Anglicare gets top marks

Source - The National

Anglicare StopAIDS has received high praise from the UNAIDS executive director and under general secretary to the United Nations (UN) Mr Michael Sidibe during his visit to the Centre last week.

Mr Sidibe said; "Life demonstrates that when a woman is in charge of an organisation, you are making a difference".

He commended Anglicare's director Dominica Bessie Abo for providing all the necessary services for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) and the less fortunate with life skills, care and counselling and treatment.

"You are recreating life and restoring dignity for people, which are a blessing from God; " Sidibe said.

He was taken on a tour around the centre's various facilities including the new STI (sexually transmitted infections) clinic.

The new building is named "Begabari" which means place of peace in my language. (Begabari is in fact the name of my village and has been taken to be used in the city's Anglicare village at Waigani by the Anglican Church).

Barge sits idle at Oro Bay

By John Pangkatana - Post Courier

The barge, Cathy 15, seized by PNG Customs officials in Oro Bay last week will not move until Customs and National Forestry Service officials have completed their investigations.

Southern police commander Inspector Jerry Frank said the barge in Oro Bay would not move until implications surrounding its alleged link to logging with the customary landowners are resolved.

Cricketers head to overseas clubs

When businessman and philanthropist Sir Brian Bell passed away recently, many remembered him as having left a significant legacy. And so he has. One example is the announcement made this week that 14 young PNG cricketers will have places in Australian cricket clubs - thanks due mainly to the Brian Bell Future Star Scholarship 2010-2011.

The selected players are :- Rarua Dikana (Bentleigh Club - Melbourne), Kila Pala (Airport West Club - Melbourne), Loa Nou (Box Hill Club - Melbourne), Jason Kila (Box Hill & Coles Sharks - Melbourne, Pipi Raho (Dhoutta Stars - Melbourne) Mahuru Dai (Broadmeadows - Melbourne), Sese Bau (Bentleigh - Melbourne), Tony Ura (Broadmeadows - Melbourne), Hitolo Areni (Broadmeadows - Melbourne), Lega Siaka (Dhoutta Stars & Coles Sharks - Melbourne), Raymond Haoda (Norths Club - Brisbane), Asad Vala (Ginniderra Club - ACT), Jack Vare ( Ginniderra Club - ACT) and Norma Ovasuru (TBC Club - Tasmania).

The Brian Bell Future Stars scholarship program is designed to select Papua New Guinean cricketers with great potential who will benefit from exposure to elite competition and coaching  in another country.

Loggers turned back on their way to Sinapa, Collingwood Bay

                                              Eye-witness account from Tufi:

 "Last Monday a group of eight Malaysian men landed here at Tufi. They headed down to the wharf where they first bought a load of supplies in Cyril's trade store, and then made arrangements with a small boat to take them down the coast to Airara. A hired little dory, owned by locals who fish for the resort, would have been filled pretty much to the railings with goods and all and would have been quite a sight when it took off.

From what I hear, the Malaysian men had made a deal with a Sinapa landowner to start logging in the area. The land owner, who is a long time Port Moresby resident then turns out to be from Airara, and wouldn't under any circumstances, have rights to make decisions above the chiefs & leaders of the villagers living in the area. To me it sounds like he fooled these Malaysians quite profoundly, and that he had better kept his head down when they returned to Port Moresby. Because that's what happened!

Gazelle International now open for business

Visit Gazelle International hotel on – www.gazelleinternationalhotel.com

Nambawan Super has majority shareholding of the Gazelle International hotel in partnership with Lamana Development Ltd and East New Britain provincial government. In the foreground of the picture above are the Queens Emma steps (from her office) which have been retained as an added attraction to this 52-room luxurious hotel overlooking a magnificent golf course green that melts into the blue waters of the Blanche Bay.

The Hotel opened for business on July 20. Above - Club Coe (cocktail bar), the in-place in Kokopo.

Below - Chinos Coffee shop.When next in Kokopo, stay at the Gazelle International - you won't be disappointed!

Illegal aliens caught out in Collingwood Bay

Extract from an email from Damien Ase (Executive Director of the Centre for Environmental Law and Community Rights Inc.)

Six persons of Asian origin went into Wanigela (Tufi) with undeclared machinery, vehicles and firearms and were arrested by Popondetta Police which later released them on the understanding that they would fly to Port Moresby to get their visa and necessary documents and return to Popondetta. To date these Asians have not returned and have gone into hiding.

Small Business Development Corporation supports Goroka Bilum Festival

The Goroka Bilum Festival is on again next month and who better to provide financial support then the Small Business Development Corporation. The SBDC manager Mr Nathan Timo presented K10,000.00 to the Festival organisers last week.

 Mr Timo said;"We are happy to support the Festival through our newly created women-in-business desk at the SBDC."

He said SBDC had supported the Goroka Bilum Festival since its inception in 2006 and would continue to provide support to take the promotion of bilum to the next level.

Ms Florence Jaukae (famous for her bilum dresses & product - Jaukae Bilum Wear) received the cheque on behalf of the Festival organisers and thanked the SBDC for its continued support. She said the SBDC was the only government agency helping the bilum weavers to promote their products.

The Festival was initiated to assist the local women to showcase their bilum wear and to generate income. The organisers are expecting a bigger turnout this year at the Festival. 

Festival dates are the same as the Goroka Show - Sept 17, 18 & 19.

One year on from the fatal crash at Kokoda Track

Today marked the first anniversary of that fatal Airlines PNG crash which killed 13 people including 2 PNG pilots, a Porgera mine worker Kingsley Eroro, 1 Japanese and 9 Australians.  And today there still is no investigation report into the crash.

Villagers from the crash site area conducted a church service there today  in memory of the victims. Spokesman for the villagers Mr Tomothy Dadi told the Post-Courier's Simon Eroro that his people had expressed their hearftfelt condolences to the family & friends of the victims.

Mr Dadi called on the bureaucrats and the Government of PNG to inform the public on the outcome of their findings into the fatal crash.

PNG LNG - the topic of dicussion for the Grade 12 written expression exam

My 18-year-old nephew Shannon is sitting for an exam at Gordons High school today. He is one of thousands of Grade 12 students sitting for the written expression exam nationwide. The examination involves writing a 350-500 word essay on the PNG LNG project.

Last Thursday evening I sat with him and went through some of the publicity material that PNG LNG project had put out as well as the "work book" given to students to prepare them for the exam. There were about 10 articles in the work book for students to use as references for discussing 4 main topics. One of the articles was mine from this blogsite "PNG LNG milestone - holistic growth? (Friday March 9 2010)

Cricket & AFL in PNG reaching for greater heights

A couple of weeks ago I attended the opening of the new turf at the Amini Park by the Australian cricket legend, Doug Walters. The event was the highlight of a three-day cricket match between a visiting Australian Indigenous Team and the PNG Barramundi Team.

I was at the clubhouse from 11.30pm to about 5.30pm and thoroughly enjoyed the 20/20 game between the young indigenous Australians who are coached by former Australian International, Craig McDermot; and the Barramundi Team. As a die-hard cricket fan I am certainly looking forward to seeing more matches at Amini Park.

More on Logging at Collingwood Bay

A letter from John Barker

Dear Colleagues,

In a year when we finally have some good news about a significant decline in illegal logging globally, it is disappointing to report an instance of what appears to be timber piracy in the Collingwood Bay area. 

In May 2002, the Maisin and their neighbours in Wanigela won an important PNG National Court case that overturned illegally obtained timber licenses and set strict conditions for the approval of commercial developments in the area. In June of this year, a group of 10 foreigners (apparently Malaysian citizens) turned up in Wanigela claiming to have papers overturning the court order and the support of local landowner groups.