This is a commemorative note of 100 kina that was released on 28.01.2026 to celebrate the first anniversary of the passing of Papua New Guinea's second Prime Minister. Sir Julius Chan. Sir Julius died on 30.01.2025 in Huris, New Ireland Province. Following his death, the government of Papua New Guinea declared a week of national mourning. He was given a state funeral in Port Moresby, the capital city and his remains were then buried in New Ireland Province.
Sir Julius Chan was born half Chinese and half Papua New Guinean (mother Miriam Tinkoris, a native of New Ireland). His father was Chan Pak (陳柏 b.1896-1994 Sydney Australia), a trader originally came from Taishan, a coaster city situated in the southwest of Guangdong province. Sir Julius was the fifth child out of seven children, and it was believed that he spoke Cantonese, apart from English and a local dialect of Papua New Guinea. During the Second World War, because of his mixed race, the Japanese occupiers treated the entire Chan family as outsiders and put his father into forced labour building roads and bridges. One of his younger brothers died during the war (casualty of war). His older brother was in Hong Kong schooling during the war, and was tricked by a family friend and sold as a slave in China working as a farm labour. He was then rescued by a Communist Party general and they made him a shoe cleaner and a pistol carrier. After the war the Chinese General felt sorry for him and helped him to return to Hong Kong as a free man and later he managed to return home and united with the family in Papua New Guinea.
This is the second time in the history of the Bank of Papua New Guinea since 1975 that banknotes were issued honoring a politician. The first time this happened was Sir Michael Somare on a fifty kina paper note issued in 1989. Since then, the 50 kina note with the portrait of Sir Michael Somare has been reprinted in polymer substrate materials including normal and commemorative notes, and I am just wondering if this 100 kina note with the portrait of Sir Julius Chan will be the same design for all future reprints. The difference between Sir Michael Somare and Sir Julius Chan is that the 50 kina notes were issued when Sir Michael Somare was still alive and Sir Julius Chan is not.
Whilst this note was issued as a commemorative banknote, there is nothing, like a commemorative logo or text to say this is a commemorative issue.
One Hundred Kina
Front - Papua New Guinea's Parliament building located in Waigani in the capital city of Port Moresby. The parliament house was officially opened on 08.08.1984 by Prince Charles (now King Charles The lll). The parliament house was formerly known as the House of Assembly Building of Papua New Guinea from 1964 to 1975. On the top left is the Bird of Paradise, the national emblem of Papua New Guinea, perched on a Kundu Drum and Ceremonial spear. Coat of Arms and on the far left is a see-through image of the bank's logo and the images of Bird of Paradise.
Date - nd2026
Sizes - 150mm x 70mm
Back - The portrait of the late Sir Julius Chan (b.1939-2025). Julius Chan who was the second Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea from 1980 to 1982, and again in 1994 to March 1997, and June 1997 to July 1997. Julius Chan was half Chinese and half native of Papua New Guinea and was born on Tanga Islands. His Chinese given name is 陳仲民 (transliteration - Chan Chung-min/Chen Zhongmin). His father was from Taishan (泰山 - southern China, near Macau) in China. Apart from Papua New Guinea dialects and English, he also spoke Cantonese. Apart from being the country's Prime Minister, he was also the 4th governor of New Ireland from 2007 to 2025 (until his death). Julius Chan was born in 1939 and died on 30.01.2025 at the age of 85 years old. Other images printed on this note is an image of a fisherman on a canoe (shark caller) catching sharks.
