There are considerable dangers in being a carer in PNG. The sick person and family will often expect the carer to do everything including having the patient stop smoking and take medicine on time.
If health drops, the blame will fall on the carer. There seems no value in being a carer for many sick people in this country.
On 12 October 2013, I was seriously bashed by a Chief Inspector "Bonn" Gulu and another officer who arrived at my house drunk in charge of a police vehicle.
The Chief Inspector punched me in the dark, smashing my glasses into my right eye and damaging my nose. The other policemen punched me in the face and kicked me as I lay on the ground. He may have been Gulu's son-in-law.
The medical report by Dr Mathias Sapuri stated that:
Bruce was punched and kicked several times. He sustained a right eye subconjunctival 4 mm haemmorhage, 2cm bruises on the nose, 5cm bruises on the right arm and a 15 cm haematoma on the right inner thigh. He was assaulted by Inspector Gulu.
I have further damaged my spine by falling on a steel bench in the yard. The second policeman followed me upstairs and punched me in the face as I lay semi-conscious on my bed.
He told me that if I give any trouble, he will bash me even more. The second man stated he was a policeman whose nickname was "bite".
There was no warrant of arrest. No attempt was made to arrest me just to bash me before they went back to boozing. The police vehicle was driven by drunken Gulu.
The problem arose from a domestic problem. I have been living alone for almost 10 years. Some 8 months ago, I met a woman who came and looked after my house. My daughters loved her and asked me to let her stay.
But it took about 4 weeks to realize she was vicious and violent. For months to come, she would hit me and scream at me. She threatened suicide if I kicked her out. I would send a text to her father Chief Inspector Gulu each time to advise of her drop in health and her cycle of violence.
I found she had TB and took her to the local private hospital for review and drugs. But her condition worsened as the result of her secret smoking. She dropped to 52 kg. I gave her food to build her up again.
I suggested that she go to her village of Kamobolo near Rigo. She could work in the gardens and relieve herself of the mucous. I planned to give her a new supply of drugs and money.
In the hour before the bashing and before being attacked by Grace, I was sitting on my bed counting TB pills. There were 40 red pills enough for 3 weeks. I would have to go for new supplies if she wanted to stay longer. She said she would stay until the TB was finished. I went to the local store to check how to send money by mobile phone.
But on that evening of 12 October, she became hysterical as she said I was kicking her out. So she became violent again and tried to stab me with a screw driver. She rang her father who was drinking with his friends. They came, bashed me, left me lying in a heap and took her away.
The medical report above refers to bruises on the right arm. That was from me protecting myself from blows from Grace.
I have reported the matter to Inspector Karmi of Public Complaints at the 6 Mile station. He advises that the matter will be investigated with Chief Inspector Gulu. The senior commissioner Andy Bawa says that the public should report any violence from police.
This was violence from a senior officer who is giving a bad example. In the last week, I have been harrassed by text from the family accusing me of violence, attacking Grace last week and harrassing her sister who calls me a cunt and arsehole.
If the chief inspector claims in Court that he was merely protecting his lovely daughter from a violent white man, he is a liar. He knew of her violence having been regularly texted by her carer.
She was a sick woman who earned her keep by washing clothes once a week and cooking food. But she demanded big money. This is a standard approach of Papuan women. Many are money hungry.
My daughters came to hate her for her violence. My elder daughter threatened to break her face if she laid a hand on her father again.
I could have done that too but chose not to hurt a sick woman weighing 52 kg who may be dying of tuberculosis and bronchial pneumonia.
I must be the only white man ever to be bashed by two drunken police officers.
I was threatened by more bashing from the son-in-law who may be a policeman from Vanimo and the second police basher. If so, he is in breach of police regulations in operating out of his command area with violence.
I can hardly believe that a carer was bashed by a father like this. Gulu never came anywhere near his daughter.
She had TB for almost 2 years and her father never noticed. When she stayed with my family, he came once to ask for money for a haus krai payment.
He never responded once when I texted him to advise violence from his daughter. He ignored our problem. But the first time she rang him crying, he came around to bash her carer with another policeman.
Grace said she was humiliated. She said she did not expect her carer to be harmed like this. She apologised but I was too angry and cynical to accept. I will not see her again.
She had phoned her father and waited down the road to lead him to the house. She could have left with him. But no, it was time for a bashing of an innocent carer.
Next morning was to be the time to go to the village for health recovery. But I am not sure that she did not realize that her father and his friend were drunk and violent.
They swaggered into the house yard like a pair of drunks. It was obvious to all witnesses present. She did not attempt to help her carer.
Hints were given that the family wanted me to marry her and pay bride price. But there were problems. We were not married. As well, she had chronic TB for almost 2 years. She was stupid enough to secretly smoke which resulted in bronchitis that would lead to bronchial pneumonia and early death.
She planned to leave when her TB was finished. But she may have added health problems with her smoking. Over a 6 month period, she coughed up about 6 Coca Cola cans of mucous. There was more yet that to came with TB and bronchitis. Her mucous seemed never to lessen.
Readers should not be alarmed at my bringing a TB sufferer into my home. The medical specialist advises that the TB virus becomes non-infective after 2 weeks of TB drugs.
I feel quite betrayed by all of this. As a young army officer at the Joint Services College in Lae in 1977, I worked with the brother of Chief Inspector Gulu by the name of Possi Gulu who was a Corrections officer.
My helping his niece was an act of remembrance of an old friend now deceased. He would be ashamed.
Why did the bashing take place? Did Gulu want to take his daughter away for a bride price arrangement? He just had to say so. There is a courtesy that is supposed to exist between gentlemen.
Boot stomping and face smashing violence was very much overkill. Who will look after her health now? She has a habit of smoking when she goes to her family.
Not to mention that Gulu was a senior officer of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary. He must not set the example on driving police vehicles under the influence of alcohol.
He must not let other officers know that they can pursue their own personal violence as police officers.
Grace was a beautiful lady. She was immaculate in the house and a great cook. But once a month, she would go right off for a day or two.
I would be the one who was punished. Her father got it wrong when he came to bash me. But he has not attempted to apologize.
He texted that if I did not stop the rot, he would arrest and charge me ...... in his dreams. He was not a real policeman with operational experience but a short term contract officer in charge of police publications.
There are witnesses from the house and neighbourhood who will confirm that Grace would bash me even on the street in the view of witnesses.
On the night in question, I was attacked by Grace and then bashed by her drunken father and his vicious friend who claimed to be a policeman. It was a double bashing. One tenant stopped her from stabbing me with a screw driver.
