Ted Diro discusses his role in avoiding military trouble at independence and his view that the military prepare a country for democracy as outlined in his Portsea thesis on the significance of the defence force in an independent Papua New Guinea. He discusses his troubles over the Rumkorem affair.
Ted Diro outlines his thoughts about independence, saying it never occurred to him even at Sogeri. He states that he first became acquainted with the concept while serving in the military on the border in 1965 when John Guise and Pita Simogen arrived at the Vanimo station and said they were speading the message of independence. He states he did not know what independence meant and was ambivalent about it.
Josephine Abaijah states that she did not have contact at this time with others working for independence, but she recognised the needs of the people in rural areas who encouraged her to stand. She recalls that she thought she had no chance of being elected as a lot of women had stood but never been elected. She recalls that when she stood for Central Province she had no money for campaigning.
Josephine Abaijah recalls her first exposure to independence ideas at PMC, and her switch to joining the PMC staff. She describes doing a health education course at London University in 1967-68, and on her return setting up the Institute of Health Education.
