Good Thoughts & Dreams For A Better PNG

Hello Malum,

 

I have been reading your blogspot a lot and find the articles very interesting and also excellent pictures of PNG. You are a great journalist and I send this email for your valuable input and thoughts about the idea of raising awareness amongst the general community through word of mouth and usage of regular media sources to promote good habits, attitudes and values.  

 

Another year is shortly coming to a close and a new year soon to begin and instead of the usual "New Year Resolutions" that most of us (rarely) achieve e.g. quit smoking, quit binge drinking, stop chewing buai, lose weight or save some money, let us look forward to fulfilling dreams that we all wish to chase to improve our lives...

 

I believe we all have good thoughts in our dreams to see beautiful PNG moving ahead with the rest of the world and this could be by simply applying good thoughts that will not cost us an arm or a leg, but through genuine effort of telling others to change their undesirable habits and attitudes for the better. Advising them to be more respectful, showing honesty and courtesy, and caring and sharing, reminding them of good old-fashioned values and ways that we had learnt from our parents, from our village elders, from school, from church and from our neighbours. To get the message across to the masses, we could ask the media to help out by contributing some free space in their newspapers, radio and television. Worthy discussions could be rotated or offered on a voluntary basis from reputable persons in the community, from church pastors, from political leaders, from senior members of the disciplined forces and senior public servants and also business people. 

 

Simple messages could be conveyed to the people to obey the laws of the country, to respect others and the community, and settling problems and differences peacefully to avoid unnecessary confrontation and violence. Also telling people to stop doing deliberate acts of defacing (ugly graffiti and red buai spit) or damaging government and private property etc. These topics can be constant reminders in the newspapers, radio and television to everyone at least twice or three times a week. Also good suggestions could be discussed in a meaningful and wholesome way to engage the general public in participating for change and improvement to their lifestyles whether living in a town, city, settlement or village. Women could also use this opportunity via the media to voice their concerns on a whole lot of issues such as education, child health care, high cost of food, better housing, clean drinking water, fair employment, and be able to walk freely and safely without being harassed and so on.

 

Chasing those dreams would surely make PNG a great place to live, work and to do business and also more travellers would want to visit our lovely country, also investors would want to set up businesses to create more jobs and training opportunities. Our dreams can come true if everyone could spare a moment to listen to good thoughts from various reputable persons and apply those good thoughts or dreams. Young ones will grow up happy to enjoy a better and healthy future and they will pass on those dreams or values to their children...

 

Have a merry Xmas and a Happy New Year! 

 

James Derbyshire

Brisbane, Qld    

 

Twas the Night before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"


Clement Clarke Moore (1779 - 1863) wrote the poem Twas the night before Christmas also called “A Visit from St. Nicholas" in 1822. It is now the tradition in many American families to read the poem every Christmas Eve. The poem Twas the night before Christmas has redefined our image of Christmas and Santa Claus. Prior to the creation of the story of Twas the night before Christmas St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children, had never been associated with a sleigh or reindeers! The author of the poem Twas the night before Christmas was a reticent man and it is believed that a family friend, Miss H. Butler, sent a copy of the poem to the New York Sentinel who published the poem. The condition of publication was that the author of Twas the night before Christmas was to remain anonymous. The first publication date was 23rd December 1823 and it was an immediate success. It was not until 1844 that Clement Clarke Moore claimed ownership when the work was included in a book of his poetry. Clement Clarke Moore came from a prominent family and his father Benjamin Moore was the Bishop of New York who was famous for officiating at the inauguration of George Washington. The tradition of reading Twas the night before Christmas poem on Christmas Eve is now a worldwide institution.

Source: http://www.carols.org.uk

JK returns to mum's home

By Newman Cuthbert

Children of mix parentage have the benefit of being from two or more provinces or even nationalities but there are times when some of these children are never given the opportunity to visit home provinces of either one of their parents.

This in itself is a sad state of affairs mainly because they miss out on the richness of the cultural heritage they inherit from either parent.

We refer to most of these as city kids who identify themselves with a province only by name.

For my son Joel, it has taken 20 years, but this Christmas he is fulfilling on his mums’ wishes and that is to have her own son return to the island of her birth.

“It is a wonderful feeling to have  this young man go ashore at my  home, wonder through the forests, watch the sunset from the mountains, swim in the same rivers, fish the creeks  for fresh water prawns  as I did in my teens and  get to understand  the life I  left  behind ,” Stephanie says.

Joel is of mix Oro and Siassi parentage and has spent most of his time growing up in Port Moresby and Eroro with a bit of time in Toowoomba in between.

But this Christmas he has decided to book a flight to Lae and get on a coastal ship for the one and half day sea journey which will take him to Finchhchafen and on to Siassi.

“Mum is from Gasam village and I have never been there so this will be quite an experience for me,” JK said.

Years ago Stephanie ventured from her home on Siassi like all other youngsters from the island and arrived in Port Moresby to train as a dentist at the Six Mile Dental College.

Some years later she moved on and joined the department of Post and Telegraph which later separated to become Telekom PNG.

Stephanie raised two girls who now have their own families and her baby boy JK is now a young man of 20.

“It is nice that my own son should decide to retrace my journey to Siassi to see where I come from, she said.

The prospect of travelling to Lae on an F100 is a far cry from the usual Dash 8 flights to and from Popondetta.

He is going home in the company of his mother’s younger brother Jerry who just as excited to have him.

“It is going to be one hell of a home coming and everybody is excited about this,” Jerry said.

Joel is named after his maternal grandfather the late Joel Som Kamia (Yolex).

In his prime this great man stood tall and elegant. He was descended from great warrior chiefs and took over on the death of his own father to be head of the Aslem Ngaivon clan.

But early in life he answered the calling of the Lord which took him and a young family away from home to spread the word of God in far off Sirunki valley of the Enga province.

Siassi is a small island just off the coast of West New Britain but is part of the Morobe Province.

It is rich in it cultural heritage for which the Sia dance is known throughout the country.

The people are spiritually linked to the land and the sea and they depict this relationship in their arts and crafts and their dances and demonstration of their hospitality to visitors.

It is a culture where the eagle, the fish and the  snake feature prominently while Bunrailum the fair fairy of the lakes who appears occasionally and  weeps as a sign that a member of the clan is about to pass on.

Joel will not be an ordinary visitor because he is the son of a woman who herself is an elder of her clan.  He will be treated with respect because of his mother’s status and his peers will hold him in high regard and relatives will go out of their way to make his stay as comfortable as possible.

But for JK the protocols of customs will not dampen the reasons for his own pilgrimage to Gasam village.

All the children’s stories he heard from mum while she was nurturing him will no longer be just stories but real people and places.

The many bays and lagoons protected by coral reefs  which as a young girl she would collect coral to process into lime and, the  white sandy  beaches, crystal clear waters  from  mountain streams cascading over rocks and pebbles.

It is an island of magic, beetle nut pepper fruit and lime where the taro and fish is plentiful and the mountains gently roll onto the ocean forming a picturesque coastline from which you can take in distant lands as far off as Madang, West New Britain and Rambutso on Manus.

Joel is crossing a bridge his mum built years ago that linked her people of Siassi with her in-laws thousands of kilometres away at Eroro village on the Oro Coast many years ago.

It will be a whole new   ball game and for the first time to experience his mother’s side of his life and his uncle Jerry will take him by the hands and guide him, educating him in the knowledge of customs and their ways and he will show him clan boundaries of land and the sea and help the young man conduct himself and induct him to be part of his mother’s culture.

A Christmas Carol has strong lessons for Papua New Guinea

Ebenezer Scrooge (right) sees Ignorance and Want in a scene from a Christmas Carol

Ebenezer Scrooge visits his own grave in a scene from A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, is one of the classic works of literature featuring the inimitable Scrooge and how his selfish and miserly life is transformed by the Three Christmas Ghosts.
It has many lessons for Papua New Guinea, especially when we are so resource-rich, and yet, we are so poor; when the rich seem to be getting richer and the poor seem to be getting poorer.
In writing A Christmas Carol Dickens was motivated by real concern for the welfare of the poorest section of the population.
He had suffered considerable personal hardship and poverty during his upbringing and echoes of this can be seen in descriptions throughout the book: "Alleys and archways, like so many cesspools, disgorged their offences of smell and dirt, and life upon the straggling street; and the whole quarter reeked with crime, with filth, and misery”.
Dickens was keenly interested in the welfare of poor children in the cities and believed that education was the key to improving the childrens' lives.
This interest is reflected in his descriptions of Ignorance and Want, depicted as two children huddled for protection beneath the cloak of the Ghost of Christmas Present –
Scrooge is warned especially to beware of Ignorance.
Dickens became a supporter of the Ragged Schools in which the children of poor families received education without being charged fees, though compulsory education for all was not introduced until 1870, the year of Dickens' death.
“I have endeavored in this Ghostly little book to raise the Ghost of an Idea which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me,” he writes in the foreword to his great book.
“May it haunt their house pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.
“Their faithful Friend and Servant, C.D. December, 1843.”
A Christmas Carol, describing the redemption of the wretchedly miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, is the best known of Charles Dickens' works and has become a Christmas tradition loved by children and adults alike.
It is composed in five staves, of which the central three describe Scrooge's visitation by three Spirits - the Spirit of Christmas Past, the Spirit of Christmas Present, and the Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come.
The remaining staves act as prologue and epilogue.
Dickens began writing the Carol in October 1843 and had finished it by the end of November so that it could be published for the Christmas season of that year.
The author took special pains to ensure that it was produced of the best quality but priced at a level that enabled it to be enjoyed by the widest possible audience.
This meant that, although the book was popular from the start, it produced relatively modest revenues for the author who had arranged the finances of the publication himself.
We are introduced to Ebenezer Scrooge, miser and man of 'business' (though the exact nature of the business is never made explicit) in no uncertain terms - "Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner”!
Scrooge is the surviving partner of the firm Scrooge and Marley, following the death of Jacob Marley exactly seven years previously - "Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail... There is no doubt that Marley was dead. This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate”.
In life, Jacob Marley had been as miserly and self-absorbed as Scrooge and as a direct consequence he had suffered great torments in the afterlife.
Marley's ghost visits Scrooge to offer him a chance of salvation, an opportunity to avoid the same fate as Marley if he is prepared to change his lifestyle.
Initially reluctant to believe his senses, Scrooge blames the spirit's appearance on indigestion - "You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato. There's more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are”!
Finally convinced, Scrooge is told to expect three Spirits...
The first spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Past, shows Scrooge scenes from his past including a Christmas party held by Mr Fezziwig for whom he worked as an apprentice.
The pleasure generated by the party was considerable yet the financial outlay to Mr Fezziwig was relatively modest.
Scrooge is deeply affected - "His heart and soul were in the scene, and with his former self. He corroborated everything... and underwent the strangest agitation”.
Scrooge wonders whether he should not have treated his clerk, Bob Cratchit, more kindly at Christmas.
The second spirit, The Ghost of Christmas Present, takes Scrooge to the house of his ill-treated clerk Bob Cratchit.
Despite this family's poverty, the household derives joy from simple pleasures - though a sense of impending darkness is provided by the description of Cratchit's crippled son, Tiny Tim.
"I see a vacant seat," replied the Ghost, "in the poor chimney corner, and a crutch without an owner, carefully preserved. If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, this child will die”.
Scrooge is distraught (again we witness signs of his transformation) but the Spirit uses Scrooge's earlier words against him - "If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population”.
At the end of the third stave, the Spirit draws aside his cloak to reveal two piteous children - "This boy is Ignorance, This girl is Want”.
Scrooge recoils in disgust, asking whether there is no refuge for the two waifs, and again is rebuffed by the Spirit using his own words against him - "Are there no prisons? ...Are there no workhouses”? The Ghost of Christmas Past makes way for the third, and most disturbing, Spirit.
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is the spirit which Scrooge fears the most, and it has an appropriately troubling appearance - "draped and hooded, coming like a mist along the ground towards him”.
In his company, Scrooge is shown the reactions of various groups to the death of an unidentified man.
No one appears to show any sympathy for his death and Scrooge wonders whom they may be discussing, though there is a suggestion that he may have his suspicions - "The case of this unhappy man might be my own. My life tends that way now”.
In contrast to the un-mourned death of this unnamed man, the Spirit shows Scrooge the household of Bob Cratchit where Tiny Tim is no longer present.
The scene is described with the utmost poignancy by Dickens, but Scrooge's reaction to the scene is not recorded.
Instead the Spirit draws Scrooge to a neglected grave - "choked up with too much burying; fat with repleted appetite".
As Scrooge confronts his own name on the grave, he promises that the intercession of the Spirits has changed him - "I am not the man I was. I will not be the man I must have been but for this intercourse”.
The final stave sees the complete, and sustained, transformation of Scrooge - "...to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man as the good old City knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough in the good old world”.

Wonderful Walindi

 Walindi Plantation Resort lies on the shores of Kimbe Bay in West New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. 

The surrounding gardens are lush, tropical and give the visitor a feeling of tranquillity, relaxation and appreciation of nature.

Established since 1983, Walindi celebrated 25 years of operation in 2008.

The resort accommodation has 12 beachfront bungalows plus four ensuited plantation rooms, a large central area for meals, recreation, bar facilities, air conditioned library, media room, boutique and pool.

The main emphasis of the Resort is on diving and snorkelling.

A recent coral count of Kimbe Bay revealed an incredible 413 species of hard corals.

This is over half the total world species (799) in one Bay, a truly remarkable statistic which makes Kimbe Bay the “Coral Capital of the World”.

Comfortable boats carrying guests operate out of the Walindi Dive Centre to visit reefs for scuba diving, snorkelling and bird watching in the Bay on a daily basis.

The extraordinary underwater beauty of Kimbe Bay has lead to many prestigious international prizes for photography.

Over the last 18 years, marine images from Kimbe Bay have won prizes on 10 occasions at the Festival Mondial de L’image Sous-Marine, Antibes, France, considered the world championship of underwater photography.

These successes have helped establish Papua New Guinea’s international reputation as one of the greatest dive destinations in the world.

mv Stardancer (16 passengers) and mv Febrina (12 passengers) operate out of Walindi Plantation Resort on 7 to 10 day charters throughout the year.

They visit the Witu Islands  off shore to extend the diving adventure and the Father’s reef systems on the north coast of West New Britain.

Visits and packages are available through your nearest Air Niugini sales outlet or contact Walindi Plantation Resort direct on telephone (675) 9835441, fax (675) 9835638 or e-mail Walindi@online.net.pg 

New coffee CEO assured of support

A contestant for the position of chief executive officer of the Coffee Industry Corporation has welcomed new CEO Navu Anis and vowed to work closely with him for the development of the industry.

Former CIC chief scientist Potaisa Hombunaka, who was in the running for the position together with Mr Anis and former CEO Ricky Mitio, urged Mr Mitio and the CIC board not to take legal action against last week’s National Executive Council decision.

“As a contender for the position, I wish to congratulate Navu Anis,” Mr Hombunaka told me from Goroka today.

“I’m looking forward to working with him and see the coffee industry grow to the next level.

“I also pay tribute to my former boss, Mr Mitio, for his heart for the industry and for driving the industry for the last 33 years.

“However, I suppose it’s now time for new blood to take over, and drive the industry to the next level.”

Commenting on the Regulatory Statutory Authorities Act, which Mr Mitio had complained about, Mr Hombunaka said: “The National Executive Council has made the appointment and the CIC board should work with Navu Anis to drive the industry forward.

“I’ve read the RSA Act, and as far as I’m concerned, the acting Agriculture Minister Andrew Kumbakor has acted in his powers to sponsor the NEC submission.”

Mr Hombunaka, a career coffee officer, said his services would be available if the CIC required.

“My Christmas and New Year greetings to all coffee industry stakeholders in the country,” he said.

“If the CIC requires my services, I’m available.”

 

Papua New Guinea is best diving destination in the world

Papua New Guinea is located in the coral triangle of marine biodiversity with the highest diversity of tropical fish and coral in the world.

PNG occupies the eastern portion of the island of New Guinea, the second largest island in the world.

Situated directly north of Australia, it consists of a mainland with some 600 islands, of which New Britain, New Ireland and Bougainville are the largest.

PNG is recognised internationally as one of the best dive locations in the world with twice as many marine species as the waters of the Red Sea and up to 10 times as many as the Caribbean.

It has become known as an ‘underwater photographers’ paradise’ with many international award-winning photos being taken in PNG waters.

The country is surrounded by the Bismarck, Coral and Solomon seas whose constant movements feed and enrich the marine environment.

With 17,000 km of coastline and 45,000 sq km of reef systems, divers can enjoy minimal contact with other dive groups.

The immense diversity of sites include barrier reefs, coral walls, coral gardens, patch reefs, fringing reefs, sea grass beds, coral atolls and wrecks.

All dive operators offer dive instruction, scuba gear hire and a range of other services, with Nitrox offered by most operators.

Diving is possible all year round, the optimal season generally being from mid-April to mid-June and mid-September to mid-December.

Water temperature ranges from 26°C along the edge of the Coral Sea and up to 31°C in the Bismarck Sea, with visibility from 50 to 150 feet.

PNG has its own hyperbaric recompression facility located in Port Moresby.

The facility is situated within a private hospital and is operated and maintained to international standards by Hyperbaric Health Australia.

Further information about diving in PNG can be obtained from the PNG Dive website http://www.pngdive.com/.