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AUSTRALIAN FORESTERS in PAPUA NEW GUINEA 1922-1975

PNGAF MAGAZINE ISSUE # 9B -5B4E1 of 20th July 2021 FOREST MANAGEMENT. Eminent TPNG Forester Norm Endacott

Survey Boss Boys 1963 L to R Norm Endacott2; Johnny Lowien; David “dokka” Reid, Eric Hammermaster, Jim Cavanaugh, Evan Shield, Peter Eddowes, Pilot Hurrell, Don McIntosh, Bill Jenkin, unknown, unknown, Kevin White, unknown. Photo credit Mary Jenkin. 1Gogol

Editor R B McCarthy3 2021.

Personal Communication Eric Hammermaster 11/3/21. Gogol trial survey Nov to Dec 1963. Based at Utu Catholic Mission Station. Unknowns would include helicopter mechanic of Helicopter Utilities, soils staff of DASF such as Paul Aland and DIES. One of the PNG forestry assistants was Gallope Mato who trained under Jim Cavanaugh pos- war. McIntosh DH and Hammermaster ET 1968 Forest Resource Assessment using Helicopter Transport 9th Commonwealth Forestry Conference 1968. 2 Norm Endacott TPNG Forests 1963-1975. 3 Dick McCarthy District Forester TPNG Forests 1963-1975. 1

Overview4 The recent passing of respected forester and IFA Fellow, Norman David Endacott (16/11/1941 to 24/9/2015), represents a loss of more than 70 years of forestry experience and has greatly saddened Victoria’s forestry community. Norm enjoyed an unusually variable 50year forestry career before spending a further 20 years in supposed retirement working tirelessly as a passionate and practical advocate for multiple use forestry. Norm’s determination to defend and promote forestry was borne of frustration at how it was being routinely misrepresented by simplistic environmental campaigns played out in the media, and concern about how this was increasingly driving unwarranted political decisions that were overturning sensible forest management. He and forestry colleagues from past eras were also aggrieved that their contribution was being unfairly denigrated by critics unaware of the challenges they’d faced, particularly during war time and the post-war housing boom. Norm’s Early Life Norm grew up in Melbourne’s bayside suburbs before accepting a Scholarship to attend the Victorian Forest Commission’s School of Forestry at Creswick in 1938. Following his graduation in 1940 he embarked on a 20-year field career with the Forests Commission, firstly in East Gippsland, and then variously in the northeast and central western Victoria. From the early 1960s his career diverged from that of the typical forester of his era as he variously took positions in PNG, Southeast Asia, and Europe until his retirement in the late 1980s. Photo 1944 Bruthen. His first posting to Bruthen in East Gippsland from 1940 - 46 saw him gain a strong grounding in such forestry basics as timber production, silviculture, and fire control. At that time, timber was vital to the war effort and there were grave concerns when a strike by sleeper cutters seriously disrupted supply. At a young age, Norm became embroiled in the murky world of industrial relations. His steep learning curve continued when, in 1945 at just 24 years of age, he was forced to step into the role of District Forester when the previous incumbent suddenly resigned to join a private timber company. In 1948, following two years at Melbourne University completing a Bachelor of Science in Forestry, Norm was appointed District Forester for the Upper Murray District in Victoria’s far northeast. His five years in this role coincided with a push by Australia’s forestry authorities to increase the use of hazard reduction burning to help mitigate the bushfire threat. While the Commission directed its District Foresters to do more burning, they gave them few if any additional resources to make it happen. Norm overcame this impediment by supplying local mountain cattlemen with matches and encouraging them to light-up the country each autumn as they moved their herds back down from their alpine grazing runs.

Obituary The Forester February 2016 p28 and the Age publication by Mark Poynter

The cattlemen did not need much encouragement and soon the district was ablaze with indiscriminate burns which blanketed the northeast in thick smoke. Unfortunately for Norm, this coincided with a visit by the Forests Commission ’s hierarchy to the nearby tourist town of Bright where they were met with bitter complaints about the choking smoke. Not long after, Norm was informed that he would be transferred to Daylesford. He had little doubt that the two matters were related. Norm’s five-year stint as the District Forester at Daylesford from 1953 – 58 was arguably the most rewarding of his career. The district encompassed the western half of the Wombat Forest which was recovering after having been heavily exploited for firewood, mine props, and sawn lumber before the advent of organised and regulated forest management around the turn of the century. Norm oversaw a substantial program of silvicultural improvement designed to help restore the forest’s productivity. It was a task which he keenly embraced, and it fostered within him a special affinity for the Wombat Forest that would re-surface decades later as campaigns were being mounted to close down its local timber industry. In 1958, Norm took Long Service Leave and travelled to the UK and Switzerland to examine European forest management. Upon his return, he was offered the job of Chief Forestry Officer with Victoria’s then State Electricity Commission. Unfortunately, this proved to be largely a desk-bound, administrative position which gave him little satisfaction. Norm’s PNG Time In 1963, Norm obtained a position with Papua New Guinea’s Department of Forests, initially based at Port Moresby. Before long he was appointed as the Regional Forest Officer for the Mainland Region based at Lae where he would remain for seven years.

Gogol Survey 1963 Evan Shield, John Lowien, Eric Hammermaster, Bill Jenkin, Norm Endacott, Kevin White. Photo credit Mary Jenkin.

The first ‘chopper’ used in forest survey work. Gogol forest survey, Madang 1963. Photo credit Peter Eddowes.

David Read, Kevin White, Norm Endacott and others 1963 in Kiap Gogol Survey Rest House. Photo Credit Mary Jenkin.

Gogol Survey Boss Boys 1963. Photo Credit Mary Jenkin.

Log pond Tokyo 1972.

Norm is fondly remembered by other PNG foresters of the pre-independence era – such as Jim Belford, Chris Done, Bob Thistlethwaite and Dick McCarthy – as a thorough gentleman at a time when they were not too thick on the ground. At the time, PNG’s ex-pat Australian foresters typically wore a ‘uniform’ of long shorts and tall white walking socks. . Alan and Chris in white sock uniform enjoying a quiet coldie, after the presentation for the Papuan Rally 1973. Photo credit Chris Done.

Norm became locally renowned for his habit of carrying a toothbrush (pidgin English tutbras) stuffed down his walking socks. (5 tooth in pidgin is tis and teeth in pidgin is tit). Was this the beginning of Norm’s forestry advocate role later in life?

Life after PNG In 1975 after PNG gained its Independence, Norm took advantage of the generous compensation arrangements offered by the Australian Government and accepted the offer of a four-year contract with the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation working on a project based in the Philippines. Ultimately, he found this to be professionally unrewarding mostly because of the uncooperative attitude of the host government.

Photo 1976 FAO Philippines

From 1978 to the mid-1980s, Norm worked as a forestry consultant mostly for Jaakko Poyry’s UK and Swedish branches and their subsidiaries. Projects were mostly focussed on timber industry feasibility in developing countries including Indonesia, Fiji, PNG, China, and South Africa.

Cartoon from Bob Brown’s Grass Roots Guide to PNG Pidgin South Pacific Post

On his return to Australia after so many years away, Norm was disturbed that ‘extreme green’ views had substantially lowered the public’s opinion of forestry and foresters. Following his retirement in the late 1980s, he embarked on his own personal crusade to right this wrong and it is his tireless efforts in this regard over the following 20 or more years for which he is now most fondly remembered. In 1990, he gathered a group of kindred spirits from amongst his former Victorian forestry colleagues to form the “Committee of Concerned Foresters”. The group decided to lobby the conservative side of politics after considering the Labor government to be a lost cause. While the group did not endure, Norm continued to write countless letters to newspapers and politicians and prepared numerous personal submissions to government initiatives such as the preparation of forest management plans, and regional forest agreements. He also lobbied Victorian public land management agencies about perceived deficiencies with their practices, which was not always appreciated. His particular focus was the Wombat and Otway forests in Western Victoria, and it was not uncommon for letters to local newspapers to spark vitriolic public exchanges, particularly given Norm’s penchant for writing in an entertaining but eloquently blunt manner that could sometimes offend ‘green’ sensibilities. It was some years before he appreciated the value of getting someone else to read and edit his letters before they were sent. By the late 1990s, Norm’s beloved Daylesford had become a vastly different place to what it had been when he had previously resided there in the 1950s. It had become a ‘sea change’ hub with a considerable influx of new lifestyle residents who were often less than enthusiastic about traditional rural activities. To them forestry and timber production were outdated relics of the past that clashed with their vision of a town and district sustained by cafes, art galleries, and tourist attractions and accommodation. Accordingly, Daylesford became a centre of environmental activism directed against timber harvesting in the Wombat Forest and elsewhere. One prominent environmental group at the time was Doctors for Forests – a group which incensed most foresters because of the arrogant notion that medical doctors can be credible advocates on matters for which they have no training or expertise. When Doctors for Forests held a public meeting in Daylesford, Norm attended with a toy stethoscope slung over his shoulders while dressed in a surgical gown with ‘Foresters for Good Medicine’ emblazoned across the back. The local newspaper reported that “the multiskilled medicos’ green supporters wouldn’t let Norm into the meeting. Perhaps they were afraid that he might ...... divert the meeting into a discussion on the desirability of training doctors on how to bulk-bill”. Norm’s fearless persistence and energy were not diminished by old age. In the early 2000s, when he was in his eighties, he secured a site at the Royal Melbourne Show and spent a week or so setting up and then manning a small pavilion decked out in maps, photos, reports and other information about Victorian forestry. One day a leading figure from Doctors for Forests inspected the display before threatening to sue Norm for defamation!

Photo Victoria 2000

Even as a 90-year-old Norm met with the State Environment Minister to discuss the possibility of reinstating timber production in the Wombat Forest – reporting back that the Minister was polite but not very interested. Around this time Norm visited his old stamping grounds in north-eastern Victoria and amazed current day foresters with his keen memory of the locations of roads and dams constructed under his charge nearly 60 years ago. While a willingness to confront and challenge errant or outdated views of forestry were Norm’s hallmarks, few who discussed or debated forestry issues with him over the years could fail to respect his sincerity and extensive knowledge of the topic even if they disagreed with his message. He was one of the first foresters to dedicate huge personal effort to giving his profession a voice in the public debate over native forests, and for this he was deservedly recognised as a Fellow of the Institute of Foresters of Australia in 2011. Norm died during September 2015 at Daylesford in central Victoria following a short illness. He is survived by his wife Jane, and his former wife Joan and their four children – David, Judith, John, and Barbara. The legacy of Norm’s forestry advocate role baton has been passed to his nephew, renowned Australian forestry author Mark Poynter. Mark is an academically trained professional forester with over 40 years’ experience working in both native forests and plantations for both government and private industry in Victoria and Tasmania. This includes 24 years as a Victorian-based independent forestry consultant/contractor. Mark is a Fellow of the Institute of Foresters of Australia and has been a regular commentator on forestry issues in the public arena for many years, mainly via online media outlets. He has written two books on the enviro-political campaigning against multipleuse native forest management, including its implications for effective bushfire management. The most recent of these was published by Connor Court in 2018.

Short Bibliography of Norm Endacott. NAME YEAR OF BIRTH DATE JOINED FORESTRY PNG WHAT WAS YOUR OCCUPATION

Norm Endacott 1921-2015 1963 Regional Forest Officer Mainland Region Lae for 7 years Morobe Province/Port Moresby 1975 1975 -1978 FAO Philippines 1978-80’s Forest Consultant Jaakko Poyry UK & Sweden branches Retired late 1980’s. Activist next 20 years for continued forestry in Victoria

LOCALITIES DID YOU WORK IN WHAT DATE DID YOU LEAVE PNG LIFE AFTER PNG IF YOU WISH TO COMMENT BRIEFLY

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 10

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 11

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