Western Province has a lot to offer

WESTERN Province has a lot to offer in terms of tourism and it would no doubt be a potential tourist destination because of its unique cultures which it can expose to the rest of the world.
The Middle Fly District is made up of three Local level Governments comprising of Suki, Lake Murray and Balimo.
There are more than 27 villages along the river leading out from Balimo towards the Suki and Lake Murray area and this is where you get to find the real fun -loving character of the local people.
The view along the Aramure River going towards Awaba is about five hours by dinghy and is spectacularly beautiful for those who intend to go bird watching or going fishing.
The bird life will never stop to amaze tourists as you travel along this most-captivating river and find that there is more bird life than one could imagine.
Night hunting is a norm for the locals but can be a good experience for those who love excitement and adventure.
Balimo is renowned for its beauty in the abundance of wildlife and rich culture and the staging of the sixth Gogodala Canoe festival in May was no exception.
“We must look at development from a different perspective because it will bring development and other major benefits,” said Western Province Governor Dr Bob Danaya.
“The Middle Fly is far expanding and there is great potential in promoting tourism here in the province.”
The town is currently under construction to upgrade most of the facilities for the locals and as well as those intending to go for holiday or sightseeing.
Tourists or visitors can check into the Biyama family house where 10 rooms are available for rent if going in a group or as an individual.
The town area is very peaceful and there is a health centre, a few shops and a main market housed in the centre of the town.
Transportation on dinghy along the river can be arranged upon consultation with the district administration and the town committee, or otherwise, a walk around the town can take only half a day.
The Gogodala Canoe Festival is an enriching way to truly appreciate what these people have to offer in terms of natural wildlife and the culture.
This festival is held annually in April and those who are interested can collect more detailed information from the National Cultural Commission website.

Arona Valley

The beautiful Arona Valley of the Eastern Highlands was once mooted by the colonial administration as a potential capital for the then Territory of Papua New Guinea.

That is no longer the case, Port Moresby having stolen the thunder, but the picturesque Arona play’s a pivotal role in PNG’s economy.

It’s here that PNG’s largest manmade lake – with water from the Ramu River – supplies electricity to the five Highlands provinces, Morobe and Madang.

It is, however, a paradox that electricity is “so near, yet so far away” and many of the surrounding villages are yet to be connected to the power supply.

That, together with land compensation matters, remains a contentious issue.

Those aside, the manmade lake is dubbed the travelers as the “Highlands Sea” and it’s now a common sight to see outboard motor dinghies zooming and dugout canoes being paddled across the hunting grounds of a bygone generation.

You could be forgiven for thinking that you were out on the deep blue ocean!

But then again, perhaps this can only happen in “The Land of the Unexpected”.

Fish, particularly tilapia, thrive in this inland sea – which was made in the late 1980s and early 1990s – providing a readily available source of protein and cash for hundreds of villagers on its shores.

In 1984 and 1985, whilst a student at the nearby national high school at Aiyura – another of the great Highlands valleys – I was fortunate enough to have done some memorable bushwalks through this area, so I can visualise Arona the way it was before flooding.

Along the shores, there are cattle grazing and bees hard at work in the hives, in scenes of pastoral poetry.

It’s a joy for weary Highlands Highway travelers to stop at the PNG Power township of Yonki and gaze across this scenic lake, garnished by pine trees, to a magnificent backdrop of mountains.

The Arona Valley is also one of the more lush, fertile and verdant areas of the Highlands.

Vegetables and fruit grown in abundance, supplemented by readily-available protein from the lake.

Hence, in this land of milk and honey, you have a very healthy-looking population.

Arona, like the rest of the Highlands, has coffee trees aplenty, providing a steady source of much-needed income for the people.

Nearby is Kassam Pass, which provides panoramic, awe-inspiring views of the Ramu Valley of Madang Province and the Markham Valley of Morobe Province.

Kainantu, the “Mile-High Gateway to the Highlands”, is about 30 minutes drive away, while the Eastern Highlands capital of Goroka is about an hour and 30 minutes drive.

Lae is about two hours and 30 minutes drive, likewise, Madang.

During a visit to the area, we took the back road from Kainantu and Aiyura, passing through forests, coffee trees, and rolling hills.

For me, an old boy of Aiyura, it was a sense of déjà vu.

After all those years, it was a pleasant experience to once again wander through Arona, and relive those long treks we use to take in our student days.

The lake, together with the pine trees and rolling hills, was as pretty as a picture in the afternoon sun and I made it a point to return another day for a picnic or Barbie.

Arona Valley once inspired the colonial administration to consider it as the potential capital of PNG.

You can see why with a visit to this part of “The Land of the Unexpected”.

Miss Morobe 2006

Kamaliki Vocational Training Centre wins praise

Kamaliki Vocational Training Centre outside Goroka, Eastern Highlands, has over the years won a reputation for the kind of courses that it teaches and the students that it produces.
The products included baby carriers, cookie trays, fruit bowls, laundry baskets, place mats, round baskets, round trays with handles, shopping baskets and trays.
Kamaliki is known for teaching students about downstream processing skills, appropriate technology and arts and crafts.
These skills are very relevant for rural areas as well as to help the students be self-employed or run their own small businesses.
Downstream processing includes honey, jam, marmalade, peanut butter.
Its appropriate technology students are taught how to make such items as drum ovens, mechanised coconut and tapioca scrapers, as well as many other useful items.
Kamaliki's craft shop - which is open tithe public seven days a week - sells canecraft which it buys from local weavers as well as other items produced by trainees of the centre.
The villagers, many of whom are illiterate, find it hard to get find a market for their quality products so they sell them to the Kamaliki Vocational Centre near Goroka.
The centre's stall at the 2006 PNG Coffee Festival in Goroka on May 4, 5and 6 was a major crowd-puller.
Kamaliki, in fact, won a consolation prize from the Small Business Development Corporation for being one of the outstanding small businesses at the festival.
According to instructor, Mrs. MariaNom, Kamaliki was giving a lot of hope to young school leavers.
The school is located about 10km out-side Goroka on the Lae/Madang side ofthe Highlands Highway.
Kamaliki has been actively involved in providing skills training for students from Eastern Highlands as well as other parts of Papua New Guinea.
The school provides eight courses, and every year, more applications are received but only 210 students are selected.
The students who are not selected are encouraged to take up short courses which the school offers.Kamaliki enrolls students with Grade 8,Grade 10 and Grade 12 qualifications with good passes in core subjects.
It runs two-year courses in motor vehicle mechanic, carpentry and joinery, plumbing, auto electrical, computing and business studies, metal fabricating, metal beating and spray painting, and advanced studies in agriculture.
Short courses are run in various skills trade areas to assist people enhance their skills.
The short courses are in motor mechanics, computing and business studies, home economics, carpentry and joinery, sewing machine and repair/maintenance, block laying, advanced skills in agriculture, animal husbandry, cash crops, technical skills, honey production, and farm management.
Further information can be obtained from the address as follows: Kamaliki Vocational Centre, P.O. Box107, Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea.Tel: (675) 7322336Fax: (675) 7322336.

Eastern Highlands Cultural centre

The Eastern Highlands Cultural Centre in Kainantu, Eastern Highlands, has been quietly involved in producing quality arts and crafts for the tourism and local markets over the years.
It also buys a lot of works from local artists in and around the Kainantu area.
This is despite the fact that it is basically self-supporting, despite coming under the Eastern Highlands provincial government, and has been doing so for the last 25 years.
“We make pottery, rugs from local sheep skin, as well as do screen printing,” said supervisor Remi Yabuki.
“We also buy arts and crafts from outsiders and resell.”
Business was booming during the 1990s and before that, but has slowed down since because of the law and order problem, which inhibits visitors to Kainantu.
Because of this, Mr Yabuki said they bring their arts and crafts to the PNG Coffee Festival & Trade Fair, Goroka Show and Morobe Show to sell.
Of course, there are the buyers who stop at Kainantu, but these have slowed down to a trickle.
“In the 1990s, and before that, we used to do a lot of sales,” he said.
“But after 2000, because of law and order problems along the road (Highlands Highway), sales have dropped.
“We look at expatriates to do most of our buying.
“We are self-sufficient and do not depend on the provincial government for wages, power bills and others.”
The Eastern Highlands Cultural Centre employs four potters, three wavers, and three sales assistants.
They had reason to be happy at the 2006PNG Coffee Festival & Trade Fair in Goroka, when they received a runner-up prize of K600 from the Small Business Development Corporation for best small business.