'Green Chip' Somare or is it 'Grand Chief' Somare?

Story and picture by JASON SOM KAUT

 

There was a buzz of activity in Enga with everyone busy.

Wabag Primary School students apparently, with teacher supervision, decorated the school for the ‘Grand Chief’s’ historical visit last Thursday.

They had different coloured balloons with welcome messages hanging everywhere.

‘Welcome to Enga NEC (National Executive Council), etc...

But one of these balloons read: “Welcome ‘Green Chip’ to Enga” when it should it should have read “Welcome ‘Grand Chief’ to Enga”.

Either very stupid or very clever with all the talk of Green Revolution and technological age of micro and computer chips...mmm.

 

 

 

Rainy day in Wabag

CHILDREN and the crowd braving a sudden downpour at Wabag Primary School in Enga province during the historical visit by Prime Minister

Sir Michael Somare last week Thursday. Picture by JASON KAUT.

 

 

 

Two more pictures of Busu High School in the 1980's

Champion Busu allround sportsman Bob Aaron wins an inter-house 100m race in 1981.

A high school soccer competition in 1982 with Busu, far left, followed by Bugandi and Lae International high schools.

A song for Jan Scharlach and Busu High School

The late Jan Scharlach (right) with huband Jim (left) and Busu head boy John Singas after graduation in 1983.

The author (seated) with fellow Busu High School graduates in 1983.

Left to right are Bosi Sayama,Ali Yapi, Edward Misob,John Cates, Malum Nalu and Ire Zuhuc (front) posing for a last shot at Busu High School in 1983.

Busu High School Class of '83

Last Sunday, while I was in The National office preparing my work programme for the week, I happened to check my GMail and received the sad news from my ex Busu High School teacher Jim Scharlach in Canada.
Jim sent me a couple of lines to let me know of the death of his wife Jan last weekend.
It was quite distressing for me, as the Scharlachs were good friends of me and so many other students who passed through Busu High School, Lae, in 1981, 1982 and 1983.
I was at lost for words, and the memories of the good old days of Busu, where I did Grades 7 to 10 from 1980 to 1983, came rushing to mind as I stared blankly at my computer screen.
There were great teachers in those days such as the Scharlachs, British headmaster and history buff Nigel Stanley, his fellow Briton maths/science teacher Roger Dallimore (who went to great lengths to teach us how to play chess), inimitable Filipino practical skills teacher Tony Socan (who taught us how to build houses and so many other things), and several other expatriates and nationals.
There was a sizeable expatriate community in Lae in those days, and around Busu, a sizeable missionary community at the Martin Luther Seminary and Lutheran Church headquarters at Ampo.
There were few if any potholes in Lae in those early days of independence, crime and settlement-related problems were unheard of, we neither smoked marijuana nor indulged in homebrew (apart from the occasional cigarette or bottle of beer out of teenage curiosity), didn’t engage in cult-related activities in school, or carried knives and homemade guns to fight against other schools.
There was respect for all, especially our teachers, something that is very much lacking these days, and I wondered how Lae and Papua New Guinea could deteriorate so fast in just one generation.
“I wanted to let you know that Jan passed away last night,” Jim wrote.
“She had been fighting cancer for many years.
“She is now in a better place.”
Jan, Jim and their three wonderful young children were in Lae in 1981, 1982 and 1983 and they played an important role in shaping so many students of Busu, many of whom now hold senior positions in both government and private sectors.
Jan was a great teacher who has had a great influence on my life, particularly in reading, writing and literature.
She imparted in me a love of poetry, the classics of literature, Shakespeare and writing and these have been with me all my life after leaving Busu in 1983.
Those who were at Busu in 1981, 1982 and 1983 will remember the great Jim Scharlach, our sports master extraordinaire and maths/science teacher who coached the school on to greater heights in basketball, volleyball, softball, athletics, rugby league and soccer against our rivals such as Bugandi, Bumayong, Lae High and Lae International.
Sports rivalry between Lae high schools in those days was intense, and under Jim’s coaching, Busu brought down traditional powerhouses such as Bugandi from their lofty pedestals.
National representatives such as champion high jumper Michael Elisha, basketballers Hilda Roy, Bob Aaron and Casey Stafford, and towering Kumul rugby league forward Kera Ngaffin – to name a few - were all protégés of Jim.
Jan was our English teacher and her literature lessons were unforgettable.
Last November, 25 years after leaving Grade 10 at Busu, I was pleasantly surprised to receive an email from one Jim Scharlach in Canada – whom I had not heard from all these years - apparently after he had read my blog so many times and was wondering if I was indeed the same ‘Malum Nalu of Busu’.
“Good day Sir,” he wrote.
“Was wondering if you were the Malum Nalu who attended Busu High School in the 80’s?
“I have enjoyed your articles.
“Thanks for your time.”
Since then, we have been corresponding, and I shared with Jim the tragic loss of my wife last Easter and he told me that Jan had been fighting cancer for the last six years.
“It has been a tough go, but she is surviving,” he wrote.
“The kids are doing well and as a group have given me five grandchildren.
“I am still teaching and enjoying it.
“I think back to our time at Busu and am so thankful to have been able to experience that.
“It was great to have been able to work with students who wanted to be there and worked so hard.
“I had always planned to return but conditions back here made it so difficult.”
Last Christmas, the Scharlach family sent me an email with their Christmas greetings, in which Jim poignantly told of a Christmas in Lae so many years ago at the Burns Philip store.
The Burns Philp store, which over the years became Best Buy, was burned to the ground just before Christmas last year.
Jim was quite saddened at the burning of the old Burns Philp store and the ongoing violence and law and order problems in Lae and throughout Papua New Guinea.
“I remember taking my kids to Burns Philp (Lae) to see Santa Claus,” he wrote.
“They were very apprehensive until Santa called each of them by name.
“Thanks to Santa, Simeon (a Busu Grade 10 student in 1981), my kids had an opportunity to meet their real Santa.
“I continue to enjoy reading your blog but am saddened by the violence that continues to be prevalent in your major cities.
“It is so sad that a few people – rascals and a few politicians – have given a beautiful country with the majority of people being great caring people such a negative image.
My cousin Peter Sayama, who went to school at the same time at Busu (under the name Bossi Sayama), was also saddened to hear of the death of Jan.
“The likes of you, Jan, and of course our principal at that time, Nigel Stanley, have no doubt shaped the lives of those of us who have come in contact with you all that taught us at Busu,” he said in an email to Jim.
“I can vividly remember Jan and her imposing figure in classroom: the way she reads a novel that can captivate our attention in class that we get so disappointed when the bell sounds for the end of English period and we have to wait for another time for her to continue.”

Massive gas find in Gulf

By SHEILA LASIBORI in The National

 

THE discovery of a large reservoir of top quality natural gas in the country has placed Papua New Guinea among the top producers of liquefied natural gas at world markets, Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare said yesterday.

He was speaking when officiating at the flow and flare ceremony for a massive gas find at Interoil’s Antelope One site in Gulf province.

InterOil Corporation needed to raise US$5 billion (K14 billion) to complete the infrastructure for the project, including the construction of a pipeline to its Napa Napa oil refinery on the outskirts of Port Moresby.

At yesterday’s test flow, Sir Michael opened the first valve, which flowed and flared gas equivalent to 105.5 million cubic feet per day (mcfd) (yesterday’s figure, as different testing schedules produce different measurements).

The second flare was measured to produce a “world record” 383mcfd and it could have been more as technicians allowed the gas to flow through a three-inch pipe instead of the full six-inch diametre to control the heat.

Antelope One can produce up to 545 mcfd of dry gas, which, when flowed, measures 382mcfd and this can produce up to 5,000 barrels of condensate per day (gas in its condensed state), or equal to a total of 68,600 barrels of oil per day.

The productivity of this well was way above the 350-550mcfd of gas production needed to start a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project.

The company said a third party-confirmed capacity of 17.7 billion cubic feet per day (bcf) of gas, places PNG as one of the best quality gas producers in the world with a 760m column of gas.

InterOil’s chief executive officer and chairman Phil Mulacek said this was a world record as no such discovery (to date) had happened prior to Antelope One.

“The well flowed enough that in a little bit of time, just one minute, it would have filled up a pipeline from Port Moresby to here, in one minute.

“We took an hour and 30 minutes to fly the same distance,” he said.

“We understand it to be a record for the world; we’re not cheating, we’re not horizontal; it’s a straight vertical column.

“It proves that the nation has one of the highest quality reservoirs on this planet,” Mr Mulacek said.

The discovered oil well is the largest onshore vertical hydrocarbon column in the entire Asia-Pacific region with more than 2,600ft (792m) of gas and condensate, which is a new resource discovery estimated by InterOil engineers at more than 10 trillion cubic feet (tcf).

Sir Michael said the “world record natural gas discovery” will place PNG as a co-leader with Australia in supplying LNG to Asian markets.

“InterOil has elevated the status of PNG in global energy markets and has positioned our country to become the dominant source of new LNG for the growing energy markets in Asia for decades to come,” Sir Michael said.

“We (Government) introduced a new upstream fiscal policy and InterOil is the only company that believed in PNG and is willing to commit significant capital to our future development.

“InterOil stepped up to the plate with a US$125 million (K349 million) drilling commitment, the largest exploration programme in our history.

“The next steps to realise that vision has become clearer and it is now our turn to commit to clearing the path towards first production with our loyal and dependable partner, InterOil,” Sir Michael said.

Meanwhile, Petroleum and Energy Minister William Duma announced that InterOil’s petroleum licence, scheduled to expire on March 23, was extended for another five years based on advice by the petroleum advisory board.

Wayne Andrews, InterOil’s vice-president on capital markets and investor relations, said InterOil might start condensating next year and, in the next five years, might start producing for world markets from its Elk/Antelope One field for leading LNG markets like Japan, South Korea and Spain.

 

Seeking the region's best and the brightest: APEC calls for papers

Singapore, 2 March 2009 – An all expenses-paid trip to present their views at the annual APEC CEO Summit – a gathering of the Asia-Pacific’s top business people, which will be held in Singapore this November – may just motivate business students to knock out one more paper. 

Celebrating its 20^th anniversary this year, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) invites senior level and postgraduate students from business schools in APEC member economies to write an original essay discussing: “What can APEC do for business?” 

The topic, intended to stimulate discussion surrounding APEC’s core mission and long-term goals of free and open trade and investment, has been kept broad, to allow for the greatest range of perspectives and ideas.

“We put a good deal of thought into the best way to celebrate our anniversary,” says Michael Tay, Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat.  “We decided that the most appropriate way to reflect our values as an innovative and inclusive body would be to stimulate discussion – and maybe even debate – surrounding APEC and business and how they can work together in the new economic landscape.”

Three winners will receive prizes totalling USD 5,000.  The top essayist will present his or her work at the CEO Summit taking place in Singapore in November 2009 and will have the chance to meet his/her economy’s Leader.  This experience includes the cost of flights to Singapore, hotel accommodation and a per diem allowance, in addition to a USD 500 cash prize.

The second prize winner will be awarded USD 1,000 and the third prize winner USD 500.

For complete submission details, please visit: www.apec.org/20years

 

For more information, contact:

 

Linda Carroll at lac@apec.org or at (65) 6890 9672

Carolyn Williams at cdw@apec.org or at (65)9617 7316

 

 

Carolyn D. Williams

Media Manager, APEC

35 Heng Mui Keng Terrace / Singapore 119616

D: (65) 6891 9671 / M: (65) 9617 7316 / F: (65) 6891 9600

 

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