Dad touched many lifes

By Newman Cuthbert (post courier)

Sir Albert Kipalan had a favourite saying he often repeated to emphasise a point on the importance of quality education to his children: “I would sell my underpants to give you a good education.”
As funny as it may sound, Albert Kipalan believed that the key to success for his children depended on quality education and how they as individuals could embrace education for their own successes and that of their children.
As a young boy Sir Albert himself would walk quite a distance from his Ieremanda village across a district boundary into the Sak valley to seek education.
He worked hard at his own vegetable gardens, harvested the crops and sold them off to pay for his own education. This determination he continued when he went on to Fatima high school.
Next week the Kipalan family will gather around his tomb at his farm just outside Port Moresby to remember their father on the first anniversary of his death.
He is buried on a small hill in front of his house at 8 mile where he often remarked: On that hill I would like you to build a home for me” He collapsed while he was visiting the bank to do business.
Among his children who will gather to pay trubute will be a doctor, her structural engineer husband, another daughter who is Dash 8 captain, her F100 captain husband, an encvironmental scientist, and a helicopter pilot son in-law.
Sir Albert was quite an orator and as member for Wabag and former Magistrate, he was passionate on issues of law and order, transparency and a man known not to go back on his words. If he supported a political group or an individual, it was for a long term.
He did not believe in spoiling is children with gifts and presents but always remembered their 21st birthdays.
From his three wives, Sir Albert fathered 11 children.
One of his sons Felix is the youngest person to hold a position of Environmental superintendent with Lihir Mines.
Rosemary Kipalan Jim is the doctor at Angau hospital while Bona is the only female captain on an Air Niugini Dash 8 and is married to F100 captain Esmond Yasi.
The other daughter Caspara’s husband Phillip flies helicopters .
From the comfort of his house he would look towards the front yard and say “That is where I would like to have my own house built”.
There was no dispute among his many brothers when the time came to decide where to lay him to rest.
He told his pilot son in-laws that Esmond Yasi would fly him on Air Niugini to Wabag and Phillip would take over from there and fly him in a helicopter throughout Wabag.
And that is how it happened.
He spelt out how he wanted the funeral to be ranged and slowly prepared his children so that they felt that he had not died, but moved on to another life and that they would also join him in time.
Early in life he had taken away the Wabag seat from the veteran Sir Tei Abal.
When Sam Abal was contesting the elections, Sir Albert returned to Wabag and told his people that it was now time to return the Wabag electorate to the son of the man from whom he had taken the seat.
One year has passed since the old man went away and on the occasion the family has wanted to say thank you to the many people young and old, important and simple, from the city and the settlements who attended to farewell Sir Albert.
They were taken back when people from the settlement, the highlanders, Koiaris and Goilalas and Keremas turned up to help in whatever way they could. They came and left as quietly as they had come and to this entire people the Kipalan family says thank you. As Esmond Yasi makes his landing aproach, the locals say they notice the wings of his aircraft dip.
Felix always takes the window seat when he come home on his break from Lihir.
“This way I can see the tomb as I come in and say “Hi dad, I’m coming home”
The family says he may have been their dad but he was also special to a lot of people that he touched.