The District Commissioner
Addendum 51: Angoram Club
Additional information for Chapter 28 - On the Sepik and getting used to being a Dad
Angoram is situated on the Sepik River in the East Sepik Province. The Sepik River is the longest river in PNG, extending 1,126km (more than 700 miles), and winds in a serpentine fashion from the Central Highlands near Telefomin, to the Bismarck Sea on the northern coast of PNG.
The following article “The Angoram Club: Tributes to an institution long gone” dated 1 October, 2012 by David Wall appeared in the PNG Attitude Keith Jackson & Friends newsletter at www.pngattitude.com/2012/10/the-angoram-club-tributes-to-an-institution-long-gone.html
“By the nineteen eighties the Angoram Club had completely disintegrated. The building had been dismantled and the interior furniture purloined…..Sepik Robbie, Ralph Ormsby, Freddy Eichhorn, Peter England, Don Bosgard and Ron Lucas would be turning in their graves.”
Edmund Carpenter in Oh, What a Blow That Phantom Gave Me! Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1972, pp 74-75….
“Angoram, New Guinea, 1969. Angoram is a chapter out of Somerset Maugham or Evelyn Waugh, the Yoknapatawpha County of Melanesia, belonging to the past, but intensely alive, full of color & characters, all gathered nightly in the Angoram Club, playing billiards under the Queen’s portrait (flanked by dartboard & crossed spears) or relaxing in broken furniture left over from World War II: crocodile hunters, gold prospectors, missionaries, adventurers, traders, remittance men, all drinkers & most smugglers, full of false dreams of the past & baseless hopes for the future, each sustained by some private dream of riches without labor.
Such towns need their gold rush or illicit diamond trade: in the Sepik, it’s primitive art. Looting the Amboim caves of archeological treasures netted big money, and while little of this reached the looters, it put the smell of treasure in the air, bringing the town to life, corrupting officials & missionaries alike, creating an atmosphere of intrigue & wealth & great conversations.
The Angoram Club’s volunteer bartender is a sensitive, witty Australian builder who, having failed at both architecture & suicide, abandoned his past to become the government carpenter in this remote outpost. His thirst for the printed word had reduced him to reading can labels, equipment instructions, even currency, until he discovered a set of the collected works of Aquinas, abandoned by a mad-missionary-turned-dealer-in-pagan-art. Late conversations usually end on some fine Thomistic point.”
David Wall in Sepik Blu Longpela Muruk, Swirl Bury St Edmunds, 2007….
“The Angoram Club was the meeting place for the expatriates and the town’s few mixed-race residents. It had a shabby spaciousness about it and was situated next to the hotel facing the river.
The amenities consisted of tables and chairs with a bar, record player and billiard table. There was enough space to hold dances from time to time and the bar was largely run on an honour system, with members serving.
On this evening most members were present and James was welcomed by the president, Allen Warburton, a man in his fifties with a dignified air and a clipped spoken accent, a mixture of educated Australian and colonial British.
Photo of the Angoram Club is believed to have been taken by Deborah Ruiz Wall in 1975 and was sourced from ww.pngattitude.com/2012/10/the-angoram-club-tributes-to-an-institution-long-gone.html.
Colin Simpson in Islands of Men, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1955….
“The sun lowered as a great red ball and, like its ghost, a pale full moon came up in the east, while the blazing orb was still above the horizon. We arrived, with the dusk gathering in the river bank casuarinas, at Angoram.
The Angoram Club has a bar and a billiard table in a hall big enough for dances. It has no staff whatever, and no cash-register. On the bar is a book. When you come in you put down a pound note and write your name in the book.
All beer is served by the bottle and, for spirits, you help yourself. The barman tells you when your quid has cut out and you put in another. The barman is the member whose turn it is to be barman that night. His duties finish when nobody wishes to drink any more.”
The photo here is believed to be inside the Angoram Club.
It was posted online 14 July, 2022 by Maxs Maxlyn.
The photo is of the Angoram Council House in East Sepik Province in 1969.
Photo by Axel Poignant, Cambridge Museum of Archaeology, and Anthropology.
It was posted online by Peter Russell Kranz on 25 February, 2023.
The photo is Angoram taken by Sgt Martin Forbes in 1973 while stationed at Moem Barrack and sourced from nashospng.com/martin-forbes-photo-gallery/
The June, 2016 photo shows houses on stilts at Angoram.
It was sourced from the Around the World in 80 clicks article “The Long Road to Cullaville” (author / photographer not stated) from the website www.traveladventures.org/continents/oceania/angoram02.html
The June, 2016 photo above shows boys fishing and having fun in a canoe at Angoram.
It was sourced from the Around the World in 80 clicks article “The Long Road to Cullaville” (author / photographer not stated) from www.traveladventures.org/continents/oceania/angoram02.html
The photo above of Timbuke Village, Angoram on 25 December, 2021
It is provided courtesy of Graham Wani / Togee Marhn.
Today it is noted for its rubber and cocoa plantations, and fish from the mighty Sepik. As early as the 1920s there also appears to have been a market in ‘native curios’ from the Sepik.
East Sepik Governor Allan Bird is quoted in ‘The National’ on 18 February, 2022 as saying that Angoram is poised to become the largest cocoa producer in PNG “with a land mass of 17,000 square kilometres and a population of 70,000 the potential is enormous.”
The East Sepik Province website at https://www.esp.gov.pg/districts/ states “At the heart of Angoram’s economy lies agriculture, with a significant portion of the population engaged in subsistence farming. The fertile lands yield a bounty of crops, including sago, rice, yams, taro, bananas, and various fruits, which sustain the local community and contribute to trade. In addition to agriculture and fishing, Angoram District has a history intertwined with logging. Its timber resources have attracted logging activities, which have played a role in the local economy. However, concerns regarding sustainability and environmental impact have prompted discussions on balancing economic interests with responsible forest management practices.
As with many rural areas in Papua New Guinea, Angoram District faces developmental challenges. Infrastructure remains a significant hurdle, with limited access to reliable roads, electricity, and clean water, particularly in remote areas. However, ongoing efforts are being made to improve these essential services, aiming to foster economic growth and enhance living conditions.
The district’s healthcare and education sectors also require attention. Access to adequate healthcare facilities and services can be limited, especially in remote regions, hindering the well-being of the local population. Similarly, educational opportunities may be scarce, impacting the development and potential of the district’s younger generations. Nonetheless, initiatives to improve health services and expand educational facilities are crucial steps towards a brighter future.
Despite the challenges, Angoram District possesses immense potential for tourism development. Its cultural heritage and natural beauty attract visitors seeking unique experiences.”