Flying around our suburban backyard in the ‘50s and ‘60s was a wooden spear with plaited hair wound around the top. It was a great hit with the local kids – not literally, thank goodness, but, rather, a curiosity, something foreign. Where had it come from?
The spear was given to Dad during the Second World War when he was stationed with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (PNG). It was a gift for ‘fixing a wireless’, or so the family folklore goes. Unfortunately, the family folklore does not go as far as confirming the identify of the giver – was it a Chief or was it a Bishop?
I endeavour to find out…
A spear
The wooden spear is about 3 feet long. The wood is reddish brown, smooth and polished. The spearhead is collared by four wooden prongs with vertical carved grooves ending at the tip. What appears to be indigenous hair is plaited and wound around the opposite end in a recessed section. It’s decorative elements suggest a ceremonial spear rather than a weapon.
It’s showing some wear and tear now; the tip’s blunted, as are the points on the wooden prongs; and there’s a few specks of white paint on the shaft. But, remarkably, the plaited hair is intact and secure.
Before we go into the puzzle of the spear giver, the following is a brief history of Dad’s war service…
Dad’s war service. 19 Aug 1940-26 May 19441
The details have been retrieved from National Archives Australia (NAA): A9301, 18040, Service Record of John Leo Coghlan.
Enlistment Day: 19 August 1940
Dad enlisted in the RAAF in Melbourne, at the age of 30.
Prior to enlisting, he was a driver for the tobacconist D W Reddan Pty Ltd, delivering their wares all over Victoria. It was not his preferred job, but the only one he could get during the Great Depression of the 1930s. His burning passion was telecommunications. He already had an amateur radio licence and was proficient in morse code. A very desirable skill for the air force.
Details from his application form:
Recruitment office: RAAF No. 1 Recruiting Centre, 108 Queen St., Melbourne.
NOK: Peter Coghlan, father. 39 Jackson St., St Kilda VIC
Trade in which it is desirous to enlist: WT* Operator
Experience: PMGs Amateur Operators Certificate
Education: State School Merit. Diploma of Radio and Service Engineering from Australian School of Radio Engineering, Sydney
Trade Test: Morse speed 20 wpm Just suitable G Op** 60%
Reference: 4.8.40 Constable at St Kilda Police Station
Not known to me but from enquiries I believe him to be sober, honest and reliable. Age 29 years, 5 foot 6 inches, medium build, brown hair, medium complexion, blue eyes, dressed in a brown suit with brown shoes and hat. He is a driver by occupation.
Enlisted as Wireless/Telegraphy Oper. Ground (RAAF) Rank: Aircraftsman, Class 1
Daily pay: 8 shillings and sixpence
*Wireless Telegraphist **Ground Operations
August 1940-March 1941
Following enlistment, Dad was sent to the RAAF Training School in Ultimo, Sydney. After about 6 weeks he was sent back to Melbourne and was stationed at the Victoria Barracks in St Kilda Road.
The Romance
A significant event took place during Dad’s time in Melbourne: Jack meets Berna…
One day, Berna’s sister, Dorrie WINTER, runs into Jack and his sister, Nance, as they are walking along Fitzroy St, St Kilda. The families know each other from Cora Lynn, West Gippsland; Mum’s family, the WINTERs, were farmers and the COGHLANs were storekeepers, managing the Cora Lynn General Store. Mum’s brother, Dudley, has joined the AIF. He’s having a send off on Saturday night before heading off overseas. ‘Would you like to come?’ Dorrie asks. ‘Yes,’ says Jack and Nance.
Jack and Dudley were just a couple of years apart: Dad, born in 1909 and Dudley, in 1911. They played cricket for Cora Lynn along with Dudley’s brother Ted WINTER (born 1909). Ted also served in the AIF from 2 July 1940-26 Oct 1944.
Dudley commenced his overseas war service in the Middle East on 16 November 1940, so the party must have been some time before that.
At the party, Jack becomes reacquainted with Berna, Dudley’s sister. The last time they saw each other was about 4 years ago in Sunbury when Berna was working for her Auntie, Susan WINTER, the licensee of the Royal Hotel. Dad, on one of his trips around the state selling tobacco, had a flat tyre outside the hotel. Berna asked Jack if she could help him change the tyre. Not a skill my mother would have possessed, but a nice try. He thanked her and proceeded to change the tyre himself. Auntie Susan, perhaps sensing the situation, said to Berna, “Show Mr Coghlan where to wash his hands” which she dutifully did. I gather nothing eventuated from that meeting.
Previous to the flat tyre episode Jack hadn’t seen Berna since she was 8 years old. He used to serve her at the Cora Lynn store when she stopped off to buy some lollies before school. At that time, he was the 16 year old son of the storekeeper, Peter COGHLAN.
Back to the party…
Berna is now based in Melbourne, at St Vincent’s Hospital, doing her nursing training and Jack’s based in Melbourne too. They exchange phone numbers. Berna thinks he’s taking too long to phone, so she phones him and the courtship begins. They go to the movies, Luna Park and ice skating at St Moritz.
Jack and Berna become engaged within 3-4 months after the party. Jack heads off overseas on 26 March 1941 to who knows where.
‘Seeing him off at Spencer Street station was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do’, she said.
All through his war service years overseas, Dad carried this photo of Mum in his pocket. During the same period, Mum wore her engagement ring on a chain around her neck, inside her uniform.
March 1941-December 1941
Initially, Dad was based in Port Vila, New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) and Noumea, New Caledonia. He spoke very warmly of these islands; the sheer beauty of them and the hospitality of the locals.
From what I can tell, Dad was not assigned to any one particular RAAF unit. His record shows that for a couple of very brief periods, only a matter of days, he was attached to a couple of Squadrons: RAAF No. 11 Squadron and No. 24 Squadron. No. 11 Squadron monitored Japanese shipping movements in the region. They had the Catalinas. Dad used to talk quite excitedly about the transfers he experienced on board the ‘flying boats’, the Catalinas.
The war certainly took a turn for the worse on 7 December 1941 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour. The USA was now in the war. As you can imagine, global communications went into overdrive and Dad’s skills were in high demand. He told us:
I sent morse code for 48 hours during the Pearl Harbour attack.
The constancy, repetitive action and the long stints of sending morse code during this time played havoc with his right arm. He was unofficially diagnosed with ‘writer’s cramp’, a condition which would wax and wane.
January 1942-May 1942
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Dad was moved backwards and forwards between the islands of the South West Pacific and Papua New Guinea (PNG). But once the Americans entered the war he was solidly based in Port Moresby, PNG.
Health Scares
31 December 1941-3 January 1942 Admitted to SSQ (Station Sick Quarters) in Port Moresby with jaundice and a continuous fever for one week with rigors. He was unofficially diagnosed with ‘Black Water Fever’, a serious complication of malaria. He recovered and returned to his duties.
At this time The Pacific War was really hotting up: Rabaul was invaded by the Japanese in January; Singapore fell to the Japanese and the first bombings of Port Moresby commenced in February. Closer to home, Australia was now under threat by the Japanese with the bombing of Darwin on 19 February 1942.
13 May 1942 – 16 May 1942 Another hospital admission to SSQ Port Moresby: ‘Cellulitis left elbow and forearm. Result of fall’.
Dad overheard the doctors say,
‘we’ll have to amputate his arm if these drugs don’t work’
The drugs were ‘sulfa drugs’, pre antibiotics. Fortunately, the drugs did work and Dad kept his arm.
Back home
25 May 1942 Dad returned home as a Sergeant. In the next month, the Japanese landed on the north coast of PNG. I’m sure Dad was glad to be out of there. There’s a tinge of relief on his face in this photo on his return home:
1942-1944 Teaching the WAAFs, Melbourne
Dad’s now ‘superior’ skills with morse code are employed in teaching the women of the Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAF) in Melbourne. However, by October 1942 his right arm is playing up again – ‘muscle spasms in right forearm’ – and he’s unable to send morse code. This recurring condition does not bode well for the continuation of his war service.
16 January 1943 The Wedding
Despite the disability in his right arm, there was still a threat that Dad might be sent back overseas, so, on 16 January 1943, Mum and Dad tied the knot at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, St Kilda. Dad’s sister, Nance, was bridesmaid and the best man was a ‘ring in’. His name was Sgt J L Clarke. I don’t know where Dad met him, possibly when they were both teaching the WAAFs. Dad did not have any brothers to act as best men, but he was very close to his cousins. Initially, he asked his cousin David LEE, a fellow RAAF member, but David was in training and possibly heading overseas, so was unable to attend. Other male cousins had also joined up and were presumably unavailable too.
As you may have read in a previous blog post, An Officer and a Gentleman David LEE was shot down over Germany, reported missing, and then ‘presumed dead’ on 5 November 1944. A tragic end to a well loved cousin.
26 May 1944 Dad is officially discharged
Unsuited to any occupation requiring full use of right hand. Permanently medically unfit for further service. % Disability: 15%. Granted pension of 15 shillings per fortnight. TOTAL SERVICE: 3 years, 280 days.
Returning to Civilian Life
Dad continued to have bouts of malaria. And the disability in his right arm meant adaptations had to be made so that he could get on with life: Mum had to cut up his meals; he had to learn to write and to send morse code with his left hand. In his records, the disability is sometimes called ‘writer’s cramp’ and in later years, ‘dystonia’. He struggled with the unwanted effects of the prescribed medications, muscle relaxants etc, but he battled on. Nothing would stop him from returning to his beloved ‘ham’ radio…
His love of ‘ham’ radio continued right up to the year of his death in 1974…
And he also followed his dream of working in telecommunications: after discharge, he was employed at Broadcast House/ABC radio studios; the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games as a technical instructor and for the PMG as a senior technical officer in telecommunications. Oh. And in his spare time, he made our television and stereo. He also completed a Diploma in television servicing. And for a little extra cash he delivered Noddy’s soft drinks to the local households on the weekends (Mum’s brother Bill Winter owned the Noddy’s factory in Geelong).
A Bishop
Back to the spear…
I’ll start with a Bishop.
I figured there would be more accessible information about a Bishop than a PNG chief.
And yes. There was a Bishop in PNG at the same time as Dad – Bishop Alain Marie Guynot de Boismenu (1870–1953), a missionary priest belonging to the order of the Congregation of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC). He came to PNG in 1898 and established a Catholic mission on Yule Island, 160km NW of Port Moresby.2
A contribution to the Australian Dictionary of Biography written by James Griffin states that Bishop de Boismenu:
‘promoted primary and technical education’.3
He established a technical school on Yule Island in 1924.4 Surely, someone interested in technical education would have a wireless.
Interestingly, as I was researching the RAAF No. 11 Squadron unit history looking for any mention of Dad, (I didn’t find any) I came across Bishop de Boismenu’s name in the Operations Record Book (see below). On 1 June 1941, a Dr Gilpin was transferred from Port Moresby to Yule Island to:
‘render medical assistance to Bishop Boismeneau (sic)’
So, Dad may have visited Yule Island himself (unfortunately, the names of RAAF passengers were not mentioned in the Operations book unless they were officers) or, maybe there was a ‘messenger’, someone who acted on the Bishop’s behalf? Another missionary priest perhaps?
In fact, there was an indigenous MSC priest in and around Port Moresby at the time.
His name was Father Louis VANGEKE, and….wait for it…. he was the son of a chief sorcerer!
A Chief
So, maybe the ‘chief’ idea grew out of a connection with Father Louis VANGEKE. Dad might have had a chat with Father Louis after Mass one Sunday. In his biography, it states that Father Louis had ‘a keen sense of humour’.5 All the more reason for my comedic dad and Father Louis to bond. Father Louis may have told Dad that the Bishop was unwell and he missed listening to his wireless which was broken. And Dad would have said, ‘I’ll fix it for him’.
but…. we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
Let’s learn a bit more about Father Louis VANGEKE, the man, before jumping to conclusions.
Father Louis Vangeke 1904-1982
Louis VANGEKE was a member of the Mekeo tribe of PNG.
According to Eric Johns, the author of a book on Louis’ life, Louis was the son of Vangu Kauka, ‘chief sorcerer’.6 After Louis’ mother died in childbirth, the Sacred Heart missionaries at Beipa ‘rescued the sickly baby’, baptised him ‘Louis’, and cared for him.
He was educated at St Patrick’s boarding school on Yule Island learning French via his ‘close contact with the missionaries’. Bishop de Boismenu asked Louis to consider training for the priesthood. Louis agreed ‘to try’. In 1928 he left Papua to study at the Jesuit seminary in Madagascar. He returned to Port Moresby in 1937 as an ordained priest. He was given a hero’s welcome.
Not only did he have an extensive knowledge of theology and philosophy, he was literate in French, English, Latin, pidgin and his local languages of Kuni, Mekeo and Roro.7
Louis was the country’s first indigenous priest. And in 1970 he was ordained PNG’s first Catholic Bishop by Pope Paul VI at St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney, as recorded in the YouTube clip below:
After becoming a Bishop, he returned to PNG where he was the subject of another big celebration; he became a chief of the Mekeo tribe:
At Beipa’a he was installed as a chief; thousands of people witnessed a syncretic ceremony in a temporary ufu (ceremonial hall). Vangeke said he was now ‘a sorcerer for God’ while his nephew, who inherited Louis’s father’s ‘sorcerer’s box’, was there as his ungaunga (protector) to ward off Satan.8
In 1974 , he was appointed an OBE and in 1980, KBE.9 Bishop Louis became a ‘Sir’.
He died in Beipa, PNG in 1982 at the age of 78.
Mixing PNG culture with the Western world can’t have been easy for Father Louis, but it appears he was held in high regard in both worlds.
I endeavoured to find out more about Louis’ origins, the Mekeo tribe. Their beliefs in sorcery had me a little intrigued…
Sorcery in the Mekeo tribe
I downloaded a free book from the State Library of Victoria (SLV), Mekeo, by Epeli Hau’ofa.10 The following quotes are from this book:
The author and researcher states that the book is ‘based on field research conducted in Mekeo in three periods covering twenty-three months from December 1969 to April 1973’. p1.
There is a hierarchy in the tribe: the chief is the head and the Sorcerer(s) is (are) below him. They work together.
The sorcerer, they say, is the chief’s policeman and bodyguard. When someone becomes a nuisance or a public menace, the chief instructs his sorcerer to discipline or to kill him. The sorcerer does not attack anyone unless instructed or permitted by the chief. p250.
From what I can gather, sorcerers have mystical powers. These powers, Ungaunga* powers, were only given (to certain men) by the deity A’aisa. p229.
…sorcery powers are extraordinary and cannot be handled by an ordinary human being. p234.
An ‘activated’ sorcerer becomes a semi-supernatural being. p237.
They use medicines, cast spells and capture spirits of victims. Ungaunga attacks are assaults on the spirits of the victims. p241.
It’s not all bad. A fully fledged sorcerer can also use techniques to heal. So, even though there is fear, the sorcerer can give people hope. p247.
How did the Missionaries feel about Sorcery?
From the beginning of their efforts the missionaries preached against sorcery, but they neither interfered with nor publicly condemned the sorcerers themselves. This might well have been influenced by the missionaries’ dependence on the goodwill of the chiefs whose authority depended on sorcerers. p22.
There’s a lot to know about sorcery, and I really wanted to know if there was any significance to the hair on the spear, so I concentrated on that:
In the practice of ungaunga five ingredients are allegedly present: stones of power; remains of close relatives and powerful sorcerers; medicinal mixtures; special spells; and personal leavings of intended victims. p221.
‘remains of close relatives and powerful sorcerers’ caught my attention. Could the plaited hair be considered ‘remains’?
The remains include those of deceased patrilineal male ancestors and elder brothers, and when possible, of great sorcerers of the past. The most common items from the deceased are the teeth; but bones, hair, and fingernails will also suffice. The possession of ancestral and other human relics implies the recruitment of the spirits of the dead as aides and protectors. p221.
‘aides and protectors’! I like the sound of that. Maybe the hair on the spear has provided protection for our family…if you believe in sorcery, that is.
*ungaunga = sorcery; sorcerer
In conclusion…
This wonderful spear has lived in the confines of our family group for over 82 years.
Have I solved the puzzle of the giver? No. But I’d like to think these two highly respected gentlemen, were involved:
Despite there being no conclusive answer to the identity of the giver, I’ve come up with a possible scenario:
Bishop Alain de BOISMENU has a wireless. It’s not working. He needs to have it back in working order to keep up with the war news. He asks Father Louis VANGEKE to ask one of the RAAF technical fellows he sees at Mass, to fix it.
Father Louis asks Dad. ‘Yes,’ Dad says. ‘I’d be happy to fix it’. Louis collects the wireless from the Bishop on Yule Island and brings it to Dad in Port Moresby. Dad fixes it and returns it to Father Louis, who, in turn, takes it to the Bishop.
The Bishop is very grateful and wants to give Dad a gift in appreciation of his efforts. Father Louis suggests a ceremonial spear belonging to his father, the chief sorcerer. The Bishop agrees, believing it to be a meaningful keepsake for Dad as he recalls his time in PNG. Father Louis presents Dad with the spear. Dad accepts it with humility and pride.
Maybe I’m right, maybe I’m wrong. It doesn’t really matter. All we really know for sure is the spear was a gift to Dad from a Bishop, a Chief or someone associated with either, for fixing a wireless whilst he was stationed in PNG during WW2. That will have to do.
Footnotes
- Service Record of John Leo Coghlan, National Archives of Australia (NAA): A9301, 18040. ↩︎
- Tok Pisin (New Guinea Pidgin) English Bilingual Dictionary & Encyclopedia of Papua New Guinea https://tokpisin.info/alain-marie-guynot-de-boismenu/ Accessed 7 September 2024. ↩︎
- Griffin, James, ‘Boismenu, Alain Marie Guynot de (1870–1953)’, Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/boismenu-alain-marie-guynot-de-5281/text8905, published first in hardcopy 1979, accessed online 13 September 2024. ↩︎
- Tok Pisin (New Guinea Pidgin) English Bilingual Dictionary & Encyclopedia of Papua New Guinea https://tokpisin.info/alain-marie-guynot-de-boismenu/ Accessed 7 September 2024. ↩︎
- Griffin, James, ‘Vangeke, Sir Louis (1904–1982)’, Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/vangeke-sir-louis-15893/text27094, published first in hardcopy 2012. Accessed online 31 August 2024 ↩︎
- Johns, Eric, Bishop Sir Louis Vangeke; Famous People of PNG, Pearson Education Australia Pty Ltd, South Melbourne, 2002, p5. ↩︎
- Ibid. p13. ↩︎
- Griffin, James ‘Vangeke, Sir Louis (1904–1982)’, Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/vangeke-sir-louis-15893/text27094, published first in hardcopy 2012. Accessed online 31 August 2024 ↩︎
- Ibid. ↩︎
- Hau’ofa, Epeli. Mekeo: inequality and ambivalence in a village society. Australian National University Press, 1981 ↩︎
Excellent Marg. You’ve neatly dovetailed several “Dad stories” into The Spear tale!
Geoff
Thanks Geoff!
Congratulations on a detailed and comprehensive post.
Thank you!
It’s been an interesting exercise
I love this article Marg – it reads like a ‘whodunnit’ and kept me intrigued. The fun is in the mystery. Your photos are wonderfully reproduced here. keep up the good work!
Thanks Het!
I loved this story and it’s an apt conclusion.