Time for Lae to rise from the ashes

All pictures @MALUM NALU

Lae, once the beautiful 'Garden City' of Papua New Guinea, has lost all that glory that it was once famous for.
It has now become the infamous 'Pothole City' of Papua New Guinea, notorious for its crime.
The year 2014 is the time to make a difference.
Otheriwise, Lae will never change.

Aerial view of Lae.

As this sign at Balob Teachers College shows, alcohol and drugs are major problems in Lae.

Former Lae MP Bart Philemon is still very concerned about land matters in Lae.

Lae is famaous for its taro, bananas and vegetables.

Road leading to Yanga and Wagang vilages.

Former Lae MP Bart Philemon and his nephew Ahi Nako.

Former Lae MP Bart Philemon and me at a family gathering at Wagang village.

Top Town, Lae.

Lae Police Station...police resources are stretched to the limit trying to curb crime.

6th Street, Lae.

Busy Lae Port.

Aigris Market, Lae Port.

DC3 at the Botanical Gardens.

China Town.

Bumbu River.

Voco Point.

Don't forget the Lae roads in 2014

All pictures @MALUM NALU

One thing Lae residents must demand in 2014 is that our roads are completed.
A damning report on rehabilitation and upgrading of Lae city roads released last November by Department of Works (DoW) shows that  there was massive foul play in awarding of contracts amounting to almost K200 million,
There has been a comedy of errors in Lae road designs including concrete pavements, the report reveals.
A private company NME International (PNG) Ltd has been singled out in the report, which shows that  there was massive foul play in awarding of contracts.

The contractors have even pulled down many of the iconic rain trees of Lae.

The Busu Road, build under AusAID funding from 1998-2002 is still intact while recent roads have already started to fall apart.

The Esplanade is blocked off.

A goat track leading from the rugby league ground.

The Old Airport Road, build under AusAID funding from 1998-2002 is still intact while recent roads have already started to fall apart.

Potholes around the Main Market area.

Signboard showing new contracts which have been awarded.

This is opposite the Botanical Gardens.

Behind the Niall Reserve.

Road between Niall Reserve and golf course.

Roundabout at Eriku.

Butibam Road.

Road block at Old Airport leading up to Top Town,

Butibam Road along Voco Point.

Chine Town roundabout.

Kandep to be transformed with major infrastructure projects

By MALUM NALU

Remote Kandep, Enga, one of the most undeveloped areas in the country is set to be transformed into a major centre in the Highlands with several major infrastructure projects worth hundreds of millions of kina underway or being completed.

These projects included the K250 million Mendi-Kandep Road under Asian Development Bank funding, already completed Kandep-Kiapu Road, K18.6 million Kiapu-Pangu Road, K30 million Pangu-Laiagam Road, K35 million Wasa Bridge, and K70 million Kandep-Magarima Road.

Works Minister Francis Awesa didn’t mince his words when telling the people of Kandep recently that their area would be transformed from a forgotten backwater into a hub of the Highlands linked to LNG-rich Hela and Gulf, Porgera gold mine, and Mendi in Southern Highlands.

Awesa launches the Wasa Bridge project.-Pictures by MALUM NALU

“We’re witnessing major infrastructure developments in Enga, Southern Highlands and Hela provinces,” he told more than 10,000 people who congregated at Kandep station.

“It’s all part of the transformation of Kandep.

“We want the road from Mendi to Kandep, and on to Laiagam, to happen.

“This road (Mendi to Kandep) is almost complete.

“It’s costing something like K250 million.

“The road will come from Mendi and go on to Laiagam.

“This road will not only start from Mendi and finish here.

“People from Porgera must not only go to Wabag and Hagen, sometimes they must go through to Kandep.

“One of these days Kandep will become a major centre.”

Awesa said Kandep could be linked to Gulf in future.

“One of these days, this road will go on to Porgera and on to Kikori and Kerema,” he said.

“The Wasa Bridge will connect Kandep with Southern Highlands and Hela province.

A soldier against the backdrop of the swamp and marshland of Kandep over which the Wasa Bridge will be built.

“The government has made a major decision for infrastructure development in Enga, Southern Highlands, Hela and Gulf provinces become a reality.

“Kandep will be transformed into a major centre, maybe even a city.”

St Andrew's Lutheran Church, Ampo, turns 80

All pictures @MALUM NALU
St Andrew’s Lutheran Church at Ampo, the oldest surviving building in Lae which in October celebrated its 80th anniversary, had a momentous occasion on Sunday, Nov 17 when 81 young people were confirmed.
The young men and women – mainly from the Ahi villages of Butibam, Hengali and Wagang – were confirmed in front of a full house crowd of relatives and friends, who later exchanged customary gifts of food.

The church as it is today.

The young people line up to be congratulated outside the church on Sunday, Nov 17.

My two nieces who were confirmed and me.

Traditional food exchange after the confirmation.

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The church, built in its present form in 1933, it is the only pre – war building in Lae and the timberwork still bears many bullet scars.
During the war, it served as a Japanese hospital when its custodians from Butibam village fled into the foothills on the far side of the Busu River.
A bush material chapel was built at Ampo in 1912 by pioneer German missionary, Gottfried Schmutterer, and the first baptism took place on October 20, 1912.
Timber from Bukawa was put on the ship Bavaria and brought to Lae on Feb 11, 1933.
They started building the church on March 4, 1933, with dedication being on Oct 8, 1933.

Ampo falls from its glory

All pictures @MALUM NALU

Ampo, the headquarters of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea in Lae, is close to the hearts of all Lutherans.
This includes the many missionary families from Germany, Australia, USA and others parts of the world,.
Ampo is not what it used to be, having fallen from its glory days, as these pictures I took on Saturday, Nov 16, 2013, show.

This is the main road leading from Ampo Church.

Conference centre.

One of the old houses that still remains.

Guest house car park.

Guest house.

The old rain trees are gone.

The famous Ampo tennis courts at right are no longer there.

Administration buildings,

Ampo signboard,