Cheshire Home in Port Moresby needs your help

The Cheshire Home in Port Moresby is looking for interested groups to help out with the sausage sizzle, which is currently the only regular income for the Home.
The Sausage Sizzles are held every Saturday morning outside the Boroko Foodworld.
They need a group of at least eight hard-working people to assist, some to barbeque, others to cut up onions, cook onions, cut bread rolls and prepare the hot dogs, and some to serve the customers.
It's always busy and hot, but fun.
They also depend on the donations collected on the day, and need some enthusiastic assistants for the collection.
Thanks for your help.
IF YOU CAN HELP PLEASE CONTACT SUSAN CHANG AT HILIFT admin@hilift.com.pg or telephone (675)3251355

First pictures of the Fiji v Tonga Pacific Cup rugby league game

Fiji beats Tonga 26-16

Fiji has just taken out third place in the SP Brewery Pacific Cup rugby league with a 26-16 win over Tonga at the Lloyd Robson Oval in Port Moresby.

Fiji led 10-4 at halftime, but Tonga fought back in the second half to level 10-10.

Both tries scored a try apiece after that to level 16-16 before Fiji turned on the flair with two quick tries in the later part of the match to win the game.

Fiji 26 (Akuila Vate 2, Joseteki Ravueti 2, Iowane Divavesi tries; Wesley Naiqama 3 goals) bt Tonga 16 Richard Fa’aoso 2, Joel Taufa’auo tries; Eddy Paea 2 goals).

Full details and pictures to come

 

Central province village into large-scale taro farming

Happy Egalauna farmers show off their taro produce during the first harvest

DAL technical officer Francis Wambon explains taro harvesting method to villagers

By SOLDIER BURUKA of Department of Agriculture and Livestock

Egalauna villagers in the Marshall Lagoon area of Central province are very much involved in taro cultivation on a large scale.
With the help of the Department of Agriculture and Livestock and other partners, the village people are learning new methods of planting taro and are pleased with their efforts so far.
Recently, the people made a big harvest and have secured markets for their taro produce in the nation’s capital.
The community has established the Egalauna Farmers Association with 200 members and whose objective is to promote agricultural farming skills, farmer training and extension amongst the villagers.
Late last year, DAL officers led by Francis Wambon, introduced the new taro-planting technique, which has been promoted through the European Union-funded Development of Sustainable Agriculture in the Pacific (DSAP) project.
One ha of land was ploughed and divided into 100 plots of 10m by 10m for each farmer to plant taro.
This taro project is the first of its kind in the Aroma coast based purely on taro farming using the DSAP concept.
DSAP has ceased in PNG, however, DAL is using the concept to continue promoting taro and institutional farming activities in certain communities.
The idea was introduced in Egaulauna by a teacher based at Kupiano high school where DSAP provided technical assistance in agricultural activities.
According to Mr Wambon, taro farming in the Egaulauna and nearby communities had enormous potential and could be further developed.
Taro is a much-sought after food item and can be supplied for household consumption, local and retail market as well as for export.
“The taro project has generated a lot of interest amongst the Egalauna community and the people are very interested in new taro planting techniques that we are teaching them,” Mr Wambon said.
During the first harvest, the association invited Mr Wambon and other DAL officers to witness the occasion.
Mr Wambon told the people that the project was looking good and could become a focal point for conducting training programmes involving nearby villages.
He said the project had the potential to be expanded to other sites in Abau, Rigo and Kairuku districts.
He told them to work hard and become leading taro producers in the province.
The Egalauna farmers are planning to plant up to two ha next year.
Other crops that the people are growing include rice, bulb onion, radish, capsicum, cabbage, watermelon and ginger.

Australian states warned on plague locusts

Something for Papua New Guinea to consider, given that we are right next door to Australia...

Article from: AAP
October 30, 2009 03:28pm

QUEENSLAND is facing a threat of biblical proportions as Australian plague locusts mass on the border with NSW.
Biosecurity Queensland has warned that the locust swarms, which can travel up to 600km in a night, could cause damage worth millions of dollars.
In 2004/05, locusts were responsible for national agricultural losses estimated to be worth more than $11 million.
Biosecurity officer Kevin Strong said the locust population in central western NSW was expected to soon form a number of highly mobile swarms.
"We need everyone to be on high alert for any sightings of locusts and report them immediately to Biosecurity Queensland by calling 13 25 23," Mr Strong said.
The ability of locusts to migrate over large distances in short periods of time meant virtually all of Queensland's agricultural areas were at some level of risk.
"Locusts can travel between 500 and 600 kilometres in a single night if the temperature, wind speed and wind direction are right," he said.
"Even in small numbers they are highly destructive.
"A single Australian plague locust can eat approximately one-third to half of its body weight per day throughout its lifespan.
"This means a locust swarm covering an area of one square kilometre will eat up to 10 tonnes of vegetation every 24 hours."
Mr Strong says if left untreated and with favourable weather conditions, locusts are capable of a seven to tenfold population increase with each generation.
Biosecurity officials are on stand-by with chemical spray.

Pacific Cup rugby league finals

The SP Brewery Pacific Cup rugby league finals are on this weekend at the Lloyd Robson Oval in Port Moresby.

In the play-off for third place today, Fiji takes on Tonga.

In the grand final tomorrow, giant-killers Cook Islands play hosts Papua New Guinea in a game which will decide who plays in the Four Nations Cup next year.

Watch this blog for results and pictures.

The Tragedy of the Montevideo Maru world premiere

Australia’s worst maritime tragedy, which intimately involves Papua New Guinea, will be remembered in the stirring world premiere of The Tragedy of the Montevideo Maru on Wednesday, November 11.

It tells the shocking story of the sinking of the Montevideo Maru off the Philippines coast on July 1, 1942.

Japanese hospital ship Montevideo Maru was carrying 845 troops from Australia’s Lark force and 208 civilians – 1,053 men – taken prisoner of war after Japan invaded Rabaul, East New Britain province, in Jan 1942.

The youngest was a boy of 15.

There were fathers and sons, civilians and troops, missionaries and traders, businessmen and administrators.

They had all been captured and interned by the Japanese in Rabaul.

They all died.

The youngest, the 15-year old, was Ivan Gascoigne, recorded as a clerk, the son of Cyril Gascoigne, who also died.

The sinking of the Montevideo Maru at 2.40 am on Wednesday July 1, 942 was Australia’s greatest disaster at sea, then and now.

The unmarked Japanese ship left occupied Rabaul on June 22, 1942, but nine days later on July 1, American submarine USS Sturgeon torpedoed it off Luzon in the Philippines.

The saddest thing is that the wreck has never been found to this day, and both Australia and PNG do not know the names of those killed, as the official nominal (katakana) roll – which might give a clue to the identities of those on board – has not been located

This Remembrance Day, The History Channel will commemorate Australia’s greatest-ever maritime disaster in The Tragedy of the Montevideo Maru, premiering on Wednesday Nov 11 at 7.30pm AEDT.

Introduced by Sky News anchor Jim Waley – who lost a relative in the tragedy – and narrated by actor John Jarratt, this explosive two-hour documentary film tells the forgotten story of the death of over 1,000 Australians who were locked in the hold of the Japanese POW ship Montevideo Maru when the vessel was torpedoed.

In the early hours of July 1, 1942, the POW “hell ship” Montevideo Maru was torpedoed off the coast of the Philippines by an American submarine, the USS Sturgeon.

What the Americans did not realise at the time was that the boat was in fact a floating prison, holding over 1,000 Australian POW’s and civilians.

Tragically, 1,053 Australians perished on that fateful day.

The Tragedy of the Montevideo Maru recounts the harrowing story of the sacrifice and suffering endured by these forgotten Australians during World War II.

It features detailed re-enactments of the shocking event as well as in-depth interviews with soldiers and crew members speaking publicly for the very first time – including the only Japanese crew member to survive the Montevideo Maru and a USS Sturgeon crew member who witnessed the sinking ship through the periscope.

This unique documentary also explores the broader story of the torturous Australian POW experience during this tumultuous period of WWII and features interviews with both Australian and British survivors of other hell ship sinkings.

Group channel manager of FOXTEL’s Owned and Operated Factual Channels, Jim Buchan, said: “In the tradition of event television such as Beyond Kokoda, and He’s Coming South, The History Channel remains committed to remembering the legacy left behind by Australia’s brave men and women.

“I am delighted that we are able to share this truly incredible, although sadly forgotten, story.”

Producer John Schindler said he was drawn to the Montevideo Maru story because his own mother lost four loved ones in the tragedy: “It is one of Australia’s greatest maritime tragedies with the loss of 1,053 lives and yet remarkably, most Australians have never heard of it.

“This documentary will once and for all put faces to numbers.”

The tragedy of the Montevideo Maru honours the brave Australian soldiers who served on the islands of New Britain, New Ireland and the surrounding islands of the Mandated Territory of New Guinea.

The documentary is an exclusive FOXTEL production, co-produced by John Schindler and Bob Blasdall.