SINGLE MUM

A beautiful poem written by my good friend, Michelle Evoa, a single mum, as Mother’s Day nears…

 

By MICHELLE EVOA

 

Single mum

Just Another woman;

but is a mum and dad.

Parting knowledge and skill

To children, who,

See the world

A better, lovelier place

Because; mummy is my mum,

And mummy is also my daddy.

 

Single mum,

Struggles and is bolder

For mine close to heart

I provide and protect.

Give my all selflessly

A purpose to my everyday hard toil

For the reward, in the radiant smile

And the embrace of my child

I cannot comprehend.

 

There is no shame in the role

Forever engraved in my memory,

One I do not have to share.

The joy to watch my child blossom

Moulded by my firmness.

 

I watch my baby sleep

Listen to a beautiful heart beat

The warmth of this little body

This is the reason why I toil,

I am happy, a Single mum.

 

Single mum

The Good Lord, knows my path

And is my refuge.

For every mile,

I walked with my Hand in his.           

Origin of the name...

By PAUL OATES in Queensland, Australia

 

Arthur Williams, a former kiap now living in Wales reckons this may have been where the magazine "The Bulletin" got its name from.

Somare in Australia for high level talks

By KEITH JACKSON of PNG Attitude

 

Papua New Guinea Sir Michael Somare arrived in Australia yesterday for talks with his Australian counterpart Kevin Rudd and a tour of bushfire and flood affected areas.

He is accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Abal, National Planning Minister Paul Tiensten, Vice Minister for Mining Ano Pala and leading Opposition identity, Byron Chan MP, son of New Ireland Governor Sir Julius Chan.

Sir Michael will meet Mr Rudd tomorrow and also call on Governor-General Quentin Bryce. The discussions will also involve Trade Minister Simon Crean, Immigration Minister Chris Evans and Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Affairs Duncan Kerr.

In the evening there will be a reception at the PNG High Commission which Ingrid and I will be attending and I’ll be reporting on for PNG Attitude.

On Wednesday, Sir Michael will meet Victorian Premier John Brumby before visiting bushfire-affected areas. On Thursday he meets Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull and address the PNG-Australia Business Council in Brisbane.

On Friday, he will get a briefing on the flood recovery efforts in the Ingham region before returning to Port Moresby on Sunday.

 

Today at the Farm

Autumn arrives

Butcherbird prey

Crested Pidgeon

Echidna's feast

Grevillia

Guava

Nagura Burrs

Show group 1

Sunset in our valley

Young heifer

Young Magpie

Young Magpie

From PAUL OATES in Queensland, Australia

Autumn has finally arrived and with it, the leaves are turning colour.

A young Magpie is 'carolling' outside and in the distance, a Pied Butcherbirdgives it melodic call. Aside from the 'hook' on the tip of a Butcherbird'sbeak, this bird gets its name from its habit of 'hanging' its prey up onanything it can a 'hook it' on to.

In this case, some barbed wire for somedung beetles that I didn't quite get in focus.

As I walked around our farm today, I saw where an echidna had had a feast ona white ant's nest. The Guava tree has some ripe fruit on it and the NarrowLeafed Ironbarks are flowering.

I found a few Nagura Burrs around the top dam.

A small herd of our cattle are coming alongwell and we hope they will do well in the local Show.

A Grevillia isflowering near the cattle pens as I fed the young cattle who have just beenbranded. The local birds are coming down to get their share of any spilledgrain as the sun sets on our valley.

Croc with dog

By PAUL OATES in Queensland, Australia

A mate sent me this photo of a North Queensland crocodile (saltie) with a local dog in its mouth. The rivers and esturies up there are not a great place to swim these these days.

Bulolo presents infrastructure development proposal

A backhoe works on diverting the course of the flooded Kumalu River as traffic and people line up both sides of the river. Picture by Bulolo MP SAM BASIL

A backhoe works on diverting the course of the notorious Kumalu River at the weekend. Picture by Bulolo MP SAM BASIL

Bulolo district in Morobe province has put forward a proposal to works secretary Joel Luma and Momase regional works manager Brian Alois for development of infrastructure, including the much talked about K27 million bypass over the notorious Kumalu River.
Meantime, flood waters continued to wreack havoc over the Kumulu at the weekend.
Bulolo MP Sam Basil said yesterday (Sunday, April 26, 2009) that the proposal was presented to Mr Luma and Mr Alois at works headquarters in Port Moresby last Thursday.
“The proposal will be based on a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to cover a three-year programme with funds contribution from both the National Works Department and Bulolo District joint district planning and budget priorities committee (JDP&BPC) with board members consisting of developers,investors,community representatives,works department representatives, and provincial and district representatives,” he said.
“It is confirmed that K9m from the 2008 supplementary budget was parked in the national works department account in Port Moresby and is available.
“The Bulolo people do not want these monies to be spent on expensive contractors who will use up all the funds and take the district's national highways back to square one, but to invest these funds in a sustainable manner, which will see the purchase, ownership and operations of the equipment by the both district and national works department for the district.
“The MOA will see equipment purchase plus funding for villagers to use manual labour to control the overgrowth of vegetation along the national roads.”
The national highway road sections have been categorised as follows:
Section A - Timini to Bulolo Town (sealed section);
Section B - Bulolo Town to Wau Town (unsealed Section); and
Section C - Bulolo Town to Keto (snsealed section)
“The Bulolo District JDP&BPC will contribute more then K500, 000 per annum from the proceeds as per the MOA with the Morobe provincial government,” Mr Basil said.
“This money will be from Hidden Valley royalties for the joint district and national works national roads maintenance programme for operational expenses.
“The proposed purchases of recommended equipment per the sections, A-C, will see the sealed section having different equipment from the unsealed sections.
“The initial capital plus the three years operational costs will be at K7-8m, while the JDP&BPC contribution will boost the operational component of the programme.
“The Kumalu bypass will be another agenda on its own costing K27m, and the Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare has shown and made his commitment during the Buang visit in February this year.
“This also includes the feasibility study of having the Inter-Island Highway connecting Lae to Port Moresby through the Waria Valley/Tapini connection.”

Bulolo farmers urged to tap into lucrative honey industry

Bulolo MP Sam Basil congratulates a woman beekeeper last Friday

Bulolo MP Sam Basil presents beekeeping gear and tools to a graduand last Friday

Bulolo MP Sam Basil has urged beekeepers in his electorate to tap into lucrative honey, which is now fetching up to K10 a kilogram.
He made the call as Bulolo’s first lot of 30 women beekeepers graduated at Baiune High School last Friday (April 24), with training facilitated by the Eastern Highland provincial government’s division of agriculture.
Five women from each of the six local level governments (LLGs) – Mumeng, Buang, Watut, Wau Urban, Wau Rural and Waria - received their certificates last Friday.
Waria, the most-remote LLG with no road links, has untouched and diversified flora and fauna to complement the bee programme.
The beekeeping project was made available by Mr Basil through the K200, 000 national agriculture development programme (NADP) funds last December.
The programme was slightly delayed when the bank dishonoured the first deposit, but then redeposited in March.
Mr Basil praised the Eastern Highlands government for allowing its honey bee project team to come to Morobe and impart its knowledge to the 30 women.
“If the Eastern Highlands provincial government hadn't kept the bee programme alive, then my district would have spent more to import the know-how plus the equipment from overseas,” he said.
“The National Agriculture Department must do more about promoting small scale agricultural programmes as such, and encouraging the women in agriculture concept through these backyard programmes.
“Beekeeping should be found at almost everybody's backyard due to the floral diversity of PNG.
“A kilogram of honey nowadays can fetch about K10, and with about 10 bee hives, a farmer can make more then K3, 000 per annum.”
Mr Basil said he had to travel up to Goroka himself to arrange for the bee hives and urged the national agriculture department to allocate funding direct to bee trainers and direct them to provide at least 100 bee hives, plus training and tools, per LLG in the country.
“We, the district, should then arrange for the logistical part,” he said.
“The same concept can be applied to inland fish farming and fingerling supplies, goats, cattles, water buffalo, ducks, rabbits and the list goes on.
“Primary industry in PNG has been suffering for so many years, despite millions and millions of kina being spent over the years.
“Last year, under the NADP programme, many more millions of kina have been injected, however, the hope of achieving our agricultural goals is still a long way to be realised.”