I read with interest The Notebook article by Kevin Pamba in The National and have been prompted to write a response on events in Port Moresby on the previous day.
I was returning to my office in Elanese Street off Lawes Road, when I saw three elderly expatriates talking to a large crowd of men, women and children at the PMV stop near the closed service station.
As my house overlooks the shipping wharf I had seen the tourist ship Astoria, come in to deck early that same morning.
I assumed that the three people were probably tourists and my instinct told me they were in potential danger.
Well, the fact that I was held up outside a local engineering company on the previous Friday at lunch time and my project manager was held up in town at 1pm the previous Friday in the centre of downtown National Capital District added to that the fact that criminals in the area have vandalised telephone lines, tells me that criminal activity is rampant in Port Moresby.
So we go back to our elderly tourist. I turned my vehicle around and came to the scene where I asked if I could be of assistance, having lived here for more than 20 years I have a reasonable command of Tok Pisin.
The old lady said she had her camer a stolen and she was asking if it could be found and the film returned.
She said she was not concerned about the camera but the digital chip in the camera contained valuable memories of her trip to Africa, South America, Australia and New Zealand. These images would not be reproduced and they were her record of what was to be her final trip.
The lady in question was a very brave 76-year-old German. She has been knocked to the ground by thugs and her wrist had been twisted until she let go of the camera.
Her two friends were also tourists, aged 72 and 74.
The thieves had tried to steal their cameras too but to their credit they held on and the criminals gave up and ran away.
I took the three people to my place and gave them coffee and arranged for the police to come so they could get details of the event.
As the ship was leaving on the same evening, it was unlikely that the camera would be returned.
I said I would try and follow up on this and then dropped them back to their cruise ship.
I am saddened that nice people like these three cannot take a walk through what is considered one of the better areas of Port Moresby without becoming the victims of crime.
I advised them that it was unsafe to walk around Ela Beach or the town area, both of these have been crime areas involving tourists over the past few years.
I would finally like to appeal on behalf of the old lady that whoever has the camera (cannon digital) or anyone who is offered it at a cheap price to, please return it to The National Office, where they can pick up a K100 for its return if it is in complete working order and with the micro chip containing pictures.
If whoever has the camera does not want to give it back then please return the micro chip as it contains memories that can never be replaced for a very nice old lady who visited our beautiful country.
 

Dave Newton,
POM resident and businessman.