Talk:Voco Point

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Some Defensible History.[edit]

Mt Lunaman was known to the local Lae clan as Locwamu, and close variations. Voco point was Asiawe (accounts of Jonah Tisam, Ahi clan). Tunnels in the hill were used to house aircraft munitions and avgas by the Japanese forces during WW2. The tunnels were within 200m of the nearby airfield. It was never used as a hospital. A 1970 TV interview (JNTV) with the Japanese general commanding Lae, stated that they had used the Lutheran hospital at Malahang, which was well equipped. Tales of hundreds of soldiers perishing in the tunnels were simply nonsense.

Voco point was used post WW2 by landing barges, particularly the LSTs MK3 of the RAN, that brought items much too large for the wharf. During the late 1920s, many of the original inhabitants of Voco Point were employed by Australian airlines and traders. Their homes were moved to the 'roun wara' R2 area (now Ericu). During colonial times, local Chinese trading stores dominated the area. The Chinese had been brought to Lae and Rabaul by German colonials, for their boat building and carpentry skills. Voco point suffers from undersea landslides, because of the very steep shelf, and portions are lost every 50yrs or so. The last event was in the mid 50s, when a wading pool in Stewart Park disappeared into sea. The Rotary Club then re-built the wading pool in the Botanical Gardens. Local clan lore has more fanciful explanations of these losses.

Flo Stewart had returned to Lae in late 1945, after a 4 year absence, as an army nurse. She remained as a nurse until 1948 when demobilized, and the town was opened to civilians (Jim Sinclair, Mini Aus. Biogs, Univ Melb.) She had a huge battle with Bret Bretag and other councilors to open a licensed hotel. The new PNG mandate would not allow the sale of alcohol to PNG nationals. The cruise liners of the 1930s, which kept the original hotel in business, did not make a come back, which left business quite slack. The Stewarts sold the hotel in 1958, and opened the Morobe Theatre, in Second Street.220.244.86.1 (talk) 05:39, 23 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]

thanks for this info (anon). I would like to update the page but I need some references or links or even some personal communication references (eg discussions with X on date etc)

thanks for your help.

Phenss (talk) 11:54, 23 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]