An eastern star falls

– Walter Nombe was a colourful yet humble leader of his community and province.

By ZACHERY PER
FROM the misty mountain tops of Unngai Range in Ungai-Bena district, Eastern Highlands stood a kunai-thatched round-house at Yabiufa hamlet.
The early morning fire place from the interior of the house sends smoke rising from thatched roof into the chilling Unngai mountain breeze.
Further in the round house, labouring mother Aurapa Nombe gave birth to a son Oma Waruta, not knowing he would be the rising star from the east. His name would be Walter, is a derivation from Waruta when his expatriate bosses call him ‘Walter’ instead of Waruta.
News of the birth broke the deafening silence from the mountain top village down to the valley floor disturbing the silence of Koyafayufa and Arikiyufa villages, and further into the tranquility of the colonial administration at Humilavekah (now University of Goroka) in Okiufa where his Yabiufa people had migrated to.
This important event unfolded and Walter Nombe was born in 1941, where the future knight of the British Empire, spent his childhood as grew up in the hands of his late parents Nombe and Aurapa.
When he was old enough, Nombe went to school at Sigoya Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) mission school in Bena, where he attained standard five level of formal education.
Nombe sought employment with that standard five level of education; at that time very few natives attained such level of educational qualification in his part of the world.
However, that did not satisfy him and through sheer determination Nombe went on to complete standard six and further advance Form 4 (Grade 10) through correspondence when he was already a grown man in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Public service
Nombe’s public service career began in 1959; he joined the colonial administration as a filing cerk with the Natives Affairs Department.
The colonial administration of Eastern Highlands District (including Chimbu) posted Nombe to Chuave Patrol Post after a three-month training.
Nombe took care of the patrol post for two years then was transferred to Kainantu sub-district. He met his wife Serah Nombe, they got married on Nov 11, 1964 at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Kainantu. The new couple’s first daughter Ellen was born in Kainantu on Oct 2, 1965.
The administration then recalled Nombe to Goroka in 1967 where he served directly under District Commissioner Herbert Percy Seale.
The young Nombe took every training opportunity that came his way to advance his skills and knowledge in public administration. He attended various up skilling courses on public financial management in Port Moresby and Australia between 1970 and 1974.
He was transferred to the finance and treasury department in 1975 and with finance managers, Paul Frankel and the late Kalangi Bario, they established the Bureau of Management Services (BMS) office.
Nombe then became the first local Eastern Highlander to be promoted to BMS manager (equivalent of provincial treasurer today) when the then BMS manager La’a Ravu died in 1978. He was on that position until he left office in 1982.
Nombe temporarily resigned from the public service to contest the Unngai constituency seat in the 1982 provincial government elections, on condition that he would return to his position if he was unsuccessful.
He won and never returned to the public service.
Nombe was provincial Works minister under the late Premier James Yanepa from 1982 to 1987.
Nombe successfully retained his seat in the 1987 provincial election, and became premier and served from 1987 to 1991. The establishment of Rintebe High School (now Secondary) is his major contribution as the premier of the province.
At the regional level, Nombe was elected chairman of the Highlands Premiers Council. The highlands provinces then were Southern Highlands, Enga, Western Highlands, Chimbu and Eastern Highlands.
One of his major contributions was the transfer of the Faculty of Education from the University of Papua New Guinea to the Goroka Teachers College (now Goroka University of Goroka).
The conversion of the institution into university status brought much relief and satisfactions to Nombe as he had used his influence as chairman of highlands premiers to push for his own Goroka to host the first university in the region.
Nombe lived up to and accomplished expectations required of him during the time Eastern Highlands was under his political stewardship. He did not flinch nor cringe from his responsibilities and was vocal on national and international matters, winning the respect of many Papua New Guineans.
Nombe retained his Unngai Constituency seat in 1991 election, and he became Minister for Agriculture and Livestock; current Henganofi MP Robert Atiyafa was premier then.
After having instituted many development projects and programmes for his Unggai constituency and the province and contributed at the regional and national levels, towards the end of his third term in 1994, the provincial government was suspended thus ending his involvement in active politics.
The National Government introduced reforms to the provincial and local level government and abolished the provincial government system in 1997.
Rest from politics
Nombe then took a much needed rest spending quality time with family and relatives until after the 2002 general election when newly elected governor the late Mal Smith Kela asked of Nombe to assist him and invited him into the provincial executive council (PEC). Nombe was the nominated member representing the communities from 2002 to 2012.
He clocked up 23 years serving as a public servant, 15 years as politician and another 10 years as nominated member of the PEC.
As a well-recognised, respected and reputable leader, Nombe also actively participated in community services. Ge was the chairman of Goroka Cultural Show Society for 10 years (1992-2002).
Nombe was chairman of the organising committee of the largest crusade camp for the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) church at Keiya village in Ungai-Bena district. The camp attracted the church’s World President Pastor Robert Falkenberg came to the event hosted by the 70,000 strong Adventists from Eastern Highlands and Chimbu. Pr Falkenberg met Nombe and his committee and praised Nombe for his tireless efforts.
Walter Nombe became Sir Walter under the Queens Awards in June 2019.
A milestone contribution of Sir Walter was that he, along with his colleague Unngai-Bena knight the late Sir Akepa Miakwe brought in the late Sir Iambakey Okuk to re-enter Parliament as Member for Unggai-Bena in the 1984 by-election. Sir Iambakey then had lost his Chimbu Regional Seat to John Nilkare in the 1982 general election.
“Sir Walter reflected to everyone the true meaning of humility in leadership when one leader recognises and acknowledges leadership quality of a higher stature in another leader. Sir Akepa and Sir Walter displayed true and humble leadership through their deeds,” a family member Robin Oruda said.
Sir Walter after all his unselfish contributions towards the common wellbeing of the people, district, church, province and PNG, was bestowed a high honour by the Queen, the Knight Bachelor of the Empire of the Order of St John (KBE St) for services to the public service, politics, church and community.
Kama Village leader, Kauven Mote in congratulating him on his knighthood said the award was overdue for a person most deserving such as him. “Others not so deserving had preceded him by jumping through the window, coming through the back door or hijacking the vehicle. Even though it is well into his old age, it is a relief for us the common people as you deserved it and it goes down well with us,” Mote said
“Being of humble and unassuming nature, that has been sufficient for him. He had continued living without expectations until recognised very late into his life in his 78th year. Even so, the honour has not even been formally invested on him up to his death; which he had not complained of either, and whether it is done post-humous or not has become inconsequential now,” Oruda said.
Humility, respect, transparency and accountability were core principles of Sir Walter’s in public service, community services and as a pioneer political star that rose to fame from the East.
Oruda stated late Sir Walter had never dared abuse nor corrupt his duties and responsibilities tasked on him. He had put the interest of others before him and found satisfaction in the service of others.
“Our late father had lived a colorful life fulfilling even his contemporaries cannot imagine attempting but dream of. Even educated elites and his children will find difficult to emulate his achievements and can only envy,” Oruda said.
Sir Walter and members of his household were the first to be tested positive to Covid-19 in the first wave towards the end of 2020. After undergoing confinement and surveillance the family came out of it well and healthy.
Oruda said, on Tuesday, Oct 2, he complained of tummy ache, and was taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with appendix and urinary tract infection. He was scheduled for operation at 1pm the next day.
Unfortunately he developed medical complications largely attributed to his old age and died of heart failure at 10.45am on Oct 6, 2021 at the Goroka Provincial Hospital.
“We clarify here that Sir Walter did not die from Covid-19 nor its related Delta variant. He has been medically cleared from it, allowing us to retain the body for normal burial at our convenience,” Oruda said.
“We accept his death as he died of old age; he was just shy of 80 years.
He said family and relatives are aware of the situation currently facing Papua New Guinea as the world suffers a siege from this global pandemic, Covid-19 and its Delta variant.
“Therefore precautions in compliance with security protocols of the pandemic will and are being observed to ensure the safety of mourners and family at this time with the encouragement of masks and provision of hand sanitizers. We have completely discouraged the erection of any haus krai and are, under the circumstances, taking condolences most sparsely,” Oruda said.
Eight days after the passing of Sir Walter, at about 10am on Oct 14, Lady Serah Nombe passed away also at the Goroka hospital. She had largely lived with diabetes towards the latter years of her life, having had her left arm amputated in 2009.
She had recovered well and was in good shape but the unexpectedness of her husband’s passing may have been too much for her.
Her condition deteriorated fast and she was rushed to hospital but died on arrival. It is double tragedy for the family.
The couple leave behind five children, 15 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
They will be buried at their Apoeto home in Yabiufa.