Family and friends in Butibam Village, Lae;
Salamaua; Markham Valley and Morobe Province are advised of the passing
of RHONDA HOLZKNECHT (, wife of our good friend and brother, Philip Holzknecht, early this morning, at Ipswich outside Brisbane.
Philip would be grateful if this information could be passed on to the
elders of Butibam, especially Mesach and Bart Philemon, and also at
Situm in the Adzera resettlement areas. He would also be grateful if this message could be passed on to Andrew Baing, wife Sue and daughter Jennifer Baing-Waiko, who live on the right side of the Highlands Highway after the Umi Bridge.
Philip Holzknecht's direct contact is [614] 382 6 1030 and email is sampai2610@gmail.com
Other details will be advised in due course.
He writes: Rhonda passed away in the early minutes off this morning of sepsis,respiratory failure and the effects of scleroderma.
She had been ill for a short time, was admitted to Ipswich General Hospital two weeks ago, and into Intensive Care last Thursday.
Her illness progressed very quickly and she was placed in an induced coma last Friday morning
from which she never recovered.
The illness progressed much quicker than any had anticipated and the last couple of days saw quick trips into the hospitals as doctors requested us. The final call came at 10.30 pm Monday [last] night as Rhonda became more and more distressed with organ failure.
She will be remembered as a loving and incredibly supportive mother, a breeder of fine chickens, a friend in need, an incredible family day care mum to many children and families in need of care, a mean and competitive card player, a generally wonderful individual who made the world a better place, and for many many other things.
She will be sorely missed by all who knew her and were touched by her.
Art Stret is very proud to be able to present the
first solo exhibition at home for Larry Santana since 1983. Larry has
travelled extensively representing PNG contemporary art internationally
and is one of our great art ‘rock’ stars.
Larry Santana in Madang in 2006.-Picture by MALUM NALU
Usually based at the
University of Goroka he will be in Moresby this week for the opening of
the show and will be available all of Wednesday for press if you are
free. I’ve attached the link to his exhibition on our website here so
you can get an idea of his work. http://www.artstret.com/Papua-New-Guinea-Art-Gallery/27/ He consistently presents works discussing the environment and his traditional heritage and is a fascinating man to talk to. I do hope you can find time to come and meet him and see the exhibition in the flesh. Take care and talk soon, Amanda Art Stret Ltd PO Box 720, Gordons, NCD, Papua New Guinea www.artstret.com Tel: (+675) 325 4199 Fax: (+675) 325 0640 Gallery: Steamships Hardware Compound, Waigani Production Haus: Ago Street, Gordons
Puggle at two months of age. (Photo: Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary)
FOUR BABY ECHIDNAS, or puggles, born in Queensland are being hailed as a lifeline for their critically endangered cousins in Papua New Guinea. The
Australian native short-beaked echidna puggles were born over the past
two months at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS) on the Gold Coast, as
part of a research program run in conjunction with the University of
Queensland (UQ). Through the study, researchers aim to learn more
about the physiology and mating behaviour of the short-beaked echidna,
common throughout Australia but notoriously difficult to breed, in an
effort to save the long-beaked echidna, which is endemic to PNG. The long-beaked echidna is fighting a losing battle against habitat loss and overhunting.
Fight for the long-beaked echidna
Lead
researcher Dr Steve Johnston, a UQ reproductive biologist, has been
involved in the program since it began six years ago. “The short-beaked
echidna is common but cryptic and up until a few years ago, it was
thought to be almost impossible to breed in captivity,” he says. The
new arrivals bring the program’s total births to six, following the
birth of two puggles at Currumbin last year. “Producing four puggles out
of about five attempts this year was a big surprise,” Steve says. “The
success has changed our expectations and we’re now looking at getting a
baby nearly every time we try.” Already, the program has led to significant discoveries about the mating behaviour and reproductive cycles of echidnas. “It
was thought that females could only have one puggle every three years,
but we have now had a female produce a puggle two years in a row,” says
Andrea Wallage, a UQ PhD student involved in the breeding program. “We
also discovered that females can go through multiple oestrus cycles each
season.”
Puggle breeding caught on video
The echidnas at
CWS are monitored around the clock via a series of video cameras. “We’ve
been able to capture footage of some of the matings,” says Steve.
“That’s been really helpful in giving us the fine detail we need to
properly understand their biology and it is one of the secrets of our
success.” Using the cameras, researchers have detected a probable
link between an echidna’s body temperature and its breeding rate. Prior
to breeding, echidnas put on significant amounts of weight. As a result,
their metabolism increases, helping to sustain thermoregulation, which
encourages reproduction. By placing infrared lamps in the breeding
enclosures, the researchers have seen an increase in breeding rates. Steve and his team hope that, in the long-term, their discoveries will help bring the long-beaked echidna back from the brink. “We’re
very keen to develop our skill base with breeding short-beaks so that
ultimately we can get directly involved in a captive breeding program in
Papua New Guinea, or potentially even create an insurance population of
long-beaks here in Australia,” says Steve. In the meantime, Steve
has invited staff from Port Moresby Nature Park, PNG, to train with him
in Queensland. “The long-beaked is a different animal,” he says. “There
are going to be changes that we’ll need to make, but in terms of its
reproductive biology, there are certainly lessons we can learn from the
short-beaked.”
Most Australians hear only periodic news items about outbreaks of
tuberculosis, but globally the disease remains a top killer. And the
emergence of drug-resistant strains pose a major challenge to
tuberculosis control programs.
One recent news story documented the life of a young woman from Daru
Island…
A Treaty Protection Zone allows Papua New Guinea inhabitants and
Australian nationals to mix freely on the outer Torres Strait islands.
Cam Pervan
Most Australians hear only periodic news items about
outbreaks of tuberculosis, but globally the disease remains a top
killer. And the emergence of drug-resistant strains pose a major
challenge to tuberculosis control programs.
One recent news story
documented the life of a young woman from Daru Island who has become a
medical refugee in Cairns after contracting a highly drug-resistant form
of tuberculosis, known as XDR-TB (extensively drug resistant TB).
Such personal stories (of which there are many) emphasise the human
tragedy interwoven with health challenges at multiple levels. They also
capture anxiety about the possibility that multi-drug resistant (MDR)
forms of tuberculosis may spread and pose a risk to the Australian
population.
Arbitrary borders
A Treaty Protection Zone allows Papua New Guinea inhabitants and
Australian nationals to mix freely on the outer Torres Strait islands.
And due to the difficulty of health-care access as well as a poorly
functional tuberculosis control program, Papua New Guinea nationals in
the adjacent South Fly district frequently used Torres Strait Island
services to access Australian care.
During 2012, the Queensland government shut down health clinics on
Boigu and Saibai islands and returned 92 PNG nationals from Cairns to
Daru Island for completion of their tuberculosis treatment. Amid concern
that these patients were unlikely to receive adequate treatment
support, the Federal Government committed $8.5 million via AusAid to
improve services at the regional hospital on Daru Island and to support
tuberculosis services throughout the Western Province (including the
South Fly district) between 2011 and 2015.
The impact of the initial “Stop TB in the Western Province” program is yet to be scrutinised.
A local focus
Ensuring access to high-quality services within Papua New Guinea is
the preferred and most effective intervention to assist local
communities. It will also reduce their need to seek health care in
Australia.
Ironically, the visible epidemic is likely to get worse before
getting better, since better functioning diagnostic systems will
identify MDR- and extremely drug-resistant (XDR)-TB cases that
previously went undetected. This may seem alarming, but it allows for
better assessment of the problem and should facilitate improved patient
care and better protective strategies.
In reality, health-care services are poorly functional throughout
Papua New Guinea and careful consideration should be given to the most
cost-effective and sustainable strategies. The situation requires a
strong and coordinated cross-border approach that includes all parts of
the Australian government to work with central and provincial
administrations in Papua New Guinea.
Unfortunately, this important issue has become a political ball being
kicked around between the federal and state governments and between
political parties.
Australia and tuberculosis
Thankfully, the intended closure of Queensland’s Tuberculosis Control
Centre, which would have been a disaster at this crucial time, has been
narrowly averted. This should enable the continuation of vital
surveillance and control functions within Queensland and the provision
of guidance and support to Papua New Guinea colleagues on Daru Island
and in the South Fly district.
In general, excellent socioeconomic conditions and effective
infection control measures within Australia reduce the risk of local
tuberculosis outbreaks. But poor and marginalised populations are at
risk, as are immune-compromised people and the rapidly growing portion
of the population that is of an advanced age.
Immune senescence associated with old age is a well-characterised
risk factor and several tuberculosis outbreaks have taken place in
aged-care facilities. The introduction of highly drug-resistant
tuberculosis into any of these vulnerable communities would pose a major challenge, since treatment requires two years of multiple drugs that have numerous side effects.
Finding the way forward
Recent evidence
suggests that MDR-TB, contrary to previous belief, is often highly
transmissible and protection against infections that spread via the air
(such as measles and tuberculosis) is notoriously difficult.
Given the health challenges posed at multiple levels and the
complexity of the issues involved, careful and objective assessment
should guide the assignment of clear roles and responsibilities to the
Papua New Guinea and Australian governments involved, as well as to
international health agencies.
AusAID has published an expert report
on the tuberculosis control situation in the Western Province, and the
World Health Organization (WHO) is conducting an independent review of
the same.
Insight from these fact-finding missions is vital for understanding
the complexities of the situation and ensuring bipartisan support for
workable solutions.
Warwick Britton receives funding from the NHMRC.
Ben Marais and Tania Sorrell do not work for, consult to, own
shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would
benefit from this article. They also have no relevant affiliations.
The Conversation provides independent analysis and commentary from academics
and researchers.
We are funded by CSIRO, Melbourne, Monash, RMIT, UTS, UWA,
Canberra, CDU, Deakin, Flinders, Griffith, La Trobe, Murdoch, QUT, Swinburne,
UniSA, UTAS, UWS and VU.
Manus Island landowners have threatened to shut down power after the arrival of asylum seekers.Source: AAP
LANDOWNERS on Papua New Guinea's Manus Island have threatened to
shut down electricity to parts of the province, less than a week after
Australia's first batch of asylum seekers arrived.
The 19 Sri Lankan and Iranian asylum seekers, including four children, were flown to Manus on Wednesday. They
are currently being housed in "G camp" within the temporary tent
facility on Lombrum naval base, the same site as the Howard-era
detention facility. Now known as "Newtown" to locals and the G4S
security guards running the site, the facility will house up to 600
asylum seekers in the coming months. Local MP Ronnie Knight says
landowner groups on Saturday threatened to shut down power to parts of
the province over demands for compensation from Australia to use the
site. "I had to break the news to them that they were not going to get what they want," Mr Knight said.
"They did not take it well. I told them I would do my best to see they get something. "(If they cut the power) the people of Manus will rise up and chase them out." The facility itself is powered by four large generators and is not expected to be affected by loss of power to Manus proper. The
Australian and PNG governments have sent a joint task force to Manus to
assess what infrastructure projects need assistance, while the
Australian High Commission has said it cannot hand out money to
landowner groups. A group involved in blockading Manus airport on November 12 gave the PNG government a two-week deadline to meet with them. That deadline ends on Tuesday. The
PNG government has sent 64 mobile riot-squad police to Manus, a move Mr
Knight said should keep the landowners from following through on their
most recent threat. The landowners, who represent as many as five
different clans around Lombrum, were angered after it was announced
controversial security firm G4S was given contracts to run the site. Since
Australia announced in August it planned to send asylum seekers to the
island the groups have separately made demands for compensation
totalling $45 million, security contracts for running the site as well
as building contracts. "I want development and funds so I can
start my business," said John Lou, who leads the Lombrum clan living
just outside the base. He says he will not resort to aggressive
action such as blockading goods and services to the facility, but he is
considering legal action. "The PNG government didn't give us a chance to get in on this project," he said. It is unclear when the next batch of asylum seekers are due to arrive on Manus. The
Australian government announced in August that it would process asylum
seekers on offshore facilities in Nauru and Manus Island. Nauru eventually will have space for 1500 people. AAP
and PNG'S The Post Courier were denied access to the site on Friday by
G4S and PNG Immigration, who told reporters they were following orders
from Canberra.
Do you ever get the feeling that someone you meet is somewhat different than most of us? Someone who shows a character
that stands out. I met a person who interested me greatly because of
this. It was the first Governor-General of PNG, Sir John Guise.
Independence declaration on September 16, 1975, by Sir John Guise
We
were invited to a meeting of the Lae Branch of the PNG Accountants
organisation. I forget what Sir John spoke about but my subject was
accounting for plantations, a much needed subject within the country.
(This is a story within itself.) Sir John and I did not really speak
with each other but offered cursory hellos. After the meeting, I
received a phone call from the person arranging our transport back to
Lae airport the next
morning advising of an alteration to these arrangements. I was also
asked to advise Sir John of these changes. I contacted Sir John at dinner that night when he walked into the dining room. He then joined
me at my table.
We
talked about general matters for a start but then we went on to the
subject of the 'old days'. Sir John explained how life
was when he was growing up. He mentioned the separation between local
people and the temporary administrators. There were many restrictions in
those days for
'locals' and he commented on these without any show of emotion but just
talked about how things were. About access to the stores like Burns
Philp, Steamships and suchlike; the restriction on alcohol; admission to
clubs and, generally, the segregation within the country. I listened
enthralled. This was a life I did not know much about but had me
thinking why. We talked til well after midnight before we called it a
day. On the way out I mentioned to Sir John that he should write an
autobiography about his life and the country as it stood. His reply was
that nobody would be interested. Not interested?!! Not interested! My
reply was that I was sure people would be especially those in future
years.
We
met on several more occasions when he visited my office in Port
Moresby. He had a family association with a trade store and he had
arrived with a shoe box full of receipts. He needed them sorted out for a
tax return. He came not in a suit or such but in a pair of shorts, a
t-shirt and some thongs. He presented no airs and gave no indication of
his past life. He was perfectly natural. He came several times after
but, I suspect, mainly for a chat.
In
my eyes, Sir John was a true gentleman. He, as mentioned, presented no
airs, was particularly polite, was soft spoken and was considerate.
Consideration of others is, I believe, a cornerstone of civilization.
He was, of course, a politician and may be seen in other people's eyes
as somewhat different from what I mention. This is understandable. But
still I will see him in the way I describe.
