{"id":842,"date":"2015-04-30T00:52:45","date_gmt":"2015-04-30T00:52:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.online-exhibition.net\/trailblazers\/?page_id=842"},"modified":"2025-08-28T04:24:03","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T04:24:03","slug":"bougainville","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.geoffreykayemuseum.org.au\/trailblazers\/bougainville\/","title":{"rendered":"Bougainville"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The only rule of law was a tribal pay-back system, Bougainville, 1994, courtesy of Australian Government Department of Defence<\/p>\n

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Evacuation by helicopter, Bougainville, 1994, courtesy of Australian Government Department of Defence<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” transparent_background=”on” background_color=”#edede1″ allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” background_image=”https:\/\/www.geoffreykayemuseum.org.au\/trailblazers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/8425_iStock_000046704306_Double-Colour-web.jpg”][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left”]<\/p>\n

WILLIAM GRIGGS
\n<\/strong>AM, ASM, MBBS, PGDipAvMed, MBA, DUniv (hc), FANZCA, FCICM, FPA, FAICD
\nBOUGAINVILLE<\/p>\n

In 1994 there was no government in Bougainville, no public utilities, and the only rule of law was a tribal pay-back system.<\/p>\n

“I went to Bougainville as one of a five member Fly Away Surgical Team (FAST). Our task was to provide level 3 surgical support as members of the South Pacific Peace Keeping Force during planned peace talks in Arawa.”<\/em><\/p>\n

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Initially, they worked from the edge of the runway at Buka airfield, later moving to HMAS Tobruk <\/em>in Arawa harbour. There were only five people to do everything needed and there had been no doctors on the island for years.<\/p>\n

Griggs returned twice in 1998, once as part of the Truce Monitoring Group and later that year as part of the Peace Monitoring Group.<\/p>\n

“Visiting Arawa to run clinics on a regular basis meant locals who had not seen a doctor in over 10 years could come to see us. The pathology mix was impressive, but we were limited in what we could offer.”<\/em><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” transparent_background=”off” background_color=”#595959″ allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off”][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Bougainville Image 3″ src=”https:\/\/www.geoffreykayemuseum.org.au\/trailblazers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/BUKA-Fast2.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” url_new_window=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”on” alt=”Makeshift hospital in tent” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Bougainville Image 4″ src=”https:\/\/www.geoffreykayemuseum.org.au\/trailblazers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/SPPKF.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”on” url_new_window=”off” animation=”off” sticky=”on” alt=”SPPKF Bougainville sign” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”dark” text_orientation=”left”]<\/p>\n

Working from the edge of the runway at Buka airfield, Bougainville, 1994, courtesy of Australian Government Department of Defence<\/p>\n

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Insignia of the South Pacific Peace Keeping Force, Bougainville, 1994, courtesy of Australian Government Department of Defence<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” background_image=”https:\/\/www.geoffreykayemuseum.org.au\/trailblazers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/pharma-background.jpg” transparent_background=”on” background_color=”#ffffff” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off”][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_cta admin_label=”Call To Action” button_url=”https:\/\/www.geoffreykayemuseum.org.au\/trailblazers\/gulf-war\/” button_text=”Continue Exhibition” use_background_color=”off” background_color=”#1e73be” background_layout=”dark” text_orientation=”center” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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