Wiru chief bows out with pride

COVER STORY

An officer, father of an MP and chief of a sub-clan leaves what he had loved doing for nearly a half century.

By JACK NOAH YAMAHA
LIKE the saying goes, all good thing must always come to an end.
In this instance the ending, however has been historic in itself and needs to be told not only to impress but also educate, motivate and inspire people especially, the young who want to pursue similar life in their future.
Wiru man Dick Piele Tambua who has been serving the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) since 1972 quit his career this year, with no regrets but a deep sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.
After 48 years of his colourful persevering journey he eventually ended his career on Feb 26 this year as Chief Sergeant Dick Tambua in Goroka, Eastern Highlands.
“Few people in life keep on trying after going through many struggles without achieving what they want in life. I have lived a full satisfying life without any regrets and I think policing was meant for me,” Tambua expressed after resigning from the RPNGC in Goroka.
Tambua originated from a tribe in a Wiru Valley, whose parents and grandparents appeared to be the descendent of a tribe called Kambiri. Wirus are natives of Pangia District in Southern Highlands and they speak one single dialect also called Wiru. It is only spoken in Pangia area and no other places unlike the other major languages, Kewabi and Imbonggu which are widely spoken in others parts of the district.
Very few old people are bilingual, meaning they either understand or speak neighboring Ialibu and Kagua dialects and that is why the Wiru war cries and ceremonial songs during pig feasts and cultural shows are sung in Kewabi or Imbongu dialects of Kagua and Ialibu districts.
They are amiable and very friendly; once when you get to interact with them or if for the first time someone meets up and strikes an acquaintance which could be the beginning of a lasting friendship. But they can also be fierce at times.

World War 2
Some of their forefathers are well-known tribal warriors and few of them gifted archers and hunters who hardly missed targets. During the early days before the arrival of Christian missionaries and patrol officers after the World War 2, there were many ethnic clashes that broke out in different parts of the area and people were scattered all over the Wiru Valley. Some took refuge in caves, along the mountain ranges and in small hamlets or a huts.
This saw men spent much of their time guarding their households during the day and some kept vigil at night in fear of any possible enemy invasion. Around the late 40s whilst Japanese and Australian war planes were seen flying over the empty skies, natives thought some large migratory birds with lengthy wings were flying above their area in search for prey. Curious natives hid themselves from the unusual ‘creatures’ wishing that the ‘birds’ could fly to wherever they were going without spotting the people hidden below them.
Concurrently, some important and powerful alliances were formed to go against another heroic forces. One of them was ‘Meles’, predominantly made up of Kambiri, Yowarene and Wiliri tribes from East Pangia area and is still a formidable force even today.
Some of the Mele tribal heroes’ names are still alive even today after almost a century-old tribal war that left many homeless and forced into the thick jungles and even to fringes of Western Highlands in the Lower Kaugel area before reuniting with their loved ones.
Few old people lived to tell the stories of tribal wars and some even carry scars of colonialism and war stories being told today as legends of the past. During those unprecedented era and time, some children were born whilst in their nomadic lifestyle and every day they had to live with fear while all their men folks were on alert for enemy tribe’s intrusion. Territorial protection was important to the allies from each warring factions, that’s where wives and children took refuge at and surveillances were high.

Contact with white men
In 1962 the Wirus had their first encounter with the outside world or ‘white skinned’ humans with unsuspecting Wirus in their primitive age. This was also when schools were being established however, the fear of engaging with the white men seemed to be a threat to them because of their nomadic lifestyle.
Tambua was never a part of these entire turn of events and could not recall those historical moments as his parents gave birth to him eight years after WWW2 in 1954, in a small hut at Piweipini (now Mele village).
Mayai Kilinga conceived her first child from a man from another clan. She went into labour on July 1, 1954 and gave birth to a cute little son to her husband named Tambua Dik who was from Yareporoi Kambiri clan. Both clans were allies and inter-marriages were allowed even though they come from same tribe but from different villages.
In Wiru custom the name of a first born son or daughter was important to a family or a clan, meaning the name chosen should have some sort of cultural or traditional significance to it. The little fellow was then named ‘Piele’ which was a very rare cordyline or tanget specie. This rare cordyline specie can only be found in the high altitude areas on Mt Ialibu and its leaves are so attractive once worn by males specially to attract young females.
Many names in the area have many ancestral significance to them and that can only be understood by old people. Some of these names are still common in the area such as Polu Waima, Mele Tepi, Malau Kainge, Yowa Liyo, Weipe Tulia, Kimbori Windi, Tama Weru, Poloko Yapera, Were Waira, Alipiko Eka and many others who are still household names in the area today.
Piele grew up just when the first European set foot in the area where his father befriended the Catholic missionaries, apart from Lutherans and Evangelical Bible Mission (EBM) known now as PNG Bible Church.
In 1962 when Piele was 12 years old, missionaries were establishing schools in the area. A government school was also established at Pangia station at the same time.
Piele’s father Tambua wanted his son to be enrolled at the Catholic-run Yareporoi school but he thought otherwise and followed Evangelical Bible Mission Missionaries led by his uncles, Norombu, Piku and Wiai Waima and their in-law Timba Liyo.
The young Piele made some very critical decisions at a very tender age and that was the mindset he had even his biological father could not convince. At that age when he knew very little or nothing about the outside world apparently his faith birthed by the Evangelical Bible Church grew from strength to strength.
Peile’s education journey started in the year 1962 when he did standard 1, although he was quite big in age (12-years) at that time. He pursued education with a passion to learn. He attended EBM-run Mele Primary School some 19 km from his village, for some months (the school is non-existent today).
He later decided to transfer to Pangia Primary School to complete the remainder of that year before he sought transfer to another school elsewhere again. Within the years (1962-1964) Piele changed schools and his standard one took him three years to complete, due to differences in the churches and their influences he could not attend anyone of the schools in Pangia, neither Pangia Primary nor the Catholic run Yereporoi Primary School which shares borders with his Maia village.
“By then my age was a little over the rest of the kids such as the former Ialibu-Pangia MP Pundia Kange, whom I was supposed to be with in the same grade. At the end of 1964, I decided to look for another mission-run school and this time it was the Seventh Day Adventist school at Iombi village at the foot of Mt Giluwe in the Imbongu district.
“The SDA school was more advanced than other government and church run schools so in 1965 I did standard two. In 1966 I decided to return to Pangia because of some difficulties in terms of transportation and food because school was established in that same year and school could not provide us any food,” he recalled.
“I spent two years in that school and later asked for a transfer.”
In 1967, with a transfer card, he approached the Pangia Primary School headmaster, a tough-looking Englishman. The headmaster disapproved Tambua’s transfer with disbelief that Tambua’s age was over the rest of the kids in the particular class he was enquiring to enroll in. The only classes that he could be accepted for was either standard five or six which had children of his age group. So the headmaster refused to accept Tambua in standard three.
About to lose all hope, he thought that was it for him, but with a little perseverance, he did everything in his ability to be educated. He then approached his own village councilor named Yoke Maka so that he would take his case to highest level.
Councilor Maka took it upon himself and talked to the district commissioner or kiap Peter Barber. Fortunately, the young councilor had a very good working relationship with the kiap so Tambua was re-enrolled without further questions. In 1968 he did standard three with few local boys like senior public servants Robert Norombu, Tonny Tepi, Jim Kange and Ricks Levongo.
In the standard six national exam, Tambua did very well with a 72 per cent total score but he was not allowed to continue into grand seven in Mendi High School because of his age. Instead his place was taken up by someone else. Sadly, Lady Luck was not on Tambua’s side this time around but he was advised to look for some jobs.
In 1972 there was police recruitment done in Mendi and a disappointed Tambua went and approached a white man named Hunter who was a kiap at that time in Pangia so that he could be allowed to fly on one of the government charters to Mendi for an interview.
Fortunately enough, he was selected to pursue police training at Bomana Police College for six months. Tambua was amongst 71 recruits and his arrival completed the squad of 72 men. He was placed in squad four.
Most of his squad members completed form four or but he and two other recruits were standard six graduates. This was really a difficult situation for Tambua because he was competing against better-educated men who were smart but, Tambua had a burning desire within himself and never lost hope in what he was trying to achieve in life.
The important thing was that he was already in the college and that was his motivation. Besides, in those colonial days cheating and or bribery and nepotism never existed and that was advantageous form him. He put his head down to the academic work and physical training with, dedication and commitment in order to succeed.
After the six months of training, they sat the final examination in preparing themselves for the next chapter which was to be posted as policemen and women to serve all over the country.

Dux of his class
“You see, during our passing out function, our commandant came in and we all stood as a sign of protocol or a culture in respect for higher ranking officers. Everybody during that moment were eager to know who amongst them would come out a dux in the squad. The commandant looked around and called out saying, ‘Constable 4488 Tambua stand up please. Congratulations! You are the dux of both squads’.
“That was through sheer hard work and perseverance I put up for the six months of training.”
“My policing career started when Papua New Guinea gained self-government in 1973. I was posted to Goroka Police Station in the Eastern Highlands in August 1973.
“Whilst in Goroka I was moved around to different police stations in the highlands. In that first year after a five-month engagement I was transferred to Kainantu as a highway patrol traffic officer. Again in the same year, I was transferred to Mendi in Southern Highlands to assist in disaster relief operation where I stayed for six months.”
Being on a government payroll as a policeman didn’t even satisfy Constable Tambua as he had a desire of pursuing high school if given the opportunity to do so. He was prepared to give it all up.
In 1974, he went to Goroka High School and asked the headmaster if there may be a chance for him to attend night classes. Fortunately, the headmaster granted him and other policemen green light to attend night classes. Tambua’s interest to further his studies was so strong during that time that he decided to tender his resignation and this caught the attention of the provincial police commander.
“The commander could not accept my resignation but only allowed me to continue high school studies at nights after work. Ialibu-Pangia MP Peter O’Neill’s biological father, Brian O’Neill was a senior magistrate in Goroka and his friend was the education Inspector in Chimbu so Brian O’Neill made an arrangement for me to attend Kerowagi High School to do standard eight with full pay as a police officer.”
At Kerowagi High School, nobody in the school knew that he was a policeman except the headmaster. Everybody was so surprised to see him in full police uniform to celebrate the country’s political independence on Sept 16, 1975.
“In 1976 I was selected to attend one-month advance course in Queensland Police College in Australia which I did very well and the instructor highly recommended me to the PNG police commission.”
In the same year Tambua underwent senior constable course in Bomana for three months, was promoted and returned to Goroka with a new rank. He was appointed second in command at the Goroka traffic section.
“My interest in completing high school was still there even though I was tied up with policing work so in 1977 I did grade nine in Goroka High School but got pulled out, due to the establishment of the Highlands Highway Patrol Unit.”
In the same year Tambua got married as well. In those days you have to wait till you complete five years as a single man and only then are free to marry a wife.
“I got to put up with discipline which were required of us as the mandatory elements as to become a real police officer. In 1977 I was transferred to Chuave in Chimbu to establish a highway patrol base and another one at Masul in Sinasina district. In 1982 I was promoted as senior sergeant and two years later in 1984 was made a chief sergeant and held that rank up until my retirement on Feb 26, 2021, coincidently the day our founding father Grand Chief Sir Michael Thomas Somare’s passed away.”
One of the highlights of Tambua’s 48-year career was the British Empire Medal (BEM) for life-long service to the Government and people of Papua New Guinea in 2000.
The name Dick Tambua was also synonymous with the highway patrol in the Highlands which he founded an in his capacity as a commander he tamed the once notorious section of the Okuk Highway, the Barola Hill which was controlled by well-known criminal gangs responsible for carjacking, armed holdups, rapes, killings. Even policemen were scared to go there.

Well respected chief and orator
Chief Sgt Dick Tambua is a no-nonsense guy and well respected orator from Maia village. The village is perched at the edge overlooking the big Polu River to the east and at the south of Pangia station. The four legendary lakes perfectly positioned to the west of the village in the distant are like sentinels keeping watch for any enemy invasion or fending off attackers.
The mystical Yareporoi Lake has some fascinating symbolic or allegorical significance to the tribe and that transcends many people and tribe’s understanding in the area. It is the only one seems to be in a welcoming mood to passers-by like a motionless giant napping without sign of any aggression surrounded by small typical highlands vegetation at the side of the main road.
The tribe’s name, Yareporoi Kambiri, is also derived from that lake and the tribe is one of the dominant forces in Ialibu-Pangia politics for many years.
Maia village could also be the first in PNG history to have produce three parliamentarians at different times in different electorates of the country; Pundia Kange, two-term former member for Ialibu-Pangia, James Yakip, one-term former member for Middle Ramu in the Madang and current member for Goroka Open Aiye Humai Tambua who is Dick’s eldest of six sons and two daughters.
There are 13 Tambua siblings and with their extended family, they now number 110, which is more than enough to become a sub-clan.
Two of the better known Tambuas are BSP Financial Group’s offshore boss and Dick’s younger brother Kili, and Aiye the current MP for Goroka.

• Jack Yamaha is a freelance writer.