Mary Mennis is an historian who lived and worked in PNG for many years. She has published works on Tolai people, myths and social customs, a history of St. Michael's Church on Matupit Island, a reader for Pacific island primary school students and a biography of Father William Ross, first American missionary to Papua New Guinea.

M. Mennis, 'The Existence of Yomba Island Near Madang: Fact of Fiction', <I>Oral History</I>, Vol. 6, No.6, 1978, pp.3-81.
<BR>M. Mennis, 'Kilibob & Manup Myth Found on the North Coast of PNG', <I>Oral History</I>, Vol. 7, No.4, 1979, pp.88-101
<BR>Brian Mennis, 'Tolai Fish Traps', <I>Oral History</I>, Vol. 7, No.4, 1979, pp.88-101
<BR>'Oral Testimonies from Coastal Madang' Collected by Mary Mennis, Part One, <I>Oral History</I>, Vol.8, No.10, 1980, pp.1-118.
<BR>'Oral Testimonies from Coastal Madang, Collected by Mary Mennis', Part Two, <I>Oral History</I>, Vol. 9, No.1, 1981, pp.1-107.
<BR>'Oral Testimonies from Coastal Madang Collected by Mary Mennis', Part Three, <I>Oral History</I>, Vol. 9, No.2, 1981, pp.1-107.
<BR>Mary Mennis, <I>Sailing for Survival: a comparative report of the trading System and Trading canoes of the Motu people in the Port Moresby area and the Bel people in the Madang area of Papua New Guinea</I>, report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Social Science , School of Anthropology, Archaeology and Sociology, James Cook University of North Queensland, March 2000, 128pp., illus., maps, diags.

The <i>Melanesian Nius</i> and the <i>Kiokio Nius</i> were sister newspapers published irregularly in Honiara by the pioneer Solomon Islander journalist and newspaper proprietor, George Aitkin, prior to publication of his major weekly, the <i>Solomons Toktok</i>.

<i>Melanesian Nius</i>, No.1, 19 Jan 1977; No.2, 27 Jan 1977; No.3, 2 Feb 1977; No.4, 9 Feb 1977; No.5, 16 Feb 1977; No.6, 23 Feb 1977; No.7, 2 Mar 1977.
<i>The Kiokio Nius</i>: No.8, 16 Mar 1977; No.9, 23 Mar 1977; No.10, 31 Mar 1977.

The first private newspaper in the Solomon Islands after the Kakamora Reporter (PMB Doc 414) was Solomons Toktok, originally published as the Melanesian Nius and the Kiokio Nius (both at PMB Doc 416). It started in 1977 and continued publication until 1992. The Toktok might be described as the Solomons' first tabloid newspaper with its own version of sensationalist reporting (one early headline: 'Sex and Politics in Honiara - a husband's lament'). It came out in competition with the government-owned Solomons News Drum (PMB Doc 415) and was intended to have more popular appeal. (From Ian Frazer, “Solomon Islands Newspapers”, in Pambu, Series.5, No.5, May 1997.)

Solomons Toktok
Reel 1 Nos.1-110 (gaps), Aug 1977-Dec 1979
Reel 2 Nos.111-189 (gaps), Jan 1980-Aug 1981
Nos.1-34 (gaps), Jan 1982-Mar 1983
Reel 3 Nos.35-74 (gaps?), Mar 1983-Feb 1984
Nos.1-61 (gap), Feb 1984-May 1985
Reel 4 Nos.62-88 (gaps), May-Dec 1985
Nos.1-33, Jan-Dec 1986
Nos.1-69, Jan-Nov 1987
Reel 5 Nos.70-135, Nov 1987-Apr 1989
Reel 6 Nos.136-200, May 1989-Sep 1990
Reel 7 Nos.201-243, Sep 1990-Sep 1991
Nos.1-19, Oct 1991-Feb 1992
See Finding aids for details.

Initially monthly, afterwards irregular. A leaflet published by the Seli Hoo Editorial Collective, Sydney, 5 November 1977 and included with the first issue of Seli Hoo, describes it as a monthly news bulletin on Vanuaaku and New Caledonia, produced by supporters of the struggle of the people of Vanuaaku (New Hebrides) and the Kanak people of New Caledonia for independence. The leaflet is included on the microfilm.

No. 1 (November 1977): 2: 3: 4: 6 (October 1978). Includes leaflet but lacks issue 5, date unknown

Emeritus Professor Russell Blong was the former Director of Risk Frontiers (Natural Hazards Research Centre) and a Professorial Fellow in the Division of Environmental & Life Sciences at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. He holds Masters degrees in Geography (Auckland) and Engineering Science (UNSW) and a PhD in Geomorphology (Sydney). Professor Blong has researched a wide range of natural hazards and their consequences but his passions include earthquake, volcanic and landslide hazards in Australia and the South Pacific.
The “time of darkness” project was undertaken from 1970 to 1982 in collaboration with Emeritus Professor Jack Golson from the Australian National University. The aim of the project was to collect oral histories from people in Papua New Guinea about the “time of darkness”. The “time of darkness” legends were collected to document a cataclysmic volcanic eruption which occurred in Papua New Guinea more than 300 years ago. The initial archaeological investigation was at an archaeological site in the Western Highlands Province of PNG where numerous thin layers of inorganic sediments were identified in Kuk swamp. Studies of the mineralogy and stratigraphy of thin layers revealed that many of them were volcanic ash. The uppermost tephra was the product of a volcanic eruption of considerable magnitude.

The questionnaires were conducted by linguists, missionaries, anthropologists and others who worked in various parts of Papua New Guinea during the 1970s. A common theme of the 56 versions of the legend collected is a fall of material from the sky. Because most of the versions of the legend stem from the fall of Tibito Tephra, a volcanic ash identifiable on the ground and with ascertainable effects, Blong compares the leged with reality.
The legends were collated and edited into a journal article, “Time of darkness legends from Papua New Guinea”, collated and edited by Russell J. Blong, Oral History, Vol.VII, No.10, 1979 and were later published in the book The time of darkness : local legends and volcanic reality in Papua New Guinea, by R.J. Blong, Canberra, Australian National University, 1982.
The significance of the time of darkness legends extends far beyond their importance as a collection of stories. They are a coherent group of legends about one event, having originated with one of the great volcanic eruptions of the last millennium, an eruption that was not witnessed by European man.

Original material relating to the oral histories collected for the Time of Darkness project in Papua New Guinea throughout the 1970s.
• “Time of darkness legends from Papua New Guinea”, collated and edited by Russell J. Blong, Oral History, Vol.VII, No.10, 1979.
• Questionnaire returns, correspondence and reports.

See Finding aids for details.

During the mid 1970s Micronitor (News from the U.S. Trust Territory of the Pacific) changed its title to The Micronesian Independent

Micronitor: Vol. 3 No. 5 (1 Feb. 1972) Micronesian Independent: Vol. 7 No. 22 (25 June 1976) to Vol. 11 No. 10 (5 Sept. 1980)

The Unevangelized Fields Mission churches officially constituted a national church, the Evangelical Church of Papua, in July 1966. Tari became the HQ of the Church and the Mission. In 1969 UFM, Australia and New Zealand Branch, independently changed its name to the Asia Pacific Christian Mission in order to facilitate extension of its activities in the Asia-Pacific region.
See also PMB Doc 498, Doc 524, Doc 525, Doc 526, and Doc 528.

Prayer and Praise Points reports on APCM / ECP news such as, staff movements, projects and events; the reports arranged by District and by town or village; published fortnightly, 1976-Aug 1985, then monthly.
See Finding aids for details.

Published monthly in Port Vila by the Chamber of Commerce.

See reel list for further details

Formed on 28 February 1976, PALIKA (Parti de Libération Kanak) called for nationalization of nickel mining, industries and banks. Two PALIKA members were elected to the Territorial Assembly in 1977, including Nidoish Naisseline who represented Mare. PALIKA became a founding member of the Independence front (Front Indépendantiste) in 1979. In 1981 PALIKA moved under the umbrella of the FLNKS (Front de Libération Nationale de Kanak et Socialiste). By 1999, following the Noumea Accord of May 1998, Palika had become an established force in New Caledonian politics winning 6 of the 19 pro-independence seats in the Congress of New Caledonia, and forming the largest block in the northern provincial assemblies, and the Party continues to be crucial component of mainstream politics in New Caledonia. (D. Chappell, “Political Review: New Caledonia”, The Contemporary Pacific 12.2, 2000; pp.515-520.)

Nos. 1-211 (gaps), 1976-2006.
See Finding aids for details.

Consultancy report on a survey carried out for the Tuvalu administration