ALPHONSE HUVI

Every no has a better yes
It is now or never, I think
when any opportunity arises
So I try my best to go for it
Hoping for the better
Every no has a better yes

KEITH JACKSON

Pacific Odyssey: The Curious Journey of Lew 2.0 by Chet Nairene, Banana Leaf Books, March 2024, paperback, 392 pages. ASIN‎ B0CYLXCGW7. Available here as ebook or paperback from Amazon Books

NOOSA – After five years of what he admits has been especially hard work, Chet Nairene (a nom de plume) has published his second novel, Pacific Odyssey - The Curious Journey of Lew 2.0, which I hope will soon be reviewed in PNG Attitude.

Chet tells me that Pacific Odyssey is “a quirky mashup, something like Poltergeist meets Wall Street in rural Asia.

ISO YAWI

"The integration of industry and academic experience is essential for driving progress and development"  -  Iso Yawi

LAE – Next Friday - 5 April - marks a significant day for the Papua New Guinea University of Technology, which hosts its 56th graduation ceremony.

With the theme, ‘Impacting livelihood through the advancement of science and technology’, this event underscores the crucial role of education and innovation in shaping the future of our nation.

KEITH JACKSON

 Anthropologist husband-and-wife team Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson working in their home near the Sepik River where they studied the Iatmul people (Gregory Bateson, 1938)

NOOSA - I’m pleased to be a member of the Oceanic Art Society, a small and energetic organisation that provides continuing focus on and support for the visual arts in the Pacific Islands region, including an excellent lecture series.

The first OAS lecture for 2024 is being held in Sydney next month and features emerging scholar Enzo Hamel, a PhD student at the Sainsbury Research Unit for the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas at the University of East Anglia, in Norwich (UK).

ALLAN BIRD
| Governor, East Sepik Province

The gold refinery of our dreams (Generated with AI, 22 March 2024, 7.49 am)

WEWAK - The Marape government’s proposed legislation to establish a gold refinery in Papua New Guinea seems to be another cargo cult endeavour that will bring little or no value for money for our country.

The proponents have zero experience in refineries or gold bullion and they don't understand the refinery business or business in general.

PROFESSOR JAMES CHIN *

Prime Minister James Marape - looks good for now but feelings are he will be deposed before the year is out (Rhiannon Johannes, DFAT)

HOBART - The past several months has seen an escalation of violence in Papua New Guinea, Australia’s nearest neighbour.

Given the recent developments, prime minister James Marape’s hold on power looks tenuous, and we may soon see a change in leadership.

MICHAEL CHOW & DINAH LEWIS BOUCHER
| Nesia Daily

PORT MORESBY - Papua New Guinea is considered the most linguistically diverse place on earth and according to a published study its national language takes the crown as the most beautiful.

Surpassing famed love languages like Italian and Spanish, the research published in the Journal of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences showed Tok Pisin was the highest-rated.

ANTHONY WAGAMBIE JNR
| Academia Nomad

Anthony Wagambie Jnr is well known as a corruption fighter and one of the most respected police officers in Papua New Guinea.  Following the 10 January riots he was one of a number of senior police officers who were demoted and transferred, in his case from the Port Moresby to Bougainville as Deputy Commander.  There was an immediate wave of support for Wagambie throughout the country.  In response Wagambie wrote this reflection on his commitment to policing....

__________

BUKA - I grew up as a son of a police officer. I am the first born son of Anthony Wagambie Snr. He was then an Inspector of Police based in Lae and my mum, Mrs Elizabeth Wagambie nee Saun was a paediatric nurse at Angau Hospital.

MEDIA STATEMENT

New CEO of Bougainville Copper, David Osikore, has worked for more than 30 years in the PNG and Australian mining industries 

BUKA - Bougainville Copper Limited (BCL) has announced the appointments of David Osikore as managing director and chief executive officer and Johnny Patterson Auna as chief financial officer and company secretary.

The appointments follow significant progress made by BCL over the past five months as it prepares to transition from a caretaker mode to a more operational exploration phase.

ALLAN BIRD
| Facebook | Academia Nomad

The police hierarchy warn possible prime minister Allan Bird of death threats even as they move his trusted police commander to a distant post (Facebook)

Allan Bird has been nominated to succeed prime minister James Marape in a forthcoming vote of no confidence

WEWAK - Am I desperate to be prime minister of Papua New Guinea? Short answer is no. But someone needs to step up and seriously address the issues which are destroying our country. Those problems will not fix themselves.

Since my nomination, I have been advised by a deputy police commissioner that my life is under threat and the police are monitoring the situation.

KELA KAPKORA SIL BOLKIN

The Baptism of Howa and Tagali (Generated with AI by Bing Copilot,  9 March 2024)

PORT MORESBY - Brothers Howa Matiabe, five, and Tagali Matiabe, four, were two neighbourhood friends of my children.

Most days they were part of a large group of boys who would play in our banana patch or under the house.

BEE DURESI
| Duresi's Odyssey 

It's Our Day (Generated with AI by Bing Copilot, 8 March 2024)

Happy International Women’s Day to all the women who follow Duresi's Odyssey. You are amazing!

The theme for 2024 is “Invest in women - accelerate progress.”  I love this theme for many reasons.

SINA ALWYN WALLACE
| Facebook | Thanks to Rob Parer

All now gone from our midst: Bishop Austen Crapp OFM CBE,  Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare, Bishop Tony Burgess (Gianni Gattei)

AITAPE - I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Bishop Austen Crapp OFM at Sydney Royal Hospital yesterday at 5 am, a day after his 90th birthday.

An era has ended with Bishop Crapp's death, for this great man was the last  missionary priest of the Franciscan Diocese of Aitape. He had served our people as parish priest and bishop for more than 40 years.

MICHAEL KABUNI
| Academia Nomad

John Rosso - well poised to become PNG's next prime minister as James Marape miscalculates and Opposition fails to strengthen its ranks (PNG Blogs)

PORT MORESBY - Let’s be honest. If there was a vote of no confidence in February 2024, prime minister James Marape would have defeated it.

Governments in PNG are usually destabilised from within - not without.

Leading up to the vote of no confidence, the numbers in the senior coalition partner, Pangu Pati, actually grew. So did coalition numbers overall.

BARRY TAVERNER

Barry in PNG's uplands - the cover of his 2014 book

ADELAIDE - In March of 1970 I was sent by Dave Schupp, Assistant District Commissioner, Wabag, to try to stop a war between the Ambulin and the Wabulin clans whilst ensuring that I did not get killed myself.

I was shot at numerous times during that rather fateful day but not by men with guns, they had bows and arrows.

MARK PALM
| Samaritan Aviation

MESA, ARIZONA, USA - On my recent trip to Papua New Guinea, I found myself pulling alongside the dock in Kapuna in our seaplane to begin our first-ever medical patrol in the Gulf Province.

This side of the island has never had a medical service like Samaritan Aviation and we will be bringing long-overdue hope and access to this part of the country.

STEPHANIE ALOIS

Who can love me more than her?
Whose heart is of purest diamond
Whose love for me is too good
Whose love is second to God's
Oh my angel mother
You leave me speechless

Who can measure your gentle patience?
You are resilient and composed when handling crisis
You persevere in the face of extreme difficulty
You believe in me unceasingly
Oh my angel mother
You are sweeter than honey