Solomon Islands HC commends Vudal

By VERONICA MANUK and LYTHIA SUITAWA

Solomon Islands High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea Bernard Bata’anisia (pictured) has paid special tribute to the University of Vudal for its contribution to the human resources manpower of his country.

Speaking at the University of Vudal’s 12^th graduation ceremony as guest speaker last Friday, Mr Bata’anisia said his government was indebted to the institution for educating and skilling many Solomon Islanders who now hold senior and responsible positions in the country’s government and private sectors.

The contribution by the University was made between the 1960s and 1980s through its campuses in East New Britain and Oro provinces when they were still known as Vudal Agricultural College and Popondetta Agricultural College respectively.

Mr Bata’anisia said graduates from the then colleges continued to make an impact on the lives of the people and communities in Solomon Islands because the training they received had equipped them to better serve their people, communities and country.

One such graduate is Sir George Lepping, the second Governor General of the Solomon Islands, who graduated from Vudal in the late 1960s.

Mr Bata’anisia said visiting Vudal was a privilege because of the special relationship the institution had with his country.

“It is proper and fitting that I stand here before you here on behalf of the Government and people of Solomon Islands to say thank you to this institution which has done so much for my country,” he said.

“Thank you Vudal for contributing towards the manpower and human resources development of Solomon Islands.”

The High Commissioner said education and training had strengthened bilateral relations between Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea over the last 40 years and thanked the Government and people of Papua New Guinea for forging this relationship, particularly through the education grant assistance to Solomon Islands that had benefited many young Solomon Islanders.

Addressing the 125 graduands, Mr Bata’anisia challenged them to make good use of their qualifications in the environment they found themselves in after graduating.

“Your people, community and country will be watching you and demanding nothing less than total commitment and service in whatever field you are in,” he said.

The diplomat said like any country, Papua New Guinea had its own difficulties and challenges, and these could only solved by the country itself.

“Outsiders do not have all the answers to your challenges and problems but Papua New Guineans yourselves,” he said, when calling on them to take an active interest in the affairs and development of the country.

Mr Bata’anisia said he saw the role of the graduands as partners in nation building and urged them to contribute effectively to the country’s socio-economic development with the intention to make a difference for people and their communities.

“I urge you to remain faithful and strong to your beliefs and principals and to do what is right for the people and your communities,” he said.

The High Commissioner’s visit to the University’s ENB campus last Friday was his second one this year.

His first visit in July was to collect information on the University and begin dialogue on the re-entry of Solomon Islands students to the institution.

 

Government must support universities

By VERONICA MANUK

THE National Government must provide financial backing to universities if it is serious about contributing positively to the growth and national development of the nation.

Former Prime Minister and senior statesman Sir Rabbie Namaliu made these remarks at the 12^th graduation ceremony of the University of Vudal last Friday.

Sir Rabbie, who is Chancellor of the university, said universities could not continue to rely on the goodwill of bilateral partners or donors for their growth and expansion.

“The National Government must put money where its mouth is if it is serious about training skilled and professional people to meet the growing demands of both the public and private sectors,” he said.

He said the government must provide adequate financial resources to universities to ensure that they offered a standard of education and training that was recognised in PNG and internationally as well.

The Chancellor said this would attract well-qualified and experienced staff and students both locally and abroad.

Sir Rabbie said universities like University of Vudal needed proper libraries, proper laboratories, adequate resources with relevant information materials and computer friendly facilities.

For instance, he said the granting of a temporary license to universities by PANGTEL to pilot broadband for a short period was welcomed, but it was not a solution to the long tem demand.

“We would much rather see universities licensed to use this modern mean of communication on a permanent and sustainable basis,” Sir Rabbie said.

“It would improve the quality of teaching and learning immeasurable as well as research in this modern day and age.”

He said broadband would boost the capacity of the library literally overnight because staff and students would have access to sources of information including books from anywhere in the world.

The Chancellor said the Government had made a good start in the 2006 supplementary budget when it allocated K50million to the four state universities for maintenance and rehabilitation and this was appreciated even though University of Vudal and University of Goroka only received K4million each.

Sir Rabbie said as the youngest of the four universities, University of Vudal was striving to find its rightful place as an institution of higher learning and research after many years of training agricultural specialists not only in PNG but also in Pacific as a college.

 

University of Vudal's new restaurant is opened

Captions: 1. Sir Rabbie officially opens the Kairak Restaurant at the University of Vudal.2. Guests at the Kairak Restaurant.

By VERONICA MANUK

THE University of Vudal’s Kairak Restaurant was officially opened last Friday by University Chancellor Sir Rabbie Namaliu.

The opening coincided with the University’s 12^th graduation ceremony which saw 125 students receiving various qualifications and awards.

Sir Rabbie, who unveiled a wooden plaque bearing the restaurant name, said its establishment was a welcome initiative by the University as it continued to expand.

The opening was witnessed by Solomon Islands High Commissioner to PNG Bernard Bata’anisia, University Vice Chancellor Professor Philip Siaguru, Registrar Henry Gioven, invited guests, staff and students.

The restaurant is located at the University’s Kairak Vudal Resource Training Centre (KVRTC) and according to Professor Siaguru it was set-up to raise funds to sustain the centre’s Integrated Agriculture Training Program.

Kairak Restaurant complements KVRTC’s guesthouse, which is frequently used by visitors to the University and Kerevat plateau.

Catering services for various functions such as luncheons, parties, birthdays, conferences and workshops are available.

Patrons have the option to dine-in or take-away.

 Those that do choose to dine-in, will do so in a beautiful room painted with murals depicting life in East New Britain.

A variety of dishes are available at very reasonable prices. For more information call 983 9144 or 983 9736.

 

A young man with a 'green' ambition

Caption: Graeme Ross of Alele Farm Fresh Produce (right) with his protege Elizah Kone at last Friday's University of Vudal graduation.

Young Elizah Kone from the Chimbu province, who graduated with a diploma in tropical agriculture last Friday from the University of Vudal in East New Britain province, is eagerly looking forward to making a big contribution to the industry.
He has been sponsored by major agricultural company Alele Farm Fresh Produce since Grade 12 at Yawe Moses Secondary School in Chimbu in 2004.
Alele general manager Graeme Ross last Thursday walked down to Popondetta from the mountains of Northern province, jumped on a plane to Port Moresby, and then got on another to Rabaul to see his protégé graduate.
Mr Ross has big plans for the young man, including further training in Australia, so that he can hopefully become Papua New Guinea’s first certified seed inspector.
He is already well-versed in extension work, Potato Late Blight and quarantine, among others, as a product of Alele.
“Alele has sponsored me for three years,” a beaming Mr Kone said at Vudal.
“During my practical breaks, I’ve been working with them, especially in extension.
“We’ve been training farmers on Potato Late Blight.
“We’ve also been teaching farmers about quarantine measures.
“Most of our training has been on safety.
“This has been taking place in the rural areas where most of the farmers are.
“The major achievement for me has been helping to bring back the potato industry into the country, after the Potato Late Blight disease.
“I’ll be going down to Tasmania to be trained as a certified seed inspector because we don’t have a certified seed inspector in the country.
“After that, I’ll be concentrating on tissue culture, because right now we can’t afford to import seeds into the country and bring in disease.
“Graeme Ross has put a lot of trust in me and I can’t let him down because I see that his aims and visions are for the majority of people in the villages, who have no access to government services.
“We are supposed to be collaborating with government agencies like National Agriculture Research Institute, Fresh Produce Development Agency, and National Agriculture Quarantine Inspection Authority; however, because we don’t get the full support we need, that’s when the problem comes in.
“I see that what we are doing is more than the government agencies because we are reaching people in the very-remote areas.”
Mr Ross recalled that Mr Kone’s father approached him in 2004 to sponsor his son for agricultural training
“We sponsored him 100%,” he said.
“He had high marks and management capabilities.
“He has an outgoing attitude and was very keen on agriculture.
“His father worked with Chemica in chemical marketing.
“Through his training process, we had always kept him conversant with the company’s development programme.
“We want to promote him into new developments for agriculture at farmer level.
“That shows that we want to him into as much training as possible.
“Our priority at Alele is to do away with chemicals and try to find natural means of controlling environmental problems, such as pests and others.
“What we would like to see is him experienced in all aspects of commercial vegetable production, including overseas training, so that he will be able to contribute meaningfully to fruit and vegetable production in the future.
“We would like to help a lot of young people, and one of the ways we’re doing that is through practical training of students.
“As a private sector, we call on other private sector agricultural industries to support practical training for students with organisations such as universities.
“We’re very enthusiastic about PNG’s agricultural industries, especially in the food industries, which are very important developments within the economy.
“We have found that the dedicated students appreciate the exposure to the practical workforce.
“We also have an interest to see how these students progress in their lives.”

Vudal turns Warongoi land into pasture

Captions: 1. Cattle at Warongoi. 2. The Warongoi River

University of Vudal in the East New Britain province is turning government-owned land at Warongoi into grazing land for cattle and buffalo.

The university also has plans to turn the land - on the banks of the Warongoi River - into a place where pigs, ducks, sheep, goat and fish can be raised.

Planning is underway for a pump to run water from the Warongoi River, which will cost about K50, 000.

AusAID, through the Agricultural Innovations Grant Scheme (AIGS), has already made a commitment for K168, 000 for farmer training for drought animals.

Animal science lecturer Gitala Pranis revealed these plans after an extensive tour of the area.

“Warongoi is State land,” he explained.

“It was originally under Department of Agriculture and Livestock for training of buffalo for drought purposes.

“It became rundown.

“In 2006, a memorandum of agreement between Department of Agriculture and Livestock and Vudal was signed, that’s how all this came about.”

 Mr Gitala said one of Vudal’s aims was to raise breeding stock, especially cattle and cow.

“Weaners will be kept at the main campus for fattening,” he said,

“Apart from weaners, we also want to raise drought animals, especially cattle and buffalo.

“At the moment, we have 50 breeding stock with five fully-developed paddocks.

“We have 40 calves.

“We concentrate on breeding.

“The total land area at Warongoi is 185 hectares.

“It will be developed into paddocks.

“We also have plans for livestock like pigs, ducks, sheep, goat and aquaculture.

“We already have an abattoir on the main campus.

“At the same time, it’s good practical experience for the students in areas like pasture, fencing, husbandry, and so on.

“We have only developed 40 hectares.

“When we fully develop the area we are looking at 200 breeding stock.”

Mr Gitala said the project currently had 10 permanent staff and 20 casuals.

“The potential is there but we need the money,” he said.

 

 

PNG's potato industry faces more threats

Papua New Guinea’s K100 million potato industry faces threats from new diseases which can be far more destructive than Potato Late Blight, according to outspoken farmer Graeme Ross (pictured above).

Mr Ross, who runs Alele Farm Fresh Produce, said that PNG faced a very real threat from these diseases through imported Australian potatoes

“The industry is being threatened since 2003 by over four major diseases, and a new threat is looming on the Australian supply chain,” he said.

“Major diseases are Leaf Roll Virus, Bacteria Wilt, Black Lake and a new virus that the government hasn’t identified.

“These diseases are uncontrollable with chemicals.

“If introduced into new soil, the soil can be unproductive for up to 10 years.

“Potato Late Blight is totally controllable with chemicals and farmer training.

“A major new threat not clearly reported by Australian quarantine has been discovered in Australia and distributed by a certified seed grower in Victoria.

“The distribution of disease seeds in Australia now threatens ware or eating potatoes.

“It is now a high risk importing from Australian into Papua New Guinea.

“The industry is demanding total protection from this potato disease outbreak in Australia.

“Major government agencies support a total ban on ware potatoes coming from Australia.

“To date, Trade & Industry and quarantine have not responded to this threat,

“How can Papua New Guinea survive without potatoes?

“We need potatoes in Papua New Guinea.”

Mr Ross said potato was very important to PNG, worth about K100m to the national economy, and was an important cash crop for small rural farmers.

“It’s a major food source for some high altitude provinces,” he said.

“It’s easy to grow and there is a major interest in producing the crop within the country.

“It’s grown in nearly all the provinces.”

 

Dust over Rabaul...but there is a silver lining to the dark cloud

Tavurvur spews ash and dust as seen from Kokopo

Yachts at Kokopo





Tavurvur as seen from Kokopo

Scenic beachfront at Kokopo

Resort at Kokopo

Queen Emma's Steps, Ralum

Bitapaka War Cemetery, Kokopo

Beachfront at Kokopo

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 ft.
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 this year has seen one of the worst ash fallouts from Tavurvur, with one of the largest and most consistent amounts of ash.
On November 20 this year, 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 2 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 ‘tumbuan’ 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 tumbuan 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.