Conrad envies progress across border

People
First Secretary to West Sepik Governor Adam Wangu (left), West Sepik Provincial Administrator Conrad Tilau and West Sepik Governor Tony Wouwou.

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
EAST Sepik-born Conrad Tilau envies the advancement in development and pace of progress in neighbouring Indonesia which he sees across border from his office as the provincial administrator of West Sepik.
“The biggest challenge is to match the development on the other side. But we can’t be like Indonesia with super infrastructure. Indonesia is a giant in terms of population and economy. But we can at least build roads and telecommunication.”
He hopes the Government will work with the province on improving infrastructure.
“We have to open a road from Vanimo to Green River along the border. We don’t have a road for people to access Government services and economic opportunities.
“Many have moved into Indonesia in search of schools, health and employment because the provincial government can’t provide them.”
Conrad was born on Sept 5 1960 in Passam village, Wewak, East Sepik. He is the fourth eldest in a family of six – five boys and one girl.
“I was born in the village without modern health care. The village midwives helped my mother give birth to me. There was no road from my village to Wewak. Now the Sepik

West Sepik Provincial Administrator Conrad Tilau and wife Lyn.

Highway built by the Australian Defence Force engineers when I was going to the school runs near my village.”
He attended the Passam Primary School in 1967.
“I never had any birth certificate because I was born in the village. The Australian head master told me to stretch my hand over my head to touch my opposite ear which I did. The headmaster then allowed me to start school. We went straight from speaking the village language to speaking English. Life was hard and my father had to struggle to pay for my school fees. But luckily we had a cooperative society where villagers sold rice and coffee to earn an income.
“I thank my parents for struggling to pay for our school fees. Now only two siblings are in the village. Four of us are working and living in other parts of the country.”
He was the Grade Six dux in 1972 but his father did not have money to pay for his Grade Seven school fees.
When his Australian teacher knew about it, he threatened to send Conrad to Australia to attend school there.
“My father was scared of losing me and assured my teacher that he will pay for my school fees. He somehow managed to raise money by selling coffee and rice to the society.”
In 1973, Conrad was in Grade Seven at Brandi High School.

“ The biggest challenge is to match the development on the other side of the border. But we can’t match Indonesia which is a giant in terms of population and economy.”

“I like schooling because not only do we progress academically, we also have other activities to instill leadership qualities in us.”
After completing Grade 10 in 1976, Conrad attended the Paramed College (now Divine Word University) in Madang. He completed a three-year health inspector course in 1979 and was posted to Northern. From 1987 to 1996, he became the District Health Manager for the Vanimo-Green electorate. From 1996 to 2003, he joined the Vanimo-Green district administration before being posted to Telefomin as the district administrator up to 2010.
He returned to Vanimo as the director corporate services in the administration and in 2014 was promoted deputy administrator until 2017 when he became the provincial administrator.
He married Lynn in 1986. They have four children who have all moved out of the house to pursue their own education and careers. The youngest daughter has just completed Grade 12 this year at St Ignatius Secondary School in Aitape district and will also soon move out.
Conrad thanks his wife for supporting his career. He knows, watching Indonesia from his office, that there is more work ahead.