Mary and Brian Mennis have always had a great interest in the Oral History of the people of Papua New Guinea, and spent many years in researching their traditions. This research has led to her two Masters Degrees, the first from the University of Papua New Guinea and the second from James Cook University, Queensland.
Apart from her degrees, Mary has also published several books based on her research.
She is also the family historian for the Eccles family of Victoria, and has published her family’s history and a short history of her father, the late Sir John Eccles.
The Lalong canoe, pictured here by Brian Mennis, is a triple deck canoe, with a house and single sail and hull. It was used for trading pots and was an ocean going canoe.
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The canoe pictured was constructed in 1979, the first one of its type made for 50 years. The last of the village elders handed down the skills to the new generation of men in the village on how to make it.
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During construction Mary documented the construction process to preserve this history for future generations.
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See the book The Mariners of Madang for more details.