KEITH JACKSON
LATE yesterday morning, Ben Jackson collected the three Papua New Guinean writers, Francis Nii, Daniel Kumbon and Martyn Namorong as well as Julie Kumbon, from Noosa Blue Resort and – on a rather grey and misty day – they began the two hour drive south to Brisbane.
Their encounter with Noosa had three focal points: a meeting with ordinary Australians at a buffet lunch; a more formal event for local writers, politicians and media; and a working session to plan the PNG appearance at the Brisbane Writers Festival, which starts today.
Soon after reaching their accommodation at the Riverside Southbank Hotel – adjacent to the Festival precinct – the writers were guests of honour at a gathering of friends of PNG organised by Murray Bladwell, Rob Parer and Bob Cleland.
Amongst the guests were Rashmii Amoah Bell, who will join the male writers at Friday’s PNG presentation (12:30 in State Library of Queensland, Auditorium 2 – be there), PNG Consul General Maggie Moihe, literary mentor Ed Brumby, Maibry Astill, Jim and Ciana Fenton, Patrick and Queena Hynes, Russell Boden, Greg Poulgrain and Bernard Corden.
It was another warm Australian welcome to the writers participating in this first ever appearance by Papua New Guinean authors at an Australian literary festival.
In Noosa the previous night, the director of the upcoming first ever Sunshine Coast literary festival, Wendy O’Hanlon, extended an invitation to PNG writers to be special guests at next year’s event.
Meanwhile, people the writers had met in Noosa were filling my inbox with compliments.
“We very much enjoyed the experience of meeting Francis, Daniel and Martyn,” said Chris Thomas. “We admire these men for their intelligence and courage.”
“We particularly appreciated the chance to learn and share with your guests Francis, Daniel, Julie and Martyn,” wrote Ian Hauser. “They are all very valuable assets to their country and its people.”
And Rod Ritchie of Creative Publishing Services said of the writers: “Their generosity with gifts was something I have not before witnessed in the many, many such events I’ve attended.”
Daniel Kumbon even had a gift for three-year old Leilani Jackson – a beautiful Enga bilum - on the eve of her great adventure with Ben and Becky in PNG.
One thing we didn’t shirk in this literary endeavour was in ensuring we would not let disability stop author and writing administrator Francis Nii making his first – and deserved – visit to Australia.
Francis has impressed everyone with his quiet dignity, his gentle humour and his ability to focus succinctly and with great insight on tough problems and issues.
We were all glad to have the capable and compassionate Daniel Kumbon along with us – manoeuvring Francis’s wheelchair (bought for him a couple of years back by PNG Attitude readers) – was not in Daniel’s job description but thankfully he volunteered for a role requiring both strength and delicacy.