Eight pioneers arrived from Rabaul and spread out into the Madang District. One of them, Tamul Marung, obtained a bicycle and traveled by coastal boat to Basken, his home village, 30 miles [48 km] north of Madang. After preaching in Basken, he rode his bicycle back to Madang, witnessing as he went. He then returned to Basken, established a congregation, and pioneered for another 25 years.

Undeterred, the group moved to Bagildig, a neighboring village, and grew into a thriving congregation. They later built a large Kingdom Hall that was used for assemblies and conventions. Now there are seven congregations and two groups in the Madang District.

Inland from Lae, stalwart publishers were also doing good work. At Wau, Jack Arifeae, a big round-faced man with a real zeal for serving Jehovah, had established a thriving congregation in his home.

Popondetta, a small town southeast of Lae, heard the good news through Jerome and Lavinia Hotota, who returned to their home province from Port Moresby. Jerome had plenty of initiative and used the Scriptures persuasively, while Lavinia was a warmhearted woman who showed real personal interest in others. True to form, when they started witnessing, the Anglican bishop and a large group of his followers soon arrived at their house demanding that they stop. But Jerome and Lavinia refused to be intimidated. They kept on preaching and established a small but zealous congregation.