Sepik Airways to Goroka Airfield 1953

In 1953, at Goroka Airfield, a powerful image was captured — native police standing beside a Norseman aircraft from Gibbes Sepik Airways. This rare moment, photographed by Tony Chadim and featured in Ron Blum’s book “Shells, Feathers and Flying Dragons: New Guinea Highlands 1950s”, reminds us of a time when aviation first touched the heart of Papua New Guinea's rugged highlands.

These were the early days of air travel in PNG — a time when planes brought connection to remote valleys and mountains. Gibbes Sepik Airways, led by legendary pilots like Bobby Gibbes, was among the first to fly into these isolated areas, bridging worlds that had never met.

The native police, standing proud in this photo, played a key role during the colonial era — maintaining order and acting as a bridge between traditional communities and the Australian administration.

History like this reminds us how far we've come, and how the highlands were once a frontier of exploration and change.

#PapuaNewGuineaHistory #AviationHeritage #Goroka1953 #GibbesSepikAirways #MARTIN #HighlandsLegacy #FlyingIntoHistory #ColonialPNG #PNGStorytellers #fyp

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