| Description |
Tape# 1: Musical Background, Experiences and Journey of Nelson ToKiel
Side A&B:
Nelson ToKiel was born in 1920 and comes from Raburura Village in Kokopo area. He started his education under Mission language (Kuanua) School "Luk Buk". In 1935 at age 15 years, he left the village to Malaguna Elementary School as a boarding student like many others.
Nelson's grew up with traditional (singsings) and hymnody (choir) music. He was first exposed to any western music through listening to the gramophone at Luk Buk school where it was played with hymns and choirs during missionary visits by George Brown College.
It was Malaguna Elementary School that Nelson got more interested and took up music night classes taught by Rabaul Police officer and brass band musician David Crowley. David moved from England to Australia working as a police officer in Tasmania then Victoria then in 1932 he joined the New Guinea Police.
David was teaching music also at Waterhouse Memorial School in Nodup at assessed that it was the right time to start a Brass Band with indigenous people the Tolai and other local people from parts of New Guinea. This however was not encouraged and disapproved by the colonial administration implying the difficulty teaching music to local people.
David made a deal with the District Administrator to allow him to prove that this Police Brass Band can be achieved over two years 1938 and 1939 with predominantly local indigenous Tolai members, although there were others from Manus and West New Britain. This however were all in secret with practicing, learning brass band music including both performances and as marching band. All the formed band members stayed together at the back of the Rabaul Police Barracks in own built accommodation and were doing their musical work at the hills sides and foot of mountains at back of the town to master their musical art and skills. The was equipped with band instruments such as trumpets, cornets, flugel and tenor horns, tenor and bass trombones, saxaphones, drums and cymbals and were skilled up as performers and as marching band.
By 1940, they started performances after they impressed the District Administrator at Rabaul wharf returning from his holidays where they welcomed him with "God save the Queen" with David Crowley as band conductor and Nelson was multi-skilled with most of the instruments and become the assistant conductor. The deal was fulfilled and impressed the Administrator and also other expatriates, Chinese and mixed race communities in Rabaul town with performances and marches proving indigenous musicians can be trained and perform to western standards of music.
The second world war came to Rabaul with Japanese occupation so just as the first bombings began, the band dissolved and David and Band Members dug a big hole in the North Coast are to bury all the band instruments for safekeeping and all dispersed in their separate ways to their villages. David amongst others escaped through the mountainous Bainings to the shores and sailed in ship to Samarai or Milne Bay into hiding where they were under the Allied Forces area.
Nelson was taken by the Japanese army as a cargo carrier amongst other Tolai men and were based at Buna, Northern Province where they they fought the Kokoda Track war with the Allies in American and Australian armies. During their time there they were approached by the Americans to join and support them during the war battles with the Japanese and eventually in 1943 the Japanese surrendered on their Kokoda track campaign.
David Crowley had now returned and joined the Papuan Police Force and sent our message to the Rabaul based Police Band members via the Allies broadcasts so Nelson was identified in Buna so he flew to Port Moresby in the American fighter aircraft Lightning Lockheed, his first time in an aeroplane.
Nelson then joined up with David again and was given the task to recruit and train brass band music to local people along the Papuan coastal villages where he started with 11 members. He complemented with other Tolai people recruited from schools or workers in Port Moresby to form the Royal Papuan Constabulary Band. He also was involved with the Military Band of the Allied Forces and also coordinated with David the introduction to other provinces in New Guinea.
After 1953, when the territories of Papua and New Guinea where combined, the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary Band was formed and in the late 1950s, the band toured Australia as a territory to take part in ceremonial events like Queens visit, ANZAC Day and others mainly in Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra.
In 1961, Nelson left the RPNGC Band and went for Police Training at Bomana, Port Moresby where he became a Police Inspector and worked in Manus, New Ireland, Madang, Lae and Rabaul. After 34 years of service in the Police Force, he retired and returned to Raburua and became the Village Court Magistrate. During this time he assisted his old Rabaul Police Band colleague Eremas ToLik to re-form the Province East New Britain Brass Band where some of the former members had passed away so there were new recruits to the new band and supported by charity organisations such as APEX and Lions clubs with instruments.
Some of the Tolai pioneers and new members where Nelson Tokiel was involved with ToLik include but not limited to; ToPirit, ToBilitaria, Tiamon, Ruepen Ruva, ToRongap, Karilus, Daula, Jimmy Malcom.
Nelson's life experiences covered both New Guinea (TNG) and Papua (TP) pre-war and post war as separate territories of Australia and combined territories (TP&NG) and worked in various locations of the country.
(Steven Gagau, January 2020) |
