The Coca Cola National Mask Festival together with the Kumul Consolidated Holdings Warwagira Festival officially opened on the 12th of July 2023 at the Kalabond Sports Field by ENB Governor, Michael Marum. The festivals will take place on the 12th to the 16th of July 2023. The opening ceremony was witnessed by several parties including the Festival Organizing Committee, Chairman of the event, Isaac Ilom, Sales and Commercial Director of Coca Cola PNG, Tim Solly, Acting Provincial Administrator, Levi Mano, several Kokopo business houses and the public. Governor Marum welcomed everyone to the show and acknowledged the organizing committees and sponsors in making sure that this event started on a high note and urged the public to celebrate the event peacefully in the next few days as all the district will be coming in to perform their traditional dances. “On behalf of the members of Rabaul, Kokopo, Gazelle, we would like to extend our warm welcome and thank you as they will join in the next few days.” The governor further stated that though the event is held in a sports oval, they are looking at creating a separate venue for this event as the province must have its own show ground and that is the Provincial Government’s plan going forward. “My only appeal to the public is that law and order is currently a big challenge in the province and we need to look after ourselves and the people that are coming in to visit our province and most importantly, show respect to our tourists and our visitors.” The celebration started at dawn with the ‘Kinavai’ at the Omorong Beach front in Vunapope where people turned up in numbers to witness the event. Governor Marum thanked Coca Cola as the main sponsor of the event and other sponsors with the hope of continuing the working collaboration moving forward. In addition, Governor Marum also announced that next year the event will be celebrated in the Rabaul District which will go in line with the 30 years’ celebration of the twin volcanic eruption. Meanwhile, Acting Provincial Administrator, Levi Mano added that they were not able to stage the festival for the last two years due to Covid19 however, is optimistic that this year’s festivals will be celebrated successfully.

More than 30 people from the remote areas of Vunga and Avungi Wards in the Inland Baining LLG of Gazelle District in East New Britain Province, have now been equipped with Community Based Health and First Aid (CBHFA) skills and knowledge. The participants had a one-week long training held at Vunga Ward facilitated by the East New Britain PNG Red Cross Branch Coordinator, Steven Kilalang and team. CBHFA is one training that Red Cross PNG is undertaking throughout the country in which there are two types of training; one for business houses Commercial First Aid (CFA) and the other type of first aid training are for the people in the community known as the Community Based Health and First Aid. Kilalang said the training is basically a component of the disaster risk reduction management which is applied to the risk affected areas in the communities. “The training conducted basically engages volunteers to be trained on the CBHFA so that they assist people in their communities when emergencies arises.” "The first aid program is based and focused on various injuries that includes basic life support, bleeding management, general medical condition, fracture management, poison snake bite, lack of oxygen, burns and scalds and emergency childbirth." He said the program also teaches cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to manually activate the heart in any point of accident which is more paramount in any casualty and also community mapping. In addition, Kilalang further stated that the participants were so eager to take the training and from his observation all the participants had passed the eighty percent requirement and have been certified. Meanwhile, Vunga Ward member, Ulaias William, said that they were so thankful for the training as with their remote location, there is no proper road and transportation and with emergencies it is very difficult to help those in need. “This training will greatly help our people in the wards, if there is any accidents or emergencies we can be better equipped to save them.” He thanked the PNG Red Cross team in ENB stating that it is the initiative of the community and churches in the wards to have this training as this will help them greatly as many times they encounter accidents and emergencies. This is not the first time PNG Red Cross ENB team ran such training. They have been running such trainings as well such as climate change, water and sanitation, integrated vulnerability capacity assessment and disaster management.

The East New Britain Provincial Administration Education Division recently conducted a one-week Provincial In-service Training (PIST) for all the teachers in the province. The PIST week program is an annual exercise conducted during the term two holiday every year for teachers to undergo in-service training as part of continuous professional development and this year’s Theme for the PIST week was ‘Training for Quality Teaching and Learning’. Conduct of the PIST week program were organized in sectors; Basic Education (District clusters) and the Secondary Sector which was conducted in three groups which are, Science and Mathematics in Kokopo Secondary school, Humanities at the Our Lady of Sacred Heart Secondary school (OLSH) and Business and Technology at the Don Bosco Technical Secondary school. Meanwhile the vocational sector held theirs at the Woolnough Vocational centre whilst the Primary schools coordinated the in-service in respective venues, LLGs and districts where it was convenient for the teachers to travel to and fro during the one-week program. According to Kokopo Secondary School Senior Professional Assistant, Pius Reva, the exercise was critical this year given the introduction of Standard Base Curriculum (SBC) and the National Certificate Program (NC). Reva told the teachers that this in-service is important because of the SBC curriculum and before the full implementation of the program all the teachers must be familiarized with this curriculum. “Teachers already know the content but this program is to help teachers to know more about the skills so that it makes teaching easier and interesting for the learning of our students.” He encouraged the teachers to learn as much as possible from the sessions and to adapt to the changes that are coming in the education system. He further stated that to implement this curriculum successfully they must change the practices and the behaviours that they have conducted in themselves and in the students. Meanwhile, ENB Education Advisor, Alkan Mararang, stated that the program was an opportunity for the teachers to learn from each other to deliver teaching and learning in the classrooms. “The core responsibility of the heads is to deliver the PIST week in ENB province which include providing leadership, coordination and communication between the venue, coordinators or team leaders, inspectors and the office of the advisor."

The Roosters are ready to unleash a pumped up and trimmed down Brandon Smith on his old team Melbourne on Saturday as they look to mount their finals charge. Sidelined by a fractured thumb since Round 12, Smith made an impressive return for the Roosters’ NSW Cup side on Sunday and is champing at the bit to take on the Storm. With the disruptive Origin period and their three byes behind them, the perennial finalists know the time has come to string some wins together, starting with old foes Melbourne at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The Roosters have lost three of five in Smith’s absence and five-eighth Luke Keary says the 27-year-old hooker’s return can’t some soon enough for Trent Robinson’s men. “Brandon has been working hard, he looks in really good condition,” Keary said. “He’s lost five kilos, he’s eating really well and training really well. “I think he just wanted to trim down a little bit. At Melbourne he was playing lock and hooker so he had the bigger frame but here he’s our No.9. “He’s worked really hard on his fitness the last couple of months so I gather he’d be wanting to play a few more minutes for us, especially at the back end of the season.” Another man looking to crank up his game time will be halfback Sam Walker, who played the first six matches of the season before he was dropped to NSW Cup and then suffered an ACL sprain. The 21-year-old is on the verge of a comeback after a minor setback last weekend prevented him from joining Smith in Sunday’s clash with Newcastle at Wentworth Park. “They’re being really cautious with him, being young and the way he moves on the footy field,” Keary said. “He’s a really good kid, he’s really quiet. He played a couple of games there in reserve grade and then got injured straight away so he’s basically been in rehab with Brandon and a few good boys around him. “He’s unflappable, he doesn’t get rattled often so you wouldn’t even notice if it was worrying him. “Ninety per cent of us halves get put back at some stage to the bench or reserve grade as a young kid, it just happens. “I think Johnathan Thurston said it happened to him, Cooper [Cronk], I went back, it hurts at the time but the confidence in him from myself and the club and the players has never wavered. “You see Thurston and blokes like that they all went through it but no one talks about it now because they came through it. “It would have stung them at the time but those great players they come out the other end.” Coming off a gutsy two-point loss to Manly where plenty of close calls went against them, the Roosters are out to avenge a 28-8 loss to the Storm in Round 6 before a Queensland swing that pits them against the Titans at Cbus Super Stadium and the Broncos at The Gabba in consecutive weeks. Just a game outside the top eight but burdened by a poor points differential of -92, Keary knows they'll need a similar charge to last year's eight in a row to round out regular season. "We're not in the spot where we want to be, we haven’t played the way we want to play but there's still a long way to go for us," Keary said. "We understand that from last year - we just need to get going. "It's always a bit like this in Origin time with the byes and boys going in and out, but with Brandon back and hopefully Sammy’s back soon too, as well as Teddy [James Tedesco] and Lindsay [Collins] back full-time after this week, we can get some momentum." Source:NRL.Com

Young half Luke Metcalf enjoyed a breakout game on Saturday night as the Warriors ran riot in a 46-10 victory over the Eels in Sydney. While the talk all week was about whether or not Shaun Johnson would play, it was his halves partner who stole the show at CommBank Stadium, scoring a first-half double and playing key role in setting up both of Marcelo Montoya's four-pointers which were sandwiched in between. Led by Jackson Ford, Mitchell Barnett and Addin Fonua-Blake, who was playing his 150th game, the Warriors dominated the middle of the park and all up ran for over 400 metres more than Parramatta, who were without three key players due to selection in Origin III. After a sloppy opening quarter, which included completing just five of their first 12 sets with the ball, the Warriors finished with a hiss and a roar to lead 30-4 at the break. After putting Ford through for a line break, Metcalf backed up on the next tackle to score, before the Eels hit back through a spirited run from Bailey Simonsson directly off a scrum. That would end up being Parra's only joy of the opening half, with a quickfire double from Montoya, a second to Metcalf and a try for Dylan Walker in game 200 seeing the visitors race away on the scoreboard. Barnett barged over eight minutes into the second half, followed by Dallin Watene-Zelezniak grabbing his 11th try in seven games with a trademark finish in the right corner. An offside penalty on a Warriors dropout led to the Eels scoring their second try on 66 minutes, with Shaun Lane crashing over in his return from a hamstring injury. Barnett then carried fill-in fullback Sean Russell over from close range for his second try and the last of the game.

The Raiders have survived a second half scare against a gallant Dragons side to secure a 36-26 victory at WIN Stadium on Friday night. Four tries to the Raiders in the first half set up a 24-6 lead before Zac Lomax and Mikaele Ravalawa sparked three tries in six minutes for the home side to reduce the deficit to four with 15 minutes remaining. Ravalawa and Lomax caused headaches for veteran Jarrod Croker and Albert Hopoate on the edge with the pair combining for five tries between them in a 30-minute blitz to get the Dragons back in the game. The Raiders needed a big play to stop the momentum and got one with a strong tackle from Hudson Young on Jacob Liddle forcing the ball loose and enabling the visitors to get back to a 10-point lead in the following set. A short side play by Zac Woolford sent Sebastian Kris over in the 72nd minute to give Ricky Stuart's men some breathing space, where they were able to defend their way to an 11th win of the season. The Raiders crossed first in the ninth minute with Jordan Rapana finishing off a Matt Timoko linebreak on the right edge with a run from dummy half to the line. Canberra got their second eight minutes later through a rampaging run by Joseph Tapine, who skipped his way past four Dragons defenders to go over near the posts. Timoko, who suffered a knee scare before half-time, got the Raiders' third when Rapana and Elliott Whitehead combined to send the centre over the line for an 18-0 lead. The Dragons, denied a try to Ravalawa due to a Talatau Amone forward pass only moments earlier, got on the board in the 33rd minute when Ravalawa went over from close range after Amone fell inches short a play before. An error from Paul Turner under the high ball enabled the Raiders to push for their fourth and with eight seconds left on the clock Ricky Stuart's men crossed with a Jamal Fogarty kick hitting the posts before falling in the hands of Matt Frawley. Lomax crossed for his first when he picked up a Jarrod Croker error from a kick to narrow the Raiders' lead after half-time but a Timoko try shortly - his second of the evening - stretched the visitors' lead once more. Lomax was in the action again in the 57th minute when he sent Ravalawa over for his double after a late offload from Jack de Belin created an overlap out wide, before he outleaped Croker for the ball to plant down the side's fourth try. Ravalawa's third try had the Dragons believing late before Kris's try through clumsy Red V defence was enough to get them home.  

Congratulations to the nine exceptional winners of the 2021 and 2022 PNG Australia Alumni Awards, who have made outstanding contributions to PNG communities and excelled in their field of expertise. The prestigious awards were presented at the PNG Australia Alumni Association Annual Dinner held in Port Moresby recently on June 29. Winners for 2021: 1️⃣. Alumni of the Year – Andrew Tipi (Southern Highlands) 2️⃣. Women In Leadership Award – Tracy Masing (West New Britain) 3️⃣. Entrepreneurship Award – Ginia Sialis (NCD) 4️⃣. Community Service Award – Dr Lawrence Gerry (Simbu) Winners for 2022: 1️⃣. Alumni of the Year – Cherolyn Polomon (on award in Sydney) 2️⃣. Women In Leadership Award – Emma Minimbi (Jiwaka) 3️⃣. Entrepreneurship Award – Martha Raka (Morobe) 4️⃣. Community Service Award – Veronica Toksy (Morobe) 5️⃣. Frontline Service Delivery Award – Carolyne Fred (AROB) Congratulations to them all on their win in receiving this recognition.

Steamships have announced the Harbourside South Development Project, managed by Pacific Palms Property, has reached a significant milestone as the project recently obtained a Certificate of Permissive Occupancy. The certificate allows full operations of the retail and commercial (office) portion of the building. The completion of the retail and commercial floors of the building is a major achievement and marks another step forward in the development's progress. Pacific Palms Property focus is now on completing the fit out of the Marriott Executive Apartments. These 88 premier apartments have with unparalleled views or Fairfax Harbour and Ela Beach, spacious layouts, and top-of-the-line amenities, promising luxurious living experience for its residents. The Marriott Executive Apartments will open in November 2023 along with the club floor which boasts gyms, pools, yoga and dance studios, a spa, lounge, and restaurant. Managing Director for Steamships, Mr. Rupert Bray said, “The Harbourside South mixed-use development will add a new dynamic to the Harbourside precinct.” “Steamships, its co-developers, and Pacific Palms Property are pleased to bring such a renowned international name as Marriott to Port Moresby.” “Our commitment to developing high quality, environmentally responsible, developments that bring the best of international practice to Papua New Guineans.” The development is poised to become a landmark destination that will enrich Port Moresby and contribute to Papua New Guinea’s growth. The Harbourside precinct is set to transform the city’s skyline, bringing an inner urban lifestyle option to all residents and visitors to the city

“Prudent management practices has resulted in the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary operating within budget for the last three years.” Police Commissioner David Manning said this is in comparison to the years prior where the Constabulary experienced huge budget blowouts, due largely to overspending or over commitments in personnel emoluments. Commissioner Manning said for 2022 and 2023, personnel emoluments (PE) for the RPNGC constitute a significant portion of its budget, which includes salaries, allowances, and other benefits for police officers and staff. He said the total expenditure for personnel emoluments in 2022 was estimated at K288,662,000 (K288.6 million), and 2023 at K269,161,200 (K269.1 million). The fortnightly focused payroll expenditure in 2022 was K10.5 million, and 2023 at K10.3 million. “With the experiences learned from the previous years we introduced a number of measures to control the costs of personnel emoluments, and these have proven successful.” “Over the last three years we have operated within our means.” “We have not blown our budget, not gone into red, or not gone to the extent of operating on life support.” “The RPNGC is committed to ensuring that personnel emoluments are managed in a fiscally responsible and sustainable manner.” “These cost control measures are essential to ensure that the Constabulary remains within budget while providing the highest level of service to the community.” “I want to take this opportunity to thank Deputy Commissioner Administration Joanne Clarkson and her team for their commitment and efforts to date, and further challenge them to maintain this good performance going forward,” Mr Manning said.

The New South Wales Blues have announced a 19-man squad for Game Three of the 2023 Ampol State of Origin series at Accor Stadium. Looking to avoid a clean sweep in the series on home soil, Blues coach Brad Fittler has made seven changes with Rabbitohs back-rower Keaon Koloamatangi and Knights centre Bradman Best named in the starting side to make their Origin debuts. Rabbitohs playmaker Cody Walker returns at five-eighth for his first game since 2020 while Jacob Saifiti, Clint Gutherson and Reagan Campbell-Gillard have also been recalled. Manly star Jake Trbojevic is also back after missing the first two games with a calf injury. Broncos prop Payne Haas (ankle) and Sea Eagle Tom Trbojevic (pectoral) were unavailable for selection while Jarome Luai, Hudson Young, Stefano Utoikamanu, Junior Paulo and Tyson Frizell have been omitted from the side that lost Game Two in Brisbane. Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater and Panthers enforcer Spencer Leniu have been rewarded for their good form with spots in the 19-man squad. Source: NRL Com

SP PNG Hunters utility Trevor Solu is player to watch for this round 16 of QRL CUP, featuring six times so far, this regular season and is quickly garnering a reputation as a dynamic impact player. With two tries and two assists from his six appearances so far, Solu is providing real X-factor. for the Hunters midway through the contest. Spending most of his playing time at dummy-half or through the middle third, Solu’s ballplaying and support game has been a standout over the last few games. He’s got a wonderful feel for the game and great vision, giving him a knack of popping up in the right places and at the right times. Solu did a wonderful job to support Morea Morea last week against the Falcons, collecting a late offload to dive over beside the uprights and extend the Hunters lead. He is still learning his game and is a work in progress at QRL level, but Solu has shown in limited opportunities so far that he is a genuine player of the future. He will share the hooking role with Judah Rimbu again this week against the Capras and can be a real point of difference around the ruck in how the Hunters work upfield.

A local contractor in East New Britain has thrown its support behind the Rabaul Softball Association [RSA] when it presented K2, 000 as sponsorship to the interim executive committee this week. The donation is timely and will support the interim executive committee in its endeavour to revive the code in Rabaul district. Mengen Limited, an SME Contractor through Managing Director, Ronald Lutulel presented K2, 000 cash as sponsorship to the interim executive committee of Rabaul Softball Association [RSA] on Tuesday at Rabaul Queen Elizabeth Park. Mr Lutulel, on behalf of Mengen Limited and its Board of Directors said he was honoured to come forward and support in a small way to alleviate law and order issues and help to revive the Code of Softball in Rabaul District. He further echoed that Mengen Limited is based out of Rabaul and would continue to come onboard and support sports as part of its social and community obligations. The RSA Interim Executive Chairlady, Bernadette Payao received the cash sponsorship and witnessed by members of the Interim Executive. She acknowledged Mengen Limited for its kind gesture and expressed gratitude for the timely sponsorship towards her committee as they prepare to host the Softball Tournament in July. She appealed to members of softball families, friends, supporters, and business communities to come on board in supporting her executives through sponsorships which will go a long way in reviving softball and successfully staging the tournament.