Gospel reaches Galilo-Part 2

Weekender
HISTORY

This is the second article based on a three-year research on the arrival of the Gospel to the Nakanai people conducted by Rev Sione Kami Memorial Church elder and Secretary of the Department of Transport, Roy Mumu. Elder Roy, and others like Rev Sir Samson Lowa (former Moderator of the United Church), are prominent sons of Galilo Village in Nakanai, one of the eight tribes in the Talasea District of West New Britain.


By ROY MUMU
THE Samoan Methodist pastor/teacher Samoa Tai, with his Samoan helper Ulia, first preached the Gospel on Galilo soil on Sunday, Aug 26, 1918.
From that day, God began a sovereign work among our people. A small Bible school was promptly set up in the pastor’s temporary house and students with the desire to serve God began to receive training. Many men and women from Galilo, moved by the Spirit of God continued to attend the Christian Training Centre in Malalia (Vartovo Ikilik) when it was established and put their hands up to take Good News of Jesus Christ to our neighbouring areas.
During the centennial celebrations last year, on Aug 26, 2018, all descendants of former ministers and maramas, pastors, Sunday School teachers and church workers received certificates to acknowledge the efforts of their parents/grandparents for the sake of the Gospel. Even descendants of mission teachers and pastors from Kabakada and Vunairoto in East New Britain, who served among our people, attended.
I received a certificate on behalf of my late mother, Sarah Dome Mumu, and my elder sister received our late father’s certificate. Mum and dad were Methodist missionaries who worked among the people of inland East Nakanai. My wife, Vunais, also received her late father’s certificate whilst her mother, (my mother in-law), received her certificate, as well as for her father, Samuel Ragi who was one of the first three Nakanai pastors/teachers to be trained in Galilo by Samoa Tai in 1918/19. His name is recorded in the book, One Hundred Years on the Islands, 1875-1975”

Light dispels darkness
The arrival of the light of the gospel did what it customarily does – it dispels darkness (Isaiah 60:1-2; Matt 5: 14-16). My people were living in abject darkness, as do all mankind before the advent of the gospel.
In an article he wrote in 1965 entitled Pilgrimage to Nakanai, missionary Rev Arthur Brawn wrote about the practice of infanticide. When twins were born, one baby had to be killed. Rev Arthur and his wife Jean Brawn were based from 1932 to 1935 at Malalia. During that time, the Brawns, who already had an older son, Jim, were blessed with twins – born prematurely!
With the culture of the people in mind, the Brawns kept their twin girls inside the house in a tia (Nakanai traditional basket) for the first six months of their lives.
The Nakanai midwives and old women may have been curious at what these missionaries would do with their twins. Would they kill one? But in the providence of God, it so happened that the first Methodist nursing sister, Edna Williams, was posted to Malalia in 1933.
Sister Edna supported the family, especially with goat milk which was introduced in Malalia since it took four days to arrive on the mission schooner from Kabakada. If there was no milk, a runner had to be sent to Talasea for assistance from the kiap. So here her help to the family was enormous.
When the family eventually brought the twins out after six months looking healthy, it must have caused a “cultural shift” among the Nakanai midwives to see that it is possible to look after twins, rather than lose one.
With proper care from their parents and nurse Edna, both girls, Edna (Malalia) and Nancy (Marlu), grew up as young women without any defects, proving again that God’s ways are better than the ways of our forefathers.
Besides infanticide, there were many other pagan practices that were exposed and dispelled by the light of God’s word. Incidentally, Edna-Malalia, who married George Oakes, the son of another missionary, kept the tia until eight years ago when she donated it to the Sydney Museum. Shortly afterwards, she posted on Facebook an emotional tribute to her tia which she called, Container of memories.

Medical staff
The medical staff in any missions’ outpost play a vital role in supporting those on the front lines as they serve the Lord. Their work is greatly appreciated. Sister Edna Williams was joined in 1935 by Sister Alice Mills. Others nurses who followed them in the years following were Sisters Mary Woolnough and Margaret Harris. These are the ‘unsung heroines’ who served God behind the scenes!

Their sacrifice
I had the wonderful opportunity to meet one of the twins and her husband in Sydney in 2016. Edna-Malalia Brawn and her husband, George Oakes, are both 85 years old.
George’s parents, Rev and Mrs Dan Oakes, were Methodist missionaries based at Vatnabara, Duke of York Islands. George was born in Vunairima in January 1934 while Enda and her twin sister, Nancy, were born in Malalia on Sept 17,1934. The Oakes family then got transferred to Pinikidu Methodist Mission along Boluminski Highway in New Ireland where George grew up.
Soon, the Second World War broke out. There were now disruptions to the work of God and families were being separated. When evacuation commenced, Rev Oakes stayed in Pinikidu whilst Marama, with George and his younger brother, left Kavieng on the ship mv McDhui (now a wreck in the Fairfax Harbour, near Tatana).
Rev Oakes unfortunately was captured by the Japanese and died on the Montevedeo Maru prisoner of war (POW) ship that the Allies mistakenly fired at and sank in Philippine waters. On board that ship was another of our missionaries, Ps Ron Wayne. Ron was a Methodist Church administrator who too was based at Malalia.
Pastor Wayne and Rev Oakes were among many Australian soldiers and civilians working in PNG, including Methodist ministers, who perished on that ship.
Years later, George and Edna-Malalia followed their parents’ footsteps in returning to the land of their birth. George became a kiap (patrol officer) and they took their first posting to Pomio, in ENBP. They are now retired and live in Sydney, Australia.

Commemoration
During the centennial celebrations held last year, the Brawn family made a contribution by way of a book called, Journey to Nakanai, 1932-1935, written by their father, iRev Arthur Brawn. The book was launched at the Galilo United Church by Rev David Sauten.
A monument to commemorate the 100th year anniversary was also unveiled and dedicated by the Bishop of New Britain Region, Rev Waninara. The monument was sponsored by me and another son of Galilo, the late Sir Brown Bai. (Incidentally, the 2015 Galilo United church inauguration monument was sponsored by another Galilo son and former United Church Moderator, Rt Rev Sir Samson Lowa).
These monuments are markers telling of the goodness of God upon our people and a challenge to the younger generation to take over from where their parents have left off and to continue to take the Gospel out to the other parts of PNG, and indeed beyond our shores!
As I conclude this article, I stand amazed at the love and mercy of God to reach out to my Nakanai people with the Word of Life. Many faithful men and women of God left their shores to come to our land to work among our people.
I salute these selfless servants of God and thank them for their sacrifice. But as we proceed along into our next 100 years, I pray that the Lord will find many more faithful servants of God from Galilo, and the Nakanai area as a whole, and use them mightily to further His Kingdom purposes on the earth.
interested Nakanai people can contact the author on [email protected]

References:

  • Extracts from One Hundred Years in the Islands: The Methodist/United Church in the New Guinea Islands Region 1875-1975 Book”, Neville Threlfall, (1975)
  • Rev Arthur Brawn: Pilgrimage to Nakanai (1965) article,
  • Mangroves, Coconuts and Frangipani -The Story of Rabaul-Neville Threlfall-(April 2013)
  • When the War Came, PNGAA (July 2017),
  • Rev Arthur Brawn and Rev Dan Oakes Family -“Journey to Nakanai 1932-1935” book.
  • Personal acknowledgements also to Rev Neville Threlfall and Marama Margaret Threlfall, Rev Don and Annett e Marshal, Marama Winsome Sharp and late Rev Alan Taylor
  • Personal thankyou to Rev Seik Pitoi for final editing of both parts to this Galilo Story.