Lumani Kupuri - Oral History interview recorded on 23 May 2014 at Kokoda Station, Northern Province, PNG

Description

Mr Lumani Kupuri tells the story of his father Kupuri Lelewa who was a policeman and a carrier during the War.

Language

Interview

Warning: This site contains stories of war. Some of these interviews may include detailed and graphic descriptions of events and experiences that may be disturbing for some individuals.


Transcript:
My father Kupuri Lelewa was a Hanua [village] policeman. He was recruited to be a Policeman when the war came. At that time Tamata was their Government Station. That was where he was assigned his tasks to work for the Government- he was reporting to the government office namely Yeoman.
He patrolled all the battle zones prior and during the war assisting the Allied Forces with the rest of his other colleagues. In recognition of his very dedicated services he was awarded a medal. But his medal was burnt when one white man came and burnt the houses in our villages.
When the war came here my father together with the rest of the men from Papuan Waria assisted the Allied Forces in very trying conditions.
He was a carrier - his job was to carry cargo for the soldiers.

Wartime Locations

Click to show/hide Additional Interview Details

Family Relationships

Interviewee

Lumani Kupuri

Interviewee Gender

Interviewers

Interview Date

23/05/2014

Interview Duration

00:06:43:15

Interview Translator


Download Files

Rights Holder

© Deakin University
Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike licence

Files

http://pngvoices.deakin.edu.au/files/temp/kupuri-photo-2014.jpg

Collection

Citation

“Lumani Kupuri - Oral History interview recorded on 23 May 2014 at Kokoda Station, Northern Province, PNG,” Voices from the War, accessed November 2, 2024, https://pngvoices.deakin.edu.au/items/show/304.