Remembrance Day Statement from the Prime Minister of Papua New Guine
On Remembrance Day we pay respect to the brave men and women, veterans and those who did not return, who served their country.
They came from their villages and towns to take up arms in a war that was not of their making.
It is almost impossible to imagine the conditions our forefathers fought under in the fighting that began on this day in 1942.
In the heat and mud of the jungle on the Kokoda Trail – they fought and they attended to wounded.
We remember the villagers who came out to help wounded soldiers.
The iconic photograph of Raphael Oimbari, walking the Australian soldier who had been blinded, is a display of brotherhood that crossed race and culture.
The Kokoda Trail has become a very important place of commemoration for Australians who come to pay their respects.
They seek to gain a better understanding of the place where their soldiers fought.
I would like to see more Papua New Guineans visit the Kokoda Trail.
It is important that we learn more about our people who also served under such terrible conditions.
I would like to see more of our people take the challenge to experience the Kokoda Trail and pay homage to all who died there.
Right around our nation today people are attending services to remember the fallen.
From Kokoda to Bougainville, Milne Bay to the Sepik coast, and many more places in between – the remains of our brave men and women lay buried on these battlefields.
Our people served alongside Australians, Americans, the British, New Zealanders and soldiers of other allied nations.
They earned the respect of these visiting soldiers and created a shared history that has become part of many national identities.
Today is also an opportunity for modern disciplined forces to be proud of service history in our country.
I ask our disciplined services personnel to reflect on those we commemorate today, and do all you can in your job to live up to the high standards that they set.
Wearing the official uniforms of our nation is an enormous honour and we thank all who have served.
Today we live in a much different country than in 1942.
We are a modernising country where our people have opportunity that was unimaginable more than seventy years ago.
Papua New Guinea is a nation-state that is strong and is being noticed around the world.
Our people are experiencing development like never before.
But our lives would be very different if brave men and women, from around our country, had not taken up arms or stepped up to support the war effort.
It is important that we take this time to pause and reflect on this sacrifice.
As the battles of World War Two become increasingly distant in our memoires – it is important that as a nation we do not lose connection with our past.
We must ensure that we pass knowledge of our war history to our children so that future generations will continue to pay their respect.
Teaching about Remembrance Day must continue in our schools.
Parents must pass on the stories that were given to them by their parents, and their uncles and aunties.
We all hope that we never have to go to war again, and as a people, and as a global community, we must learn from the lessons of war.
The world has changed and our past enemy is now our friend.
May God Bless all those who have served their countries, and particularly those who are now buried in our soil.
May God Bless our fallen men and women.
We will forever honour their memories.
Lest we forget.
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