Entrepreneur & activist Clive Troy dies at 87

PHIL AINSWORTH
| PNG Association of Australia | Edited

John Mills and Clive Troy  December 2010
John Mills and Clive Troy, December 2010

SYDNEY - Clive Troy – who has died in Sydney aged 87 - was a leading light in the Papua New Guinea Treasury, a successful entrepreneur in the Philipines and a man always ready to lend a helping hand, especially if the project involved PNG.

He was born in Wollongong, New South Wales in 1937 and completed his education at Warwick in Queensland before, in 1955, being appointed to a position in the Department of Treasury in Papua New Guinea.

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USAID: Much talk about nothing in PNG

MICHAEL KABUNI
| Academia Nomad

 

USAID
USAID has been responsible for half of long-term foreign assistance by the US government

PORT MORESBY - Whilst there’s much talk about the potential impact of cuts to USAID on the Pacific Islands, in the case of Papua New Guinea I cannot point to a specific USAID project and say with confidence it has transformed lives.

This is not a criticism of USAID. The quality of life in PNG is not the responsibility of foreign countries and donors. We Papua New Guineans get that.

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Australia helps expedite PNG budget repair

IAN LING-STUCKEY
| PNG Minister for Treasury

State Owned Enterprises Minister Duma  Treasurer Ling-Stuckey and Foreign Affairs Minister Tkachenko  Hilton Hotel  Port Moresby  December 2024
State Owned Enterprises Minister William Duma,  Treasurer Ian Ling-Stuckey and Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkachenko,  Hilton Hotel,  Port Moresby,  December 2024

PORT MORESBY - The recent announcement of a K1.4 billion budget support loan from Australia is good news for Papua New Guinea.

The Australian loan interest of 4.2% is only half the rate of the expensive commercial loans pursued by the former O'Neill government of 8.4% plus high up-front costs in fees.

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PNG's problematic rush to independence

PAUL OATES

National-Archives-of-Australia
The Australian flag comes down, 16 September 1975 (National Archives of Australia)

CLEVELAND - Fifty or so years ago, many of us who worked in Papua New Guinea and were acquainted with its new leaders had mixed feelings about what seemed to be a rush to independence.

In 1975, there was certainly hope for the future and good wishes for our Papua New Guinean friends. But there was also a feeling that what was offered to PNG was a sugar coated pill that contained a more bitter reality.

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Understanding the use of crypto in PNG

PETER S KINJAP

Peter Kinjap
Peter Kinjap explains Bitcoin at one of his frequent seminars

PORT MORESBY - Crypto (cryptocurrency) is digital money that exists only online. It’s not like kina or toea that you can hold in your hand. Instead, it’s stored on a computer or smartphone.

The best known crypto is Bitcoin but there are many others – Ethereum, Solana, probably hundreds more.

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As Sir Julius wanted, let’s keep PNG united

BUSA JEREMIAH WENOGO

Independence Coalition - Thomas Kavali  Michael Somare  Julius Chan and John Guise
Fifty years ago - the leaders of PNG's independence coalition: Thomas Kavali, Michael Somare, Julius Chan and John Guise

PORT MORESBY - The recent passing of Sir Julius Chan has prompted me to reflect on the life and journey of the founding fathers of Papua New Guinea, especially their work to establish a new nation.

I am reminded of the Spanish-American philosopher and essayist, George Santayana, who said: “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it”.

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Elder statesman Sir Julius Chan dies at 85

KEITH JACKSON

Sir Julus Chan was an outstanding figure both in colonial Papua New Guinea and in 50 years of independence (PNG Business News)
Sir Julius Chan was an outstanding political and business figure in colonial Papua New Guinea and in 50 years of independence (PNG Business News)

NOOSA – Not long after dawn one morning in early January 1972, just as I was finishing breakfast (it was porridge), there was a gentle tap-tap-tap on the front door of our home.

The station manager’s house was a few rungs up a ladder adjacent to Radio Bougainville’s studio block and, while early morning visitors were common, mostly they were announcers who’d left the studio key at home.

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Three Ages of a Mosaic Land

ANONYMOUS

Image by Jorge Salas for New Paths Expeditions
Image by Jorge Salas for New Paths Expeditions

The three related verses that follow reflect the traditional English sonnet form (three quatrains and a couplet, with an ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme). This poem has been composed to mark Papua New Guinea's 50th year of independence in 2025. Each sonnet explores a different aspect of PNG's journey - past, present and future - while maintaining thematic connections through imagery drawn from custom, wisdom and the land itself.

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Peter Lewis, a teacher of great dedication

KEITH JACKSON

NOOSA – My old Mosman room-mate from 1962, Ian ‘Talker’ McLean, bears the sad news of an old Manly housemate from 1963, Peter 'Ringer' Lewis, who has died after a long illness.

After receiving his ASOPA certification in 1963, Peter Edward Lewis taught in the Northern Territory for eight years in schools at Papunya, Yuendumu and Lake Nash before moving on to Kormilda College and Katherine Public School, as a project teacher for disadvantaged Indigenous and other students.

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Help fight Malaysian logger's grubby tactics

KEITH JACKSON

Act Now slappd
Image by Reporters Without Borders (RCF)

 

NOOSA - In 2024, Act Now, one of Papua New Guinea’s few community-based advocacy organisations, was subjected to no less than three pernicious SLAPP lawsuits instigated by a Malaysian logging company.

SLAPPs (Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation) are used by politicians, public officials, big companies and wealthy individuals to intimidate and harass journalists, campaigners and human rights defenders.

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When arse-grass came to Livinton Hall

PHILIP FITZPATRICK

Crown Lane Cover

Crown Lane: A rural boomer’s tale by Robert Forster, UK Book Publishing, Whitley Bay, 2024. Available from Amazon Australia for $21.99 plus postage

TUMBY BAY - Although born in the heart of it, I’ve never been able to truly fathom the feudal but still very much extant English class system.

From the bone-headed parasites and inbreeds in the royal family to the lowliest members of the working class the existence of the archaic system and its acceptance by both its beneficiaries and victims is truly mystifying.

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Buin's Johnny Auna is new boss at BCL

MEDIA RELEASE
| Bougainville Copper Ltd
 
 
BCL Johnny and team
New Bougainville Copper CEO Johnny Auna and team. "A once in a lifetime opportunity," says Johnny.

BUKA - Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL) has announced the appointment of Johnny Patterson Auna as chief executive officer.

Mr Auna, from Laguai Village, Buin, in South Bougainville, joined BCL in March last year as chief financial officer and company secretary.

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‘Diplomatic doyen’ Charles Lepani dies at 77

OBITUARY
| Exepreneur Magazine

Sir Charles Lepani
Sir Charles Lepani - the last of 'The Gang of Four', who significantly influenced PNG's governance before its independence


PORT MORESBY - Sir Charles Watson Lepani, KBE CBE OBE, born on 28 October 1947 in the Trobriand Islands of Papua New Guinea, was a prominent public servant and diplomat whose career spanned several decades.

He passed away on 10 January 2025 after a battle with stage four cancer, leaving behind a legacy of dedication to the development and growth of PNG.

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