Malum Nalu

Sunday, October 04, 2009

Postcards from Goroka from the 1970s

Goroka airport TAA and Ansett Fokker F27s in 1971.All pictures by former Goroka resident BRIAN WILSON at www.ski-epic.com/.../goroka/index.html

Turner and Davey Electrical (TDE) store in West Goroka

Goroka Pharmacy and shopping centre in downtown in 1971

Another picture of the downtown of Goroka in 1971

Goroka post office

Boroko Motors Goroka with Nissan, Datsun and Ford vehicles in 1971

A truck full of people in West Goroka on Saturday.These trucks would come into town carrying many people that wanted to buy or sell at the Goroka Saturday market

Expatriate residence. Government officials and expatriates lived in nice houses with cars, gates, flowers, green lawns and plumbing while the natives lived in grass huts and outhouses

Goroka Base Hospital, 1971

Goroka Hotel public bar

Goroka Zokozoi Hotel

Swimming pool at Minogere Hotel

Goroka market price board, with vegetables depicted selling at 10 cents (this was 1972)

Highlands meris at Goroka market in 1971 contrasted by Westernised locals

Scott Waide's new blog

Well-known Papua New Guinea television journalist Scott Waide has created his own blog Papua New Guinea – My Land, My Country on this URL http://www.tingtingblokantri.blogspot.com/.

“Welcome to my most recent attempt at a blog,” Scott writes.

“I live in Port Moresby.

“I am a television producer for an international news media organisation.

“As much as possible, I try to update this blog daily.

“It contains a collection of my very own poems and stories some written nearly 10 years ago.

“This is an attempt to show my country, Papua New Guinea as a nation in transition with its challenges brought on by half a century of rapid urbanisation.

“Through the poems and stories I hope you will see beauty through this rich kaleidoscope of different cultures.

“My perspective is that of a Papua New Guinean raised in an urban setting.

“We are a people so beautiful and resilient yet very much misunderstood by our global neighbors.

“We are creative.

“We are expressive.

“We are Papua New Guinea.

“Please enjoy!”

Nasfund savings and loans grows

The Nasfund Contributors Savings & Loan Society has the potential to become one of the largest savings and loans societies in the country in the not-too-distant future, according to chairman and Nasfund joint CEO Ian Tarutia.

This was revealed to members and employer representatives at a NCSL seminar held in Lae by Mr Tarutia.

He said results for NCSL as of July 31 were:

Total assets of K 52.118 million;
Member savings of K 42.6m;
Net assets of K 4.89m;
Cash profit of K 377,756;
Total loan book of K 19.483m;
General reserves of K 3.663m;
Total membership of 36,000; and
Total payout of K 1.898m including loans to 7,556 members.

“When this is compared to industry statistics, NCSL membership constitutes 13.6 % of total industry membership, its total assets constitute 7.2 % of total industry asset size and its member savings constitute 12.9% of industry savings aggregate,” Mr Tarutia said,

“When you consider NCSL started six years ago, with K 6m and 9,000 members, this is a remarkable achievement.

“Recently the society upgraded its management information system to improve reporting functionality and was in the process of updating all member balances and personal account details.

“This is a priority area for NCSL as the demand for loans and withdrawals has increased significantly.

“When a member sees a deduction this fortnight he is enquiring the following week for a loan or a withdrawal.

“That is the type of turn around members expect these days and therefore our processes and systems must be able to meet this.

“That is the core of this business, service delivery in the shortest possible time.”

In other highlights, NCSL has extended alliances with other business houses to provide a discount for services rendered to its members.

They are Eagle Hardware in Buka providing 5%, Loloata Island Resort 10%, Hardware House 10%, Pro Link 10%, Vision Center 15%, Shady Resort Hotel 15%, Hamamas Trading in Kimbe 15% and Tuboin Ltd in Buka 15%.

In November a winner for the third quarter draw for an airline ticket to any Airlines PNG domestic destination will be chosen.

Members who applied for a loan to purchase an APNG airline ticket are eligible for the draw.

Mr Tarutia also announced that the NCSL Board had appointed a new general manager and he was expected to take up office on Oct 19 once Bank of PNG had cleared his fit and proper status.

“A separate statement will be issued once the general manager assumes office,” Mr Tarutia said.

Saturday, October 03, 2009

A day in Goroka with the New Zealand Governor General

The haunting lyrics of that unforgettable Goroka anthem “Welcome to Goroka” reverberates through the air as New Zealand Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand steps off the Air Niugini Dash 8 plane in Goroka on Wednesday, September 30, 2009.

“Welcome to Goroka, the land of Nokondi, from Daulo Pass across to Kassam Pass…we assure you, the best place is Goroka,” sing school children at Goroka Airport.

On the tarmac, Sir Anand is welcomed by Asaro mud men, famous for their intimidating headwear.

Some dance with spears, others beat kundus, to welcome him into their exotic and beautiful mountainous land.

Sir Anand and wife Lady Susan Satyanand mingle around with the iconic mudmen and dancers.

It wasn’t as high profile as Australian Prime Minister Kevid Rudd’s Mar 2008 visit, where he received a welcome more befitting a modern messiah than a visiting foreign politician, but Sir Anand’s visit nonetheless shows the importance New Zealand places on Goroka.

Sir Anand’s convoy drive to Kabiufa Adventist High School outside Goroka, which is thick with students chanting and waving their national flag and New Zealand’s.

At Kabiufa, he assures vegetable growers of Papua New Guinea that his country will assist in whatever way it can to assist the development of PNG’s fresh vegetable industry.

The once-famous vegetable-growing hub at the school is being revived with the assistance and expertise of the Fresh Produce Development Agency.

Kabiufa Farm Fresh Vegetables – during its heyday until closure in 1995 – was renowned for its trademark vegetables.

Sir Anand is impressed to see the fresh vegetables and beautiful flowers of Goroka, which is known for its perennial springtime climate.

“I can see what a wonderful, fertile place this is,” he tells an appreciative, cheering audience of flag-waving students.

“I have been told about the wonderful potential for food (in PNG).

“I think that the initiative to grow food is something that is so vital for the future of Papua New Guinea.

“It is something that New Zealand can assist with.

“It seems a vital project for the future, which will benefit everyone.”

Kabiufa principal Terry Haru says it is an honour to have Sir Anand visit as New Zealand was once an agriculture development partner with the school.

“Some 20 years ago, the New Zealand government became a partner with us in agriculture, where your government funded some agriculture projects here at the school,” he says.

“With the revival of the farm, we are planning to look at developing an agri-business curriculum, where we could train and equip young people with knowledge and skills that they would be able to use to earn their living.

“Our project will aim at addressing issues like school dropouts, employment creation, participation of women in agriculture and agriculture extension service delivery.”

Mr Haru acknowledges the fact that the New Zealand government regularly supports projects initiated by FPDA and the school.

“Through the assistance and partnership of FPDA and your government and through our partnership with FPDA, we will extend our agriculture training programmes to women, youth and the local community farmers, who could benefit in acquiring knowledge and skills to produce vegetables and other farm products and to sell or know how to run their own businesses in other areas as well.”

Sir Anand and Lady Satyanand are draped with gifts including bilums and Highlands woven caps.

The unfazed New Zealand vice regal then walks through the busy Goroka market to see growers and their produce.

After his market walk, there is a visit to Family Voice, a family rights/counseling NGO which has received NZAID assistance, and Coffee Connections, a fair-trade registered, organic certified trader which has exported to New Zealand, as well as other New Zealand-funded projects.

Sir Anand has lunch hosted by Eastern Highlands Governor Malcolm Smith Kela at the Bird of Paradise Hotel before a direct Air Niugini Dash 8 flight to Kopopo in the East New Britain province.

Friday, October 02, 2009

BBC TV travel host visits Goroka

Caption: Marcel Pool, (far left) with Charley Boorman and his crew. Charley is between two students from the Mt Sion community-based rehabilitation centre

A British TV star has praised Volunteer Services Overseas (VSO) for its work in Papua New Guinea.

Charley Boorman, host of the BBC2 travel show “Charley Boorman Sydney to Tokyo: by any means”, said he was surprised at the enthusiasm and work of Eastern Highlands Province-based VSO volunteer Marcel Pool.

Mr Pool is a volunteer physiotherapist working in Goroka and recently took Mr Boorman and his camera crew to the Mt Sion community-based rehabilitation centre, where he runs a training programme for local volunteers.

“When I met Marcel in the middle of Papua New Guinea I wasn’t sure what to expect from VSO and I was taken aback by the enthusiasm of Marcel and the work he is doing out there,” Mr Boorman said.

“I think it’s wonderful that people give up their time to selflessly help others improve their lives.

“I am a huge supporter of the organisation and would encourage anyone to give it a go.”.

Acting British High Commissioner to PNG, Colin Glass, said the VSO continues to bring and inspire positive change in rural communities through the work of volunteers such as Mr Pool.

“Throughout Papua New Guinea you will find VSO volunteers such as Mr Pool introducing and influencing positive change in rural communities,” he said.

“The added bonus is his work will star in the BBC2 travel programme and hopefully woo more volunteers to come to PNG through the VSO network.”

Besides his work at Mt Sion, Mr Pool also does training for local health professionals at the Goroka Base Hospital and is helping to improve the hospital’s physiotherapy unit.

“It was a great experience, they (camera crew) were nice and interesting people and for my colleagues it was very special to have a film crew over to see what they do,” Mr Pool said.

“They could really show off what they have learned and what kind of work they do with physically-challenged people.

“I could see they felt proud and at the same time the visit gave them a sense of appreciation for what they do, it motivated them.”

VSO (PNG) country manager, Karen Simmons, praised Mr Pool and said he was one of about 60 volunteers in different parts of the country.

“Currently there are over 1600 international volunteers working in 42 countries around the world including PNG,” she added.

Mr Boorman’s travel show is scheduled to be broadcast on BBC2 (only in the UK) in autumn 2009 with a book and a DVD to follow.

Thursday, October 01, 2009

Nationalism needs a cause

By James Wanjik

WHEN I wrote the poem; “Road to dependence on independence” as my tribute to our 34 years of nationhood I was moved by very young children of a Catholic Mission- run community school in Nuku, Sandaun Province.

I was listening to a launch of a cooperative Society there on Radio Maria.

Upon hearing young children sing very patriotically I recalled a time 34 years ago at Babmu Community School in Wosera where we were taught to sing the national anthem.

We were taught every afternoon each school day.

We were rolling on till the time Wosera stood with other tribes to lower Australian flag and to raise our very own.

We gathered in numbers at Wosera Patrol Post.

It was a time we had been placing on our minds and hearts.

It was 16 September 1975.

Our nation was born.

We were politically free.

We shared the joy of liberty.

Little did we know that we were on the road to economic dependence.

Big Rio Tinto had caught Waigani powerless.

It made sure the Panguna mine was the big project that would support our independence.

Instead of helping Rio Tinto manipulated and controlled our leaders and people of Panguna.

We saw worst crisis that lasted 10 years.

Leaders of today are without vision.

Without a vision people cannot set goals.

Without goals people are vulnerable to manipulation and control.

Our people need a cause for nationalism.

Our leaders are helpless and hopeless to provide such a cause.

It means we the people must take stock of where we have come from, where we are, and where we had intended to be today.

If we truly did such stock take we do have unfulfilled vision. It is the first national goal.

Our human development index is still poor.

We have not matched economic development underpinned by mines with human development.

This means we need to review our development policies and strategies.

We also need to review our business models.

Since land is a way of life for majority Papua New Guineans development plans and business models must recognise, encourage and support people and land symbiosis.

Slowly and surely this new way of development thinking is taking root.

We will surely put PNG on a path to liberty.

Liberty from manipulation and control by leaders, bureaucrats and big businesses.

29 September 2009

Pictures of today's visit to Goroka by the New Zealand Governor-General

New Zealand Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand and his entourage being taken around Goroka market by Fresh Produce Development Agency production and supply manager Robert Lutulule