New Primary school for Warakamb

This is good news for Warakamb.
A second primary school has commenced classes two weeks ago, starting from grade one. The once catholic church run Marara community school at Marara was closed due to constant tribal fights after just two grade six outputs. In its hey days, St. James Marara community school saw many of Warakambs children going to school. Today, many of these are professionals, including teachers, policemen, lawyers and doctors. If the school was still open now, there would be many more. The people have realized their mistakes and are willing to look after the school well. This was seen when everybody worked hard to complete the double classroom in just six days.
Already three teachers have started teaching in the school. Warakambs Winja community school will see the first grade 8s this year.
We wish the Marara and Winja primary school children and teachers are good 2009.

LNG projects set to lure more workers

By PORENI UMAU (From post courier)
THE Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project to run from the Southern Highlands through Western Province and all the way to the nation’s
capital is predicted to cost between $US10 billion and $US13 billion.
This was revealed by LNG project director Dairi Vele last Friday night during a meeting with all business houses in Lae to explain the
scale of the project and how it would affect the people in Morobe Province.
Mr Vele said the project was so big that there would not be enough engineers.
He said already it was estimated that there would be 7500 jobs up for grabs with 20,000 people vying to take up the jobs.
He said this would cause an internal problem as there would not be enough national engineers, with the University of Technology producing
almost 600 engineers each year which was not enough.
This raised concern in the engineering department at Unitech because Mr Vele revealed that ExxonMobil was only concentrating on training
people at the Port Moresby Technical College.
He said generally the project would be very expensive in PNG because of the rugged geographic features of our country.
He said this project was one that drew world comment because it was the single largest corporate funding in gas history by ExxonMobil.
Meanwhile, businesses in Lae expressed concern that they would lose highly qualified workers to other companies coming into our shores
because of such a project.
One such businessman was Sir Bob Sinclair who complained that the workforce would be affected with companies coming in just to operate for
four to six months and taking their highly skilled workers who they had spent money and time to train to be specialists in their field but
would be lured by such companies offering high hourly rates.
Also PNG Power Limited was one that raised concerns on how the Government was planning to help with the power supply in Lae if such a
project was to take place.
Mr Vele said this was considered and that ExxonMobil would cater for its own electricity supply, which it was capable of doing with a back
power supply system.

First Pacific island Fruit Pickers arrive in Australia

Above - Tongan fruit pickers arrive with much fanfare.

From "The SMH"
THE Opposition is calling for an urgent review of the Pacific Island guest worker scheme amid rising unemployment and with the summer harvest well under way.
Yesterday 50 Tongan workers arrived in Australia among the first of 2500 unskilled migrants from Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Tonga promised harvesting work in Swan Hill and Griffith for up to seven months a year.
Since the scheme was announced last August, however, circumstances have changed. Unemployment is forecast to rise to 7 per cent by next year and bushfires have scorched farmland in Victoria.

The Opposition spokeswoman on immigration, Sharman Stone, said the plan, which was modelled on a similar trial in New Zealand, had been bungled from the start.
"This is an enormous embarrassment for Australia in the Pacific," she said.

"We have led these nations to believe there are 2500 opportunities to earn good money in Australia to send back to communities in the Pacific but instead we've had massive bungling and inefficiency."
The almond-picking jobs available for the first 50 arrivals are in Robinvale, a town of 2200 in Victoria's Swan Hill region. Growers in the NSW Riverina can also apply for temporary workers from overseas.

Dr Stone said that Australians, particularly those hurt in the economic downturn, should be first in line for jobs.
"Picking almonds at Robinvale may be just the sort of work our self-funded retirees may be looking to do," she said. "We really have to look at Australia's unemployed first."
The Agriculture Minister, Tony Burke, defended the scheme, saying Australians did not want the seasonal work.
"It never mattered what the unemployment rate was. The farmers have been complaining for decades about trying to get enough workers to pick the fruit," he said.
Mr Burke repeated the imagery of fruit rotting on trees to illustrate why farmers wanted the scheme. At that time, the Government said fruit pickers would arrive before Christmas.

The chief executive of Summerfruit, John Moore, yesterday welcomed the first workers but was disappointed they had not arrived sooner. "Finally something has begun to happen," he said. "Hopefully, in the future the workers arrive at an appropriate time in the season, not at the end."

Mr Burke and the Minister for Employment, Julia Gillard, admitted demand for overseas workers was less than expected. Only four growers from the designated trial areas had registered interest and demand was likely to slow.

Our Comments....
We in PNG are always the last in everything. With the current state of the economy, it seems there will be no chance for PNGeans to contribute to the PI fruit pickers concept. Even if the economy was OK, we doubt we would have had our chances.
Instead of fruit picking, PNG should:
1. Invest heavily in technical education - mining, engineering, and others. Export them to the world and have some for our economy.
2. Invest heavily in medical jobs - doctors, scientists, nurses, carers, pilots and keep some for PNG, some for the world.
3. Invest in Agriculture, agricculture, agriculture and agriculture. We will have fruits to pick then. Also, during this recession, agriculture will stand firm.
4. If our fruit pickers do not make, cop it in the head, we will work harder.

We already have record number of PNG workers in medical, mining and other jobs in Australia. Most are doing well.

WAECA; The Association

Above Warakamb Women's Ministry running Sabath School in Aanal han church.

WAECA stands for Warakamb Adventist Elite and Clergymen's Association. (WAECA inc). It is a non Government, not for profit non political Association. It was founded by the early members and elites of the Warakamb Seventh day Adventist (SDA) Church mainly to spread the Word of the God and prepare the Valley for the second coming.

Warakamb Seventh Day Adventist Church is the only church serving the entire Warakamb Valley. It is part of the Kandep District, Enga Province, PNG. The Warakamb SDA church also looks after few small churches in Lai Valley District of the Southern Highlands Provinvce (SHP). Warakamb is sandwiched between two Highlands Provinces of Papua New Guinea (PNG), Enga and Southern Highlands Provinces. The Warakamb Adventist church is under the administration of the Western Highlands Union Mission. Papua New Guinea is a Pacific island nation, situated just to the north of Australia and east of Indonesia.

WAECA was first conceived in 1998 but got registered with the PNG Investment Promotion Authority (PNG IPA) in 2001. The founding members sat around a burning fire in a little hut on a rainy day, having been inspired by the holy spirit, discussed the founding values of WAECA. Today, WAECA is bigger and has been involved in the conversion of many rural people from living in bad ways to live peacefully, get bapatized and live as good Adventist Christians.

The Three Arms of WAECA - The Clergy, Elites & Associate.
The Association is made up of three main arms, The Associate, The Clergyman and the Elites.

1. The Clergy Arm
The Clergymen are the Church members of the Warakamb Seventh Day Adventist Church, the pastors both retired and current and the laymen. They are our most important group. They are the men on the ground to spread the word of GOD, and encourage fellow tribesman and woman to live with Christian values. Pastor John Kundapen is our current team leader for the clergymen. He co odinates the laymen and retired pastors in the valley and leads in preparing the valley for conventions.

2. The Elite Arm

The Elites are the students and those employed formaly in the public or private sector. Years ago, there were only a few. But with the Lord's blessing, we have many coming up. Our Elites are meant to be the main financial members. The elite team leader is Mr. Patrick Talu. Some of the elites are contributing to help pay for our laymen despite the financial hardships.

3. The Associate
The Associate arm oversees the other two and co odinates the whole Association.

The Current President is Pr. Kembol Kep. He is assisted by Mr. Simon William as treasurer and Eric Ungil as secretary for WAECA. The associate executive are the over all executive of WAECA. They make the final decisions. The vice presdients are Mr. Patrick Talu and Pr. John Kundapen.

For more information, contact us at info@waeca.com.

CASSOWARY ON MENU AT ENGA NEC MEETING

The big bird is scarce delicacy in highlands

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (PNG Post-Courier, February 19, 2009) – ENGA Governor Peter Ipatas does not want to be outdone and has added cassowary meat to the menu for the NEC [National Executive Council] meeting in Wabag next week.

Cassowary meat, which is scarce and a delicacy in most parts of the Highlands, will dominate the meals for the duration of the NEC meeting.

A member of the organising committee told the Post-Courier that last year Enga came out in force to welcome the Cabinet and donated more than 50 pigs.

"This year, we would like to do something different ... we want the ministers who are so used to having pork or chicken or beef for meals to have cassowary meat,’’ he said.

The official said this was also to make the NEC meeting in Enga a memorable one and let them appreciate what Enga could produce and show its capabilities to welcome important people.

He said the province was well prepared for the NEC and everyone was looking forward to receiving them.

Cassowaries are scarce and most of them are caught in the thick jungles. Some are domesticated.

However, they are not as common as pigs and therefore are expensive and used in compensation, bride prices and other important occasions.

The ministers start moving in on Tuesday and the Prime Minister, Sir Michael Somare, arrives on Wednesday for the Thursday NEC meeting.

Flooding leaves 700 homeless

(As reported on Australia's ABC)
More than 700 people in Papua New Guinea's Western Highlands province have been left homeless after a river burst its banks following weeks of heavy rain, local media has reported.

An estimated 25 hectares (62 acres) of land was inundated when the Waghi River flooded early Tuesday morning (local time), swamping vegetable gardens, cash crops and livestock, the National newspaper said.

The country's National Disaster Centre committed $58,000 to the Western Highlands provincial government to help more than 700 displaced villagers in the Dei region, it said.

Community leader Gabriel Nolai said the works department and two local construction companies were partly to blame for failing to build adequate drainage.

First Pacific Islander to serve as General Secretary.

Leaders of the South Pacific Division (SPD) Executive Committee have elected Barry Oliver, the current general secretary for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific, as the new president for the region.

Laurie Evans, president of the SPD since 1998, announced his retirement at the November 13, 2007, meeting.

During his term as president, Evans oversaw a major reorganization of resources (reducing the number of administrative positions to free up money) during his term. He also directed a legal restructure that has seen the incorporation of the Sanitarium Health Food Company and Sydney Adventist Hospital, known as “the San.” Evans was known as a strong advocate for using modern technology, notably satellite television and video conferencing, to carry out the mission of the church.

Oliver has served the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific as a minister, evangelist, lecturer, and administrator. He is married to Julie, a teacher, and has three sons.

Oliver grew up as an Adventist in Goulburn, New South Wales. He attended Avondale College, the church’s Cooranbong, New South Wales-based, tertiary institution, completing a bachelor’s degree in theology. In 1973, the Olivers accepted a call to minister in southern Queensland. They cared for churches in Maryborough and Hervey Bay, in southern Brisbane, and on the Darling Downs during the next five years. Oliver was ordained as a minister in 1976.



PRAYING TOGETHER: From left, Barry Oliver, Lawrence Tanabose, retiring SPD president Laurie Evans, and world church president Jan Paulsen unite in prayer during divisional meetings in which Oliver was elected SPD president and Tanabose general secretary of the division.The church called Oliver to serve as district supervisor, evangelist, and university chaplain for the Port Moresby district of Papua New Guinea at the end of 1978. He transferred to Rabaul as president of the church’s New Britain/New Ireland Mission after one year. Oliver joined the theology faculty at Avondale five years later and completed his master’s in religion.

Oliver and his family moved to Andrews University in Michigan, U.S.A., at the end of 1985. He completed a doctorate in Christian ministry and mission with a focus on Adventist organizational structure. He returned to Avondale for nine years, and developed a field-based ministerial training program integrating theory with practice. He also pioneered evangelistic training that helped students prepare hundreds of people for baptism.

Oliver was elected general secretary of the South Pacific Division in 1997. He served for 10 years as the second officer of that church region.

A much-published author, Oliver has written more than 100 articles for church periodicals, including cover features for both Adventist Review and Adventist World magazines.

Replacing Oliver as general secretary, Lawrence Tanabose has become the first Pacific Islander to be appointed as an officer of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific.

Currently president of the Trans-Pacific Union Mission (TPUM), Tanabose and his wife, Rosina, have served the Adventist Church since 1974. He was elected TPUM president in 2005. Nearly 90,000 church members reside in the Trans-Pacific region, which includes countries such as Fiji, Tonga, Kiribati, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands.

In his first year as president, Tanabose oversaw the formation of a single administrative structure for the church in the Solomon Islands. Previously, three missions—Eastern Solomon Islands Mission, Malaita Mission, and Western Solomon Islands Mission—cared for the 34,387 church members in 417 organized churches and companies in the Solomons.

Tanabose, 54, was born in Papua New Guinea to Solomon Islander missionary parents. He has served the church as a Bible lecturer, pastor, field evangelist, departmental director, and general secretary in the TPUM. As a representative for the Adventist Church, he has also worked closely with governments in Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and Fiji.

He holds a diploma in administration and a masters degree in theology. He and his wife have a daughter and three sons. Known for his passion for evangelism and a desire to bring people to Christ, Tanabose still preaches evangelistic campaigns regularly.

World church president Jan Paulsen oversaw the nomination of division officers. A division president is also a vice president of the GC, and, as such, the recommendation of the SPD Executive Committee is submitted to the GC Executive Committee for ratification.

Paulsen expressed appreciation to Evans for his leadership. “We have worked closely together, and I have always appreciated Laurie’s experience and creative participation in the work of the global church,” he reflected. “And I think the work in this division has been looked after well.

“I am also extremely delighted with the recommendation that is now being brought,” said Paulsen in congratulating Oliver on his nomination.

Oliver said, “I have always been amazed at how I have been content working in a role and God has—seemingly out of the blue—moved me to a different place of service.”

He shared Julie’s reaction to the news of his appointment with committee members. “She said to me, ‘We’ve always believed that where the Lord calls and what He asks us to do, He will help us to do it. And this is no different.’ I will covet your prayers and I will pray for you.”

Oliver said he is excited about the possibilities and particularly the people of the church in the South Pacific. “We need to keep doing the things we’ve done well and find better ways to do the things we have not done as well as we could have,” he comments. “I want the church to be open to where God is leading us and to be ready and willing to go there. I would like to see the church utilizing its full potential, using the diversity in the church and our various gifts to further our mission together.”

Private Health Sector Mushrooming in PNG.

Despite the current rescession in the developed world, PNG continues to enjoy modest economic growth. The private sector has seen it grow from the simple Mola's private hospital to many more today. The middle class in PNG is growing, and more big companies like the miners want better health care for their employees. Also see the report below.

The study, published in this month's online version of the Medical Journal of Australia, found that women giving birth in public hospitals had more than twice the rate of severe perineal tearing.

The study shows perinatal death was more than twice as likely to occur in public hospital births and so was the need for high-level resuscitation.

It also found more teenage women gave birth at public hospitals, while women aged 40 years and over chose private care.

Indigenous women who live outside metropolitan areas were most likely to give birth in public hospitals.

Public hospitals also recorded higher levels of self-reported pregnancy smokers and pregnancy complications such as diabetes and hypertension.

Induced labor, caesarean and instrumental births were all more common in private hospitals.

The report's senior author, Associate Professor Steve Robson from the Australian National University, says the study covered nearly 780,000 births over four years.

He says babies born in public hospitals were more than twice as likely to need intensive care.

"There were higher odds of the baby needing high-level resuscitation, there were higher odds that the baby would need to be admitted to neo-natal intensive care nursery," he said.

Associate Professor Robson says he was surprised with the findings, as there is a widespread view that the high level of medical intervention in private hospitals is not always good for women.

He says the study shows the outcomes for women and their babies appear to be better in the private system.

Our Comment.
The study is not a good one as private hospitals see rich healthy patients, and there is less work with more money. In PNG, doctors who work in the public, could do a better job if facilities were better.

Global Warming worse than Expected.

The mountain in the background was 10 years ago full of hard wood. Today, it's mostly shrubs.

(From ABC)
From our experience, global warming is worse. Our tropical hard wood trees are dying, our area is becoming warmer, plants from the coasts are growing in our area, Malaria is now endemic in what was cool cold Warakamb.

Professor Field says that a warming planet will dry out forests in tropical areas, making them much more likely to suffer from bushfires. (AAP: Simon Mossman, file photo)
One of the world's leading experts on climate change says a Nobel Prize-winning panel of scientists seriously underestimated the reality of global warming when it published its report just over a year ago.

Professor Chris Field, a leading member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which released the report, says he and his fellow researchers did not have access to vital data.

Professor Field says that a warming planet will dry out forests in tropical areas, making them much more likely to suffer from bushfires.

He says recent climate studies suggest global warming could also melt permafrost in the Artic tundra.

These events would release billions of tons of greenhouse gasses that could raise global temperatures even more.

The report did not have data on emissions of carbon dioxide between 2000 and 2007 which show far more rapid rises than had been predicted.

These increases in carbon have been caused principally by the burning of coal for electric power in India and China.

He has told an American science conference in Chicago that global warming is likely to accelerate at a much faster pace and cause more environmental damage than previously predicted.

"Fossil emissions have proceeded much more rapidly than anticipated in any of the scenerios that were characterised in detail," he said.

"The consequence of that is that we are basically entering a domain of climate change that has not been explored by the models.

"We're on a different trajectory of emissions and therefore an unknown trajectory of warming."

Expat Teachers for Enga schools

Warakamb (Winja) Primary school

By PHILIP KEPSON (From the National)
THE Enga provincial government’s quality education policy has been boosted this week with the recruitment of eight expatriate teachers.
The veteran educators are to teach in various schools in the province.
Five will teach at the Highland Lutheran International School at Amapyaka.
The others will teach in secondary schools in Pausa, Wabag and Kopen.
They are here largely thanks to the efforts of Enga Governor Peter Ipatas, who is spearheading the quality education policy.
Most of the expatriate teachers are from Australia.
Experienced teacher Robert John Thompson, who is from Perth, Western Australia, will take his new post as the principal of Kopen Secondary School.
His wife, Norma Alison Thompson, will be the school’s deputy principal.
Another experienced teacher, Greg Rolles, from Sydney, New South Wales, has been recruited to head the English department in Pausa Secondary School or Wabag Secondary.
Paul van Wezel, from the Netherlands, has been appointed as the principal of the Highland Lutheran International School.
The others recruited to be at the same school are Australians Merryn Perrett and Robert McCheyne, Englishman Niel Brown, Joseph Intal, from the Philippines, and Dr Todd Luedtke from the United States.
Mr Ipatas said his government would recruit more expatriates, as well as local teachers, next year as part of his drive to improve quality in education in the province.
The governor said more than 50 teachers from other provinces had also been recruited recently to teach in high and primary schools in the province.
The Enga provincial government has spent about K80 million on free education and quality education in the past 10 years.
An additional K5 million has been allocated to implement the quality education push in this year’s budget.“Enga has been last in everything and we are trying our best to try to pull ourselves up a bit with everyone else in the country,” Mr Ipatas said.

Our comment.
Our local teachers are as good. But what Mr. Ipatas is doing is very important. We still need effeiciency and administrative skills. Most elites for WAECA were thought by people not from our area. We got quality education.

Noken kaikai Buai, kaikai PK

By MAUREEN GERAWA (from post courier)

PAPUA New Guinea’s favourite chew, the betelnut, is killing at least 2000 people a year and is responsible for many health
problems, according to the PNG Medical Society.
The medical society yesterday called for the chewing and selling of betelnut to be regulated.
Medical Society president Dr Mathias Sapuri said that Papua New Guineans must be made aware of the health hazards caused by
betelnut chewing.
Dr Sapuri said every year a lot of Papua New Guineans were dying from diseases such as mouth cancer, poor oral hygiene, cancer of
the throat, gastritis (inflammation of the stomach), peptic ulcers (sores in the stomach) and inflammation of the gums.
He said these were diseases caused by betelnut chewing while rubbish from betelnut dumped around urban centres such as Port
Moresby was contributing to diseases such as tuberculosis.
The betelnut spits, he said, were also polluting the streets.
“Betelnut chewing is a major health issue. Our statistics show that mouth cancer is killing almost 2000 Papua New Guineans every
year,’’ says Dr Sapuri.
He says mouth cancer, which is killing both women and men, is like all other cancers and cannot be treated in PNG unless people
report early signs, something which is rare.
He urged policy makers, but particularly the Health Department to regulate chewing and selling of betelnut so that people should
not chew in public places like offices, public motor vehicles, schools and health facilities.
Similarly, he said the sale of betelnut should be in proper places where they should be controlled. “By regulating it, people will
take their betelnut and chew it at home,’’ he said. He said the PNG Medical Society commended the NCD Governor Powes Parkop and
the National Capital District Commission administration for imposing a ban on betelnut sales in public places in Port Moresby
but they needed support.
“If people argue that chewing of betelnut is a traditional practice, let them take their betelnut to the village. The problem is
that this practice is a cause of many health problems. It also has no nutritional value,’’ he said.
“After a person gets one to two minutes of kick (from chewing betelnut), it is over and he has wasted his money buying it.’’
Dr Sapuri said the sale of vegetables and other good food should be promoted as these foods develop the body rather than the sale
of betelnut and smoke, which were common commodities sold on the streets of Port Moresby.

Our comments.
1. Betel causes medical medical problems.
2.It is addictive.
3. makes people look unhealthy.
4. makes environment look awful.
5. There is no economic benefit.
5. there is no nutritional value.
6. Its just a waste of money.
7. Should be done away with for ever.

Climate Change office formed in Port Moresby

from The National
A TASKFORCE has been set up to address climate change issues in PNG.
The group was formed last Friday.
It comprises officials from the National Forest Authority (NFA), Department of Environment and Conservation, PNG Power and University of PNG, as well as those from the departments of Agriculture, Foreign Affairs and Mining and Petroleum, and the office of Climate Change, and representatives from some non-governmental organisations. NFA managing director Kanawi Pouru told the gathering: “The role of the Climate Change office has to be clarified quickly so line agencies know where we stand on climate change.”

Start of Australian Academic year.

Above, WAECA's JTU attending The Stella Murray's Primary.


Like PNG, The Australian academic year started this month. School kids from various grades started going to school from pre kinder all the way to prep and university. We wish all kids and parents a happy academic year.

NSW bushfire death toll now 130

Record temperatures coupled with prolonged dry season has resulted in the worst of bush fires on record in Australia. Temperatures up to 46 degrees and dry conditions caused massive bush fires resulting in the death of 130 in country NSW; and more could be dying. Many more are in intensive care. Hundreds of homes have been lost. Hundreds of cars have been lost. While that is happening, the northern tip of Queensland is facing severe flooding. Two very contradicting things. is this the reult of global warming?
One must be digilent. Our hearts and prayers are with those who lost a loved one.

PNG HIV/AIDS Statistics

The HIV Virus

(from UNICEF)

Estimated adult HIV prevalence rate (aged 15-49), end-2005 - 1.8
Estimated number of people (all ages) living with HIV, 2005 (000), estimate 60
Estimated number of people (all ages) living with HIV, 2005 (000), low estimate - 32
Estimated number of people (all ages) living with HIV, 2005 (000), high estimate- 140
Mother-to-child transmission, Estimated number of women (aged 15+) living with HIV, 2005 (thousands)- 34
Orphans Children (aged 0-17), orphaned due to all causes, 2005, estimate (thousands)
350
Other stats not available.

Role of Platelets in Malaria Treatment?

(From ABC news)
Platelets in human blood could hold the key to better treatment.
Scientists at Tasmania's Menzies Research Institute have made a breakthrough they hope will lead to new treatments for malaria.
Researchers in Hobart have discovered that platelets in human blood kill the malaria parasite during the early stages of infection.
While platelets are naturally occurring, their levels in the body drop quickly when a person gets malaria.
They have found platelets can kill the malaria parasite by binding to red blood cells.The breakthrough follows more than six years of research.
Senior researcher Dr Brendan McMorran says about half a million people die of malaria each year.
"Most of the drugs that we use today are becoming useless because of the problem of drug resistance, similar way to a lot of bacteria developing antibiotic resistance," he said. "The malaria parasite, there's a lot of parasites out there now that are very resistant to most of the drugs that we can use to treat them.
"Malaria is a major problem in the world and it's becoming more and more of a serious problem." Dr McMorran says the next step will be securing funding to develop treatments.

What are platelets? - They are found in the human blood. They are what makes your wound to immediately stop bleeding when you cut yourself.
What are Red blood cells (RBC)? They are bigger than platelets. They carry oxygen around the body. The malaria parasite goes into RBC and infects them.
What the article is saying is that they believe platelets will kill off the RBCs infected with the malaria parasite. It is still in early phases of study. Will take more than ten years before any new treatments are developed. Currently the study is done in mice.

Inland Fish farming Potential in Warakamb Valley

Above - Trout was introduced into the Kamb river (Warakamb) during the colonial days.

Trout is a popular fish among villagers in the Warakamb Valley. Villagers use strings and bush rods to catch them. They are found in the Lai, Kamb and Kolpa rivers. They were introduced most likely from Australia during the colonial days. Trout have less bones and lot of nice flesh. They can be smoked, creamed with coconut juice, or boiled in a pot. It is even better just roasting it or frying it with a bit of salt and oil.
Trout farming was difficult due to various reasons. In the last few years, another species of fish has been introduced. They are reproducing fast and also grow quickly, making protein available to the villagers. This is becoming popular and many villagers are digging lot of fish ponds.
This will take of in a very big way if we had some technical knowhow from the various government bodies, but due to the remoteness of the valley, it is almost impossible. Hopefully, the locals can experiment and expand themselves.

Divine Word Uni to go paper less

By KEVIN PAMBA
DIVINE Word University (DWU) in Madang aims to be a “paperless university” by next year as its contribution to fight global warming.
It had been progressively reducing the use of paper with information and communication technologies (ICT) and by next year, the “paperless university” policy would be fully operational, DWU president Fr Jan Czuba said last Friday.
He said all academic and administration activities would be done through the use of ICT while the use of paper would be limited to unavoidable circumstances only.
“There is no way back. The paperless university policy will be implemented next year,” Fr Czuba told staff at the close of the week-long staff induction programme.
He said the university had a moral obligation to help fight global warming and it must reduce the use of paper, printing, photocopying and the waste that was produced.
The new policy would require lecturers, tutors and students to carry out all academic work through the networked computers via chat lecture rooms, laboratories and auditoriums that had progressively been fitted with the ICT capability.
Students had already been accessing the networked computers with email and internet access and they each received a free 128 megabyte flash drive upon enrolment.

NB. Lot of Universities and hospitals in Australia and elsewhere have aimed for that but still there is lot of paper involved. At least that is a good start.

Tree plantations the way to go in PNG

Tree plantation in Tasmania, Australia, and above, a former DPI officer demonstrates how to plant eucalyptus trees in the Warakamb valley.


A lot has been said recently about global warming, and a lot is happening. But still nothing much is beeing done in PNG. Vast areas of forests are cut everyday for farming or for hard wood to do various things.
This can stop if rural people were educated about the long term implications. Seedlings should be given out freely to peopcle to plant and this should be encouraged. This happened in the Warakamb valley during the Christmas holidays where over 2000 trees were planted by villagers using a grant from the office of Environment and Climate Change. There are still vast areas needing tree planting and should be done more frequently. In Tasmania, Australia, vast hectares of land are used for tree plantations.

Western Highlands UM Church Growth Lowest in 2007

Above; Retired pastors from Warakamb who helped to spread the gospel in the Western Highlands Union Mission. Below: WHUM church growth. Note that it was the lowest in 2007.


From statistics available online, the growth of the Adventist church in Western Highlands Union Mission (WHUM) in 2007 was the lowest in the last 10 years. The WHUM consists of Churches in Enga, Western Highlands and SHP.

In the previous years, our retired laymen were some of those who proudly served to let the church grow to what it is today.
We would like to thank our retire pastors and our current pastors for doing the important job of teaching people to live in good ways.