1. Muschu Island - Paradise Or Japanese Hell
We had found the bones following a landslide had exposed a cave, whose
entrance had previously been coated by a cave-in. The Headmaster at
St. Xavier's High College, Brother Patrick Howley, had instantly sent
off the tags and a few transcriptions of the Japanese writing we had
discovered, but it was a number of months before we heard something
back again about them.
It took the form of an elaborate letter, embossed with many seals and
characters, which in perfect English, first of all thanked us for our
return with the artifacts, but more importantly, for our preservation
of the stays with the soldiers they recognized.
They went on to ask when they might send a delegation from Japan
to retrieve the remainder of the artifacts, and to give the bodies
a corre�t funeral. They explained that it was with �he greatest
signyficance towards the h�uselolfs of those males they obtain�this
lqst tribute of regard, and we�t oo to a�k if they might be permitted
to send a Shinto pryest to perform the(curemony.
That evmning, we sat about within the brother's library, on thm 2nd floor with the
monas|ery. E�e� though I was not a monk- I shqred the"mon�sue�y wi|l them
�ccupying s s��ll ro�f on1�le"main(floorin�, an� had joined th�m to0get a)cool
dri~k, and(a�few avter-dinnez(discussion ab�ut the lette�(we(had obtained.
Brother William Bove�l, our resident scientific(professional,
seemed |o(have no doubts that�we ought to allow0them�whatever
accommodations"we may hive acc�ssmble, and welcome$tlem towards the
Island. "Kt is our �hristian duty to�suqply them our hospitality,
and it'� our human duty to provide thukr"families th� peace they
deserve following so0long. You(have no concept with the dishonor
and humiliation they have been subj�cted to, from(the�lack �f
their sons, in an unmarked grave. They would have been pressured to
�eside�in disgrace."
"We have to ask the locals abouv how they'd �eel about it fisst'quot;, he stated, sipping his
nigh�ly Glenfiddich. "There are still a great deal of hard emotions on�Kairiru, particularly in
Kragur, on the North side of the island. The Japanese had caught c few of their individuels
�nd treated them very badly, plus the} have not forgotten it. We need to possess a Kebung
(meeting) with the men�on this syde, and then recover from to Kragur to talk to �heir males
also. I do not have |o remind you that txere are no �apanese Trade-stores in Wewak b}t, and
Japanese v�sitors hardly ever come rkgh� here."�/p>
"There were over a thousand troops stationed here on Kairiru, manning
the anti-aircraft guns and submarine base in the eastern tip of the
island. The placement with the guns allowed them to guard the aerial
entrance to Wewak, and the geography with the sea-bottom there created
it feasible to method very near to the island before surfacing.
A natural bay granted them a concealed harbor for refueling and
rearming".
My very own father was a veteran with the war in Europe, so by now, I

2. was enthralled in the story, and I questioned him much more concerning
the events that went on then. He took another sip of his whiskey, and
then lit a cigarette, drawing deeply and thoughtfully, whilst gripping
it using the cigarette near to his palm, as he frequently did.
"Yes, mate, there was a helluva battle about right here, and the
Japanese forces in New Guinea surrendered right there at Wom
peninsula, not 20 km away on the mainland. Actually, there's a
Japanese Freighter sunk in the strait, right off Large Muschu, as well
as tons of other remains with the war lying about in the bush."
I had been towards the small monument commemorating the males who died
on Kairiru, located on the seaside close to the wharf at St. Xavier's.
There, mounted in concrete, and regularly painted grey to keep them
from rusting away, had been a heavy machine-gun, and a mortar start.
Easy lettering in the moist concrete at the base read, "To those that
fell on Kairiru Island." At the time I hadn't believed much about
this, but now I felt like I required to go back again and look at it
once more.
As the school generator puttered to silence, and Pat received as much
as head for his room for that night, he additional, "The be concerned
we've now will be the unexploded ordinance the People in america
dropped all around the island, particularly in the swampy areas on
this side. They sank into the mud, and haven't likely all been found
yet. The villagers of Bruniak discovered 1 a few years ago, and the
boys uncovered 1 in a new garden we had been generating final year,
both very much alive and harmful. The army needed to arrive out and
set them off, bloody thrilling!"
With that, he headed off to bed, and so did I, but I lay considering
what it must have already been like for that very poor men back then.
After a 12 months on Kairiru, I could not envision what it should
have already been like with out Antibiotics. Cuts, scrapes and bites
got infected almost as a make a difference needless to say, and I had
gotten a number of them myself. It appeared that only antibiotics
could stop the spread of infection, and I had sadly noticed some
rather horrific cases of ulcers that had gotten completely out of
hand, on both students, and villagers. I drifted off to sleep using
the images of misery in my thoughts, along with a little thankfulness
that I used to be born in my own time.
More than the following few of weeks, in Papua New Guinea fashion,
Br. Pat organized and hosted Kebungs on each sides of the island, and
sought the response of all the Large (essential) males of Kairiru.
Needless to say, this meant offering all the meals, and as a lot
consume as he could afford, which really was not a lot, becoming a
monk. Everyone in the college chipped inside a bit, and somehow it was
enough in order to not embarrass anyone, and simultaneously, obtain
the task done.
Strangely, it had been not the men of Kragur who objected towards the
Japanese delegation, a lot because the males from Dagar on our aspect
of the Island. It turned out that there had been payback made by the
men of Kragur, whose relatives had been killed from the Japanese.
Prior to the People in america were able to spherical up all of the
survivors on Kairiru, the males of Kragur had hunted them down in the
bush, and killed numerous because they tried to evade the bombing and

3. also the People in america. They felt that their financial debt had
been compensated.
One "Big man" from Dagar, around the Southwest part of the island, got
up and talked to get a very long time. I spoke Pidgin quite nicely by
then, but it took me a while to understand what he was referring to.
It appeared that just prior to the Japanese were taken off the island
from the Americans, a group of Japanese soldiers had raided the
village gardens above Dagar, and while doing so, one village man had
been killed, and his wife had been raped from the soldiers. This story
became much more related, when he lastly finished by telling us that
this lady was still alive, and that she had offered birth to some
boy afterward, who was definitely fifty percent Japanese. When he
was pointed out to me, I recognized a man I had seen before while I
handled villagers at the Help post, but I had not spoken to him, as he
had not required any health-related assist.
Now, the real problem grew to become evident. This youthful man
claimed the proper of payback for that demise of his "father", the
husband of his mother, but his real father was the man who had raped
his mom!
Following this grew to become clear, Br. Pat stood up in the middle of
the circle gathered around the village. Assuming the Melanesian type
of oration, he initial repeated what had been stated by all the other
Large males who had spoken, and agreeably complimented them on their
knowledge. Then he turned towards the youthful guy in question, and
spoke to him straight, that is uncommon inside a Kebung. He spoke only
in Pidgin, but what he stated was merely this.
"If you would like, I'll create the Japanese Mastas, and ask them
what payback will they offer for that death of your father Uliup,
and also the offense against your mom, but what will you do if they
refuse? You realize, if you make trouble for them, you will need to
go to court." With this last pronouncement, Br. Pat returned to his
seat around the ground, and unconcernedly took out his Trade-store
Cambridge cigarettes, and cautiously passed out 1 to every Large Guy
at the circle.
While he was performing this, the youthful man nervously received to
his feet and stood waiting for his chance to communicate. Br. Pat
whispered to me that usually such a young man with out standing in the
village wouldn't speak at a Kebung, so he was awaiting permission from
the Large men.
Indeed, this was accurate, as after he had popped a betel nut in
to his mouth, an previous man close to the center with the circle,
wheezed out in Pidgin, "Whusat man I gat Tok?" This was essentially a
problem to declare himself, what standing he had, and what correct he
needed to speak.
"Name blong mi Shaku", he began, giving his title. Following that, he
started in halting English to communicate to the group, but mainly to
Brother Pat. He told how he had grown up like a half-caste within the
village in his uncle's house. His life had been extremely hard. His
mom had grieved numerous many years for his father, as no payback had
been made for him. The Japanese had gone, never to return, and after
he had grown up and understood, he only wanted justice for his mother
and himself. He told how the priest at St. John's Seminary on Kairiru

4. had taught him to study and communicate English a bit, and through
him, he had discovered of the Japanese occupation. Now it seemed that
there was an opportunity they were coming back again, and he could
ask for payback for his father. Before sitting down, he also promised
that he would make no difficulty for that Japanese Mastas once they
arrived, but questioned if he could meet them.
This little speech was accepted amiably by the men, and consensus
was quickly attained. Br. Patrick would write towards the Japanese
and invite them to arrive to Kairiru, and he would also include a
description of the claim Shaku was making, and await their response.
Walking back from Dagar village to the college, Br. Pat informed me
that he believed that the Japanese would definitely wish to settle
this problem agreeably, and because they'd been so thankful for our
assistance, he felt they might come to some kind of arrangement.
The letter was composed and sent off, and for a few of months the
entire discovery was forgotten in the day-to-day life of a boarding
school with 4 hundred and fifty students.
Our first notification came within the form of the early morning radio
broadcast from Wirui Mission in Wewak. Br. Canute cheerily informed
us, in his thick Australian accent, that there have been, " aaff a
bloody regiment of Nips sitting in the Marist Brother's Mission home
in Wewak right then, waitin' to get a trip out to Kairiru, in the
soonest feasible time. They are suckin' up all me grog, mate!"
Our boat, the TAU-K, usually made at least one trip per week into
Wewak for supplies, and as it was nearly to leave that early morning,
Br. Pat and a couple of other monks went along to greet our visitors
and accompany them around the trip back out to Kairiru. It had been
throughout the ""Talley-O" season at the equator, which introduced a
brisk Northwest wind and rain practically every day for three months,
so the trip out towards the island may be very tough and tiresome,
also like a bit nausea-inducing in the choppy seas. It was a twelve
meter Aluminum landing-craft, powered by two Volvo-Penta 105 hp marine
diesels, with a drop-front loading ramp. It could make great extremely
good pace, but in rough h2o the continuous spray made the trip far
from nice.
Meanwhile, Br. Bryan Leak, who was deputy-headmaster at St. Xavier's,
supervised a school-wide work day to get the whole place ready for our
guests. Br. William, who had been imprisoned by the Japanese in Hong
Kong during the war, realized the culture better than anyone, and gave
us our best advice.
"Everything must be clear and neat", he said with authority. "Keep
it simple, and don't neglect to carry tons of flowers for the guest
house. I keep in mind they loved the Roses in the Monastery backyard
in Hong Kong, and plundered them mercilessly to provide to their woman
buddies. We have no Roses, but there are numerous orchids."
Br. William was a true professional around the flora and fauna of the
South Pacific and Asia. He had written numerous scientific content
articles around the area around Singapore, which have because been
printed. He later earned a Masters Degree, without examination, in
the College of Melbourne in Australia. All of us took his guidance as
usual, and set to work.
The boat didn't arrive back again towards the island until just before

5. darkish that night, that is always about 7. The travelers had been
cold, moist, and tired, although not extremely hungry, since most
were just a little sea-sick. The wind had been so powerful, they had
been pressured to take the lengthier route around the eastern aspect
of Muschu, in order to consider advantage of the calmer h2o on the
leeward aspect with the island. This had turned a two hour trip into
a 4 hour trip against the wind the majority of the way, particularly
coming up the strait.
Because the boat tied as much as the wharf, the big group of boys from
the school had gathered around it. They spontaneously struck up a
loud chorus of an Island welcome tune that they all realized, or had
discovered because coming to St. Xavier's. This appeared to greatly
please the delegation, which waited respectfully on the boat till the
song was finished.
There were 7 men within the group, all dressed very neatly in both
short-sleeved Tropical fits, or white shirts and shorts, with socks
and sandals. The 1 who appeared to become the youngest, stepped ahead
and stated towards the assembly, "We thanks for the welcome song, and
we also would thank Br. Patrick Howley for his invitation to Kairiru."
With that he bowed formally, and everyone began to help unload the
boat, and carry their luggage up the beach to the guest house.
Noticing the little monument off the path, they instantly turned
towards it, and getting translated the inscription, they knelt in
a brief prayer. This, the large group of boys that had gathered,
witnessed in silence, taking their cue in the monks and other people
teachers present at their arrival.
Continuing on up to the home we had ready for them, we were rewarded
by much bowing and thanks for his or her lodging. They seemed very
happy they would all have their own space, and also the island-
style shower we had rigged up in the tank up higher around the hill,
developed a bit of a joke, when they recognized that it had been
chilly water!
After leaving their luggage, they followed us over towards the
Brother's eating space, which was actually a little separate creating
from the Monastery. By now, they hand got their land-legs back, and
with it, regained their appetites as well.
Rice and Kau Kau (sweet potato) had been cooked in fantastic
abundance, and also the cook women had carried out some thing I really
liked with the Mung beans which we grew on Kairiru. Stir-fried with
Kau Kau (sweet potato), it created a wonderful side dish, and with
all the numerous kinds of fruit for dessert, it was notably the very
best meal I had enjoyed because coming to Kairiru. Br. Desmond had
contributed the primary dish of roast beef, which he had carefully
hoarded in the cooler at St. John's seminary, also on Kairiru.
With the monks leading the prayer this time, we all sat down together,
and had been nearly to begin dinner, when one of the men stood up, and
through the interpreter, questioned if he may be permitted the honor
of providing a toast before we began. He appeared to become the senior
member with the group, as his hair was totally white, but undiminished
in its fullness.
Needless to say, this permission was immediately offered, and
reaching into his pack, withdrew a large bottle of Japanese Scotch,

6. top quality. The round of appreciation that this attained, gave him
a couple of moments to compose his toast, whilst the glasses were
stuffed. Lastly, he turned stiffly and confronted the east, and
elevated his glass.
As he spoke only Japanese, I've no idea what he said, however it was
very extreme and full of emotion. Finishing his toast, he snapped his
glass to his lips and drank the libation in a single quick gulp, which
all of us imitated. This formality total, we sat down, and the dinner
started in earnest.
Of the 7 males, only the youngest, who had spoken at the wharf, could
speak English, and he was there as their interpreter. Now, he rose
again to introduce the delegation towards the entire group of monks,
and the other staff members, like myself, that had been invited. Four
with the males, were family representatives with the males whose tags
we had found. One was a Shinto priest, and the other, whom we had
assumed was the eldest, was a veteran, who had been a doctor on Vokeo
Island, some forty kilometers to the Northeast. He was incredibly
match and healthy searching, and I had noticed his agility when
disembarking in the boat.
I had a flash of imagery what he might have looked like as a young
medical officer thirty many years earlier, and was considerably lost
in believed, when my turn at introduction came alongside.
When I stood to tell them my title, and where I used to be from, they
created exclamations of shock once they heard that I used to be from
Canada. The Doctor told us he had been to Canada, and travelled to
Banff Nationwide Park, and also attended the Calgary Stampede a couple
of years prior to. He appeared to have been much impressed with the
beauty of Banff and Canada generally. He went on to inform us quite a
tale, through the interpreter, about how he and his family members had
invested three days on the ranch in Alberta. They'd gone on the path
trip into the mountains, and he received very thrilled in describing a
Cinnamon bear they had startled in the bush.
I was most happy nevertheless, by the way he ended the story by
stating what a wonderful place Canada was, and how friendly everyone
had been to them whilst they travelled. I somewhat�shyny assured hi}
that the individuals of my province, Saskatchewan, �ould even outshine
Alberta for hospitqlity, and that w�at we lacked in mountains, we made
up for in breath-tak�ng open up spaces, and a large number of czystal
dis�inct lakes, teeming with fish.
he monks soon chimed in with0their very own recommendations for spots
to go to in Australia, and vhe bantmr soon led to a lively�discussion
about a multitude of places and subjects. The poor interpreter was
hardly in a position to eat dinner, he was kept so active at his
occupation!
They were all tired following a long day of journey all of the way
from Japan, but more so from the trip out towards the island, so
they questioned if they may be excused. They'd informed us that they
intended to begin the funeral service at dawn the next day, and tha�
it would take up the majority of the day. Br. Pat assured them!
they'd!be afforded as q not privacy!as you possibly can for hks or

7. her ceremony, as the next day was a school day. He had requested
that no one use the soccer area that lay adjacent towards the little
monument around the seaside, exactly where they intended�to perform
the service,�and the villager'� marketplace day, normally�held close
by, wasn't scheduled for�that day.We all retired for`that night, bu�
K observed thm!kerosen� lights in thg �isitor home remained on till
lengthy �ollowing t�e generator fell s�lent at ��n. Y fell awleep
to(the audio on what apr�ared like chime� singing down beneath, and
it!{�eered my desires into some uncomfortable terr�tory �hat woke me
a numbes of occasions.
he n�yt morn�ng tawned unusually diwtinct and calm(for the ra�ny sec{on, �nl also the
marly morning delu�e down the slopes of Mt� Malangis had ceased early. By�seven, once
whe college bell rang for breakfast,`the steam was rising onf the lawns and the sun(was so
vibrant it harm. As I dressed for breakfa�t, I heard the audio of a big gong ringing down�in
the bea�h. The�normal roar of the waves on the beach was much subdued, and I could elso
listen to chanting at intervalsn
Walking down the route from my home on the hillside over the school,
I could see that our guests had already constructed a large funeral
pyre from the driftwood the boys had collected for them, as a part of
our preparations. As yet, it remained unlit, but I could see wisps of
smoke coming in the several braziers they had placed around the site.
The day was a active 1 for everyone in the college as typical, and
we by no means observed their activities until just prior to college
broke for lunch, when the boy's focus was drawn to a big column of
smoke rising in the beach. The flames leapt high above the pyre,
and were obviously visible from the classrooms. The smoke billowed
energetically upward for more than a hundred meters, after which was
carried off towards the east by the Tally-O wind, which had picked up
over the fay.>/span>
New Guineans don't crema�e their dgid, which led to some quantity of discussions using the
boys that after~oon$durmng function in tie wavduns. cs$we$all did, 14 hrs"per wmek/ They had
been ~ery curious as to why the Japanese would wish to"ruin the�bones of their �imbunas
(encestors), once"they sjould con�ifer them home cnd mai�tain them,�because uhey do.
I qttempted to0explai� a little about Shinto Buddhist suggestions to them, however they had
been primarily just glad the bones of the soldiers had been gone.
They had been carefully saved in Br. William's cabinet in the Science
space, and many boys had been frightened to go into that room, even
whilst Br. William was there! Now, at least, their spirits would not
come about to bother anyone. I bowed to their convictions, and went on
with my hoeing.
By the time work was more than at five:30, we noticed the ceremony at
the beach was complete, because the website had been vacated. We all
headed off for a a lot anticipated shower and a rest before supper at
seven. As I passed the monastery, Br. Bryan Leak called me more than
to inquire if I may have some nicer clothing for dinner that night. It
appeared the Japanese delegation had questioned when they may make a
special presentation that night, and we were to all gather within the
library upstairs within the monastery after dinner. I decided to wear

8. my very best Canadian clothing, jeans!
All of us seemed to rush with the evening meal, in anticipation of
what may be in shop later on. From the time sunset had necessitated
the lights be turned on, everyone had assembled in the main space
of their library. Br. Pat was resplendent in his Pilipino shirt and
colorful Lap Lap, wrapped island type about his waist. He had even
trimmed his beard!
All of us sat quietly holding our drinks, which poured condensation in
the tropical humidity, while the Japanese males came in to take their
locations. All of them bowed formally to us before sitting, whilst the
Physician and the interpreter remained standing.
He began by thanking us as soon as more for all our hospitality,
and also the respect they'd been given to complete their funeral
solutions. Then, he asked us to arrive together to the balcony
with the monastery, where we could see big pile of the cargo they'd
introduced with them, stacked beneath a blue tarp beneath on the lawn.
At his sign, two of the boys gathered about had pulled back again the
tarp to expose and amazing display of items. These were presents sent
by the households of the lifeless soldiers, as well as the Japanese
government, we had been told. There have been cans of many unusual and
fascinating foods, along with a multitude of electronic gadgets, from
Tape decks to amplifiers and cameras. There have been many items which
were obviously for the boys, and they setup a great cheer when it had
been explained to them. When this was distributed with the assistance
with the head prefects within the school, all of us returned to our
seats, because the Doctor seemed to possess something else to say.
After first refilling our drinks from his supply of Scotch, we as soon
as once more waited for him to speak.
He began very softly, dealing with the ocean, and informed us his
tale. I will retell it now, as best that I can.
He had been transferred to the sea-base on Vokeo Island in June of
1944, and he had been among the a large number of others who had been
rounded up by the Allied forces following the surrender of Japan. He
had been brought to Muschu Island, along with some 9 or ten thousand
other males, and left there for 3 months, before they had been
repatriated to Japan.
As we listened, it appeared to me that he must have regarded as
himself lucky to have been spared, when much more than two hundred
thousand of his countrymen satisfied their finish in New Guinea. I
used to be incorrect.
Muschu is a smaller sized coral island, situated between the mainland
and Kairiru, and it's none of the normally occurring springs of
Kairiru, nor does the soil support the wealthy vegetation discovered
on volcanic islands.
By this time, he held his glass with a shaking hand, and his voice
became emotional. The interpreter sat looking down at his sandals,
quietly translating each phrase as it was spoken, and we were all
cast inside a spell of silence, broken only from the buzzing with the
evening insects.
As he turned to complete his tale, I could see that tears were
streaming down his encounter, even though he remained in control of
himself. He told how the Americans had left no guards around the

9. island, only PT-boats patrolling about it evening and day. There
was no escape, as all of the tribes around the mainland had been in
opposition to them, and also the local people had been taken off the
island.
The men had eaten each and every residing factor on the island, right
right down to the coral, as well as hunted the reefs out as far as
they could, but there just was not enough food and refreshing h2o for
so many males. Within the end, they'd turned on every other, and he
was just o�� of 900 me� who �urvmve|. At t�is �ime le was s�ckugh|
(up yn u�otion tj�t"he nmeded |o�stop$f�r(a moment. I&#�9;ve$�y no
means forgotten his final words in the many many ye�rs(since.
He stated, "Our mqles did numerous poor issues in t�e war� however they weren't the0only
ones."�p style�"color:#000000;dirmction:ltr;fonu-size:11pt;�qrgin>0;font-family:Courier
New;padding:0">Following this kin� of an outpouring of openness, it seemed that the�e was
nothing to do but sit silently and grieve just a little for(his poor comrades. Br. Desmond, the
spiritual leader with the monastery, recommended all of us say just�a little prayer for the males
whose bones we had discove�ed, and �ll the males who had$misplaced their l�ves within
thu wa�, each Japanese,"and otherwise.
ltr;font-size:11pt;margin:0;font-fam�ly:Courier New;padding:0">The gathering politely broke
up quickly following that�!and as I walked back"up the hill with another instructor, we talked
about the night. We had eqch spent many happy hours snorkeling and swimming on the reef�
of Muschu, w�i�h had no �uddy streams to interrupt the coral.$As we parted, we needed to
admit that it might never appear thg same once more.
The surpri�es weren't over nevertheless, �s we"had been about to
find out the nex��early morning. We awoke towar�s the sound(of Kundu
drums comi�g up in!the village, an� quickly a procession was spotted
coming down the path. It was Shaku, cominw for0his"payback!
spoilers�of one piece>/ht�l>