The Kingsley Eroro Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel Scholarship

Last year we were touched by the tragic loss of 13 lives on an Airlines PNG aircraft who were en route to Kokoda from Port Moresby. Amongst those on board were 9 Australians and 3 Papua New Guineans, including Kingsley Eroro from Kokoda. 

Kingsley was a well loved and respected man from Kokoda who enjoyed helping the local community whenever he could. Kingsley was also well known to many Australian Rotarians who have visited Kokoda doing work for the Kokoda Hospital and other projects in and around Kokoda. His wife Grace Eroro runs the local Post Office and is also the agent for Airline PNG in Kokoda.  Most trekkers would have met Grace or one of their family on their journey to or from Kokoda. Many of you have walked with some of his brothers, sons, nephews, and wantoks.

Kingsley Eroro worked as the Mill Foreman of the processing – crusher/sag operations at the Porgera Joint Venture/Barrick (Niugini) Mine Site in the Porgera Valley near Mt Hagen, approximately 600 km north of Port Moresby. He was returning home to Kokoda on his tour break to spend time with his family when he died in the accident.  On certain occasions when asked by friends Kingsley acted as a guide on a number of crossings of the Kokoda Track. Kingsley is the elder brother of Russell Eroro well known to many Australians, particularly those who walked the Trail with Kokoda Trekking Ltd his local PNG based company operating out of Kokoda.

Kingsley strongly believed in the importance of family, education, and a better future for the people of Kokoda and was dedicated to finding pathways for young Orokaiva people. He was particularly passionate about finding opportunities for young Kokoda students to get an education and return to their home village to work and make a living. 

In memory of Kingsley’s life, and in paying respects to the ‘Eroro’ family, the Kokoda Track Foundation is honoured to announce the ‘Kingsley Eroro Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel Scholarship’. This scholarship will be awarded to Orokaivan students from the Kokoda district region who are embarking on secondary studies in 2010. The scholarship will be awarded to students from Grade 9,  who have demonstrated exceptional ability and promise for the future and who are committed to returning to Kokoda after their education to make a living and contribute to their community.

The Foundation will announce recipients of the Kingsley Eroro Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel scholarship this month (February 2010) when it conducts its annual audit of the 23 schools supported by the Foundation.

Friends and colleagues of the Eroro family can make donations to the Kingsley Eroro Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel scholarship through the Foundation and all donations will be directed towards the education of Orokaiva children from the Kokoda region. 

 

Please contact Genevieve Nelson of Kokoda Track Foundation if you are interested in making a donation or would like any more information about the scholarship or the work of the Foundation in PNG. 

http://www.kokodatrackfoundation.org