Abba awaits exit from army

After years of loyal and rewarding military service,Chimbu man looks to a well-earned retirement

By PAUL MAIMA
ABBA Maima is a veteran soldier from Chimbu who is popularly known as “The Dragon”, a name synonymous with his prolific military skills.
He was an inspiration to the youths in the 1980s to 1990s. His photograph with the big machine gun in his hands is immortalised in children’s imagination much like Hollywood celebrity Sylvester Stallone in his Rocky and Rambo movies.
For a village kid, the dream to be in military attire and doing war games was seen as a noble profession of the brave hearts. Fighting in the jungles on land, in the air and sea protecting your country is part of the tales of defenders. But with it comes sacrifice.
Many have lost their lives to save others. Warrant Officer Abba Maima Robert BEM has chosen that carrier and for 38 years has served as a soldier with the PNG Defence Force. He comes from Omkole village in Salt Nomane Karamui district. His journey to become a soldier began prior to Independence in the 1970s.
Abba was born on June 5, 1965 at Togoba Health Centre in Western Highlands run by the Australian SDA missionaries. After a year his parents departed Togoba and set off to the Wahgi valley, to Kundiawa and to South Chimbu. He was raised in a small village called Omkole.
It is a hamlet on a slope running down from cloud-covered Mountain Gugama parallel over to the villages of Dawa, Olwi, Kama Tais and over to Mirima, Siboi Bosila, the big village Sua Deri bordering Gumine and Salt Nomane Karamui districts.
In 1974 at school age he attended Standard 1 at Sua Primary “T” School. In 1975 when PNG gained independence on Robert, remembered well, when the colonial district administrators (kiaps) organised the lowering of the Australian flag and raising the PNG flag for the first time at Gumine District HQ with traditional singing and a greasy pole climb for prizes. According to Robert it was an awesome celebration.
In 1976 he was transferred to Delia Primary “T” School (now Doliba High School) where he completed Standard Six 6 in 1979 and he was select to do Form 1 at Gumine High School. That was when “forms” became “grades” so he did Grades 7 to 10 there.
After graduating in 1983, in January 1984, he left behind his parents and his Kere tribesmen of Salt Nomane Karamui and arrived in “K Town” Kundiawa.
Robert still recalls the day, March 28, 1984, when he boarded Talair Twin Otter aircraft which took him from Kundiawa to Jacksons Airport Port Moresby for the first time.
The village boy was on a mission to pursue an army career. On July 16, 1984, young Robert Abba Maima, at the age of 18 years was enlisted into PNGDF at Murray Barracks with recruits (ol wain sain) and departed for PNGDF Goldie River Training Depot.
After a solid six months’ hard army basic recruit training at Goldie he has passed all the army requirements and graduated with flying colours. He was first posted to the Infantry Battalion, Second Royal Pacific Island Regiment (2RPIR) at Moem Barracks in Wewak, East Sepik.
Whilst serving with 2RPIR he was selected to attend the Defence Corporation Program at the Army School of Catering at Puccapunyal, Tobruk Barracks in Melbourne, Victoria in 1989 and 1990.
After returned from Australia he was engaged in Bougainville from 1990 to 1999 and later returned to his unit at Moem Barracks and in 2006 and 2007 he attended Divine Word University to do a course in tourism and hospitality management. However, withdrew at the end of second year 2007 due to work commitments.
One a few most significant events in his military service was when he served the Duke of Gloucester on Nov 28, 2007 on a visit to
Wewak with the former Governor-General late Sir Michael Ogio.
On Sept 13,2015, Robert Abba served the late Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe and his wife during the 70th anniversary of the surrender of the Japanese Imperial Force after World War Two (WWII) at Cape Wom and Wewak Mission Hill.
In 2003 he served a section of the US Navy Seal Training at the sergeant’s mess and survival training at Mushu and Kairuru islands off Wewak.
In 1985 he was part of Operation Apple Pie at the PNG-INDONESIA border to curb border crossings by Irian Jaya refugees.
He has also served the late Great Grand Chief Sir Michael Thomas Somare in many state functions.
Robert was married to Lina Graham from Gumine district through an arranged marriage by his parents while he was in Wewak.
At the end of December 1986 a traditional wedding was held at her village in Mui.
Lina and Robert had three children, two girls and a boy, all were born at Boram General Hospital Wewak, his son was named Gawi after a Wosera man, Robin Gawi. They have three grandchildren.
Unfortunately, Linah succumbed to cancer at Port Moresby General Hospital on Sept 20, 2020 after 35 years of marriage.
In the 2019, Queens Birthday Honours, Warrant Officer Robert Abba Maima was a recipient of the Imperial Award, The British Empire Medial, was invested with the Insignia of an Officer of the Military Division – BEM.
When asked what the feeling was like when receiving the Queens award from the governor-general Abba broke down with tears of joy and paused for a while before saying, “it’s an honour, fantastic.
“This award is for the people of Salt Nomane Karamui “back page,” and I would like to devote it to them as I was the first person from this remote district in Chimbu who joined the army in the early 1980s.”
He was the longest serving Australian Army trained caterer of all time.
Robert is currently attached as the compliance manager at the PNGDF Force Support Battlion at Murray Barracks. May his legacy in the army live on in our history.