Fuzzy Wuzzies and rugby league

Article from:  Australian Associated Press

 

Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels and rugby league have one thing in common - they're both ties that bind Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Both ties were strengthened during a meeting on Tuesday between Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his PNG counterpart Sir Michael Somare.

Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels are indelibly linked with the Kokoda Track, where Australian forces turned the Japanese drive towards Port Moresby, largely because of the poem by Sapper Bert Beros that celebrated the endurance, bravery and care with which Papuans helped wounded Australians back to safety.

The poem ends:

 

May the mothers of Australia

when they offer up a prayer

Mention those impromptu angels

with their fuzzy wuzzy hair.

 

The history of Papua New Guineans in World War Two is more complicated; a story of confused loyalties, or none at all. Sir Michael, whose first schooling came from the occupying Japanese, knows this.

But the Kokoda bearers were special and they've become a potent symbol of Australian-PNG relations.

So Rudd announced, with Sir Michael beside him and two elderly angels, complete with feathered head-dresses in the news conference audience, that Australia will strike commemorative medallions to recognise the contribution that Papua New Guinean civilians made to the war effort.

About 55,000 carried supplies, built bases and airfields or evacuated the wounded and sick. Survivors, or their widows or widowers, may apply for a medallion.

"The medallions will feature the image of a Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel helping a wounded Australian along the Kokoda Track - one of the iconic images of World War 2 and testament to the strength of the bond between our two nations," Rudd said.

Sir Michael welcomed the move, saying he was very proud to be in Australia for the announcement that medals would be struck for "our fuzzy wuzzies".

But the Angels are small beer compared with rugby league.

Although the other codes are played, league - which was boosted by Australian soldiers during the war - is the game.

In its early years, anthropologists saw it as a substitute for tribal fighting.

It's now played almost everywhere. PNG has produced some notable players, such as former Melbourne Storm and Leeds Rhinos winger Marcus Bai.

The Australian government, seeing it as both an important unifying force in a nation of disparate tribes and as a way to further strengthen ties between the two countries, has been exploring ways to develop the game and link it with Australia.

Now Rudd said he and Sir Michael were developing a plan to go to a ministerial forum in June.

Australia is likely to help develop a genuine national competition, followed by a PNG team in the Queensland competition. The ultimate goal is playing in the NRL.

Little of this is really new. What is new is the idea of linking access to league programs with primary school attendance. This meshes neatly with another major program to greatly increase primary school attendance.

 

Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels to receive commemorative medals

Article from:  Australian Associated Press

 

FUZZY Wuzzy Angels, who provided vital assistance to Australian troops in Papua New Guinea during World War II, are to receive commemorative medals from the Australian Government.

The medallions would recognise their service and sacrifice, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said, adding they would be made available to surviving Angels or to their widows or widowers.

Two surviving Angels joined Australian war veterans at Mr Rudd's joint press conference with PNG Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare in Canberra.

"All of us in Australia know full well the enormous support, practical support and friendship extended to Australian diggers by the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels," Mr Rudd said.

Some 55,000 PNG citizens served as civilians and carried supplies, built bases and airfields and evacuated the sick and wounded during fighting. Their contributions saved the lives of many Australians, Mr Rudd said.

The medallions will feature the image of a Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel helping a wounded Australian along the Kokoda Track.

Sir Michael said he was very proud to be in Australia for the announcement.

"Our people take great pride in the support they have given," he said.

PNG citizens can apply for the medallions through the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby.

 

Somare announces key Papua New Guinea policy shift

By KETH JACKSON

 

You would never have known from today’s Australian media coverage of Sir Michael Somare’s visit to Australia, but in a major speech in Canberra last night the Papua New Guinea Prime Minister heralded a major shift in policy on development aid and resource deployment.

A key feature of the new approach is the intention of PNG to direct more resources to employing Australian judges, doctors and teachers throughout the country.

Sir Michael said the time has come for PNG “to assert and accept more responsibility for our national development. We must forge a new relationship of equitable partnership with Australia. We will also be accepting more responsibility with respect to regional initiatives.”

Negotiations are about to begin with Australia on an Aid Exit Strategy to ultimately phase out Australian development aid. Initially, in what can be seen a blow to aid agency AusAID, there will be less consultancies and more money deployed to the private sector.

The Exit Strategy will be conducted so as not to prejudice PNG’s development effort and without destabilising the national budget. There will also be a resource shift from the public service to fund infrastructure development in the transport, health and education sectors.

Sir Michael announced that new consular offices would open in Sydney and Cairns as PNG seeks to strengthen its relationship with Australia.

 “PNG and Australia are true friends,” he said. “Our partnership has withstood the test of time. Over the years this partnership has grown and matured. But of particular interest and importance to me is the warmth of the relationship – an aspect very often overshadowed by negative reporting in the media.”

You can find a full transcript of Sir Michael’s speech here: Download Somare_Canberra_ 280409

 

The need to know, no, noe, err....

Stewardesses’ is the longest word
typed with only the left hand.

And ‘lollipop’ is the longest word typed
with your right hand.

(Bet you tried this out mentally, didn't you?)

No word in the English language rhymes with
month , orange, silver, or purple.

' Dreamt' is the only English word that ends in the letters 'mt'.
(Are you doubting this?)

our eyes are always the same size from birth,
but our nose and ears never stop growing.

The sentence: 'The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog'
uses every letter of the alphabet.
(Now, you KNOW you're going to try this out for accuracy, right?)

The words 'racecar,'  'kayak'  and 'level'  are the same whether
they are read left to right or right to left (palindromes).
(Yep, I knew you were going to 'do' this one.)


There are only four words in the English language which end in 'dous':
tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.

(You're not possibly doubting this, are you ?)

There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in
order: 'abstemious' and 'facetious.'
(Yes, admit it, you are going to say, a e i o u)

TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters
only on one row of the keyboard.
(All you typists are going to test this out)

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds .

(Some days that's about what my memory span is.)

A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.

A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.

A snail can sleep for three years.
(I know some people that could do this too.!)

Almonds are a member of the peach  family.

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

Babies are born without kneecaps.

They don't appear until the child reaches 2 to 6 years of age.

February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.

In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.

If the population of China walked past you, 8 abreast,
the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.

Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors

Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite!

Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.

The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.

The cruise liner, QE 2, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.

The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube
and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.
(Good thing he did that.)

The winter of 1932 was so cold that Niagara Falls froze completely solid .

There are more chickens than people in the world.

Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance.

Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

Now you know more than you did before!!

Condolence to families of Australian trekkers

The management committee of the Kokoda Track Authority (KTA) and the management of the Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority pass on their heartfelt condolences to the families of the two trekkers who have tragically died on the Kokoda Track in the past week.

“Two young people to be lost far from home must be especially difficult” they said in a joint statement.

The KTA and PNG TPA respect the family’s wishes for privacy at this time and won’t discuss the individual circumstances.

Since 2001 nearly 20,000 trekkers have walked the Kokoda Track, increasing from less than 100 permitted trekkers in 2001 to more than 5,600 in 2008.

 This season there have been 20 tour operators guiding trekkers along the Kokoda Track,  leading tours from both the Owers Corner and Kokoda trail heads.

“These recent tragic incidents are rare with only two other trekking deaths over the past eight years. People thinking of undertaking the trek should be reassured that commercial tour operators working on the Kokoda Track are highly-professional with longstanding experience and expertise. They are also asked to commit to observing a code of conduct,” they said.

Walking the Kokoda Track is a physically and mentally challenging activity that requires significant preparation and planning. The Track travels through remote and rugged terrain closely following the war time route of the Australian forces defending Port Moresby, and removing a threat to the Australian people. Prospective trekkers should undertake a planned and well-timed training regime to prepare them for the adventure and tour operators can assist in designing this program. The trek should not be undertaken without full medical insurance and a clear understanding the challenging experience ahead of them

The KTA and PNG TPA management are also working on set guidelines which will be implemented shortly for all prospective trekkers to undertake compulsory training and seek proper medical clearance from each of their respective doctors before they walk the track.

“We hope that this will lead to us regulating the track in the long term,” they said.

“The experience is profound, even life changing for some, where trekkers can gain an insight to the courage and hardships of the Australian soldiers and the Papuan New Guinean people who supported them . Trekkers are challenged personally by the experience and gain a better understanding of themselves and discover a new found strength to their own character.”

A highlight of the experience for many is meeting and talking with the villagers along the Track. The Track links a series of villages and most nights are spent within or alongside a village in either a campsite or a guesthouse providing opportunities to engage with the local communities.

“The trekking industry makes a significant contribution to the people living along the Track with wages for porters and guides, food and lodging. The trek permit fees are collected by the KTA and used to maintain the Track and distributed to local communities.” said KTA chief executive officer Rod Hillman.

This season a draft Code of Conduct is being trialed by tour operators to reinforce the quality of the experience for trekkers. The code of conduct addresses issues such as:

• Adherence to Kokoda Track Authority (KTA) rules, guidelines and procedures;
• Promotion of sustainable tourism on the Kokoda Track;
• Promotion of the unique heritage of the area, especially its military history, environmental and cultural values;
• Promotion of responsible tourist behaviour;
• Minimising impacts on the natural environment through best practice;
• Supporting local communities;
• Promoting excellence;
• Duty of care to clients; and
• Exercising appropriate duty of care to staff.

 

For more information contact: Mr Rod Hillman, CEO, Kokoda Track Authority, rhillman@online.net.pg  Tel: + (675) 3236165

 

 

Fiji media council ban and mystery detentions 'deplorable': Freedom Forum

A Pacific media freedom and advocacy group, the Pacific Freedom Forum, deplores the arbitrary ban on the Fiji Media Council celebrating World Press Freedom Day on May 3, 2009.
The "authorities" in Fiji have refused the Fiji Media Council a permit to hold meetings to do with media freedom and advocacy.
"Under the so-called 'Emergency Decree', which passes for the Rule of Law in Fiji, the ‘authorities’ have specifically banned political and media related meetings, and this still further compounds the appalling human rights situation now operative in Fiji," says Pacific Freedom Forum chair Susuve Laumaea.
"The Fiji Media Council is an established national media advocacy and self-regulating body which has every right to join with international colleagues to locally celebrate what is an internationally recognized day commemorating and promoting freedom of speech and media responsibility..

"Arbitrarily refusing the nation's peak media association a ‘permit’ to celebrate World Press Freedom day is completely self-defeating. Fiji's harassed and intimidated journalists will nevertheless join in World Press Freedom Day celebrations, if only in their minds and hearts. Their situation will be widely recognised worldwide as Fiji under the current ‘authorities’ joins the ranks of countries where freedom of association and freedom of speech, fundamental human rights, are severely restricted under threat of arbitrary sanction, newsroom closure, and worse."

The Pacific Freedom Forum also deplores the reported refusal by the Fiji "authorities" to allow the Red Cross to visit a number of activists associated with the Nationalist Vanua Tako Lavo Party, including Iliesa Duvuloco, reportedly detained for circulating a pamphlet critical of the current regime.
"The Red Cross has an internationally-recognised legal mandate to check on the welfare of detained people, irrespective of what side or position they may have taken in a conflict situation," notes co-chair Monica Miller.
"Clearly, denying the Red Cross access to these detainees is a gross violation not only of their fundamental human rights, but also of international law which mandates the Red Cross and similar organizations to access detainees to assess and provide for their safety and welfare."
Miller says the latest developments continue to point to a gravely deteriorating human rights environment in Fiji.

CONTACT:

PFF interim Chair
Susuve Laumaea | Sunday Chronicle Newspaper | Papua New Guinea
Mobile: 675-684 5168 | Office: 675-321-7040 | Email: susuve.laumaea@interoil.com

PFF interim co-Chair
Monica Miller | KHJ Radio | American Samoa
Mob 684 258-4197 | Office 684 633-7793 | Email: monica@khjradio.com

The Pacific Freedom Forum are a regional and global online network of Pacific media colleagues, with the specific intent of raising awareness and advocacy of the right of Pacific people to enjoy freedom of expression and be served by a free and independent media.
We believe in the critical and basic link between these freedoms, and the vision of democratic and participatory governance pledged by our leaders in their endorsement of the Pacific Plan and other commitments to good governance.
In support of the above, our key focus is monitoring threats to media freedom and bringing issues of concern to the attention of the wider regional and international community.

Archbishop Tutu Opens Solomon Islands Truth and Reconciliation Commission

HONIARA, 28 April– Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu arrived here today on an official state visit to launch the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for Solomon Islands, which will help to bring peace to communities still divided by violence during five years of civil unrest.

For the first time, thousands of Solomon Islanders will be able to speak publicly about the violence and abuse they experienced and witnessed from 1998-2003.  The Truth and Reconciliation Commission will provide a forum for victims and perpetrators to speak about the causes and impacts of that violence.

The retired African archbishop, known as “South Africa’s moral conscience,” is deeply revered in this largely Anglican South Pacific country, both for his role in chairing his own country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission and for his consummate commitment to promoting human rights and opposing racism.

“Archbishop Tutu is an advocate for human dignity whose tireless efforts have helped millions of people around the world,” said Prime Minister Dr. Derek Sikua.  “His presence here this week will inspire Solomon Islanders to help to heal old wounds caused by the violence and civil unrest experienced during the ‘tensions’.  It represents a turning point in our efforts to move away from bitterness and resentment, and to create a shared future as a unified nation,”  said the Prime Minister.

The Solomon Islands experienced social unrest and organised violent conflict between 1998 and July 2003. The signing of the Townsville Peace Agreement in 2000, and the arrival of the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands in 2003 -- which is an international peacekeeping and development mission -- brought an end to active conflict and restored law and order.  However, outstanding grievances remain unresolved in a society which still places high value on traditional means of reconciliation over formal judicial proceedings.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission is an independent body, comprising three national and two international commissioners.  The Prime Minister announced the names of the Commissioners last Friday.  They are:  Fr. Sam Ata of Solomon Islands (Chair); Ms. Sofia Macher of Peru (Deputy Chair);  Mr. George Kejoa of Solomon Islands; Mrs. Carolyn Laore of Solomon Islands; and Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi of Fiji.

“Reconciliation in Solomon Islands must be based on our traditional values and customs,” said Sam Iduri, Minister for National Unity, Reconciliation and Peace in Solomon Islands.  “The chosen commissioners bring a breadth of experience that ensures the Solomon Islands Commission will benefit from other international experiences, and also follow a process which is meaningful to Solomon Islanders.”

Financial and technical support for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has been provided by a number of contributors, including the Governments of Solomon Islands, Australia and New Zealand; the European Commission; the International Centre for Transitional Justice; the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights; and the United Nations Development Programme.

“Reconciliation is the number one priority of the government, as it affects the ability of thousands of Solomon Islanders to participate fully in social, cultural and economic life,” said Knut Ostby, the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative designate for Solomon Islands.  “We are truly fortunate to have one of the elder statesmen of truth commissions and victims’ rights here to assist with the formal opening of the Solomon Islands Commission. UNDP is proud to support this initiative.”

 

 

For information and press inquiries, please contact:

 

Mrs. Joy Kere, Ministry of National Unity, Reconciliation and Peace, Solomon Islands by e-mail at pspeace@pmc.gov.sb or finioa@gmail.com; and by telephone at (+677) 28616 or 96150.

 

Mr. George Atkin, Press Secretary to the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands by e-mail at gatkin@pmc.gov.sb; and by telephone at (+677) 21863 or 94555.

 

Ms. Christina Carlson, UNDP Honiara, Solomon Islands by e-mail at christina.carlson@undp.org ; and by telephone at (+677) 22747 or 96353; or (+881) 641414524.

 

Ms. Cherie Hart, UNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok by e-mail at

Cherie.hart@undp.org; and by telephone at +66 8 1 918 1564

 

Ms. Julia Dean, UN Information Centre in Canberra by email at

jdean@un.org.au; and by telephone at +612 627 382 00

 

 

***

ABOUT UNDP: UNDP is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners. There are three UNDP Offices in the Pacific, based in Fiji, Samoa and Papua New Guinea; as well as the Pacific Centre, UNDP’s regional programme and knowledge centre in Suva, Fiji, focused on Small Islands Developing States and serving 15 Pacific Island countries.

Pacific Freedom Forum relocates regional media freedom meet.

A regional media event aimed at promoting press freedom in the Pacific will bring reporters across the region to Apia, Samoa, May 6 to 8.

 The Pacific Freedom Forum, UNESCO and SPC ‘Building Courage under Fire’ three-day workshop and seminar was originally planned to take place in Suva, Fiji, to coincide with World Press Freedom Day on May 3.

 However, the event was relocated due to the Fiji regime’s imposition of emergency restrictions and repressive clampdown on the media since an appeals court ruling on April 9 declared the 2006 coup led by Commodore Frank Bainimarama illegal. 

 “While we felt that Fiji would have been the ideal workshop venue given our theme, we have a responsibility to ensure the funding support we received is used effectively, and this would have been impossible given the emergency regulations in place there,” says Pacific Freedom Forum chair Susuve Laumaea. 

 “Part of the cancelled event in Fiji was a regional UNESCO World Press Freedom Day celebration on May 3. The current emergency ‘laws’ there now make such an event illegal.

  “The Fiji media situation shows clearly how media freedom affects all Pacific Islanders, not just those who work in the media.  We want to look at ways to encourage that understanding, not just in our newsrooms, but across our communities and in the homes and minds of more Pacific people.”

 Laumaea is joining delegates from Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and the host country at the media freedom workshop in Apia.

 The primary objectives of the Workshop are to provide Pacific journalists with the latest information, skills, and contacts to protect and promote media freedom in their countries as well as to firmly establish the Pacific Freedom Forum as a going concern. 

 “Overall, the intent is not to single out any one country, but to ensure the Pacific context of the universal right to free speech and expression of opinions gets some timely attention and forward-thinking debate from journalists to enhance their everyday work,” he says.

 Workshop trainers are Deborah Muir of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), and leading Pacific journalist, author, and media commentator Kalafi Moala, of Tonga.

 

The ‘Courage under Fire’ event is made possible with UNESCO IPDC funding, and support from global media freedom watchdog IFEX.

 

 

CONTACT:

 

PFF interim Chair

Susuve Laumaea | Sunday Chronicle Newspaper | Papua New Guinea

Mobile: 675-684 5168 | Office: 675-321-7040 | Email: susuve.laumaea@interoil.com

 

PFF interim co-Chair

Monica Miller | KHJ Radio | American Samoa

Mob    684 258-4197 | Office 684 633-7793 | Email: monica@khjradio.com

 

The Pacific Freedom Forum are a regional and global online network of Pacific media colleagues, with the specific intent of raising awareness and advocacy of the right of Pacific people to enjoy freedom of expression and be served by a free and independent media.

We believe in the critical and basic link between these freedoms, and the vision of democratic and participatory governance pledged by our leaders in their endorsement of the Pacific Plan and other commitments to good governance.

In support of the above, our key focus is monitoring threats to media freedom and bringing issues of concern to the attention of the wider regional and international community.

Papua New Guinea aid misspent, says Kevin Rudd

Article in today's on line Courier Mail News


AID money to Papua New Guinea has been misspent on consultants rather than teachers and health services, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says.

In a joint news conference in Canberra with PNG Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare yesterday, Mr Rudd said the pair had discussed historical problems with aid delivery.

"Too much has been consumed by consultants and not enough delivered to essential assistance in teaching, in infrastructure, in health services on the ground in villages across Papua New Guinea," Mr Rudd said.

The effectiveness of aid to PNG needed to be tied to UN mandated Millennium Developments Goals, so outcomes from foreign aid spending could be measured.

Asked about poverty in PNG, Sir Michael said no one starved in the Melanesian nation even as kids roamed the capital Port Moresby where their parents searched for work.

"You've probably seen one or two in Port Moresby, kids who come to look for opportunities for education and health. When they miss out, then they of course roam the streets," he said.

"No one is starving in Papua New Guinea. We always have something to eat."

Sir Michael said food was in abundance everywhere in Papua New Guinea.

"Everywhere in Port Moresby alone, if you've been in Moresby you see the hills and mountains have gardens," he said.

"They have sweet potato gardens, tapioca gardens, they have bananas and I don't think anyone in Papua New Guinea starves."

Sir Michael said his country did not have the poverty of Africa.

"We are a village society. When one village is poor, the other village helps."

The PNG government had allocated 980 million kina towards building education, health services and infrastructure in the villages, the largest amount since the nation was granted independence in 1975.

The challenges of rural development in PNG

Inequalities in Developing Rural Communities in Papua New Guinea - A Pangia Perspective

Author Stanley Kuli Liria

As a Third World country, rural development is a major concern in Papua New Guinea.
The Constitution, through goal Nos. 1 and 2 of the national goals and directive principles (NGDPs), provides for equal development for every individual and every society.
Government policies and development framework such as the medium term development strategies (MTDS), and the provincial and district development plans provide the platform to enhance visions for rural development embraced in Goal Nos. 1 and 2 of the NGDPs.
In that respect, the focus for rural development is founded on the Constitution, and therefore, it is an important sector.
However, whether rural development plans in the form of MTDS or provincial and district development plans are implemented to achieve their purposes depend first and foremost on the leaderships provided at various levels of our government and administrative structures.
They must take the lead to budget for and implement the plans which will start up rural development.
Ad hoc approaches are not only destructive for initiatives for properly-planned rural development pathways, but are more likely to disorient social order in the rural communities.
Inequalities in Developing Rural Communities in Papua New Guinea – a Pangia Perspective, a new book by author and lawyer Stanley Liria, presents an analysis of challenges in rural development in PNG with respect to the Wiru society of Pangia in Southern Highlands Province.
It draws its analysis of development issues based on the author’s first hand field research and experiences.
Fittingly, the book will be launched by Governor-General Sir Paulias Matane, at Tunda Primary School in Pangia, Southern Highlands, next Friday, May 8.
“As in any traditional community in Papua New Guinea, the Wiru showcases the challenges rural development encounters due to the impacts of competitions in elections and the ‘bigman’ culture, conflicts between the customs and the introduced or Western cultures and the modern laws, influence of cultures and traditions on social relations, and aspirations of the people against realities in life,” Mr Liria says.
“It also reveals that while the elected leaders play a pivotal role in guiding rural development, the rural people must be willing to accept change in their communities because change of attitude by individuals to adopt fair and equal relations in family or community is a positive path for rural development.
“Through its analysis and observations reached for the Wiru society, it poses a challenge to those concerned with rural development.
“This book should therefore be of special interest to district and provincial administrators, planners, development partners, leaders, researchers and school children or any one concerned with rural development.”
Stanley Kuli Liria comes from Tunda village of Pangia in SHP.
He is a practicing lawyer and principal of Liria Lawyers.
He has a bachelor of laws degree with honours from the University of PNG in 2000 and got admitted as a lawyer in 2001.
He has also practiced law with established law firms based in Port Moresby.
Mr Liria is a member of the upper secondary legal studies subject advisory committee for the newly-introduced subject of legal studies course for upper secondary school students in PNG.
Apart from engaging in legal practice, he has shown special interest in research and writing on issues affecting PNG communities.
His writing is aimed at educating majority of the less-educated Papua New Guineans to appreciate their rights, freedoms, obligations and values in society which seem marginalised by the growing desire for rural development and relations in society.
He is also the author of A Law Awareness for Papua New Guinea – Our Guide to the Rule of Law, which was published in December 2004.
The 200-page book is on sale for K100 from publisher Niugini CrossRoads Ltd, P.O Box 82, Konedobu, National Capital District, Papua New Guinea, telephone + (675) 321 0616, mobile + (675) 6907536, facsimile + (675) 321 0463, and email ncrossroads@datec.net.pg or lirialawyers@datec.net.pg.


Inequalities in Developing Rural Communities in Papua New Guinea – A Pangia Perspective
ISBN 13: 978 - 9980 - 86 - 091 – 0
Publication Date: 2009
Binding: Softcover
Written by STANLEY KULI LIRIA
Star Printers

New sawmill for rural Bulolo village

Caption: The wokabaut sawmill at Timini village today. Picture courtesy of SAM BASIL via BlackBerry

A wokabaut sawmill was launched at Timini village in Mumeng, Morobe province today (Tuesday, April 28, 2009) as part of the Bulolo district building & maintenance programme (BDRMP).
The sawmill will be operated by trained operators and will supply timber deckings for the district's road maintenance programme.
After the launching, the operators were tasked to mill timbers for the new Patep/Munanung Bridge and carry out repairs for the Latep/Leklu Bridge.
 Other bridges that will benefit from this programme will be Manianda, Biaweng (three) and others.
This programme will also see cash being injected back into the tree owners’ pockets back at the village level.
A long-term arrangement will see each of the six local level governments of Bulolo electorate owning one wokabaut sawmill for its programmes.
Also during the ceremony, 13 boxes of books were donated to Timini Primary School courtesy of Hope Worldwide, AusAID, New Zealand AID, Nestle (PNG), Consort Shipping and Express Freight. Management.
 Headmaster Simon Koaria and board chairman  Aaron Nathan were there to receive the books and convey their thanks to the various sponsors.

Preserving Port Moresby’s WW11 history

Thomas Richard Auhava at the crash site of Australian ace air John Jackson, after whom Jackson's Airport is named, at Mt Lawes behind Laloki

The impromptu Schwimmer War Museum at Laloki outside Port Moresby

US dog tags, shaving handles, keys, coins and other items

US machinery from WW11

Assorted bottles from WW11

Some time ago, a friend of mine asked me to be a tour guide for a retired American WW11 veteran, who is also a bit of a history buff.
The old American wanted to be shown all the prominent WW11 sites around Port Moresby, war relics, Bomana war cemetery, as well as the start of the Kokoda Trail at Owers’ Corner.
To prepare for the job, I had to be well-versed in the WW11 history of Port Moresby, so I brought down all my old books down from the shelves, made notes, as well as searched the Internet.
The big day came, and I showed the US veteran such places as Burns Peak, Paga Hill and the wreck of the Macdhui near Tatana Island before we hit the highway bound for Bomana war cemetery and Owers’ Corner.
We made a brief stop at what used to be the site of Schwimmer Drome at Laloki, on the banks of the great river of the same name, where we inspected all the WW11 relics at an impromptu war museum run by Gulf man Thomas Richard Auhava.
By 1944, Port Moresby had six airfields, one of which was Schwimmer.
Jackson was the largest of these, and was named after Australian ace pilot John Jackson, leader of RAAF Squadron 75, who was killed in a dogfight against Japanese planes over Port Moresby on April 28, 1942.
The wartime airfields were Kila Drome (3-Mile) airfield for fighters and bombers; Ward Drome (5-Mile) airfield for heavy bombers and transport planes; Jackson (7-Mile) main airfield still in use today; Berry Drome (12-Mile) fighter and medium bomber base near Bomana; Schwimmer (14-Mile) fighter and medium bomber base; Durand (17-Mile) fighter and medium bomber base; Rogers (Rarona, 30-Mile) fighter and medium bomber and Fishermen’s (Daugo) emergency landing strip on offshore island.
Schwimmer Drome, according to various airmen who served from it, was the “eye and mind” of the 1942-1945 Pacific War, because it was from here that aerial surveillance missions of Japanese positions were made.
The US airmen forming the 8th Photo Squadron commanded by First Lieutenant Karl Polifika, a Russian, first landed at Schwimmer on May 2, 1942, and flew from Schwimmer until July 27, 1944, when the squadron moved to Durand Strip.
There are also other squadrons from the US Air Force like 435th Bomb Squadron, 3rd Attack Group assigned to do fragmentation bombing, 43rd Bomb Group assigned to do long-range bombing missions, 39th Fighter Group and 9th Fighter Group.
Mr Auhava has, over the years, been collecting the numerous war relics in and around the site of the old Schwimmer Drome in a labour-of-love.
He is fighting a lonely battle against scrap metal hunters and dealers, who without any scruples, do anything to get an extra buck.
He has brought a proposal to the National Museum and Art Gallery in Waigani, Port Moresby, for funding to set up a proper museum.
Mr Auhava has been living at Laloki for the last 20 years and knows every nook and cranny in the area.
“Over the years,” says the former PNG Defence Force soldier, “I’ve been collecting these war relics and I’ve been featured in newspapers.
“Because of this media publicity, tourists started visiting, and I’ve decided to start a proper museum.
“The proposal for the museum has been signed by the landowners already and will be handed over to the National Museum.”
The war relics include human bones, helmets, dog tags, tools, hand grenades (defused), bombshells, bullets, coins, jerry cans, 1940’s Coca-Cola bottles and assorted paraphernalia.
One of the prized possessions of the collection is the remains of the plane of Australian air ace, John Jackson, after whom Port Moresby’s famous Jackson’s International Airport is named.
Jackson crashed on the hills overlooking Laloki after a heroic dogfight against Japanese fighters.
Mr Auhava, originally from Iokea village in Gulf province, is a self-taught historian and is a walking encyclopaedia as I found out.
“History is very important,” he extols.
“This generation, unfortunately, doesn’t seem to know anything about the war.
“Historical sites like Schwimmers should be preserved for educational purposes, tourism, etc.
“These relics should be preserved and protected.
“Scrap metal vendors are getting their hands on these war relics.
“If we lose these war relics, we lose history.
“People are just taking them out and selling them to scrap metal dealers.
“I decided to bring them all to one place and take care of them.
“After that, I began to find out about the place itself, its history.
“I borrowed some WW11 books from a historian and did research.
“I realised that it (Schwimmers) was a WW11 US airbase.”
According to Mr Auhava’s proposal to the National Museum, a museum built under the name ‘Schwimmer War Museum’, would be a fitting tribute to the thousands of Americans and Australians based in Port Moresby during WW11.
It would focus on history, war surplus material protection, a site for educational excursions and a shrine for the future generations.
It would also protect war relics from being sold to unscrupulous scrap metal dealers and would promote community tourism values
“I’m submitting a proposal to the National Museum to see if they can gurantee a budget for the (Schwimmer) museum, because these relics are State property which I’ve been protecting,” Mr Auhava said.
“The government talks so much about war surplus materials, and yet, they are not putting their money where their mouth is.
“Looking after these relics is hard work, for which I’m not paid.”

Oseah Philemon back from retirement to head The National Lae

The National newspaper today announced the appointment of Oseah Philemon as Regional Editor, Lae, effective as of today, April 28.

Mr Philemon is one of Papua New Guinea’s best-known newspapermen, being former Editor–In-Chief of rival daily newspaper, the Post-Courier.

He brings a wealth of experience to The National, now Papua New Guinea’s leading daily newspaper.

 

What's in a name? - Voco Point

Boats at Voco Point, Lae. Picture by MALUM NALU

Voco Point 1966Voco Point 1967

Voco Point late 1960s

Voco Point. Picture by MALUM NALU

This is the first of a series of online columns about places in Papua New Guinea and how they got their names. Today, we start with Voco Point in Lae, Morobe province. Contributions from people around the country and overseas would be much appreciated. Our former kiaps in Australia would know a lot. Email me at malumnalu@gmail.com.

Voco Point

Voco Point, Lae, is one of the busiest coastal trading points in the country!
On any given day, coastal vessels from throughout the country – from Alotau to Manus, from Lihir to Vanimo – line up at the wharves.
The passenger boats ferry people to Finschhafen, the Siassi islands, Kimbe, Rabaul, New Ireland, Oro Bay, Alotau, Madang, and Wewak.
The local shops make fortunes every day and the roads are chock-a-block with humans and vehicles.
In a nutshell, Voco Point is one of the busiest coastal trading points in the country.
It continues a great tradition started by Morobeans of long ago.
The pre-World War 11Vacuum Oil Company – Mobil – had a depot at the site of Voco Point; hence, Voco is short for Vacuum Oil Company.
Mobil Oil Australia was established in Australia in 1895 and traded as Vacuum Oil Company.
It was the first oil company to operate in Australia, New Guinea, and of course Lae.
As Lae boomed with the Wau and Bulolo goldfields in the 1920s, a shipping depot connected by railway to the airstrip was established at Vacuum Oil Company (Voco) Point, and remained as the main wharf until after the war.
The local Lae villages call Voco Point Asiawi, and in days of yore, it was a traditional trading ground that bustled with activity.
They came from as far away as the Siassi and Tami Islands, Bukawa, Salamaua, and Labu to meet and exchange goods in this ancient market place.
Researchers know that around the Huon Gulf, a complex and extensive trading system – dependent on canoe voyages – had existed long before contact with Europeans.
The greatest mariners were the Siassi and Tami Islanders, whose boats sailed up the Rai Coast towards Madang, plied the coast of New Britain, and penetrated far to the south in the Huon Gulf.
The Lae, unlike their Labu neighbors, were not great mariners but did build two types of canoes: a small dugout for local fishing and the larger Kasali (sailing canoe) for longer trips.
Supply lines stretched across the Vitiaz Strait to New Britain, up the Rai Coast towards Madang, and deep into the Upper Markham and the high valley of the Huon Peninsula.
According to one researcher, the distinctive feature of this trade was specialisation in the production of certain goods.
The Lae produced taro and fruits; the Labu specialised in woven handbags and baskets; the Bukawa produced taro, fruit, rain capes and mats of pandanus leaves sewn together; the Tami Islanders carved a variety of wooden bowls; while Siassi Islanders acted as middlemen, trading Huon Gulf products into New Britain and bringing back obsidian for knife blades and ochre for paints.
The inlanders and mountain people brought to the beach produce that the coast did not grow so well: yams, sweet potato, and tobacco.
They also brought with them items of wealth such as birds of paradise plumes, dog’s teeth, and cockatoo feathers.
In return, they took shells and shells ornaments, pigs, fish, and salt.
The inland trade route at Lae ran through Yalu to the Markham Valley and through Musom to the highlands of the Huon Peninsula.
Trading was carried out through a system of partnership with certain individuals and families at different ports.
This may explain how traces of the old Ahi – Wampar language are said to exist as far away as the coast of West New Britain.
It may also explain the undercurrent of friendship and co-operation between the people of the Huon Gulf coast, from Salamaua to the Siassi islands.
In 1979, a strange phenomenon occurred when a whirlpool came and tore away a large chunk of land and destroyed part of the Yacht Club.
This surprised many people, but not the local landowners, who said it was an evil spirit called Yaayaa.
According to the traditions of the Gwatu clan of Butibam Village, their original village, Ankuapoc, was near Asiawi.
Asiawi, according to mythology, used to be a long point which went out much further than today but was eaten by the evil spirit called Yaayaa which comes in a whirlpool and takes away chunks of land, the last of which was in 1979.
As Lae boomed with the Wau and Bulolo goldfields in the 1920s, a shipping depot connected by railway to the airstrip was established at Voco Point and remained as the main wharf until after the war.
Voco Point is now the terminal for local shipping and small boats, second to the Lae Port.
But it has made an indelible mark on the history of Lae, Morobe Province, and Papua New Guinea, and continues in the same vein.
Where once ancient mariners braved the rough seas, with only the moon and stars to guide them, now modern coastal vessels load machinery for the new gold mine on Lihir.
This is Voco Point, also known as Asiawi.

Your pig or your life?

“Your pig or your life?”

That is the million-kina question all Papua New Guineans, and particularly Highlanders, must now consider with the swine flu outbreak.

But, seriously, it is a matter of life or death, and surely, pigs should be slaughtered en masse (and eaten?) to save the lives of thousands of Papua New Guineans.

 

Swine flu red alert

Deadly virus sparks panic

 

By KESSIE TADAP in The National

 

HEALTH and quarantine officials are keeping a close watch on the deadly swine flu outbreak in Mexico that has spread to several countries, including New Zealand, and poses a risk of becoming a global pandemic.

The illness has claimed 103 lives in Mexico and dozens of cases have been reported in seven countries including the United States, causing the US government to declare a health emergency.

National Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection Authority (NAQIA) chief quarantine officer of animals, Dr Nime Kapo, told The National that NAQIA and the Health Department were working together in keeping a close eye on the current situation in Asia as well as having a contingency plan for PNG should the pandemic reach our shores.

“Yes we are monitoring the situation together with the Health people,” Dr Kapo said.

“We are also working on a national flu plan that will be used if the flu is detected in PNG.”

He said this outbreak was not among pigs although it originated from pigs, so it is really the Health Department which should be the right people to have a say on this because the epidemic was an outbreak among humans.

“We have had a lot of queries from the media and press, so the Health Department and NAQIA are putting together an information sheet that will hopefully be put out in public and in the media about the swine flu,” Dr Kapo said.

In PNG, pigs are of significant value and are an important part of compensation payments and important items during bride price, death, initiation and other traditional and customary feasts.

Several countries including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Russia and China stepped up quarantine measures and drew up contingency plans to stop the spread of swine flu.

Stock markets across the globe took a battering as investors reacted to the news.

The World Health Organisation has declared the deadly outbreak a public health emergency of “pandemic potential” after the deaths of 103 people in Mexico from what was described as pneumonia caused by a flu-like illness.

WHO director-general Margaret Chan said last week that the outbreak was of a never before seen virus and that it was a very serious situation.

WHO said that some of those who have died were confirmed to have a unique version of the A/H1N1 flu virus that was a combination of bird, pig and human viruses.

 

Dust over Rabaul

Dust over Rabaul

Children on the eerie, moonscape-like landscape near Tavuvur Volcano, Rabaul

Dust over Rabaul

Rabaul Market

Rabaul volcano

Tavurvur sends out clouds of ash over Rabaul

Tavurvur sends out dust over Rabaul from seen from the volcano observatory

…but there is a silver lining to the dark cloud

Going back to the dusty volcanic town of Rabaul after many years can be a very emotional experience.
And that’s exactly what I found out when my guide, University of Vudal lecturer Gitala Pranis and his lovely wife Jacinta, took me to Rabaul as a last stop after an extensive tour of the Gazelle Peninsula.
Last time I was in Rabaul was way back in 1993, when I traveled there from Lae one weekend with my uncle, Elijah Kissing, to support our beloved Lae Bombers in their rugby league clash against the Rabaul Guria.
Our team lost; however, we had a great time that weekend in Rabaul and the many nightclubs in town.
A year later, in September 1994, our hearts broke as Rabaul was destroyed by falling ash of that fateful volcanic eruption.
Before that, in the early 1970’s, when my late father Mathias Nalu was school inspector on Bouganville, we family often stopped in Rabaul as the DC3 we were traveling in refueled on the long run between Lae and Buka.
Those were indeed the halcyon days when Rabaul was widely regarded as the “pearl of the Pacific”.
Those memories of another day touched a nostalgic chord in my heart as I saw the sad remains of Rabaul, which were so poignantly captured in song by one of its favorite sons, the late John Wong, who died so tragically this year of a heart attack.
He was a huge figure on the PNG music scene in the 80’s and 90’s, playing with such legendary PNG bands as Barike and the Unbelievers.
His songs Dust over Rabaul and Rabaul Town were huge hits and meant a lot to the people of Rabaul after the destruction caused by the volcano in 1994.
Tavurvur Volcano in Rabaul continues to send out clouds of ash and steam, as I found out.
It was making belching noises like a mammoth jet engine and continuing to send out ash over Rabaul.
The area near the volcano is eerie and like a moonscape, however, people stubbornly
persist and continue to live in Rabaul.
The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994.
After the eruption the capital was moved to Kokopo, about 20km away.
Rabaul is continually threatened by volcanic activity due to being built on the edge of Rabaul caldera, a flooded caldera of a large volcano.
There are eight active vents in Rabaul Caldera: Tovanumbatir, Kabiu, Rabalanakaia, Turanguna, Tavurvur, Sulphur Creek, Vulcan, and Vulcan Island.
A large eruption occurred at Rabaul volcano on Saturday October 7, 2006, with ash to 60,000 feet.
The eruption shattered windows in the town, and lava flows reached the sea
Many long time residents of Rabaul whom I spoke to remarked that 2008 has seen one of the worst ash fallouts from Tavurvur, with one of the largest and most consistent amounts of ash.
On November 20 in 2008, Tavuvur released a spectacular plume of ash and steam, and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite took a picture the same day and posted it on its website http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/.
In this image, a dingy gray plume blows westward over the Bismarck Sea from the volcano’s summit.
The plume differs from the nearby clouds in both its darker color and more diffuse shape.
At the Rabaul Hotel, staff are on the roofs, in the garden and its surrounds, every day, with shovels and wheel barrows digging out the ash that has accumulated over night.
A recent newspaper report, saying that the ash was life threatening, led to mass hysteria and panic by the workers of Rabaul and the closure of some much-needed utilities like the hospital, technical, school and power.
That aside, Rabaul is still a beautiful place with a lot of history, remaining the third largest port of Papua New Guinea, importing and exporting and the feeding straw to Kokopo Town and indeed, the whole Islands Region.
The history of Rabaul is one of wreckage and regrowth.
Modern historians will find a treasure trove of World War 2 relics, tunnels and caverns to explore within driving distance of Rabaul.
Close to the now-thriving centre of Kokopo, are the remnants of Gunantambu mansion, built in the 1880’s by the legendary Queen Emma.
After the eruption of Tavurvur and Vulcan in September 1994, most Rabaul services were relocated in Kokopo, which is strung along the edge of Blanche Bay.
The town has grown rapidly and the busy market, selling fresh produce, local cigars and betel nut, is located on the main road from Tokua Airport.
The waterfront is the place to find boats for travel to the outer islands or for a spot of fishing.
The drive from the airport, now located at Tokua about an hour from Rabaul, is along a narrow road winding its way around the glittering waters of the Gazelle Peninsula.
Through the coconut trees villages of thatched huts surrounded by colourful flowerbeds and tropical fruit trees look out over calm waters.
East New Britain has a fascinating World War 11 history and visitors can explore Japanese caved systems, barged tunnels, aircraft wrecks and submarines.
The people of East New Britain have been seen as culturely diversified with rich and unique traditions.
The tubuan signifies spiritual dancers and traditional ceremonies that demonstrate a history well kept and used in today’s society.
The Tolai people of the Gazelle Peninsulla have continued to use the traditional shell money called tabu.

They use the tabu as a contribution to the Tolai male secret society of tubuan and dukduk, for distribution to people at death ceremonies, as payment of a bride price, for settling disputes, to purchase land or even garden food from local markets.
The tropical nature of the province, with its evergreen rainforest vegetation and rugged mountain ranges, the imposing volcanoes which surrounds the town of Rabaul and the beautiful Simpson harbour have made East New Britain an attractive and adventurous place to visit.
The marine resources are diverse and the tropical environment provides opportunities for bush trekking, mountain trekking, mountain climbing and cave exploration.
Yes, indeed, there is a silver lining to the dark cloud looming over Rabaul.