Dame Alice Wedega, DBE (20 August 1905 – 3 December 1987) was a Papuan politician, educator, peacemaker and

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to object ...

Biography

Born in Ahioma in

Milne Bay Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, south-eastern Papua New Guinea. More than long and over wide, Milne Bay is a sheltered deep-water harbor accessible via Ward Hunt Strait. It is surrounded by the heavily wooded Stirling Range to t ...

, Wedega was raised in Kwato. She worked to educate her people and evangelise Christianity, and helped foster peace by "making enemies into friends" derived from her own education by

Charles Abel Charles Abel (born 24 September 1967) Charles Abel is an important politician in Papua New Guinea.He has been a member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea from 2007-2022, representing the electorate of Alotau Open.He competed for ...

, a missionary who established a school on the island of Kwato. She served as a welfare office with the department of Native Affairs, and established a school for domestic science in Milne Bay. Wedega was also active in the Girl guides movement, and became the first national Girl Guide Commissioner in Papua New Guinea. She was appointed to the Legislative Council of Papua and New Guinea in

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

, the first indigenous woman to sit in the legislature. She served until 1963. In 1981, she published her autobiography, ''Listen My Country,'' which focuses on "her experiences as a Christian and as a woman." She is considered to be the first woman from Papua New Guinea to publish a book, and her autobiography was reprinted in 2016. She travelled internationally to conferences, representing her country, and to Northern Ireland to help build peace.

Quotes

* ''"... r people used to kill and eat men. They would practice payback. That is, if one of your side killed one of mine, my side would kill one of yours. But the missionaries came from Europe to stop us doing all that. And now I have been back to Northern Ireland to help the Europeans there stop doing it."'' (A. Wedega) * "...''we women of Papua can be a strong force to make this country a better country than it is today''."

Legacy and honours

On 13 June, 1964, Wedega was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, in recognition of her service to her community. Wedega was elevated to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in June 1983, as part of the

Queen's birthday honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are present ...

. She was the first woman from Papua New Guinea to be made a Dame. In 2002, Eric Johns wrote a biography of Wedega, written for secondary students.

Works

* ''Listen My Country'' (2016)

References

Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire 1905 births 1987 deaths People from Milne Bay Province Members of the Legislative Council of Papua and New Guinea Papua New Guinean women in politics Place of death missing 20th-century women politicians Women members of unicameral legislatures in Australia {{PapuaNewGuinea-bio-stub