STORY - "Highland Fling"
By Tracey Edstein.

If your family wished to give you a gift of travel, what destination would you choose? Perth? Fiji? Paris? For Carmel Toohey of Rutherford parish, the choice was easy: Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea.

To understand this perhaps curious choice, you need to know something of Carmel's story. In 1961, at the age of eighteen, Carmel Keegan of Maitland wanted to do something "to help other people". She responded to an advertisement in The Catholic Weekly for lay missionaries for the Western Highlands of New Guinea.

Carmel Toohey and friends

"When I got there I was quite shocked, it was so primitive. There were no other girls, I was the first female lay missionary." Carmel admits that she had no qualifications but the bishop was sure that she would have no trouble using a treadle sewing machine to make laplaps and 'meri' blouses for the women. Carmel said "I couldn't even sew on a button!" but she taught herself and then proceeded to teach the girls to make their clothes. At home, unknown to Carmel, the Keegan family marshalled friends and neighbours to provide and send more of the dreaded sewing machines for distribution to surrounding areas!

Later Carmel began teaching in schools, mostly boys as there was little interest in educating girls. If you know her you won't be surprised to learn that she argued about this philosophy!

Letters and parcels from home were lifesavers as there were no phone calls or trips home until the three year stint was finished. At first Carmel was very homesick but once she learned some pidgin and came to know the people, she was very happy. "The people were wonderful, so accepting and friendly ..."

This is the key to her desire to return to New Guinea some 42 years later. Almost immediately, she met some of her former pupils who now teach in a high school at Mt Hagen. One is the principal - and both are women!

Carmel was surprised at how little has changed. The people were still smiling and welcoming, wearing traditional clothing and living in villages. Priests and religious are still able to work in New Guinea but government policy dictates that nationals must fill all positions as far as possible.

Village women in PNG

Security is a concern and lay foreigners are less likely to feel able to offer their services. Carmel is saddened that health issues, particularly HIV/AIDS, are not being adequately addressed and there is much scope for education in health and hygiene.

Carmel's photographs show a green and fertile land with endless potential - "Anything will grow there". However the philosophy of the people is to provide for today, not to worry about amassing goods and money.

It was only on returning to Mt Hagen that Carmel recognised the impact of her work and that of others like her. Those she had taught remembered so much that she had said and done; "every single detail - that worried me a bit!" There is evidence of great faith and devotion to the Mass and to Mary, no doubt the legacy of those early missionaries. Praying the rosary is especially important and beads are highly prized.

One of Carmel's photos shows a library built by one of the schools she visited. The staff is very proud of this achievement but the shelves are literally empty - there is no money for books. Carmel is hoping to be able to collect suitable books and perhaps rosary beads to send to PNG. That desire "to help other people" is still there.

If you have books or beads to donate, please contact The Editor.

Tracey Edstein

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