Speak about your research methodologies at the Museum
I did not work a normal day's work. Most Saturday afternoons were spent in my office doing unpaid work associated with maintaining contact with veterans, cataloguing the items I had collected, looking after the display gallery, etc. So I guess it was fanatical dedication to the task at hand. I had so much to do, and so little time in which to do it. I was determined that as long as I was there, I was going to leave behind a legacy on which others could build. I often think back to the early days with CIL, and how they treated me and the museum with contempt. I could have quite easily imposed stiff restrictions on their activities but I chose not to do so, instead working with them towards PNG's point of view, and then they started working with us, although at times I felt there were still many obstacles. Several visits to the lab in Hawaii helped to foster and develop our close bond. All this culminated with me being appointed an Honorary Member of that organization, and the presentation of a plaque of appreciation in 1984.

What are your feelings on restoration, recovery and display?
These WW2 aircraft belong to the people of PNG, not to anyone who thinks that they deserve to be taken out of the country. At least some of these should remain in PNG, restored by some sympathetic organization, and appropriately displayed in a secure environment, with the rest going to deserving government museums.

I do not agree with commercial recoveries, as I have seen many of these, and the vast sums of money that these exchanges bring as well as untold profits. The US and Australia divested all interest in these relics years ago, Australia in 1952. I feel that too many foreign nationals still think that they can walk in to PNG, do whatever they like, and then walk out. And this includes CIL-HI. They do not understand or appreciate that PNG is a sovereign nation.

I witnessed so much arrogance while living there, it is unbelievable! I was accused by members of the RAAF A-20 recovery team and those from the Australian War Memorial of not looking after their interests when at the end of the day, I was being paid by the Papua New Guinea Government and naturally my loyalty lay with PNG, even though that could and no doubt did jeopardize my relationship with both these organization in the years ahead. I was even asked how long I had been a PNG citizen, and on being told that I was an Australian, could not believe it, and then I was indirectly accused of being a "traitor"! That was the sort of ignorance with which I had to contend while with the museum.

Speak about your photo collection
I have just started the monumental task of going through 20 years of slides, many of which have suffered from the effects of mildew, and placing them in chronological order. I have also gone through all the reports I have written during my many missions in the field with CIL-HI and putting them into our computer within a project I started last year in documenting everything on a daily basis that has happened to me since 1944!, I am currently working my way through the 1993 mission to "Listen Here Tojo".

How did you obtain research materials from the USA?
With Missing Aircraft Reports, during my visit to the National Archives in 1981, my wife and I went through my alphabetical list of casualties that I had prepared over a considerable period of time, and wrote down beside each name, the Missing Aircraft Report number. On returning to Australia, I went through the entire list of over 2,000 names, and put the MACRs in numerical order. I then started ordering copies of the MACRs from the National Archives. I had only completed about 20 files, when the Archives wrote back, requesting that I resubmit my request, limiting it to six MACRs per request. I figured it would take me about 15 years to complete the copying this way, as I had to wait for each request to arrive before sending off the next batch. Then I hit on the idea of asking my veteran friends to each order 6 MACRs, sending them to me, following which I would pay them for the copying and postage. This I did, and incidentally, at my own personal expense which was never reimbursed by the National Museum. So, having about 15 veterans and friends doing this, I was able to considerably reduce the time taken to obtain xerox copies. Then after about a year or more of doing this, the National Archives then put the reports on microfilm, and at that point, I stopped obtaining the reports direct from them, as I did not want microfilm as I did not have adequate storage facilities. I then managed to obtain a few from CIL but not to the extent that they should have been providing them.

Are there any stories about veterans returning to PNG?
One famous visitor was Colonel Brian "Shanty" O'Neill. He and his wife visited Port Moresby, I was able to show him all the old abandoned airstrips. While driving around the taxiway of 17 Mile Drome, over grown with tall grass, I knew that one of the drains that went under the taxiway had collapsed across half its length. I asked Shanty to keep an eye out on his side of the car, but I think he did not understand me, then kerump, I drove my near new car down into this almighty hole! Well, you should have seen the look on their faces! Not to mention my colourful language! Anyway, I could not get the car out, so rather than drag them to a nearby convent, I suggested that they stay with the car. Nope, they thought I would not come back! Hell, I said, I've got a new car to come back to! Anyway, they accompanied me on the walk back to the convent, which was about two miles away. Another memorable moment was with another vet from the 19th Bomb Group. He later went over to a Troop Carrier outfit. He described to me where his tent was, he could see both Wards and Seven Mile. I knew of only one place where that was possible, so I drove him there. Parked the car, and then walked to this little value from which one could have seen both strips, and there were these little flattened areas where tents must have been. He had a look around, walked to one flattened area, and then another, finally deciding that this was his tent area. You should have seen the look on his face. Well, not long afterwards he walked down a few paces, and then had a piss. I asked him where there, as there was a more "sheltered" location nearby. He replied that that was where he used to piss during the war! Now that was cute!

Speak about your travels to the USA to meet veterans
My attendance of the 5th Air Force reunion in Lost Wages was quite a highlight, particularly when I met up with Randy Forrester who asked me to speak at a gathering of his fellow 3rd Bomb Group men. They were enthralled with my work with CILHI. So too were those who attended from the 345th Bomb Group.

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