Pictures of Port Moresby's new fountain

I celebrated New Year's Day with my three children (Moasing, Gedi and Keaith) in the recreational park at Gerehu Stage Two in Port Moresby, including the new foundation - opened on Christmas Day by National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop - which is a crowd puller every day and night, when it looks spectacular with an explosion of coloured lights.

This is the second fountain in Port Moresby, the first being at Five-Mile.

Port Moresby has certainly come a long way in 2009, and in 2010, promises to be an even better and beautiful city, especially with the massive LNG project coming on stream.

Pilot is part of the great Leahy dynasty

From JOHN FOWKE

 

Richard Leahy (pictured) is one of the sons of the late Mick Leahy and Mick's widow, Mrs Jeanette Leahy, who has only recently retired to Sydney from PNG despite being in her late eighties.

They built up the Zenag Farm business which is a major chicken and beef supplier in PNG situated at Mumeng, halfway along the road between Bulolo and Lae. This is run by Mick's son Philip who, with Richard, has remained in PNG.

Richard has for many years operated an air charter service out of Lae (Nadzab) and is one of the most experienced pilots operating in PNG.

His plane developed engine trouble on a trip to a remote airstrip in Morobe Province. Richard issued a mayday call and stated that he was going to put the plane down as best he could.

The plane was extensively damaged and caught fire immediately it hit the ground. The six passengers, all from villages in the area he was heading to, died.

Richard managed to drag himself out and get away from the flames but suffered a broken spine and major burns to his legs and the lower part of the body.

He is in Royal Brisbane Hospital, where he was operated on yesterday.

His son Nick - from Richard's first marriage - is looking after things in Lae and minding his small half-sister, as her mother has gone to Brisbane to be with Richard.

Richard has been flying small planes in PNG for the past 40 years. Luckily there was a helicopter in the air nearby at the time of the crash and it was able to land near the crash site and uplift Richard to Lae.

New Year's Day in Port Moresby

Contrary to what people have been saying, there was no trouble in Port Moresby last night, with people celebrating peacefully all over the city.

This morning, I took my kids to the park at Gerehu Stage Two and here are some pictures.

Happy New Year 2010

A Happy New Year 2010 to readers and followers of this blog from all over the world from me and my four young children Malum Jr (9), Gedi (7), Moasing (5) and Keith (2).
Thank you for your support in the past and I look forward to even more support from you this year as I strive to bring you the best (and the worst) from Papua New Guinea.
God Bless You All in your various endeavours this year.
You can email me at malumnalu@gmail.com with your thouughts and comments, otherwise, just make a comment at the bottom of this posting.

Malum

'Captain Cautious' fights for life after PNG crash

Pilot Richard Leahy was transferred to Royal Brisbane Hospital with serious burns. (http://www.pacificwrecks.org: Justin Taylan)

ABC

An investigation is underway into a plane crash in Papua New Guinea that has killed six people and left their Australian pilot in a serious condition in a Brisbane hospital.
Four adults and two children died when the Cessna 185 came down while heading to a remote airstrip in the Sarawaget mountain ranges of the Morobe province yesterday.
Sydney-born Richard Leahy, 68, who owns Kiunga Aviation, was the sole survivor.
His son Nicholas Leahy says his father was airlifted to Brisbane for treatment.
"He's in a serious condition. He's in the Royal Brisbane Hospital in the trauma unit," he said.
"He's got burns to 46 per cent of his body, he's also got a fracture in his spine. Most of the burns to his body are third-degree burns and he's being operated on as we speak."
It is believed the plane may have had engine trouble.
Nicholas Leahy says his father is an experienced and well-respected pilot.
"Dad's been flying up here for 40 plus years," he said.
"You'd be hard-pressed to find another bush pilot in New Guinea that's got more experience than him, especially in the mountain range which is his local area. His nick-name is Captain Cautious."
Morobe provincial police commander Peter Guinness, police and medical officers were flown to the accident site on Wednesday to retrieve the remains and wreckage, The National newspaper reported.
"The plane was completely shattered and we could not do much," he said.
No immediate cause for the crash has been offered because conditions in the area were considered fine.
"We will wait for the Civil Aviation Authority to do their investigation," he said.
Over the past few decades Mr Leahy, who lives at Lae, has been involved in the discovery of dozens of WWII wreck sites in PNG.
He has worked closely with the US Army CILHI, recovering the remains of troops missing in action and returning them to the United States.
It is the second plane crash in PNG this year after a plane came down in the Kokoda area in August, killing 13 people including nine Australians.

Aussie pilot Richard Leahy critical after PNG plane crash

By Ilya Gridneff and Peter Veness of AAP in Port Moresby

- Aussie pilot badly burnt in PNG crash
- Passengers were all PNG citizens
- Cause of plane crash not yet known

SIX people are dead and their Australian pilot is fighting for his life in hospital after their light plane crashed in Papua New Guinea.
Australian pilot Richard Leahy, who runs Kiunga Aviation, was flying the plane yesterday when the engine caught fire above the mountainous terrain of Morobe Province, on PNG's northwest coast.
Leahy, 68, survived the crash but is fighting for his life in a Brisbane hospital.
The plane had departed from Nadzab and was flying to the Baindoang airstrip when it crashed.
Nicholas Leahy, Richard's son, told AAP his father had reported "a loss of all pressure and total engine failure".
Richard Leahy is being treated for severe burns.
"He's in the trauma ward of the Royal Brisbane Hospital," Nicholas said.
"He's got third degree burns to 47 per cent of his body and he's got a fracture in his spine."
The passengers were all PNG citizens. There were four adults and two children.
The deadly crash comes five months after the Airline PNG Twin Otter tragedy in the Kokoda on August 11 that claimed 13 lives, including nine Australians on their way to trek the Kokoda Track.
Morobe provincial police commander Peter Guinness, police and medical officers were flown to the accident site yesterday to retrieve the remains and wreckage, The National newspaper reported.
"The plane was completely shattered and we could not do much."
No immediate cause for the crash has been offered because conditions in the area were considered fine.
"We will wait for the Civil Aviation Authority to do their investigation," he said.

Map of yesterday's plane crash site in Papua New Guinea