Paga Hill Development’s gift provides kids’ books to schools
25 August 2015
KEITH JACKSON
THE overwhelming number of entries in this year’s Writing for Children Award in the Crocodile Prize has inspired Paga Hill Development Company to assist publish and distribute a special book of children’s stories.
Many of the more than 50 children’s stories entered in the Crocodile Prize contest will be published as a special edition children’s book and distributed to as many Papua New Guinean schools as possible.
The children’s anthology, an initiative spearheaded by the Crocodile Prize Organisation and edited by Ben Jackson (pictured with writer Martyn Namorong), aims to provide Papua New Guinean schools with greater access to home-grown literature and to encourage reading from a young age.
“We are delighted to extend our sponsorship of the Writing for Children Award to produce this compilation of locally written stories for Papua New Guinean children,” said Gudmundur (Gummi) Fridriksson, CEO of Paga Hill Development Company. “We realise the importance of local stories being shared and enjoyed in local schools.
“The love of language and joy of reading from an early age is a wonderful and powerful gift that we are happy to encourage.
“Through these stories we hope to support the preservation of Papua New Guinean culture by teaching children in a way that is interesting to them,” he said.
Stanley Liria, a director and lawyer of PHDC and himself an author of two books, said the book presented an excellent opportunity to showcase Papua New Guinea’s rich storytelling culture and to provide Papua New Guinean children with access to local literature.
“Creativity, imagination and education are just some of the joys of reading,” Mr Liria said. “We hope this collection of stories will share more original tales of Papua New Guinea with younger generations and encourage a greater interest in reading and writing.”
The Crocodile Prize is PNG’s annual national writing contest, now in its fifth year. It was established in 2010 to encourage creative and critical writing in PNG.
The Writing for Children Anthology will be published by the Pukpuk Publishing imprint, a non-profit adjunct of the Crocodile Prize, and is expected that the book will be available in late October.
Entries submitted to the Paga Hill Development Company Award for Writing for Children can be viewed here http://www.crocodileprize.org/category/2015-entries/paga-hill-children-writing/
Whilst controversial in some quarters, Paga Hill Estates has shown itself to be a progressive, big hearted organization.
The relocation of unauthorized families from Paga Hill to their own blocks just outside Port Moresby was a humane and generous program.
Paga Hill Estates have also been very generous in support of Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary Legacy Inc.,the Charity that succours and supports the families of Members of the Constabulary who are deceased whilst serving, through generous contributions to the Commandant's (Governor General) Scholarship Fund.
Good on 'em.
Posted by: Peter Turner | 28 August 2015 at 11:46 AM
Great news.
Posted by: Baka Bina | 27 August 2015 at 05:59 PM
Great initiative, thanks.
Posted by: Arnold Mundua | 27 August 2015 at 09:47 AM
I would like to applaud the great initative of Paga Hill Development for the publication of the Childrens Anthology.
It will be a great bonus and motivation for the Papua New Guinean kids to appreciate reading the tales of their society.
I am happy to contribute 11 pieces of stories out of these 50 stories.
Thanks Keith and Paga Hill Development for this anthology.
Posted by: Jimmy Awagl | 27 August 2015 at 02:45 AM
I appauld Paga Hill Development for publishing all the short stories for our school children nationwide. I read them and they all deserve a permanent place in the pages of a book for future generations to enjoy. Thank you.
Posted by: Daniel Ipan Kumbon | 25 August 2015 at 02:51 PM
Something good for everyone to come out of the Paga Hill developments.
Wow! Somebody has a heart!
Posted by: Barbara Short | 25 August 2015 at 08:09 AM