SITUM, Morobe Province, 3 May 2026 — A powerful reminder of shared sacrifice and enduring friendship between Papua New Guinea and Australia was on display at Situm 7th Australian Division Memorial Primary School when the Australian Consul-General in Lae, Brenton Kanowski, led a delegation to the historic institution.
Accompanied by Australian Defence Staff Lae and members of the Australian Army’s Mobile Training Team, the visit brought history to life for more than 1,300 students and staff who gathered to welcome the delegation — a moment that bridged generations through memory, gratitude, and ongoing partnership.
The school itself stands as a living monument to the 7th Australian Division, whose soldiers fought through the rugged Situm area during the decisive Battle of Lae. Their advance formed part of the wider Salamaua–Lae campaign, a critical Allied offensive that ultimately led to the liberation of Lae from Japanese occupation on September 16, 1943.
Founded in 1964 with support from the 7th Australian Division Australian Imperial Forces Association, the school was established as a gesture of gratitude — recognising the vital role local Papua New Guinean villagers played in supporting Allied troops during one of the Pacific’s most challenging campaigns.
Speaking during the visit, Mr Kanowski emphasised that the relationship between the two nations extends far beyond diplomacy.
“These connections continue to demonstrate the strong people-to-people links underpinning the PNG–Australia partnership,” he said.
“They are lived every day — not in abstract economic terms — but are deeply rooted in the shared wartime sacrifice our countrymen endured.”
Situm’s location, just north of key landing zones used by Australian forces in 1943, places it at the heart of one of the most significant chapters in Papua New Guinea’s wartime history. The success of the Lae campaign depended not only on military strategy, but also on the resilience and support of local communities who guided, supplied, and stood alongside Allied forces in unforgiving terrain.
Today, that legacy continues through ongoing cooperation. Members of the Australian Defence Force regularly deploy to Papua New Guinea to support training and joint activities with the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, including at Igam Barracks in Lae.
For students at Situm, the visit was more than ceremonial — it was a living lesson in history, identity, and international friendship.
More than eight decades after the guns fell silent, Situm remains a symbol of unity forged in adversity — where the echoes of war have given way to a shared commitment to education, cooperation, and a future built on the foundations of the past.