Lae, 16 April 2025 – At the heart of Butibam village in Lae, lives a man whose life and leadership have touched countless Papua New Guineans—Bart Philemon, former Lae MP, former Minister of Finance, and proud son of Morobe. As he celebrates his 80th birthday today, Bart’s story stands as a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when we work with the land.
Long before his days in Parliament, Bart was already shaping his destiny through agriculture, after his career with Air Niugini. He leased six hectares of customary land at Malahang in Lae through the Development Bank, borrowing K130,000 to kickstart a bold farming project.
“I put up power lines, a shed, a water tank, and two kilometres of road,” he recalls. “I raised 120,000 chickens and planted a thousand Cavendish bananas.” The chickens were sold to Mainland Holdings and the bananas to supermarkets and resource projects around the country.
With this one farm, Bart did what many think impossible. He educated his children through the proceeds of poultry and bananas—sending his daughters to a four-year boarding school in Brisbane, supporting his son through Lae International High School, and even paying university fees in Brisbane.
“My daughter Emma later received a scholarship, but I paid for Ben and Sarah’s university education through those six hectares,” Bart says.
His success didn’t stop with poultry. Bart looked to coffee next, travelling to Aiyura to explore growing the crop with support from local landowners. Though the plan didn’t proceed due to landowner concerns, the experience reinforced his belief in the power of agriculture.
“Coffee and cocoa can improve the standard of living for 90% of our people,” he says. “Before independence, PNG produced over a million bags of high-quality coffee. Now we struggle to maintain that.”
Bart is particularly passionate about rebuilding quality and volume, arguing that PNG’s global reputation for fine coffee has declined due to neglect and lack of support.
Bart’s vision for Papua New Guinea is grounded in two blessings he believes the country has taken for granted: agriculture and tourism.
“God gave us the richness of land and the beauty of nature. These should have been the foundations of our development over the past 50 years.”
He fondly recalls how, in 1975, the Mount Hagen Show drew so many tourists that air traffic to the Highlands exceeded that of Brisbane during the same weekend.
“Tourists used to fly into Madang, Lae, Goroka—then on to Hagen for the show. We had more to offer than Fiji. We still do. But we’ve spent 50 years talking instead of acting.”
For Bart Philemon, the time for discussion is over.
“Let’s stop dreaming. Let’s get to work. Leadership must guide our people to the promised land—not through talk, but through action.”
As Papua New Guinea celebrates its 50th year of Independence, Bart’s story is a reminder that real prosperity is not found in handouts or high rhetoric, but in the soil beneath our feet, the seeds we plant, and the sweat we put in to nurture them.
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Bart.
Congratulations . Thank you for sharing your life after Public service. We must get in touch.