By postcourieronline

Copyright postcourier

Among the statesmen, senior public servants, and national leaders who gathered to mark Papua New Guinea’s 50th Independence anniversary, stood a man whose life had come full circle, Ambassador Joshua Kalinoe.

Fifty years earlier, in 1975, Kalinoe was a 20-year-old cadet journalist with the National

Broadcasting Commission, a humble young man from Yauambak village on the Sepik River in Ambunti District, and a first-year student at the University of Papua New Guinea. On that historic day at Sir Hubert Murray Stadium, he witnessed the lowering of the Australian flag and the proud raising of the new Papua New Guinean flag.

Mr. Kalinoe was a young boy in Yauambak, growing up in a traditional lifestyle, eventually leaving his village for Madang to live with his uncle and aunty, where he worked as a waiter at a restaurant to make ends meet for his high school education.

“In 1975, I was a first-year diploma student at UPNG, and also sponsored by NBC. We were down at Sir Hubert Murray Stadium,” he recalls. “It was a very moving and exciting moment. Our Australian and British teachers in high school had always told us that our generation would be the leaders of a new nation. And on that day, their words became real.”

For the young Kalinoe, the moment stirred mixed emotions. “I was sad to see the Australian flag go,” he says softly. “We used to sing ‘God Save the Queen’ every morning before school began. That memory would fade away. But when we sang the new Papua New Guinean anthem, I was so proud, it was truly the dawn of a new day.”

That new dawn reshaped his path. Kalinoe shifted from journalism to economics, graduating with a Bachelor of Economics from UPNG. He later earned a scholarship to pursue a Master of Business Administration at Bond University in Australia, one of the pioneering Papua New Guinean students there.

Recognized for his intellect and insight, he was noticed by great leaders like the late Sir Michael Somare and the late Sir Julius Chan, engaging with them and students alike on economic policy as a lecturer at UPNG.

From that point, his career became a remarkable testament to service. He joined the public service, served as a commissioned officer in the PNG Defence Force, worked as a logistics officer with PNG Power, and lectured in business economics.

His leadership took him further, he was the Secretary for Commerce and Industry, Managing Director of the Investment Promotion Authority, and ultimately, Chief Secretary to the Government and Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and National Executive Council.

He went on to break new ground as the first Managing Director of Petromin (PNG) Holdings Limited, the country’s first national oil, gas, and minerals company. Later, he carried PNG’s voice abroad as Ambassador to the European Union, forging trade agreements and strengthening ties with Europe.

Now retired, Ambassador Kalinoe returned and witnessed the flag raising on Independence hill in 2025, not as a young student witnessing history for the first time, but as a guest of honour, celebrating Papua New Guinea’s Golden Jubilee.

“I was moved, as I watched and listened to the message shared by PM Marape, I reflected on what the future would be like for my grandchildren, for my generation we were able to contribute meaningfully, I reflected on the fact that in those days, there were not many Papua New Guineans who were doctors,’ nurses, lawyers, accountants, there were only a few of us as administrators.”

“The administration was staffed by the Australians and British, human capital development would be the biggest achievement. We now have PNG pilots, not just in PNG but abroad who fly international airlines. We have engineers employed by mining companies and doctors who are contributing nationally.”

Mr. Kalinoe emotionally stated that he reflected on the future of his children and grandchildren wondering if the future would be the same for them, or will they remain poor or will they work to make a better life for themselves.”

He stood again before the nation’s flag, this time not with mixed emotions of youth, but with pride in a life’s journey that mirrored the story of a nation: from humble beginnings, through challenges and change, to a place of dignity on the world stage.