Yangoru Saussia District in the East Sepik province has stood out as the top performing district in the Grade 8 national Examinations Data Report for the year 2022, followed by Maprik and Wewak. Yangoru-Saussia MP, Hon. Richard Maru said this was the result of Yangoru-Saussia Development Authority’s investment in education in the last ten years and now into the 11th year under their policy of ‘God First and Education Second’. “It has always been my vision since I became the Member of Yangoru-Saussia for my district to be number one and have the most educated population in the East Sepik Province. As a result of our policy of ‘God First and Education Second’ Yangoru-Saussia DDA has invested nearly K40 million in education alone in the last ten years from our DSIP. “ On top of the Yangoru-Saussia DDA’s contribution, the Australian Government invested K18 million for the Yangoru School of Excellence, and adding the contributions of other partners, Yangoru-Saussia had seen an investment of over K60 million in education alone in the last 10 years under the leadership of Mr. Maru. “This is a very significant investment and 11 years on we are reaping the results; however, I am still not satisfied and want to do more.” “We, at the DDA level are now deliberately investing in early childhood education so our children can start going to school as early as 3 and 4 years old to be taught and mentored properly. “ “The world is looking for very good English speakers and computer literate students and employees, so we must prepare our children well in our early childhood education efforts.” Maru said this when he officially opened a twin classroom for Boim-Sara Elementary School recently. This twin classroom was completed at the cost of K150, 000 and the DDA also bought the tables and chairs for these classrooms at the cost of K18, 000. The opening was celebrated in a big way by the people of Boim-Sara. The people of Boim-Sara requested Yangoru-Saussia DDA for a primary school so their children would not have to walk all the way to Warabung Primary School to be educated. In response, Maru said Boim-Sara is a very big village in the district and they deserved a primary school, but they first had to sort out the land issues. “There cannot be a primary school here until you sort out the land issues and give us a prime land to build the school,” said Maru. Maru also presented two chainsaws to the people of Boim-Sara under the Housing Scheme so they could start building permanent houses before power goes in.

Canberra Raiders Captain Jarrod Croker has announced he will retire from the NRL at the end of the 2023 season after 15 seasons and over 300 matches for the club. He informed his teammates of his decision late last week. Croker made his debut for the Raiders in 2009 against the Roosters at GIO Stadium Canberra and has achieved several significant club and NRL milestones in a wonderful career. He holds the records for the Raiders in points scored (2358) and tries scored (135) while also sitting third on the list of all-time NRL point scorers behind Cameron Smith and Hazem El Masri. Over the course of his career, he has won the clubs player of the year award (Meninga Medal), the Dally M Captain of the year award and the Provan-Summons medal and was Captain alongside Josh Hodgson in the Raiders Grand Final appearance in 2019.   Croker said the decision to retire from the game was something that had been on his mind in recent times and he’s decided that the end of the current season is the right timing for him to finish his career. “I’ve been weighing the decision up over the past couple of weeks and although my heart and mind wants to keep playing for the club I love, the reality is that my body knows it’s time for me to retire,” Croker said. “I’m comfortable with the decision I’ve made and I now get to spend the remainder of the year working alongside my teammates as we look to push towards the finals.” Croker said he would reflect more on the decision at the end of the season and wanted the focus to remain on the team as they look to finish the season strongly. “I’ve got lots of people to thank including my wife Brittney, my sons Rory and Tate, my mum and dad and all my family and friends, but I’ll have an opportunity to do that at the end of the season,” he said. “Right now, my focus remains on the team and us looking to win a premiership.” Raiders Coach Ricky Stuart said the Raiders would always be home for Jarrod Croker and he would finish his career as one of the best to ever represent the club. “Jarrod Croker will go down as one of the legends of this club. His achievements and his selflessness for the jersey are everything you want in a player and he will retire from the game alongside some of the greats to wear the green jersey,” Stuart said. “Jarrod is a local boy from Goulburn who played his entire career from junior representatives right through to 300 games in the NRL and he is the perfect example of what it is to be a Raider.” “Jarrod Croker is and will always be a Canberra Raider.” Source: NRL. Com

Ryan Papenhuyzen is looming as Melbourne Storm’s finals wildcard with the star fullback a real “chance” to return in two weeks’ time after starring in the Queensland Cup on Saturday. The 2020 Clive Churchill Medallist hasn’t played first grade in over a year after suffering a sickening knee injury in last year’s Magic Round. Although, the explosive Papenhuyzen took a big step towards what would be an emotional return to the NRL with an eye-catching 80-minute display for the Sunshine Coast Falcons on Saturday. He finished with a try, two line break assists, two try assists and 127 run metres in his second game back following a long recovery from a shattered kneecap. Storm coach Craig Bellamy has been very careful to not put a timeframe on Papenhuyzen’s return, but hinted on Sunday he could be back for Melbourne’s final game of the premiership season against Gold Coast at AAMI Park on August 26. “It’d be nice to get him back, but I don’t want to bring him back too early," Bellamy said after Storm’s 48-2 victory over Raiders on Sunday. "He hasn’t played at the top level for a real long time so we’ll have a chat to him in the week and the medical team will have their say on it as well and we’ll see what happens. “I doubt we’ll play him next week, but the following week if everything goes OK and we’re all on the same page then that might be a chance.” Papenhuyzen’s return would see Nick Meaney shift to the outside backs after playing the whole season at the back. “I haven’t actually seen his (Papenhuyzen’s) performance yesterday yet, so we’ll have a look at that in the next couple of days,” Bellamy said. “I’ll sit down with him and see where he’s at. “All along we haven’t had any expectations at all and we’re just going to take it week by week. “I had a quick chat to him today and he was quite happy with the way he got through, so we’ll just have a look at that and compare notes I suppose and have a look. “But if you had a look at Nick’s performance today, he was one of our best. “So there’s no pressure on us to rush him back or to have him back when he’s not quite ready, whether that be footy wise or mentally. “It would be good if he could come back because we know Nick can play any position in the backs.” Bellamy was thrilled with his side’s big win on Sunday against a side that has troubled the Storm often in the past. “We had some real intent and discipline about our preparation this week with our training sessions,” he said. “I thought we played really well. “We weren’t that great with the ball to be honest. “We made a lot of errors, especially in the first half, but we built our game on our defence which is a bit of old school Melbourne Storm probably, but that’s what we wanted to do. Source: NRL.Com

Little old Leigh: front and center of the rugby league universe. The decades spent in the wilderness, the countless financial crises, the days playing in front of tiny crowds; they have all just been consigned to the annals of history with one decisive swing of Lachlan Lam’s left boot. It is difficult to remember a rugby league story quite like this. This time last year, Leigh were celebrating winning the 1895 Cup, the competition for non-Super League clubs to enjoy a day out alongside the Challenge Cup final. Now, the town with a population barely exceeding 40,000 has their hands on the sport’s biggest prize for the first time since 1971. Leigh, ridiculed for their rebrand in the winter to the Leopards, with their owner, Derek Beaumont, introducing a leopard-themed kit, were tipped to be fighting relegation this season. Yet incredibly, they have won the Challenge Cup after the first final settled in extra time, with Lam the match-winner. For the first time in a long time, Leigh are the name on everyone’s lips in rugby league land. Calling it a fairytale does not even come close. Perhaps it was fitting that Lam, their linchpin at scrum-half, settled the game. It is 21 years since his father, Adrian, Leigh’s coach, kicked a drop goal in Wigan’s victory in the final against Bradford. Lachlan was there then, watching his father create history: he has now done so himself. “I don’t want to make it about Lachlan, but it was a special moment,” Adrian said. “I’ve thought this week how lucky I am to have him playing here for my team and playing well. It’s incredible to think how this has happened. It’s an incredible story for rugby league.” Lam settled the final with a nerveless drop goal to vanquish Hull KR, but only after the Robins had forced extra time with Matt Parcell’s try as the game entered the final minute with Leigh winning 16-10. You felt the momentum was with Rovers given how they scrambled extra time. But Lam was the one who delivered when it mattered most, meaning Rovers’ wait for a first cup triumph since 1980 will go on for at least another year. “It’s hard to take but it I’m so proud of all the players,” their coach, Willie Peters, said. He was right: they played their part in a classic. There was never more than six points between the sides, with Leigh ahead by two in an action-packed first half. They took an early lead through a Ben Reynolds penalty before Brad Schneider’s try put Rovers ahead. Leigh responded when Kai O’Donnell and Lam combined to send the latter through and make it 8-6 to the Leopards. Elliot Minchella was then sent to the sin-bin for a high shot on Reynolds and while the scrum-half’s penalty made it 10-6, Leigh did not take full advantage. That meant by the time Minchella returned shortly after half‑time and Hull KR had clawed back the deficit further through a Schneider penalty, the final was in the balance. The drama would not relent. Schneider added another penalty to make it 10-10 and with 10 minutes remaining Tom Briscoe crossed in the corner to put Leigh back ahead. It looked to be a decisive score until the Leopards failed to deal with a kick and Parcell grounded in the ensuing melee to send it to extra time. Now it was a case of who would blink first. Gareth O’Brien skewed a drop-goal attempt wide for Leigh, before Schneider’s long-range effort fell desperately short. That left the door ajar for Lam to emulate his father’s heroics and he duly obliged. Source: The Guardian

Recent attendees of the Saint John Ambulance (SJA) Basic emergency first aid training course have expressed much satisfaction with the outcome of the training. Sil Namora, a third-year Political Science student, and Geita Taviri, a fourth-year Biological Science student studying at the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG), were both among recent attendees of this vital lifesaving training. Geita commended the trainer and the intensity of the program. He said, "I learned how to use first aid equipment and not just that, but I properly learned how to perform CPR and use the voice prompt defibrillator." Geita feels that the skills and knowledge he gained will be immensely beneficial to him. "Not many people know the significance of first aid, and going through the training, highlights its importance." Sil also expressed her appreciation for the training, describing it as great and very helpful. She shared a personal reason for her interest in first aid, having lost her father to a heart attack. Sil believes that having basic first aid knowledge back then could have made a difference in her family's ability to help him. Both Geita and Sil, who are interns at the Business Council of Papua New Guinea under The Fresh Program, are enthusiastic about their involvement in first aid training and volunteering opportunities within the ambulance service. Their positive outlook reflects their commitment to enhancing their skills and contributing to the welfare of the community. The Emergency First Aid Course includes a combination of theory and practical simulations of real-life emergency scenarios. The course teaches a range of first aid skills including CPR, first aid equipment, and alternatives that can be used in rural PNG.

A total of 40 young and vibrant youth leaders from the Bougainville Youth Federation (BYF) in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, will be attending a forthcoming Civic Engagement Camp as part of this year’s International Youth Day celebrations. The youths will be able to do this all thanks to a grant of K2.1 million given to the Bougainville Youth Federation (BYF) by the Australian government aimed at strengthening organizational capacity and develop regional youth networks in Bougainville, that will help assist the young leaders between the ages of 16 and 35. The grant agreement was signed by representatives from BYF, the Australian Government and the Autonomous Bougainville Government’s (ABG) Department of Community Development as part of this year’s International Youth Day celebrations. Australian High Commission First Secretary, Dr. Fiona Crockford said the grant acknowledges Australia’s ongoing support to the Bougainville Youth Federation. “These kinds of activities help Bougainville youth to embrace their culture and contribute in a positive way to Bougainville society,” she said. Secretary of the ABG Department of Community Development, Mana Kakarouts, said the BYF was an important partner for the government’s successful implementation of the Bougainville Youth Policy. This year’s theme – ‘Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World', is particularly relevant for Bougainville, given the recent challenges imposed on the people, their livelihoods and the environment following the volcanic eruption of Mount Bagana. Members of the Torokina District Youth Association (DYA) are already implementing the green skills required to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change, with projects designed to regenerate mangroves and strengthen food security in Torokina. This experience, and the support of the grant, will allow the DYA to engage closely with the volcano-effected communities in Torokina. As the peak body representing Bougainville’s youth, the BYF will coordinate youth activities across the region for more than 500 registered youth groups from the 17 District and Urban Youth Associations, comprising over 30,000 youth as individual members. “The grant empowers the BYF and its members to realize its vision – that youth in Bougainville participate fully in governance and development programs at all levels and across all sectors,” said BYF Chairperson, Junior Pais. The grant also funds the BYF’s Livelihoods program, which supports skills-based learning and entrepreneurship. Since 2016, about 1, 200 young people have participated in livelihood training and 400 BYF members have engaged in various micro-projects, including poultry, piggery, screen printing and brickmaking activities.

The Broncos have locked up a top four spot after powering to a 54-10 win over the Eels which leaves the latter's finals hopes hanging by a thread. It was a night at The Gabba which couldn't have gone much worse for last year's beaten grand finalists, who now face an uphill battle to be part of the post season and may have to try and do so without their representative halfback Mitchell Moses. Moses suffered a suspected facial fracture in the first half and failed to play any of the second half, while second-rower Andrew Davey also didn't play beyond the 46th minute after failing a HIA. Brisbane on the other hand were all smiles after arguably their best performance of the year and now head into the bye in Round 25 with their pursuit of the minor premiership well and truly alive. A stunning piece of work from Reece Walsh and Kurt Capewell down the short side, which resulted in an Adam Reynolds try, set the tone for the night early on and over the next 20 minutes Brisbane scored three more tries to lead 24-0 at the break. First Billy Walters and Deine Mariner got the first of their personal doubles, before Herbie Farnworth jogged backwards into the in-goal area for a try two minutes from the half, after shaking out of a brave attempted tackle from Moses, who by that stage already appeared to have suffered his injury. The home side simply couldn't put a foot wrong and after retaining possession by overturning an on-field call with a captain's challenge, they sent Mariner flying over for his second early in the second period. Ezra Mam then jumped on a Capewell offload and danced over, before Walters supported up the middle to grab an in-field kick and secure his first career double. To their credit the Eels did get over for two late consolation tries through Sean Russell and Dylan Brown, but a Kurt Capwell try in between them and one last four-pointer through Walsh, who capped off a brilliant performance that included four line-break assists and 159 run metres, took Brisbane past the half century.

The Panthers took a huge step towards their third minor premiership in four years with a 24-12 win over the Sea Eagles on Thursday night. The defending champs are riding a seven-game winning streak as they head into games against the Titans, Eels and Cowboys to round out another dominant season. After a Josh Schuster intercept had threatened to give Manly the perfect start it was Stephen Crichton returning the favour in the eighth minute and racing 70 metres to grab the game's opening try. A pinpoint kick from Daly Cherry-Evans from 30 metres out earned Manly a repeat set in the 19th minute and Toafofoa Sipley crashed over from close range to level the scores at 6-6. The Sea Eagles took the lead in the 27th minute when Cherry-Evans ran the ball on the last tackle and put Reuben Garrick into a hole from close range to make it 12-6 with the fullback's conversion. Panthers skipper Isaah Yeo's ball-playing skills put Moses Leota into a gap withing sight of the Manly goal line with five minutes to play in the half but the prop put the pass down and the opportunity was lost. Three minutes later the Panthers had their second when the ball was kept alive off a bomb and a grubber and found its way to the left edge where Crichton dived over for his second of the night. Cleary converted from touch to make it 12-12 at the break. In the space of two minutes to open the second half the Sea Eagles had Ben Trbojevic and Brad Parker sent for head injury assessments and Dean Matterson placed on report for a high shot. The Panthers extended their lead in the 47th minute when Edwards and Crichton combined to send Sunia Turuva on a long run to the line after Garrick had bizarrely kicked the ball back to the premiers after receiving it on his own 20-metre line from a Cleary kick. A penalty against Jake Trbojevic for a dangerous tackle in the 52nd minute handed Cleary a chance to add two more points and the Panthers led 20-12. Come the 64th minute and the Panthers had a fourth when Isaah Yeo, Edwards and Zac Hosking combined on the right to put Brian To'o over in the corner. From there the Panthers did enough to close out a 24-12 victory - their 16th win of the season and eighth in a row against Manly. With Cleary in total control and the outside backs all making huge metres the Panthers always had the game under control despite Manly throwing the ball around and asking plenty of questions. Source: NRL.Com

Penrith have been dealt a double blow ahead of Thursday night's clash with Manly after five-eighth Jarome Luai and hooker Mitch Kenny were ruled out of the side on Wednesday. The Panthers confirmed that Kenny dropped out of the squad after failing to complete captain’s run, while Luai has been ruled out by the medical staff due to illness. Subsequently, the Panthers have been given an exemption from the NRL to add NSW Cup hooker Luke Sommerton to the squad to potentially make his NRL debut in the Round 24 clash. Earlier this week, Titans hooker Sam Verrills has played his last game for 2023, while the Knights will be without injured representative star Bradman Best in Round 24. Despite playing the full 80 minutes of last week's win over the Dolphins, Best pulled up lame with an adductor issue and hasn't been named. However, prop Jacob Saifiti doesn't look set to miss any time after failing to finish the match with a hamstring injury, while twin brother Daniel Saifiti is a chance of returning from a quad complaint this week too. Source: NRL.Com

In 2023 Payne Haas is doing more with the ball than ever before, while at the same time being on track to commit the fewest errors of any NRL regular this season. While increased ball movement naturally means more risk of mistakes, Haas has nailed the delicate balancing act all year, making just one error in 1072 minutes of NRL football to date and doing so alongside an offload rate which has him third in the competition with 39. The 23-year-old's ball retention record is unmatched in terms of players with more than 1000 minutes of game time this season, while among the NRL's top offloaders it puts him in a league of his own. Of the top 10 offloaders in the competition, Eels prop Junior Paulo is the only other player with fewer than seven errors this season, with the top two – J'maine Hopgood and Bryce Cartwright – both having error rates in the double digits. The ability of Haas, alongside the likes of teammate Patrick Carrigan, to keep the ball alive in tackles has been a key driver in Brisbane's rise to become minor premiership contenders, and on the back of it players like Reece Walsh and Ezra Mam have flourished. Heading into Friday night's clash with the Eels at The Gabba – in which Haas will celebrate his 100th NRL game – his lack of other negative metrics stands out too. Among players who have played 18 or more games this season the NSW bopper ranks third for fewest missed tackles behind Wests Tigers duo Alex Twal and David Klemmer. Of the 552 tackles he's attempted this year he's failed to make just nine. On the disciplinary front he's been excellent too, with his four penalties conceded being the least among players with 1000+ minutes on the field. Source:NRL.Com

The National Department of Health (NDOH) has acknowledged the World Health Organization (WHO) Papua New Guinea for its technical lead and support in the planning and implementation of the recently completed nationwide Measles, Rubella, Polio, and Vitamin A (MR-bOPV/Vit A) Supplementary Immunization Activity in May-July 2023. NDOH Executive Manager-Public Health Dr Sibauk Bieb, thanked the WHO team for the commitment and, dedication despite many challenges and expressed satisfaction on the outcome of the SIA which achieved a coverage of 70 per cent of the population of children under 5 years of age. “A near 70% coverage will certainly reduce the existing immunity gap in the population, particularly young children.” “However, it is important to continue to focus on improving routine immunization for long-term health benefits and to prevent large Vaccine Preventable Disease (VPD) outbreaks”, said Dr Bieb. WHO VDI Team Coordinator Dr Ananda Amarasinghe, also expressed gratitude to NDOH for recognizing the work done by WHO and highlighted the investments and lessons learnt from the SIA which will further strengthen the country’s immunization programme. He assured the NDOH of WHO’s continued support to improve the routine immunization program under the leadership of WHO Representative Dr Sevil Huseynova. The department, during the event presented WHO provincial consultant with a certificate of appreciation.

Just a week after celebrating his 250th game for the Cronulla club, Wade Graham has announced his retirement to a room full of current and former teammates, family and friends, with the 2023 season to be his last. On a night which had been arranged to recognise the 250-game milestone, Graham spoke emotionally about his decision to hang up the boots after a journey which has included premiership success and representative honours. He will step away from the game once the Sharks current season comes to an end. Graham delivered the news to the 2023 Sharks NRL playing group, as well as family and close friends including former teammates Paul Gallen, Luke Lewis, Todd Carney, along with Boyd Cordner from his time in NSW and Kangaroo squads, and Sharks Premiership winning coach Shane Flanagan. In making the move from Penrith to the Shire, Graham debuted for the Sharks in round one of the 2011 season, before going on to become an integral member of a Cronulla team which won the 2016 NRL Premiership. While sharing the duties during Gallen’s final years at the Sharks, upon his retirement Graham officially took over the Cronulla captaincy in 2020. During those 13 seasons in the top grade at the Sharks and prior that at the Panthers, Graham earnt the respect of his peers, teammates and many in the game. In addition to 250 games for the Sharks and 42 for the Panthers, Graham also played eight matches for Australia and made six State of Origin appearance for NSW. In becoming the third player in club history to play 250th top grade games, Graham joined Gallen and Andrew Ettingshausen in a select group, in confirming his legacy as one of the very best and most consistent performers to ever wear the black, white and blue. Graham has been named to captain the Sharks in their game against the Titans on Friday night, while expressing to the room his determination to finish his career on a positive note. Source: NRL.Com