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from the Fletcher archives
Plumbing the depths in Port Moresby
In June 1985 the government of PNG announced a state of emergency in the National Capital District, to combat a deteriorating law and order situation. 1,500 police and Defence Force soldiers, half of them armed, hit the streets or Port Moresby to control the criminal gangs, euphemistically called ‘rascals’. The capital quickly had to learn to live with a nightlife curtailed at 9.30 for a 10.30 to 4 am curfew, road blocks and liquor restrictions.
Robbie Humberstone, plumbing supervisor with Fletcher Morobe, was not quick enough. One Friday night, Robbie and his wife Margaret went to a sports club for dinner and a few drinks. The evening started badly, with Robbie in hopeless form on the dart board although Margaret thrashed all corners on the pool table. Under the curfew all bar sales stopped at 9 pm so they decided to go home at 9.30 pm.
A fellow kiwi, DH, invited them to his house at Korobea to have a few drinks and to stay overnight to beat the curfew. They had to follow DH, not knowing exactly where he lived, and found great difficulty keeping up with Moitaka race track speeds. Several hundred metres from their destination, a brown Mazda station wagon full of PNGians pulled alongside and signaled Robbie to stop. Nothing about the car or men identified them as police, and fearing they were mobile rascals, he pressed on. Meanwhile, DH had disappeared down a driveway somewhere ahead.
Robbie was doing sixty by the time he reached the drive and the Mazda disgorged its load. Robbie thought “Hell’s teeth, this is it� and leapt out of the Ute waving a half metre long knife. A police badge was flashed – they were plain clothes CID policemen carrying out random checks.
Robbie’s sigh of relief was short lived as they questioned him on why he tried to outrun them and then leapt out of the Ute yelling and screaming. Screaming? That must have been Margaret! After a lot of explaining (‘tok save’) the police confiscated his knife, checked his license, warned him about speeding and then left them to it.
While all this was happening DH was safely ensconced in his house, gate locked, doors barred, alarms on and security lights blazing. Robbie and Margaret stayed the night as the curfew hour was upon them. But DH was firmly told what he could do with any future invitation!