Facelift to Sir John’s graveyard

HISTORY

By HENZY YAKHAM
ON June 14, 2023, Lalaura village, situated along the Papuan coastline witnessed a small, but significant event concerning the nation’s history and the British monarchy.
That day, the Governor-General, Sir Bob Dadae landed in a helicopter at Lalaura to officiate in the completion of the facelift work done on the grave of PNG’s first governor-general Sir John Guise.
During his first term as governor general (2017-2023) Sir Bob initiated several first-time projects at the Government House. One of the initiatives under his leadership is the legacy programme, which involves giving facelifts to graveyards of former PNG governors-general (GGs) that have passed on.
Sir Bob’s initiative is to upgrade the graveyards of former GGs to give decent and respectable final resting places in recognition for their services to PNG’s formative years as a nation and after eventual independence and thereafter. The work involves replacing existing headstones or tombstones with bigger and better shelters and protection.
“It is to give some kind of recognition as well as a token of appreciation for the long and dedicated services of the nation’s former governor generals,” Sir Bob noted.
Under the legacy programme, up to K200,000 is to be spent on each graveyard facelift. Together with the improved graveyards some of this money is to help build a community project such as a classroom building or a water supply project in the local community.
Prior to occupying the vice regal office all the former GGs had served in public service, government and politics, church and community services PNG-wide and abroad.
It is a small way of saying thank you and to acknowledge their services, commitment, and contributions to the nation.
The former GGs were among PNG’s pioneer leaders who all contributed in one way or another during the early years of the nation during the former Australian colonial administration, self-government and eventual independence on September 16 1975.
The first graveyard upgrading is that of PNG’s first governor general at independence Sir John Guise. Facelift work on Sir John’s graveyard was successfully done and Sir Bob travelled there and officiated in a small village-organised event to mark its completion.
The event was marked with Lalaura elementary school children leading with the singing of the national anthem, followed by Sir Bob and his delegation welcomed to the village, speeches and laying of the wreath on the tombstone.
One of Sir John’s sons, Reginald Guise acknowledged and thanked Sir Bob for initiating the legacy programme describing it as “humbling and uplifting to give a more decent resting place for former GGs.”
John Douglas Guise was born on Aug 29, 1914 in Gedulalara near Dogura in Milne Bay. He was son of a mission worker, Edward Guise and his wife Grace Samoa, both of whom were of mixed European and Papua descent.
His grandfather, Reginald Guise was an English adventurer who arrived in what was then Papua in the 1880s and settled as a trader and married locally.
John Guise received only four years of formal education at a local Church of England school beginning in 1923.
At the age of 14 he started work for Burns Philip Company Limited as a waterside worker on Samarai Island, Milne Bay.
An outstanding cricketer, he enjoyed demonstrating his superiority to his European bosses and is quoted as saying “‘during working hours, I had to be a servant, on the field of sport I showed them I was their master.”
On Dec 26, 1938, Guise married Mary Miller at Dogura.
After Japan entered World War II, in early 1942 he was drafted into the Papua (later Australian New Guinea) Administrative Unit (Angau).
When war broke out he joined the Angau as a clerk in signals. Initially serving in the labour corps, he later became a signals clerk for Angau, rising to the rank of sergeant.
In 1946 he joined the police force, rising over 10 years to the rank of sergeant-major, then spent five years in
the Department of District Services in Port Moresby, often clashing with the colonial administration.
In 1947, John Guise married a Lalaura woman, Unuba Aukai after the death of first wife Mary Miller in 1944.
Through wife Unuba, John Guise strengthened his association with the south Papuan coast.
During 1948/9, he travelled to Australia for the first time and made four other trips later to Anglican Church synods. In 1953, John Guise retuned to Australia as a senior non-commissioned officer in the Royal Papua and New Guinea Constabulary as promoted previously to sergeant major, the highest rank available for non-Europeans.
In 1953, Sgt Major John Guise was part of the police contingent at the coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 11. Little did anyone know that after 22 years John Guise would become the Queen’s first representative in a newly independent Papua New Guinea on Sept 16, 1975.
He was the senior PNG officer in the contingent so acted as interpreter in many of the dealings that the men had with the public and with other servicemen in Australia and the United Kingdom. From 1955, John Guise, a devout Anglican, represented the Territory of Papua and New Guinea at the Church of England synod in Sydney four times. In 1957 he joined the Department of Native Affairs in Port Moresby and began taking an active part in local politics.

Brief political history
1958: President of Port Moresby Mixed Race Association and he called on people of mixed descent to see themselves as “natives” rather than Australians.
1961: First election in which Papuans and New Guineans were able to stand for the Legislative Council and John Guise was elected Member for East Papua in the Legislative Council.
1962: Represented the Territory of Papua and New Guinea at the South Pacific Commission conference at Pagopago, Samoa.
1964: Elected to the first House of Assembly on to represent Milne Bay and was later selected as the leader of elected members of the House.
1964: John Guise startled Canberra when he called for a select committee on constitutional development and became its chairman (1965–66).
He probed in vain the possibility of the Territory of Papua and New Guinea becoming a seventh State of Australia, yet he was also the first to recommend cementing national unity with a new name, crest, flag, and anthem for the territory.
1965: Special advisor of Australian delegation to the United Nations Trusteeship Council in New York, United States.
Prior to the PNG’s independence, John Guise was a vocal advocate for a peaceful secession from Australia.
John Guise’s pre-independence political career included chairmanship of select committee on constitutional development, the positions of Speaker of the House of Assembly, Deputy Chief Minister, and the portfolios of Lands, Agriculture, and the Interior.
He was the first Papua New Guinean to be bestowed an honorary doctorate from the University of Papua New Guinea.
1968: Elected representative for Alotau Open in the Territory’s second general election by beating two European candidates to become the first indigenous Speaker of the House.
Outspoken in his support for greater access to education and the need for a university in PNG, he received an honorary doctorate of laws from the newly established University of Papua New Guinea in 1970.
1972: Re-elected for the Alotau Open seat. Despite being an early member of the pro self-government Pangu Pati, he contested as an independent candidate in what some viewed as his shifting strategy to become chief minister.
1975: John Guise became Papua New Guinea’s first Knight upon being appointed governor general when PNG gained independence.
Marking the end of 69 years of Australian rule, the Australian flag was lowered for the last time on Sept 16 1975.
Commenting on the peaceful transition, John Guise emphasised, “We are lowering it, not tearing it down.”
When PNG’s own national flag rose with its bird of paradise and Southern Cross stars, he proudly announced his country’s independence.
1977: Frustrated by his vice-regal position he resigned in 1977, age 63 and returned to politics. Failing in his bid to form a ruling coalition to oust the Somare-Chan government, he was for a time deputy Opposition Leader and remained until 1982 when he retired from politics.
In retirement he served on the University of Papua New Guinea Council, chaired the PNG Copra Marketing Board and wrote a column for the weekly Times of Papua New Guinea.
Predeceased by four of his nine children and survived by his wife, he died at his home in Port Moresby on Feb 7, 1991.
Following a state funeral, his body and famous spectacles were flown to the final resting place at Lalaura village for burial.
He was once described as the “cunning lone wolf of Papua New Guinean politics” and elder statesman and father of inspiration to many leaders.
Sir John Guise Drive and Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby are named after PNG’s first governor-general.