Attack on the Black Cat Track. Max Carmichael
Читать онлайн книгу.
staffing policy, for while Christy had considerable trekking experience and knowledge of the Black Cat Track, she had never before managed a full trek.
Christy’s other credentials, however, were impressive. Originally from Bathurst in New South Wales, thirty-eight-year-old Christy King was a registered nurse by profession. She had married into an old colonial family that had stayed on in PNG after the 1975 independence. The family operated the largest chain of pharmacies in PNG, plus a string of grocery stores in various parts of the country. By 2013, Christy, her husband Daniel and their two children had been living in Lae for ten years. During that time Christy had immersed herself in PNG culture, learning to speak pidgin English and becoming familiar with government officials and local people at all levels. In addition to the family home in Lae, the family also maintained a holiday home at Salamaua, the village at the base of the Black Cat Track.
Salamaua is seen by expats living in Lae as a place of refuge. In Lae, because of the high crime rate, they live by necessity behind barbed wire in secure compounds, an existence that can become very trying, particularly for the young. At Salamaua life was far less stressful. No-one locked their houses; children were free to roam the streets and to play with the local kids.
For Christy, Salamaua was also the place from where she began her close relationship with the Black Cat Track, walking it on several occasions and learning all she could about its history and the World War II battles that were fought on and around it. A fitness fanatic, in 2011 Christy took this relationship with the track to a level attained by few when, in preparation for a race along the Kokoda Track, she ran the length of the Black Cat in thirty-two hours.14 Supremely fit, with knowledge of the people, the terrain, the local language and local politics, she was an ideal choice for trek leader.
In spite of Christy’s undoubted ability, PNG Trekking Adventures chose not to advise the September trekkers of her appointment until their clients arrived in PNG. Regardless, the clients had freely chosen PNG Trekking Adventures based on their own research. The tour operator had every reason to believe that the coming trek would be well received along the track, and that their newly appointed trek leader would perform well. It was also reasonable to assume that while the communities along the Black Cat might grumble a bit about outside porters, they would be happy once they were paid for the trek’s visit to their traditional lands. Now was the time to begin preparations.
_________
1 Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States, 1901–1909.
2 Shredder, ‘Lost On the Black Cat Track’, Papua New Guinea Adventure Blog, 11 August, 2012, https://shredderinpng.com/2012/08/11/lost-on-the-black-cat-track/.
3 ‘Glamping’ is a word for glamorised camping.
4 Pete Stevens, Australian Story, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2014.
5 Zoltan Maklary, Australian Story, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2014.
6 ibid.
7 Nick Bennett, email to author, 2015.
8 ibid.
9 Steve Ward, Australian Story, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2014.
10 Rod Clarke, Australian Story, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2014.
11 ibid.
12 Gary Essex, Australian Story, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2014.
13 Glen Reiss, Australian Story, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2014.
14 Most trekkers take six days to complete the Black Cat Track.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.