Vale Sir Brian Bell, I salute you

Many people have come and gone. Many people have loved PNG but have left. One man stood out as a shinning example of an extraordinary life spanning over 50 years of caring, giving and sharing his life, his wealth and his time with ordinary Papua New Guineans.

I knew him and met him on numerous occasions at charity events. He would always walk across the room with that small swagger to embrace and kiss me.

He was a staunch Anglican and lived in a humble abode behind the St Martins Anglican Church in Boroko, Port Moresby. I remember clearly the time when my friend Kathy Johnston and I went to his house one Sunday afternoon to take him to the salon to get his toe nails clipped. He was appreciative of a simple gesture like that, even though what he did for us Papua New Guineans was & is immeasurable!

Sir Brian Bell was a true pioneer in business as well as philanthropy who has left a significant legacy in Papua New Guinea. He had a genuine passion for the people of this country and will be fondly remembered.

Rest in God's Eternal Peace Sir Brian.

“The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."

Job 1:21 (RSV)

Logging & Law at Collingwood Bay, Tufi

 An email from Lester Seri

I thought this picture might be of interest to you - the picture was taken in Collingwood Bay, Oro province, following an investigation by Oro police, Administration staff, and community and environmental NGOs.

Both the landowner companies involved and the developers have no legal permit whatsoever to enter the area to undertake logging and agro-forestry projects but using bogus licenses and land leases issued by lands department they were able to go in despite we telling them that, portions of land they claim to hold title for have been cancelled by the lands department following a court case. 

PNG Government Thwarts No-confidence vote attempt

By Ilya Gridneff

PORT MORESBY, July 21 AAP - Papua New Guinea's parliament has descended into chaos after the government thwarted the opposition's attempt at a vote of no confidence by adjourning proceedings until November.

The opposition, swelled by a mass government defection, moved an expected motion for a no confidence vote on Wednesday morning.

But when parliament resumed after lunch, Speaker Jeffery Nape accepted the government's move for an adjournment.

The opposition challenged the government's numbers for the motion, but the speaker disallowed the move.

Kokoda Women In Agriculture

What a lovely story about the Kokoda women organising themselves to market their home-grown vegetables and fruits to Port Moresby. Honestly - this city really needs them! With every weekend's trip to Foodworld and SVS supermarkets, I am convinced my province located just over the Owen Stanley Ranges can supply this city's needs all-year 'round.

Kokoda Women in Agriculture co-ordinator, Ms Pricilla Ogomeni says; "We have abundance in surplus of food and vegetables and our aim is to supply Port Moresby because we are 25-30 minutes flight away and believe our fruits and vegetables will be fresher  and cheaper than any other parts of the country."
The initial arrangement is small and with friends and individuals in Port Moresby before they venture out to institutions and business houses. 

Fruits and vegies such as taro, bananas, choko, pineapples, sugar-cane and kaukau will be sold alongside home-grown products unique to the cool climate of Kokoda.

To place your orders - please phone - Pricilla (71649706) or Flora (72399922).

Kokoda crash report stalled

Papua New Guinea's only air accident investigator had been close to finishing a report into a plane crash that killed 13 people, including 9 Australians, when his contract expired.

Sid O'Toole had been investigating the crash of the Airlines PNG Twin Otter plane which killed 7 Victorians, 2 Queenslanders, 3 Papua New Guineans (including 2 pilots) and a Japanese tourist enroute to the Kokoda Track on August 11 last year.

Mr O'Toole is concerned about the future of his investigation, after his contract with Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) was not renewed when it expired on July 11.

Mr O'Toole told AAP he had been close to completing his final report, and he did not want to speculate on why his contract was not renewed.

"I am the only investigator in the country and now this, so it shows how important air safety is to PNG;" he said.

Nambawan Super takes a stand on PNG LNG

 Below is what the Managing Director of Nambawan Super, Mr Leon Buskens has said in his column - From the MD's Desk - in the July newsletter Toktok Supa

High expectation’s surrounding the LNG Project are bringing PNG plenty of positive forecasts.  Money from the gas could double our economy and over the next four years we will see hundreds of construction jobs created.  All potentially good.  But we also need to think about the potential challenges and risks to our society and economy this influx of money may also bring.

Nambawan Super takes its responsibility of looking after your financial futures very seriously, so we are being proactive.  We want to make sure our people are not seduced by the temptations of instant cash or battered by high inflation, but have access to ways to preserve wealth for their for their long-term benefit and grow it for our future generations.  So we commissioned research to help us understand the impact of the LNG Project better and what it will mean to the investments your Fund makes.

Australian Government to help safeguard LNG fund

A legislative framework will be designed to safeguard the proposed LNG Sovereign Welfare Funds from political manipulation and pilfering, the Government said yesterday (according to Post-Courier Business News).

The Australian government will play a major role in helping PNG design a legal regime that would govern management of the fund, a spokesman of the Department of State Entreprises said in response to a series of questions from the media.

Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels remembered 65 years on

 

The Australian government has honoured the assistance provided by the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels to Australian soldiers who served in the Kokoda campaign during WW11.

Australian Minister for Veteran's Affairs and Defence Personnel Alan Griffin said Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance Bob McMullan presented 6 commemorative medals to Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels and their relatives at a special ceremony last week.

PNG seeks Australia's help to manage LNG Revenue

Source - Industry News

THE Papua New Guinea and Australian governments met in Melbourne at the weekend to discuss the establishment of Sovereign Wealth Funds to help manage revenue flows from the PNG LNG liquefied natural gas project.

The ministerial delegation discussed possible Australian assistance for the creation of a transparent governance regime covering taxes and dividends received by the PNG government from the project.

Besides creating “a transparent, robust legislative framework”, the Australian government has also agreed to co-opt a team of international economists to carry out economic modeling on the impact of the PNG LNG project.