Part 3: Return to the mission field

Tony and Rod re-live the legacy of their grandfather, Henry Percy Schlencker

By TONY SCHLENCKER
IN my last article I wrote of the airport reception by the GOKATA United Church of Boku Circuit. Saturday, November 19, 2016 My brother Rod and I had travelled to Port Moresby yesterday to conduct a reconnaissance visit to prepare for the opening of a new church which is being built at GOKATA, Boku circuit.
We had been invited to attend the church opening next year to represent Rev Henry Percy Schlencker, our grandfather, who had founded the first church in Boku.
By the time David Bola collected us from the hotel and drove to nearby Jacksons Airport parking lot, the morning was already warm and there were about 50 people waiting for the journey back to Boku. The parking lot was the rendezvous point that morning for the community that is scattered across the city.
In our vehicle David was driving and we also carried Duri Tom, the younger brother of the chief, Goodwin Tom who was supposed to be riding with us but as he was running late Duri accompanied us.
Our convoy was six vehicles. Duri’s vehicle was leading the way with his twin cab ute loaded with eight or so people in the open back in the full sun.
Our landcruiser was next and the others followed on behind.
Our first real stop was at Kwikila, where the Boku Bell is currently housed in the care of Roger Pusili from Dobikomana.
The bell was cast by John Warner and Sons in 1908 in London and bought to the coast and then transported inland for a distance of about 80 kilometres. It would have been manhandled along foot tracks and weighing 200 kilograms it requires eight people to carry it. It is about 80 centimeters high and 60 cms in diameter. It was recently in another village but Pusili went and collected it, bringing it home so that in future it might be repaired and taken back to Boku.
The bell was originally housed in an open structure for many years at (Mamakomana) Boku Hill around the end of 1910. Eventually after fifty
years or so the structure became fragile and brittle and so the bell was relocated to a mango tree. In the 1960’s the mango tree was struck by lightning and the bell fell to the ground and a large chunk broke off.
An attempt was made to weld the pieces together but it was impossible to repair in Port Moresby. Kurona has had contact with a company in Melbourne who said they can repair it by making a cast and then melting down the broken part and recasting it back to the main portion.
We now left the main road heading inland, crossing the Kemp Welch River and then left the bitumen for a steadily deteriorating dirt road and then track as we started climbing into the foothills of the Owen Stanley Range. The track was fine but a little rough in places and the drive was steady but slow. It started as a good dirt road and ended up pretty much a track, but at least it gives access to the villages inland.
There was a quick stop at the local community school so that we could see Mamakomana, where Grandpa and Granny had their house for the time they were in Boku. Mamakomana means “The Hill where Light Lives”, in reference to the fact that Percy lived there and he bought the Light of the Gospel to the people.
This was the same location to where the historic photo we have of the “House at Boku” taken by Grandpa. Percy’s original house burnt down in 1911 when the family was on furlough and they lost all their possessions. They never returned to Boku but were stationed at Orokolo, in Gulf on their return to Papua New Guinea.
The village people were severely embarrassed by this disaster. Thinking that Silinka (their pronunciation of Schlencker) might think he was not welcome any longer in Boku, the villagers rebuilt the house, but their beloved Silinka never returned. The arsonist, if there was one, was never identified.
Percy was important and is remembered as he had the biggest impact having been the first one to bring the Light to the villages. Percy bought not only the “Light of the Gospel” but civilization and technology to the villagers.
One kilometer outside Boku we stopped, on top of a hill, to wait for all the other vehicles in the procession to catch up. The six cars were then decorated with branches, palm fronds and creepers, stuck onto the cars with sticky tape. This is a traditional way of approaching the village and in the old times the victorious warriors would be decorated when they returned from a successful campaign. We descended the hill and for the kilometer into Gobu Komana with all horns blasting: again the noise was a traditional way of announcing the return of the warriors. At least that was how it was in the old days, but today it signified warriors returning victorious with the return of Percy’s family after 115 years.
It was a most emotional time for many of the people, as in Port Moresby.
As we started the final approach to the village Duri broke down in tears at the significance of the event, a sign to us as to just how important it was for the family to be finally reconnected us to the villagers. It was only then that I realized just how important to the villagers this homecoming was.
When we arrived at Boku there were a couple of hundred people there to greet us and there were quite a few tears in the crowd, such was
the importance of the reconnection to our family; a greater significance than we had envisaged.
Our arrival was challenged by a traditional warrior challenge with the traditionally dressed men complete with kundu drums and women dancing. We were approached by two regally attired warriors complete with ash blackened faces and a long spear each and as they ran towards they stopped just a metre short andthrust the spear into the ground.
Even though it was just a ceremonial act and we knew what was happening, it was pretty terrifying in itself.
I couldn’t imagine how Grandpa would have felt in the same circumstance on his first arrival in the village. I am surprised that he lived to tell the story. He must have been an extraordinarily brave and confident man.
After the warrior welcome we were treated to a drama of the arrival of Percy into the village. The story has been passed down from generation to generation as a part of the village’s oral history taught to each generation as an important part of their history.
Reverend Henry Percy Schlencker and his wife Bessie had three children- Lucy, Harold and Charles.
Tony and Rod are the sons of Charles Schlencker.

• Next week: a drama re-enactment of the arrival of Rev Henry Schlencker in 1901 at Boku.