning up there. Chris acted as Navigator in the Kimberley’s first aerial burn. He was also one of the first fly-in firefighters, helicoptering in to fires in the Bungles (as he told this story in typical understated fashion in the book Firefighters edited by Roger Underwood). It was Chris who took the initiative to form a Top End Fire conference, bringing together fire people from throughout the Kimberley, the NT, and Tropical NQ. The first meeting in Kununurra, organised by Chris, was attended by about 25 officers and park rangers. It became an annual event.

Chris Done Kununurra nursery 2004. Photo credit Chris Done. 11

Chris Done is widely renowned as Australia’s foremost Sandalwood expert. Chris pioneered Indian Sandalwood (Santalum album) growing in Northern Australia when he planted the first of them, in the Ord River Irrigation Area in 1980 as a departmental project. After many years of trial and error, it is now a large-scale crop, not only in WA, but also in the Northern Territory and Queensland. TFS first planted Indian Sandalwood in Kununurra in 1999 and has since planted over 1,200 hectares of commercial Sandalwood plantations on behalf of almost 700 individual growers and companies associated with TFS. TFS is a specialist Indian Sandalwood plantation manager and is committed to the long-term development of an Australian grown Indian Sandalwood industry. After retiring from CALM in September 2003, from March 2004 until January 2007 Chris was employed by Tropical Forestry Services (TFS) as Operations Manager (Kununurra) and from February 2007 as TFS’s Senior Forester.

His other pursuits included various contracts as a consultant in land management (particularly for conservation purposes), assessment of rural lands for possible conservation and development purposes, small scale biological surveys, tropical forestry management and regular contract work (monitoring watering regimes, assessing growth rates, involved in developing management guidelines, developing OHS procedures, etc.) within the Ord River sandalwood industry. In recent years, after nearly 40 years in the Kimberley, Chris retired to Nannup. He continued to travel to the Kimberley for work, including as a guide and guest lecturer for a 12

tourism cruise boat company along the Kimberley coast, continuing a role he has undertaken from the 1990s.

Chris Done Kimberly Coast Tour Guide. Photo credit Terry Done.

MV Coral Discoverer. Chris Done’s Kimberly Coast Tour Boat. Photo credit Terry Done.

Roger Underwood regarded Chris as “one of the best”, a champion mate and forester. He was a terrific DFO at Nannup and then a magnificent regional manager and pioneer land manager and practical conservationist in the Kimberley, the pioneer of the Indian sandalwood industry in the Ord, an expert botanist and expert on Aboriginal rock art. A tough bushman, but also a gentleman, and always good for a yarn and a laugh. Chris is admired across the country for his integrity, his unassuming leadership, his practicality and common sense, his broad botanical and forest knowledge, his nature-based tourism and management skills, and his deep love of the bush, and love of life. In recent days as we became aware of Chris’ serious medical condition, he has been showered with welldeserved complements and tributes from a wide range of people who have worked alongside him. Another example (attached) is a letter of tribute from the Minister for Environment, Hon Stephen Dawson MLC written on 8 December 2020 in which the Minister on behalf of the WA Government and everyone in WA thanked Chris for his long list of achievements and the enduring legacy Chris has created. Chris Done9 Died 9 Dec 2020 aged 74, of Nannup (formerly Kununurra). Husband of Pip, father and father-in-law of Jeffrey, Warrick, and Sabrina devoted ‘Pop' to Jasmine, Nicolas, Matthew, and Indiana.

Obituary prepared by Dick McCarthy, Rick Sneeuwjagt and Roger Underwood. 28/12/20

Reprint of letter from the Minister for Environment; Disability Services; Electoral Affairs Deputy Leader of the Legislative Council Our Ref: 62-24254 8 Dec 2020 Mr Chris Done PO Box 1230 NANNUP WA6275 Dear Chris I have recently been advised of your health situation and felt compelled to write to you and say how much your long-term and enduring efforts to conservation in the Kimberley have been appreciated. Thank you for the key role you played in establishing the Purnululu National Park, for your work towards establishing the Miriuwung Gajerrong parks and reserves, and for your efforts at Prince Regent, Geikie Gorge, Mount Hart and all the other parks and reserves in the Kimberley. You were also instrumental in bridging the gaps between conservation, production forestry (i.e., sandalwood plantations), ecotourism, Aboriginal culture, and heritage across the Kimberley. Thank you for the lead role you played in securing the World Heritage listing for Purnululu National Park, and for your ongoing role as Chair of the Purnululu World Heritage Area Advisory Committee. Many of my Parliamentary colleagues, from both sides of the chamber, were fortunate to meet you and be inspired by your profound knowledge and understanding of the Kimberley s terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Your work has left a strong foundation for the important tasks being undertaken now by your colleagues at the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions and the Kimberley s traditional owners. I am saddened that due to COVID-19, we did not get the chance to spend some time together earlier this year at Careening Bay to commemorate the 200-year celebration of Philip Parker King’s mapping of the Kimberley coast, the emblazing of the Mermaid Tree, and to plant the clone of the Mermaid Tree for which you were responsible for growing. So, Chris, on behalf of the Government and everyone in Western Australia I wish to say a big thank you for what you have achieved, and the enduring legacy you have created. My sincerest best wishes for you and your family who will be in our thoughts during these challenging times. Yours sincerely. I Hon Stephen Dawson MLC MINISTER FOR ENVIRO MENT l Level 12, Dumas House, 2 Havelock Street, West Perth, Western Australia, 6005. Telephone +61 8 6552 5800 Email: Minister.Dawson@dpc.wa.gov.au

Chris Done’s Bibliography. NAME JOINED FORESTRY PNG OCCUPATION WORK LOCALITIES

DEPARTURE PNG LIFE AFTER PNG IF YOU WISH TO COMMENT BRIEFLY

PNG FORESTRY CADETSHIP IF SO WHEN GRADUATED AFS

Chris Done 1946 -2020 Early 1966 Forest Officer Kerevat and Bulolo during University vacation placements. HQ with the Timber Assessment Survey group. Brown River. Papuan Regional Office. Bulolo Late 1975 DISTRICT Forest Officer at Nannup WA. 1976 Regional Forest Officer, Kimberley Region of WA. 1979 Regional Manager Department of Conservation and Land Management Kimberley Region WA. (CALM consumed FD in 1984/5.) Pioneered Indian Sandalwood (Santalum album) growing in Northern Australia when Chris planted the first of them, in the Ord River Irrigation Area in 1980. This was a departmental project and after many years of trial and error, is now a large-scale crop, not only in WA, but also the Northern Territory and Queensland. Continued involvement (after retirement) as Operations Manager and later Research Officer with a large private company TFS. Chris Done is widely renowned as Australia’s foremost Sandalwood expert. TFS first planted Indian Sandalwood in Kununurra in 1999 and has since planted over 1,200 hectares of commercial Sandalwood plantations on behalf of almost 700 individual growers and companies associated with TFS. TFS is a specialist Indian Sandalwood plantation manager and is committed to the long-term development of an Australian grown Indian Sandalwood industry. Private consultancy and tour guiding continued to keep Chris busy following retirement from government in 2003. Yes 1966 End of 1968

ACRONYMS ACT ACIAR ACLMP AEC AFS AFPNG AIF AMF ANBG ANGAU ANU APMF APPM ASIO ASOPA AusAID BA BCOF “Beer Time” BFC BGD BUC C cm CALM CFA CNGT CRE CRE

CSIRO CHAH DASF DBH/ dbh DEPT DPI DOF e.g. Etc FAO F &TB FIM FPRC

Australian Capital Territory Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research AusAid funded World Bank Land Mobilisation program. Administrators Executive Committee Australian Forestry School Association of Foresters of PNG Australian Infantry Forces Australian Military Forces Australian National Botanical Gardens Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit Australian National University Australian Paper Manufacturers Forestry Pty Ltd Australia Paper and Pulp Manufacturers Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Australian School of Pacific Administration Australian Aid Agency basal area British Commonwealth Occupational Force 1945-52 Any time. Bulolo Forestry College Bulolo Gold Dredging Company Bulolo University College Commonwealth Centimetre Western Australian Department of Conservation and Land Management Commonwealth Forestry Association Commonwealth New Guinea Timbers Bulolo Commander Royal Engineers CRE is a term inherited by RAE from RE and is the term for the Commanding Officer of a RAE unit which is headed by a Lt Col. Although the officer is called the CRE the name is also used for the name of his unit. E.g., CRE Aust Forestry Group or 1(NG Forests). Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria Dept of Agriculture, Stock and Fisheries Diameter at breast height Department Department of Primary Industry Department of Forests For example et cetera (more of the same) Food and Agriculture Organisation Forest and Timber Bureau Canberra Forest Information System Forest Products Research Centre Hohola 17

FRG FRI Forkol GAB Gbhob Gubab GIS ha IBRD IFA IFY ITTO JICA L of N LRRS m3 MM NAA NARI NB NFCAP no. NG NGF NGIB NGO NGVR NZ NSW NTSC OISCA P or p PIB PIR PNG PNGAA PNGAF PNGFA PNGFIA PNGRIS PNGUT POM Q QF RAE RPC RRA SFM SP

Forest Red Gum Forest Research Institute Lae Bulolo Forestry College Girth above buttress Girth breast height over bark Girth under bark above buttress Geographic Information Systems Hectare International Bank for Reconstruction and Development Institute of Foresters of Australia International Year of the Forest International Tropical Timber Organization Japanese International Cooperation Agency League of Nations Land Resource Soils Survey (branch of CSIRO) cubic metre Military Medal National Archives Australia National Agriculture Research Institute New Britain PNG National Forestry and Conservation Action Plan Number New Guinea New Guinea Forces (relates to plant collection of Lae Herbarium) New Guinea Infantry Battalion Non-Government Organisation New Guinea Volunteer Rifles New Zealand New South Wales National Tree Seed Centre PNG Bulolo Organisation for Industrial, Spiritual and Cultural Advancement International Japan. page Papuan Infantry Battalion Pacific Islands Regiment Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea Australia Association Papua New Guinea Australian Foresters Magazine Series Papua New Guinea Forest Authority PNG Forest Industries Association Papua New Guinea Resource Information System PNG University of Technology Port Moresby Queensland Queensland Forestry Royal Australian Engineers/Australian Army Royal Papuan Constabulary Rapid Resource Appraisal Sustainable Forest Management South Pacific 18

UK UN Unasylva UNE UNEP UNI UNITECH UNRE UPNG UQ US USA TPNG TUBL TA TA TRP Vol VSF WA WB

United Kingdom United Nations Journal of FAO of UN University of New England Armidale NSW United Nations Environment Program University University of Technology Lae PNG University of Natural Resources and Environment University of Papua New Guinea University of Queensland United States United States of America Territory of Papua and New Guinea Territory United Brewery Ltd Timber Area Timber Authority Timber Rights Purchase volume Victorian School of Forestry Western Australia World Bank