Setting up House (continued)

The meteorological staff often included pawpaw in the lunch which they took to the airport, which we frequently ate on the verandah of the office at Kila Kila. Inside the fruit were many small black seeds which we tossed from the verandah to the ground below. To our delight small pawpaw trees appeared, grew quickly and bore fruit within a year.

Havi was obviously displeased that a white woman was to be boss of the house and would determine the menus and the overall organisation which was previously his responsibility. He made this obvious in subtle ways such as diligently cleaning and polishing my shoes while 'forgetting' to attend to Audrey's. In his world women knew their place but this new Sinnabada (lady) obviously was an interfering type. I persuaded Audrey to tolerate Havi's chewing of betel nut which covered his teeth and gums with scarlet spittle.

We needed to protect food from the ubiquitous cockroaches which grew to about 5–10 cm in length. Cockroaches gathered in great numbers in the pantry of our house at night. Audrey's first introduction to the Port Moresby cockroaches occurred soon after her arrival when on opening the pantry door and switching on the light she was confronted by a swarm of extra-large cockroaches which, as they scurried for cover, made an eerie, slithering, scratching sound which she found particularly revolting.

Bureau of Meteorology