First time for everything!

We got broken into last night. The thieves
climbed over the fence and stole our water pump and in the process destroyed the
water supply to the house. We know it happened around midnight because Eli
heard some dogs barking and going off about that time.

It didn’t take long for us to work out how
and where they got in. There’s a section of fence that adjoins with our
neighbour and the barbed wire on both sides has been missing since we moved in.
To top it off, whilst Eli was cooking some pancakes this morning, we had a mini
explosion due to a leaking gas burner on the stove. 

So you could say that today definitely got
off to a flying start! As both events slowly sunk into the old noggin I started
to get annoyed. Not so much about the break-in and the explosion in the kitchen
but more so because the landlord had neglected to fix all outstanding issues on
the house. It’s been over a month since we moved in, ample time to sort out all
the knick knacks needing fixing.

By the way, our home is owned by Mr. Matias
Merimba, according to Eli the 1^st PNG national to make a million.
The name of his company – Mendikwae Ltd. 

A plan of attack was promptly formulated…

1) We needed to get water supply back to
the house before the day was out.

2) I would go into work, report the
incident to Hospital Management and then sit down and write a letter of
complaint to Mr. Merimba and hand deliver it to his office. The letter would be
copied to the Hospital’s CEO, Director of Corporate Services and Property
Officer. I would also copy in AVI’s In-Country Manager in Moresby.

3) Report the incident to the Police.

4) Organise a guard dog in a hurry. 

The letter I wrote this morning went as
follows:

Dear
Sir, 

I am
currently working at Goroka
General Hospital
as a volunteer through Australian Volunteers International (AVI). One of your
rental properties was acquired by the Hospital at Section 27 Lot
9 on Gonix; this property serves as accommodation for myself and my partner Eli
Duna.

It is
with some concern that I write you this letter as last night we experienced a
break and enter. The thieves left with the water pump and in the process
destroyed some of the water pipes; this has left the house without a water
supply. Luckily, the robbers did not enter the house and no one was injured.
Interestingly the thieves entered the property via a section of fence that has
been in disrepair since we moved in. To the best of our knowledge, the thieves
took no other property during the robbery.

To
add to the events we experienced a mini explosion in the kitchen this morning
due to a leaking gas pipe attached to the stove. Again, we were lucky and no
one was hurt. Note that this is the second stove that your trades people have
installed since we moved in about a month ago.

We
are all aware of the current crime problems around Goroka town and the real
risk of break and enter. Nevertheless, it is the responsibility of property
owner to ensure that all utilities are in proper and safe working order prior
to the new tenants moving in; in the case of Papua New Guinea, the home also
needs adequate security through proper fencing and barbed or razor wire.

I
write this letter with some concern, as there have been outstanding issues with
the house since we moved in over a month ago. Worth noting and drawing to your
attention is the fact that these issues were raised on numerous occasions with
your company by the Hospital’s property’s Manager. Most of these issues were
attended to yet there are still other’s that remain outstanding.

In
order to mitigate the potential seriousness of this situation I would like to
request that Mendikwae agree to complete the following points as a matter of
urgency:

1.    
Provide 24 hour onsite security until the completion of point ‘2’.

2.    
Upgrade and install appropriate (height) fencing with razor wire.

3.    
Replace and install the stolen pump.

4.    
Repair the broken pipes as a matter of urgency so that the house has
running water.

5.    
Replace and install a new stove so that we do not experience any more
mini explosions in the kitchen.

6.    
Arrange for the Electricity bill to be cutover.

Your
prompt and personal attention to the above issues and subsequent resolution as
soon as possible would be greatly appreciated. 

Yours
sincerely…

The matter was reported to Goroka Police
and I did end up meeting and discussing the issues with Mr. Merimba and his
General Manager at their head office at approximately 11:00am, and during the
course of the afternoon we were to meet another two times. During the 1^st
meeting in his office I delivered the letter and explained the situation to
him, we probably had about half an hour together. Then just after lunch when he
turned up at home with an entourage to assess the damage and situation. And the
third time was at around 5:30pm this afternoon when he turned up with a few of
his wantoks and also various materials and equipment to fix everything. During
the last visit, Mr. Merimba also gave Eli a box of frozen chicken as a gift and
token apology for the hassles we had experienced earlier in the day.

A new pump is onsite and ready to be
installed, building materials are stored in one of the spare rooms for the
workmen to strengthen and secure the fence tomorrow morning. The cause of the
gas leak has been identified by the plumber and this will also be fixed within
the next day or so. All in all, I feel that Mr. Merimba handled the situation
with an adept skill of conflict resolution, something the PNG Highland’s elders
are masters at. 

So what about the dog? Yep… we now have a dog!
Her original name is “Cliffy” but Eli has christened her “Gelo”. “Gelo” was one
of the four dogs that lived around the Transit House during our 1^st
six weeks living on the Hospital grounds. Call me a dog rustler if you like but
exceptional circumstances calls for exceptional action. “Gelo” has been at home
since around 5:00pm and seems to settling in very nicely, Eli even prepared her
a special welcome dinner! Let’s hope she can bark! As yet I have not even heard
a yelp.

So you see, the crew here on Gonix (name of
our street) just continues to grow. Permanent residents at present: Eli, Sera,
Mama Anna, “Gelo” and me. Itinerant lodgers staying just for tonight: Irene
(Eli’s Mum), Joseph (Eli’s uncle), young Robert and last but not least, Isaac
Boss (Eli’s adopted son). The traveling crew is on their way back to Lae after
spending a couple of weeks with “Kandoni” after taking him back to his village,
Fatao. 

Enough excitement for one day…    don’t you think?