Mount Lamington in Papua New Guinea erupted catastrophically in January 1951, producing pyroclastic flows that killed over 3,000 people in the surrounding areas. This was one of Papua New Guinea's deadliest volcanic disasters and occurred during the final years of Australian colonial administration. The eruption devastated agricultural lands and displaced thousands of indigenous communities.

Papua New Guinean poets and writers have referenced the Lamington eruption in works exploring colonial disruption, indigenous resilience, and environmental trauma. Contemporary Pacific Island poetry, including works by writers like Kumalau Tawali and John Waiko, incorporates volcanic imagery to address themes of displacement, cultural memory, and the intersection of traditional cosmologies with modern disaster management in postcolonial Oceania.