ANZ is in 29 markets across Asia Pacific and we're growing. That means we've now got more financial specialists who share your regional interests and who take the time to fully understand your needs. They have the experience and the network to put you in touch with the right products, the right opportunities and the right people to help you reach your goals. Because,in Asia Pacific, connections count.
For more information please visit your nearest branch or contact us on L!321 1079.
is a PapuaNewGuineansuccess story.Todaythe companyis a well establishedbusinessconglomerate with diversecommercialinterests andlistingson boththe Australian andPortMoresbyStockExchanges.
The Group employsover 3,200 PNGcitizensand non citizensin six diverse companiesgrouped under three operatingdivisions: Logistics,Propertyand Hotels,and Commercial.
It continuesto upholda company philosophywhich aims to offer quality, competitivegoods and servicesto all its customers; providesecure and challenging careersfor its staff; maintainthe highestbusinessethicsat all times; protectthe environmentfromharm; and earn superiorreturnsfor its shareholders.
Papua New Guinea's economy marked a milestone on May 14, 2014 with the first shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG), placing Papua New Guinea on the world stage as one of the leading LNG producing and exporting countries.
The LNG project catapults the nation's economic growth and development and provided an enormous employment opportunity for thousands of Papua New Guineans. Billions of kina has been invested in infrastructure and many community programs have likewise benefited. The proJect also provided the backdrop for a boom in the construction industry. The national airline experienced healthy growth in passenger numbers from the employment of hundreds of overseas workers flying in and out of the country during the construction phase.
As our Prime Minister, the Hon. Peter O'Neill has said, LNG exports will bring significant economic benefits to PNG, for generations to come.
You can read more about the first LNG shipment, aboard the Spirit of He/a, inside.
Now that the LNG terminal is in production and construction has ceased, Air Niugini has experienced less traffic, especially on the Asian routes and on domestic flights.
The airline industry 1sa fluid one and with the slowing down of passenger numbers we have to consider other commercial opportunities to drive our operations and maintain viability. Identifying and developing opportunities are naturally important to Air Niugini, as we develop our role as Melanesia's major carrier.
The PNG Prime Minister delivered this same advice in his keynote address at the annual forum of the Australian PNG Business Forum Council, In Cairns. Titled "Opportunities Beyond the Boom", the forum discussed a number of themes. I was honoured to join speakers addressing the theme of Building a National Tounsm Industry: Opportunities and Challenges.
Among many and continued developments within the airline, we have just opened a new sales office in Honiara, to service the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji. Air Niugini flies regularly to this region, and as Papua New Guinea expands its investment and trade throughout Melanesia, It was essential we provide a matching level of customer service. A key aspect of our operations - and a strong focus of all our people - is customer service.
Many m mbers have Joined us on our journey into the digital world. We now have more than 13,000 followers on our Facebook page, "Destinations Air Niugini" where we post all promotions for our members to share with their family and friends. We encourage you to visit and join us!
This year will mark the 100th anniversary of World War I. On September 11, 1915, the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force landed in Rabaul and seized the then German-held wireless station. Just five weeks after the declaration of war. it was the first place Australian troops shed blood. There will be a dawn service on that day at B1taPaka War Cemetery, outside Kokopo, in East New Britain. For all who can make It, our Air Niugini Tours can assist with your travel arrangements as It will be a worthy tnp.
During your flight with us today, browse through the Paradise World Boutique catalogue for that perfect gift for yourself or someone special. Also available from our inflight duty free is our very own Paradise Kofi, especially blended for Air N1ug1nifrom the finest coffee varieties grown in Papua New Guinea.
Thank you for your continued patronage and enjoy your flight.
Simon Foo, CBE Chief Executive Officer
Pi1rad1se 1s the complimentary intlight magazine of Air iugini, l'ilpua ew Guinea's international airline. It is publi~hed six limes a year by Islands Business International
Publi her/Managing Director
Godfrey coullar
dvertising & 1arketing 1anager
Sharron lretton
Deign
lanlcy l'ril,ad Dick L~ •
Editorial onsultanl va Arn1
lands Business International
C.l'O Box 12718, Suva, hji Island 1 cl. 6791101108
Fa : 679 330 J.p1 l'-m,1il: advert II ibi.wm.tj
orrespondence to the airline to: llw hid E nutin- Olticl•r Air, iugini l'O Bo 71!!6
llurok11, • D, Papua \•\\ (,ui1wa fr): 67'\ 1271,)'\8
F,1 : 675 327 1'\'i0
ditorial orrespondcn e to:
l',1r,1d1selnflight M,1g,1.,111e
1'0 Bo 12718, Suv,1, hji lsl.ind, ll'i. 679 :n01108
1,1 : 679 :no1 r,1
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Printing
lnprint l't) I 1m1t,·d Cnr 811 •n Z1llm,·r,• Ru.id Boond,111,Qu,·,·n,l,md, -10~ Australi,1
nsolkit,•d m,1nus(l'ipts, .irlwork, tr,1n,p,1n•nci1•-.. ,rnd photogr,1ph, Ml' submitt1•d .it tlw q•ndcr', risk. WhilL•,111r.ir,• 1,ill lw t.Jkl·n n1•1tlwrtlw publi,hl•r~ nor tlw ,11rl11w1, ill ,,n,•pt respun 1bility tor ,llnd,·nt.11 lu s or d,,ma~l'. 'o p,1rt of th1 publi,·,1t11>nm,11·b,• r •produwd 1, 1thout the\\ ritt1·n pl•rmi 10n 111the publi h1•r.St.1tenwnt , op1m1>11 ,,nd p11111t11f, 1,•1,l' pr, l'd h) th,· ,, rill•p.,Ml' tlwir own ,lnd do not 111•1·sanly rt prl' 1·nt th11~l'of tlw pubh h1•r,1·d111,r,11rtlw ,urlinl'. lnfurm,11ion n111tain1•d111th1 publication m,11 lw ,nrn·ct uni) ,11 tlw linw 111,,1, origin,11ly obt,1i1wd by th,· writ •r, ,md 111,,ylw ,ub11•ctto h,1ngl' ,1t ,111}'tim • ,md without not1n•
ASIA Perfection Beyond Phuket
Glittering e cap beyond th crowds
AUSTRALIAChill Out at Chillagoe
Vi iting lime ton cav of old mining town
EUROPE A Date with David Vi iting florenc • • mo t famou man
Brian Bell Projects Division, 50 year
PNG experience offers the complete service - from design to fit-out for Restaurants
Mining Sites
Hotels Clubs
COA TAL SHIPPING op rat a fl et of coa tal
V<'SS(•lsthat sp ciali7 in nPar o,istal, estuarine ,ind riVPr tradt>s in the Gulf and W(•strrn Provine s, with<• perwnle In shipping solutions throughout tht• ew Guinea lsl,1nd, and ,1sf,1r ,1fi Id ,1s auru ,ind Australi,1
SNvic t•s include:
• Short .:1ncllong t rm v ssc•Icharters
• Reli,1ble {,irgo lint>r crvict·
• r-I t't of gc,1red, multipurpose vessel ranging from 500DWT to f,000DWT
• All vc>ssebover S00GT .ut• all IA class d ,rnd comply with all intc>rn,ltional maritime rc•gul,ltions including SOI A ,rnd MARPOL
OpN,1te~ from a Port Mor •shy hub with the following f.icil1t1es:
• Port with 200m qu,1y fac l'
• Ro-ro ramp
• 20,000 square•mC'tersoi harclstand lay down and storage ar •,1
Joint V nture STEVEDORI G have modern stevedoring ,md haulage equipment fleet Op rations, staff training .:1ndequipment benchmarked to Australian performance, health, safety and environmental standards.
Pleaseask us
If there is anything our cabin crew can assistyou with during your flight, pleasedo not hesitateto askthem.
Pleaseensurethat your carryon luggage 1splaced in the overheadlockeror under the seatin front of you.
Tqkeoffand
Ensurethat your seat is in the upright position during takeoff and landing.Folding tablesmust be returned to their original position in th seat backor the armrest.
Yourseat belt must b securelyfastenedduring take off and landing or whenever th seat belt sign is on. When the seat belt sign 1soff you may move about the cabin as necessary. Howeverwhile seat d, ke p your seatbelt fastenedsecurely 1ncaseof unexp cted turbul nee.
Cellul r t I phon s, rv rece1vrs or radio controlled devices ar not to b us d at any um on board an aircraft.Electronic d vie s such as portable computers,compact discsor c ss tt pi y rs nd vid o g,irn s c n be used only when th s t b It SiC:Jn is switched off
Th c b111crew will also b pi as d to assistin preparing your b by'sfoocland bottl B by food nd diapersare alsoc1vcJil..1blPI se do not h s1tat to askour friendly cabin er w.
Smoking is not p rm1tt d on any Air Niugini fli ht.
A selectionof moviesand music including classical, modern,country and local are availableon international services.Programmescan be found 1nthe in-flight entertainment sectionof this magazine.
On Internationalflights, pillows and blanketsare available on requestfrom our cabin crew.
Our in-flight* mealshave been speciallypreparedfor your enjoyment.If you requirea vegetarianmeal or you areon a specialdiet, child or baby food, pleaseinform us when making your reservation.
During the flight take some time to look through our In-flight Duty Freebrochure located in your seatpocket. Duty free purchasescan be made after Meal Service. All major credit cardsareaccepted.
During your flight, our cabin crew will distribute Immigration and Customforms beforeeach landing point. Ensurethat you carefullyreadand complete these documents and have them readyfor inspectionwith your passportat the Immigration and Customs arrivalcounters.
Pleasecheckyour seatpocket and overheadlockers beforeyou disembarkto ensureyou have not leh any items of value.We look forward to seeingyou when you next fly with us on our Birdof ParadiseService.
B767-300ER - Boeing
Length: 59.94m
Wing span: 4~ Frr
Range: 8100 m
Cruising speed: 8 7kpl
B737-700 - Boeing
Length: 33.6m
Wing span: 3.S 9m
Range: 637t m
Cruising speed: 830 ph
Power plant: 2 K PW4000
Normal altitude: I 1000-12000m
Standard seating capacity: 214
Number of aircraft in fleet: 2
B737-800 - Boeing
Length
Wing span: 35 79rr
Range:8100 m
Cruising speed:85lkph
Power plant: 2 CFM56-7822
Normal altitude: 113oan,
Standard seating capacity: 122
Number of aircraft in fleet: I
DASH 8-Q400 NextGen - Bombardier
Length: 28T'
Wing span: 28.4m
Range: JJOOkni
Cruising speed: 670 ph
Power plant 't tneyPW150A
Normal altitude: 7500m
Standard seating capacity: 74
Number of aircraft in fleet: 6
DHC-8-202 - Bombardier
Length:2 2
Wing span: 589m
Range: I m
Cruising speed: 550kph
Power plant: 2 x Pratt vVh oeyPW123D
Normal altitude: 7600m
Standard seating capacity: ~6
Number of aircraft in fleet: 4
Fl 00 - Fokker
Length
Wing span: 18.0 om
Range: IOOOkm
Cruising speed: 7. pt,
Pow r plant: 2 K M 826
Normal altitude: 1 00m
Standard seating capacity: 15
Number of aircraft in fie t: l
Pow rplant.
Normal alutud : 000M
Standard seating capacity:
Number of aircraft inn t:
DASH 8-Q315 - Bombardier
Length:
Wing span: 24 4m
Range: 100km
Cruising speed: 510
Pow r plant.
Normal alt1tud : 00m
Standard s ung cap rny: O
Number of airer ft In f1 t: 4
Falcon 900EX - Dassault
Length
Wing span: 19Bm
Range: 4500nm
Cruising speed: 650mph
Pow r plant: Hon
Maximum lt1tud : 51
Standards atIng capacity: 12
Number of aircraft in n t 1
Theseexercisesare designedto encouragea safe way to enjoy movement and stretchcertain muscle groups that can become stiff as a resultof long periods of sitting.They may be effectivein increasingthe body'scirculationand massagingthe muscles. We recommendyou do theseexercisesfor three or
four minutes everyhour and occasionallyget out of your seatand walk down the aislesif conditions allow. Eachexerciseshould be done with minimal disturbanceto other passengers.None of the following should be performed if they cause pain or cannot be done with ease.
Hunc.hshoulde!S ntwh forwdrd t nupward. s1multdnrouslymoving yourt then batkwdrd. one foot clockwis~ Alt rnaw lcqs. then downwdrd t R peat .10-30tIm<.'S using a entl fofe er circularmotJon.
R,·peat1fd ir I
Startwlth armsheld high at 9(f angle elbowsdown, hands out in fron Rase hand, up to chest andba down •It rndt ng arms. Dothesee, rdses n 30second1nterVdls
Be'ld forwardsl htly Clasphandsaround left kneeand hug It to your chest Hold stretct,for 15seconds. Keepinghandsaround d knre, slowly let I Alternatelegs. Repeat1Otimes.
With bot: fee on the floorandstomach held in slowly.bend fO<Wardto wal your handsdown the front of your legstowards yot,r an Jes.'iold stl'l: c ror '5 seconds and slowlysit bac up
Foot motion Is In three tag
1,S art with bot s 0fl t floor and point I tupw rdsash youcan
2. Put both l Oat on the floor
At Air Niugini we care about your comfort and safety. We have included the
following information about your health
in-flight that we hope you will find helpful and useful.
When you are flying you can be seatedand be inactive for long periods of time.The environment can be low in humidity and pressurisedup to an altitude of 2240 metres above sealevel.Unlikeother forms of transportation, air travel allows for rapid movement acrossmany time zones,causinga disruption to the body's"biological clock".
Although these unique factorsdo not pose a health or safety thre to most passengers,there are guidelinesyou can follow that will improve your comfort level,during and after a flight. We hope the following recommendationswill help you havea more pleasantflight today and in the future.
When you're sitting upright in a stationaryposition for a long period of time, severalthings can happen.
The central blood vesselsin your legscan be compressed, making it more difficult for the blood to get back to your heart.
The long inactivity of your body musclesin this position can result in muscle tension,back achesor a feeling of excessivefatigue during, or even after,your flight.
A stationaryposition inhibits the normal body mechanism for returning fluid to your heart,and gravity can cause the fluid to collect in your feet.This resultsin swollen feet after a long flight.
Studieshave concluded that prolonged immobility may be a riskfactor in the formation of clots in the legs (DVT deep vein thrombosis).Particularmedication and medical conditions may increasethe riskof formation of clots if associatedwith prolonged immobility.
Medical researchindicatesthat factorswhich may give you an increasedriskof blood clots in the legs include:
Formeror current malignant disease
Blood disordersleading to increasedclotting tendency
Personalor family history of DVT
Immobilisation for a day or more
Increasingage above 40 years
Pregnancy
Recentmajor surgeryor injury,especiallyto lower limbs or abdomen
Oestrogenhormone therapy,including oral contraceptives
Dehydration
Heart failure
Trauma
Varicoseveins
Obesity
Tobaccosmoking
Recommendations
If you fall into any of these categoriesor you haveany concern about your health and flying, Air Niugini recommendsyou seekmedical advice before travelling. Follow our in-flight exercisesprogramme.
The main causeof jetlag is travelling to different time zones without giving the body a chanceto adjust to new night-day cycles.In general,the more time zonesyou crossduring your flight, the more your biological clock is disturbed.
The common symptoms are sleeplessness,tiredness,lossof appetite or appetite at odd hours.
Recommendations
Get a good night's rest beforeyour flight.
Arrive at your destination a day or two early,to give your body a chance to become more acclimatisedto the new time zone.
Leaveyour watch on home time if you'restayingat a destination lessthan 48 hours.Also try to eat and sleep according to your home time.
Changeyour watch to the local time if your stay is longer than 48 hours,and try to eat and sleep in accordancewith the local time.
On longer stays,try to preparein advance, adjustyour meal and rest times to be closer to those of your destination.
Try some light exercise- go for a briskwalk, or do some readingif you can't sleepafter arrivalat your destination. It generallytakesthe body's biological clock approximatelyone day to adjust per time zone crossed.
Flydirect to minimiseflight time. Thisallowsyou to relaxmore upon arrival.
Humidity levelsof lessthan 25 percent are common in the cabin.This is due to the extremely low humidity levels of outside air supplied to the cabin.The low humidity can causedrying of the nose,throat, eyesand it can irritate contact lenswearers.
Recommendations
Drinkwater or juices frequently during the flight
Drink coffee,tea and alcohol in moderation.Thesedrinks actsas diuretics,increasingthe body's dehydration. Removecontact lensesand wear glassesif your eyesare irritated.
+ Usea skin moisturiserto refreshthe skin.
Propereating and drinking will enhanceyour comfort both during and after your flight.
Recommendations
Avoid overeatingjust prior to and during the flight. It is difficult to digest too much food when the body is inactive.
Drink coffee,tea and alcohol in moderation.Thesedrinks act as diuretics,increasingthe body's dehydration.
It is necessaryto pressurisethe outside air drawn into the cabin to a sufficient density for your comfort and health.
Cabinsare pressurisedto a maximum cabin altitude of 2440 metres.It is the sameair pressureas if you were at an elevation of 2440 metresabove sealevel.The cabin pressureand normal ratesof change in cabin pressureduring climb and descent do not pose a problem for most passengers.However,if you suffer from upper respiratoryor sinusinfections,obstructive pulmonary diseases,anaemiasor certain cardiovascular conditions,you could experiencediscomfort.Children and infants might experiencesome discomfort becauseof pressurechange during climb and descent.
If you are suffering from nasalcongestion or allergies, use nasalsprays,decongestantsand antihistamines30 minutes prior to descent to help open up your ear and sinus passages.If you havea cold or flu or hay feveryour sinuses could be impaired.Swollen membranesin your nosecould block your eustachiantubes-the tiny channelsbetween your middle ear chamber.Thiscan causediscomfort during changesin cabin pressure,particularlyduring descent.
Recommendations
If you have a pre-existingmedical condition that warrants supplemental oxygen,you can order from us.Pleasegive at leastsevendays notice before travelling.
To"clear"yourearstry swallowing and/or yawning. Theseactions help open your eustachiantubes,equalizing pressurebetween your ear chamber and your throat. When flying with an infant, feed or give your baby a dummy during descent.Suckingand swallowing will help infants equalizethe pressurein their ears.
This ailment is causedby a conflict between the body's senseof vision and its senseof equilibrium. Air turbulence increasesits likelihood becauseit can causemovement of the fluid in the vestibularapparatusof the inner ear. If you havegood visual cues (keepingyour eyesfixed on non-moving object), motion sicknessis lesslikely to occur.
Recommendations
When weather is clear and you can see the ground, seaor horizon,you are lesssusceptibleto motion sickness. Youcan buy over the counter medicationsbut we recommend that you consult your doctor about the appropriate medications.
Port Moresby
POBox7186Boroko
SalesDomestic& International
Tel:3273444 Fax:3273308
Reconfirm lion Domestic& International rel:3273444
Arrival& DeparturelnFormurlon re1:327 3300
CargoEnquiries
li I:327 3245
CargoCharterEnquiries
Cargo:3273226 Pass:327 3370
HeadOffice
Airport & Administration
JacksonsAirport 5Maga
Tel:3273200/3259000
Alotau
POBox3 Alotau GurneyAirport
Tel:6410158
Administration& Reservations
Tel:64 I 1031 Fax:641 1636
Buka
POBox 169
BukaSales rel:9739655 Fax:9739656
Airport Tel:9739082
Goroka
POBox683Goroka
Reservations
Tel:732 1444 Fax:7321439
Kavieng
Administration, Reservations& Cargo Tel:984 2135 Airport: Tel:9842105 Fax:9842337
Kimbe-Hoskins POBox 181Kimbe Administration, Reservations& Cargo Tel:983 5077 Fax:9835669
Arrival& DepartureInformation Tel:98500 2
Kundiawa
POBox847 Kundlawa Tel:735 1273
Lae
Administration,Domestic, Reservations & Cargo
Tel:472 3111 Fax:4724758
InternationalReservations Tel:472 4744
Lihir Reservations
Tel:9865151 Fax:9865134
Lorengau/Manus
POBox170Lorengau
Administration, Reservations& Cargo
Tel:470 9092 Fax:470 9382
Madang
POBox140Madang
Administration& Reservations
Tel:8522255 Fax:852 2079
Mendi
POBox210Mendi
Administration& Reservations
Tel:549 1233 Fax:549 1250
AirportTraffic
Tel:549 1320
Mt Hagen
POBox3 Mt Hagen
ReservationsDomestic
Tel:542 1183/5421122
ReservationsInternational
Tel:542 1039
Enquiries
Tel:545 1444 Fax:5422361
Popondetta
POBox 145Popondetta Reservations Tel:3297022 Fax:3297227
Airport Tel:329 7191
Rabaul
POBox3120Rabaul Reservations & Sales Tel:9839325 Fax:9829034
TokuaAirport Arrival& Departure Information Tel:9839821
Tabubil
POBox545Tabubil DomesticReservations Tel:649 3244
InternationalReservations
Tel:6493325 Fax:6499189
TariAgent Tel 5408023
Vanimo
POBox239Vanimo Tel:857 1014 Fax:857 1473
Airport Tel:857 7166
Wabag& Wapenamanda
POBox213Wabag Administration Tel 547 1274
Arrival& DepartureInformation Tel:547 1286
Waigani
POBox7186Boroko Tel:325 1055 Fax:3253683
Wewak
POBox61 Wewak
Sales Tel 856 2433
International& Domes11c
Tel:8562367 Fax856 2203
Airport Tel:856 2367
AIRNIUGINIOFFICES
AustraliaWide LoccJICall 130036I 380
Brisbane
I evel 3.97 Cre('kStreet
GPOBox2216BnsbcJneOLD4001
Australialei: (61 7) 3221 1544
Fax:(61 7) 32200040
Emt1il:salesbrr1bane~]airniugin1.compg
Cairns
Shop 1 PalmCourt 34 LakeStreet
POBox 1941,C1irnsQLD4870Australio
rel(617)40311611
r .ix:(61 /J 4031 3402
Sydney
SomareI louse
I 00 ClarenceStreet
POBox5293SydneyNSW200I
AustraliaTel (612) 9290 I 544
Fax:(6I 2) 92902026
Email:sc1Is.1ydney@a1rniug1ni.com pg Manila
3rd Floor,FortuneOfficeBuilding 160LegaspiStreet,LegaspiVillage, Makat1City,Philippines
Tel:(632)891 3339/40/41
fax: (632) 891 3393
Emdilsc1lesmanila@airniuginl.com.pg
[mc1il:1<1IP1.ca1ms@c11rniugin1.compg
AIR NIUGINIGSAOFFICES
Auckland/CookIslands WalshesWorld Tel (649) 9772230
Cebu,Philippines
Dest1nat1onsSpecialists
Tel:(6332)2312461
Fax:(6332)2310852
Email:marget@dest1nationscebucorn
Hong Kong
TamWing KunHoldingsLtd
Tel:(852)25277098
Fax:(852)25277026
Honiara
TravelIndustryServices
Tel:(67)720336
Fax:(67)723887
Email:kevin@gts.com.sb
Italy
SpazioSRL
Tel(39)064985621
Fax(39)06498520 I
Jakarta
P.TAyuberga
Tel:(62)2183S6214-217
Fax:(62)21 8353937
KualaLumpur PortVila SriLanka Tokyo
AbadiAviationServices VanuatuTravelServicesLtd Jetw1ngAir Alcon t CorporcJt1011
Tel:(603)21484313 Tel:(67)8222836 Tel (94)114732400 Tel (81) 5733 2So7
Fax:(603)21412322
Fax:(67)8233583
Email:aIrnIug,nrietw1ng.lk Fax:(81)3 5733 2568
Email:pxkul@abad1.com.my Seoul Suva,Fiji Emailyogl@alCOnttJP
LosAngeles SharpInc DiscountFlightCentre United Kingdom
PNGTourism Tel:(82)27347100 Tel (679)331'7870 FlightD11 tors
Tel:(1)9497525440
Fax:(1) 94947163741
Fax·(82)27347108 Fax(679)3 1 7873
Email:sales.usa@a1rniugini.com.pg Singapore Taipei
Perth,Australia
Tel(localcall)08711447470
Tel.(44)1293814952
Fax.(44)087024 02 208 DeksAir ChaMayTravelService
Emailairniug,nr n1ghtd11tor corn
Tel:(65)62S04868 Tel (88)6 25007811
WorldAviationSystems Fax:(65)62533425 Fax:(88)6 25007970
Tel:(618) 92299370 Email:px_sales@deksa1r.com.sg
Email:Leigh.Cathcart@worldav1ations. corn.au
Port Moresby Kavieng Madang Tabubil
POBox7186Boroko
SalesDomestic& International
Administration, POBox140Madang POBox545Tabubil
Reservations& Cargo
Tel:327 3444 Fax:327 3308 Tel:984 2135
ReconfirmationDomestic& Airport:
International Tel:984 2105 Fax:984 2337
Tel:327 3444
Arrival& DepartureInformation Kimbe-Hoskins
Tel:327 3300 POBox18'1Kimbe
CargoEnquiries
Tel:3273245 Tel:983 5077 Fax:983 5669
Administration& Reservations DomesticReservations
Tel:852 2255 Fax:852 2079 Tel:649 3244
Mendi
POBox210Mendi
InternationalReservations
Tel:649 3325 Fax:649 9189
Administration& Reservations TariAgent
Tel:549 1233 Fax:549 1250
Tel:540 8023
Administration,Reservations& Cargo AirportTraffic Vanimo
Tel:549 1320
CargoCharterEnquiries Arrival& DepartureInformation POBox239Vanimo
Cargo:327 3226 Pass:327 3370 Tel:985 0012
~dOffice Kundiawa
Airport & Administration
JacksonsAirport Saraga POBox847 Kundiawa
Tel:327 3200/3259000 Tel:735 1273
Mt Hagen
Tel:8571014 Fax:8571473
POBox3 Mt Hagen Airport
ReservationsDomestic Tel:857 7166
Tel:542 1183/5421122
Tel:542 1039 POBox213Wabag
Alotau Enquiries Administration
ReservationsInternational Wabag& Wapenamanda Lae
POBox3 Alotau GurneyAirport Administration,Domestic,
Tel:641 0158
Administration& Reservations
Tel:641 1031 Fax:641 1636
Tel:545 1444 Fax:542 2361 Tel:547 1274
Reservations& Cargo Arrival& DepartureInformation
Tel:472 3111 Fax:472 4758
InternationalReservations
Popondetta
POBox145Popondetta
Tel:547 1286
Tel:472 4744 Reservations Waigani
Buka Lihir
Tel:329 7022 Fax:329 7227
POBox 169 Airport
BukaSales Reservations
Tel:973 9655 Fax:973 9656
POBox7186 Boroko
Tel:325 1055 Fax:325 3683
Tel:329 7191
Tel:9865151 Fax:986 5134 Wewak
Airport Lorengau/Manus
Tel:973 9082
Rabaul
POBox61 Wewak
POBox3120 Rabaul Sales
POBox I 70 Lorengau Reservations& Sales
Goroka Administration,
Tel:856 2433
Tel:983 9325 Fax:982 9034 International& Domestic
POBox683 Goroka Reservations& Cargo TokuaAirport Arrival& Departure
Reservations
Tel:732 1444 Fax:732 1439
Tel:856 2367 Fax:856 2203
Tel:470 9092 Fax:470 9382 Information Airport
Tel:856 2367
Tel:983 9821
• Accommodation
• Full restaurant and bar facilities
• Wi-Fi internet access
• Convenience store
• Fullyequipped gym
• Commercial laundry
• Outdoor swimming pool
• Entertainmentcomplex
It's our approach to challenges that makes a difference
Managing and fulfilling successfulcamp managementand catering operations in often challengingand remote locationsrequiresa different way of thin 1ng.
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ut my latest was very special, as she had just returned from a refit in Cairns. This refit was not the usual annual service and paint job, but rather a rebirth - replacing main engines, water-makers, plumbing, fridges, freezers and ice-maker, adding a new watercooled dive compressor and complete refurbishment of the interior including plush new carpets.
Not only is Golden Dawn looking spectacular and fit to start a new lease on life but also owner Captain Craig de Wit seized the opportunity to join family in Brisbane and marry his beautiful lady Kamila (now also known as "Admiral"!).
Originally from Siberia, Kamila had dreams of herself and Craig on a tropical beach, so 1knew that a part of the plan was to find a perfect island and produce a second set of wedding photographs. Milne Bay has so many perfect islands, the only problem they had was choice.
Joining us for our adventure were a couple of retired gentlemen, avid divers and travellers, who had managed to get permission from their wives to tick some more dives off their bucket list. In particular, when they signed up, Craig agreed to spend at least two days at Cape Vogel diving the world's most wonderful aircraft wreck, the Bl 7 bomber "Blackjack".
Peter Rothery and Phil Constable are both talented underwater photographers and experienced divers. Peter was able to notch up his 300th dive during the trip. They, too, had dreams of diving Blackjack - and asked Nina of Dive Adventures (www.diveadventures.com. au) to organise the trip. Since Mike Ball Dive Expeditions pulled out of PNG a few years ago there are no scheduled live-aboard boats that dive Blackjack, though Tuft Dive Resort does include it as a special in calm weather - it is a two-hour speedboat ride from Tufi.
Apart from the big aircraft wreck, Peter and Phil were content to let Craig pick the sites we wanted to dive - and even include some exploratory dives.
With all aboard, Craig organised a "Nudibranch" muck dive at Rabe Bay near Alotau before setting off. Nudibranchs are marine slugs, extraordinarily variable and beautiful. There had been some rain and the water could best be described as barely diluted mud. Actually there is no seabed here - the mud just gets thicker; but with modern digital cameras and shooting "macro", so long as you could see the subject then that was clear enough. I mention this now as visibility steadily improved throughout the trip and ended with brilliant clarity on the really important dives on Blackjack.
We found some incredibly colourful Nudibranchs but I also found a seahorse and a couple of special lionfish. The big lionfish ' Pterois volitans 'is very common and well known, however there exists a very closely related species, 'Pterois andover', that only lives in silty water, and which most people misidentify. It has a short pointed tentacle above each eye, partially webbed pectoral fins and "flags" that fly from the tips of its long, venomous, dorsal spines.
Two hours out of Alotau near Kana Kopi we searched for a long lost Zero fighter plane reported ditched in the area. It is still lost. At least we know where it isn't. Next time! We made up for this failure with a dive on a wellcorroded but interesting P40 aircraft wreck nearby.
At Samarai we dived the amazing wharf before moving to Gonubalabala Island to meet the manta rays. Peter decided to stay put on the manta cleaning station and wait while us impatient ones pottered around the reef. The result was that Peter had a long one-on-one encounter with a manta, and we had only a short visit.
We then decided on some exploratory dives in China Straits drifting with the current. On the bottom, soft corals, sponges and sea whips conspired to conceal Gold Lip pearl shells. Nevertheless, I still saw and photographed a couple. There are still many natural pearl shells in this area which was once famous for pearling but not harvested now due to the Samarai pearl farm breeding its own shell. China Straits, named by Captain John Moresby in 1873 when he realised he had discovered a short cut to China for vessels that previously had to dog-leg around the Eastern end of the
LouisiadeArchipelago, has fierce tidal currents. These currents feed a fabulous and very different reef diversity. We made several dives, on one I missed meeting a dugong that checked our dive guide Gadi, as I was intent on getting to the deep reef as quickly as I could. Even in the shallows the corals were healthy and sparkling with tropical fishes, including my favourite Spinecheek Anemonefish.
We checked out a small seamount on the northern side of China Straits and were rewarded with a zillion schooling fishes and a couple of very active grey reef sharks. This is typical shark behaviour for a reef that has not been dived before. Next stop, a few hours away, was the wreck of a P38 Lightning aircraft at Basilaki Island followed by some great reef diving at Bob's Knob,ct~1hrre ball-shaped edifice featuring swim-throughs and black corals that I modestly named after myself years ago.
The 46m depth of Blackjack is deeper than normal sport diving limits and although not regarded as an extraordinary depth it does require special precautions and planning, especially as Blackjack was likely to have current as an added risk factor. We elected to do a practice dive at Cobb's cliff at East Cape, using a carefully calculated mixture of 28% nitro.x rather ~an air, to limit our nitrogen uptake. Bottom time limits of 12 minutes or 100 bar tank pressure were established - whichever occurred first - and decompression schedules organised based on a stop halfway up and computer stops after that with memorised back up stops. We discussed
breathing technique at depth, buoyancy control and how to avoid over-shooting stops on the way up. A spare tank was hung deep below the boat.
A large fat shark spiced this splendid dive - we think a bull shark- that rose from the abyss to give us a meal check, turning away as it smelt our rubber. That's my story.
That afternoon we dived an old timber shipwreck at East Cape. Well encrusted with corals, only the steam boiler and shafting remains. It must have been a sizable vessel judging from the boiler, but nobody knows the history of this wreck. It probably went down trying to go through East Cape passage around 1900. These days the passage is well marked with beacons.
That night we cruised to Cape Vogel and moored in the shelter of beautiful Ipotete Island, ready to dive Blackjack. Ipotete is uninhabited, but I prefer to think of it as uninhibited.
The Bl 7 Flying Fortress was ditched after a heroic flight from Port Moresby to bomb Rabaul. Badly crippled with two engines out it ran into a storm after dropping its bombs, and got lost. The pilot Ralph DeLoach flew South-East after finding what he thought was the mainland of New
Guinea, doing everything he could to try to get the 10 crew back to safe territory. Eventually out of fuel they made a landing in the water off Boga Boga village. The plane skipped off the shallow reef, floated for 45 seconds - enough time to get everyone out - then sank nose first to a sandy plateau at 46m. Villagers paddled out and rescued the crew who were being blown off shore by the strong trade winds. The villagers are justifiably proud of their action.
Our well-planned dive was perfect. I had arranged to shoot photos of Peter and Phil at the top turret gun. The visibility was
splendid and the current manageable. After the dive we visited the village and bought a few artefacts, then in the afternoon while Peter and Phil were diving I went ashore at Ipotete with Kamila and Craig to shoot some wedding photos.
The next day we dived Blackjack again then headed back to Alotau visiting a couple of my favourite reefs on the way. Kamila and Craig were thrilled with their photos, Peter and Phil were ecstatic that their dream of diving Blackjack had so wonderfully come true, and MV Golden Dawn purred with her new John Deere diesels pushing her _ • swimmingly through the waves. V
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BYJOHN BROOKSBANK
In January 1914 American entrepreneur Percival Fansler brought together investors, a pilot and an aircraft in order to fly passengers from St. Petersburg to Tampa, Florida. It was the first time someone thought that aeroplanes represented some sort of a business opportunity- commercial aviation was born!
Much has happened in the 100 years since then and Papua New Guinea has been at the forefront of aviation developments throughout most of this time. The development of the country is inexorably intertwined with the growth of the aviation sector. Without the availability of aircraft, both fixed and rotary wing, in crucial decades of the last century, development of the country and the commercial exploitation of major resources that have underpinned the economy of PNG ever since would not have been possible.
Just a few years after World War 1 the first aeroplane flew in the skies of PNG.In 1922 flamboyant photographer Frank Hurley decided he needed an aircraft to document the lifestyles of remote village areas. On September 4 that year a Curtiss Seagull biplane flying boat, transported to Port Moresby the month before aboard the Burns Philp ship Marsina, had been assembled, tested and took to the air with Captain Andrew Lang at the controls. With few safety precautions and little back-up, Hurley used the tiny plane to visit villages in what today are Gulf, Western, Central and Oro provinces, capturing stunning movie and still photographs from the air and on the ground.
The initial driver for commercial aviation however was the need to transport large components for construction of huge floating dredges needed to harvest gold from the broad Wau/Bulolo river valley flats, from the nearest seaport of Lae. The rush of gold miners to discoveries at Koranga Creek, Edie Creek and many other small streams had led to the discovery of these larger deeper deposits that required the dredges to extract and process alluvial gravels. Until then access to the goldfields required days of walking in from the coast at Salamaua, using many carriers to transport all food and materials required.
Loading a tube mill on a Junkers G31.
Commercial airlines started when Guinea Gold No Liability, the proponent oflarge-scale alluvial gold dredging in the Morobe goldfield, formed Guinea Airways to transport dredge components, and everything else, from Lae to small airstrips at Wau, Bulolo and other mining locations. The first plane to use the Lae strip in 1927 was a DeHavilland DH-E7 biplane, but this was soon overshadowed by the use of then state of the art Junkers W34 and the tri-motor G31 aeroplanes. By the end of that year there were four aer!al services operating out of the Lae airfield using _a variety of different aircraft. Life on the goldfields, or m fact in any part of PNG,would never be the same again.
The use of these aircraft was the real start of commercial aviation - between 1931 and 1938 many world records for the carriage of passengers and cargo were held by Papua New Guinea. By the end of 1933 Wau was the busiest aerodrome in the world in terms of aircraft movements and the Lae airstrip handled a greater tonnage of air cargo than anywhere else on the planet. Between 1931 and 1942 three G31 planes of Guinea Airways carried 40,000 short tonnes of cargo and 7000 passengers, yet during the same period a total of only 4700 tonnes was carried in Australia.
Flying from Australia the only place to land in Port Moresby was on Ela Beach. The first flights from Moresby to Lae in January 1928 were by a Bristol freighter and a DeHavilland 9, presumably taking off when the tide was out! The frequency of flights soon necessitated the construction of the Port Moresby A_erodromeat Kila Kila, alongside the road to Pari village, in 1928 which was used until the Second World War.
By the end of 1933 Wau was the busiest aerodrome in the world in terms of aircraft movements and the Lae airstrip handled a greater tonnage of air cargo than anywhere else on the planet. Between 1931 & 1942 three G31 planes of Guinea Airways carried 40,000 short tonnes of cargo and 7000 passengers, yet during the same period a total of only 4700 tonnes was carried in Australia.
Ready co take off from Cla Beach, 1928.
Aircraft enabled easy and quick access to all part of Papua New Guinea by gold pro pectors in search of their fortunes, and Gov rnm nt officers intent on establi hing a _Pr~ ence a~d th rule of law in outlying districts. tauon were established next to airstrips and town grew around these main centre Many town still hav airstrips at their centre uch a Goroka, Kundiawa and Mendi, whilst in others urban growth ha re ulted in thi infra tructure being moved further away such a Nadzab for Lae and Kagamuga for Mount llag n.
In th footstep of Governm nt patrol officers cam missionaries eager to ave ouls. They, too, saw the advantage of air travel and the con truction of air trip odjac nt to their stablishm nts. The Luth ran Mi sion wa the fir t to acquire o Junkers r13 in early 1935 to ervice their r mote out station . Today the Mi sion Aviation rellowship, more commonly known a MAr, continue this work.
Th advent of ircraft also changed the n, tur of overnment patrolling. The logi tic nightmar s a ociated with ome of the hi ·toric exploratory patrol involving hundr ds of carriers that had to be self uffici nt for month on end were over. In advance of patrol , country was now flown ov r by overnment officer and ongoing support was carried out through u of radio ond the r gular fr e dropping of
supplies from a low altitude.
In addition to the construction of many air trips around the country, float planes were used to land on lakes and rivers. On October 21, 1937, a Junkers W34 was the first aeroplane to land on Lake Kutubu, to upply Administration patrol officers Ivan Champion and Bill Adamson. Their station on the shores of the lake was in fact the first to be solely dependent on aircraft for support. After its clo ure at the start of World War 2 in 1940 the calm waters of the lake remained undisturbed until the arrival of a Catalina Flying Boat in August 1949, when the station was re-opened.
The war years were tran formational for aviation. Retreating forces left a large number of long air trips, many of which were taken over by the civilian admini tration and which are still used today, uch as Gurney near Alotau and Jackson Airport in Port Moresby.
I lelicopter were fir t adopted by the petroleum industry in Papua New Guinea when a Sikorksy was used by APC in 1956, but its use was limited due to its altitude limit of 1000 feet. This all changed in a few decades after the rapid development of helicopters during the Vietnam War resulted in heavy lift helicopters able to operate in the I lighlands areas.
I leli- upporting wells were drilled on mountain ridge tops that would have been uneconomic to access by road. The
fir t ite to utilise this ability was the drilling of Cecilia anticline in 1971 by Texaco. Provided by Columbia, heavy lift helicopters facilitated the drilling of many well such as Mananda in 1971 followed by many more in ubsequent decadere ulting in the discovery of the Iagifu, Agogo and Hedinia oilfields in the Southern 1lighlands. This heralded the start of oil production and exports from Papua ew Guinea in mid-1972. Chinook and Vertol aircraft operated by Columbia are still e sencial cargo movers in the petroleum indu try today.
Helicopters allow geologists easy access to ites in rough terrain to take ample or drill cores. In the proving up of the Porgera gold mine in Cnga Province, ount Waruwari was at one stage pockmarked with colourfully named helipads ?n drill locations, before it became a hole in the ground. Similarly, the identification ?f the Ok Tedi depo it would have been impossible without helicopters. The civilian ver ion of the famous Vietnam War era Huey - the twin-engined Bell 212 - with its di tinctive thumping rotor sound is still a workhorse of petroleum exploration in the p G Highlands.
The fortunes of commercial aviation companies in P G have waxed & waned over the years and whilst the national airline Air iugini, formed in 1973, has
grown and adapted to changing ituation other· have fallen by the way ide. Gone are Talair, Dougla Airway , An en, Crowley Airway , Iorlae Airline , P G Aviation Service , ationair, I lands Aviation and many other that either merged or quietly fad d away.
The mining & petroleum industrie still take up a lot of 'air time· with their use of fleet of helicopter and d dicated crew chang charter provided by Air iugini & Airlines P G b tween their operation ba e , main centre of the country and al o dir ctly to over ea ports.
As Papua ew Guinea gained an increasingly large profile in the world, it was necessary to connect with capital cities of ome of the country' trading partners in the region, catering for the bu ines men, employees and ometimes tourists who wish to travel. As the mining, petroleum, agri-produce and timber industries have expanded their activities, Air Niugini has progre sively introduced more international route , linking Port Moresby directly with Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, Singapore, Tokyo, !long Kong, Singapore, I loniara, Suva, Bali, Cebu and Manila.
onstruction of the PNG LNG Project required the building of a 3.2 kilometre airstrip at Komo in Hela Province, long enough to land the largest cargo aircraft in the world the Antonov AH 124. The airstrip enabled transport of delicate pieces of equipment for the I !ides Gas Processing facility, which could not be brought in any other way, involving more than 70 trips by thi huge aircraft.
Although activities in the mining & timber industries have flattened off, the presence oflarge deposits of natural gas appear to ensure that the petroleum industry will continue to sustain the economy of the country and the needs of operators involved in this will no doubt continue to use the services of PNGhelicopter and airline companies.
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As PNG continues to develop and its population increases, aviation growth has not stopped - in 2013 alone Air Niugini flew 16 million kilos of cargo and carried 1.4 million passengers on its fleet of 28 aircraft, which service 12 overseas and 25 domestic ports, flying 90 sectors a day. Lae is still an important port, although using Nadzab rather than a runway in the middle of the city, serviced with five flights daily, closely followed by Mount Hagen and Rabaul which each have three fHghts a day each.
PNG would not have developed the way it has without aviation. Born as a result of a need to service the gold mining industry; the petroleum and other resource sectors still rely heavily on efficient RPT and charter airline ·ervices. Despite being a nation of more than seven million people spread over a huge area of mountainous land, islands and archipelagos, most places are just a short plane ride away. Air Niugini and other airlines can be proud to be part of the PNG's aviation industry and its continuing role as an agent for development.
Th raw beauty of PNG tropi al islands richly m rit the till of "Paradi e lost in time", so it was with a ense of adventure and di covery that my good friend and I cam up with a plan to see for our elves this tropic wonderland in an oc an voyage taking u off the beaten track while at th same time te ting our personal bound, rie .
Our plan was to xperience th natural beauty of one of th jewels of the Bismarck Sea by traveling by kayak from Kokopo, New Britain, across the St G org ' hann 1 and th n up th west coat ofN w Ir I nd to Kavieng.
It took a long, frustrating y ar of dedicat d planning and r arch forth trip. W u • d this tim to get physically sup r-!lt for what we kn w wa going to b ad manding exercis
At long la t cam th exciting day wh n we fl w from our horn in ydn y to th luxury of our ba camp at Kokopo B a h Bungalows. Iler w went about unpacking and repacking all ur quipm nt aft r testing and weighing every item in an ffort to reduce to th minimum v rything w carried.
A critical afety factor befor embarking on any ocean expedition i getting an accurat forecast of expect d weather condition on your propo ed track. In our case we only had a even-day window to make thi trip, so we paddled out from Kokopo de pit th ominou warnings of torm clouds.
Aiming for the Duke of York I lands, half way to New lr land, we had hardly been on the wat r more than a few hours when th star~ clou_dwarnings became a reality.
Th horizon disappeared and it wa n't long be for there was no visibility of the island ut all and we had to rev rt to our GPS to guid u through the building swell.
Th _early wind quickly grew from a gentle puff to trong gusts that whipped up waves within minute· and stalled our progress.
This, with th sid ways tinging rain, dulled our < rly nthu ia m and we started to wond r if our deci ion tog t underway and "beat th storm" may not have been th best d monstrntion of our" afety-fir t" policy for the trip.
Thankfully we made it into the village of Maira as darknes set upon the island, leaving u time for a quick meal and then some much needed sleep to end what turned out to be the longe t day of the trip.
Aft r waking well before sun-up, thanks to multiple village roosters, we farewelled our ho ts and began to head north-ea t across to New Ireland.
The hospitality that night m rrored a recurr ng theme throug u ey Bas c amenities such as running water and electric y n short supply but the villagers would offer an they had to make r stay s f
Within minutes ofleaving the reef drop off ~rom th e shallow water of the islands and into deep wate Ii r, we rea sect our speed was Sitting at half our typical pace and the boat felt unusually heavy. We soon realised that :e _were facing a strong opposing current, hic~, on its own, is manageable, but when combined wilh a stiffening head wind and swell ~akes paddling life considerably more difficult.
At one point during the day we had a quick food stop which gave us the chance to check our GPS and it was then that we learned that we h d 1 a ost nearly a kilometre in ?!Stance in the time it took for us to eat a quick sandwich and drink some fluids. This only added further salt to the deepening wou~ds as we resumed our paddle and contmued to inch towards shore unable ~os~ake the feeling that we wer; simply Joggmg on the spot.
Many times during that long day we th~ught the entire trip might be unachievable due to the unexpected challenging weather conditions we faced.
We had been monitoring the weather for weeks and had picked the one day in over a month where the wind and chop were at its worst. This early testing period continued for 10 hours of straight paddling that day, which saw us finally reach our destination of Labur Bay.
That night we passed out on an old jetty, shattered, sleeping under the stars and praying for no rain as we were too tired to put up a proper tent.
The next morning at 5.30am we set off and late in the afternoon, as we approached the village of Kontu-Tembin, the weather took a dramatic turn for the better. The rain cleared, the wind dropped, the sea flattened out and, while still feeling sore and sorry, our mood lifted quickly despite the aching muscles and blistered hands.
Kontu-Ternbin is famous for its shark calling ceremony, and that night the chief regaled us with stories of his famous shark calling days, telling us how sharks are attracted alongside a dugout canoe by the shaking of coconut shells before
being bravely lassoed and brought aboard, despite being almost as large as the canoe itself.
Given it was a Sunday the next day we had no opportunity to witness the ceremony first-hand, merely adding it to the growing list of places we had to come back to.
The hospitality that night mirrored a recurring theme throughout our journey.
Basic amenities such as running water and electricity might be in short supply but the villagers would offer anything and everything they had to make our stay as comfortable as possible.
Next morning we left early as the village farewelled us enthusiastically, with many in their dugout canoes escorting us out of the bay as we continued our travels north.
With the wind now gently assisting us, our enthusiasm and energy levels increased, allowing us to appreciate even more our increasingly beautiful surroundings.
Deep blue channel water met the green of the shallow reefs, both shades hosting an abundance of marine and bird life.
ror company we frequently had pod· of friendly dolphin , hark of all iz , turtl and numerous tuna chools turning the ocean into a giant washing machin
The peaceful serenity of the ocean was often shattered by queals of d light from on shore as children played in th hallows of the poradic villages dotted among t the palm trees. The que tioning look of amazement on their young fac said it all: "Who are these trange people in a strange craft wearing strange clothe paddling right past our front door!?"
I !ere we had helter of a different kind the open hearted generosity and kindness of the people is unmatched.
It was a unique and surreal experience to have your left paddle blade pierce the deep blue aby whilst your right hovered over the hallows of the world's greate t outdoor aquarium and thi delight was our as we cruised the drop off along the endless stretch of reef that hugs ew Ire land.
We left our new found friends at Lamusmus village and continued up
the coast, with its ever-changing landscape. Tropical rainforest that had been the dominant feature to this point, slowly gave way to a mangrove-filled shoreline, and with this came the increased chance of encountering puk-puks, (the tok pisin word for crocodiles).
The water in some areas became quite murky as rivers emptied into the ocean and more than once logs bobbing along in the current were mistaken for these dangerous predators. Not only did we constantly marvel at the scenery but also the amount of marine life that constantly popped up along the way, whether it be a curious shark, a sea snake or what could
only be described as a 'bump-in' rather than a run-in with a large slow moving sea turtle. Kaut, a small village that is almost entirely shaded by an impressive sprawling fig tree, was our next stop. The people again proved to be wonderfully hospitable and we were offered food, shelter and (no doubt because of the by now offensive smell of our paddling attire) we even had our clothes hand-washed for us which was a first for the trip! After wandering the village, we came across the church and met its pastor who showed us the church bell, a large WWZ bomb that was 'rung' on Sundays to announce the commencement of the weekly religious services. When the villagers found it in nearby jungle, it still had the detonator device attached to it that had to be dismantled, without the benefit of an instruction manual, before it could be strung up to take on its new role as the village church bell.
Working our way north again we reached the island ofBurusun and the adjoining Albatross passage, and marveled at the most spectacular coral we had seen. This, allied with snow-white beaches and coconut palms, made it hard to resist just pulling the kayak up on to the sand and staying there for a very long time.
popped up along the way, whether 1t be a curious shark, a sea snake or what could only be described as a 'bump-in' rather than a run-in with a large slow moving sea turtle.
We exited the passage and were greeted by a myriad of postcard-worthy tropical islands that lay in front of us. Making a random selection we landed at Ungan Island and spent the next few hours playing football and swimming with the exuberant children, followed by a delicious meal of boiled mackerel cooked in coconut milk. The elders meanwhile filled our heads with stories of close encounters with the crocodiles living in the mangroves.
The next two days we island-hopped towards our destination ofKavieng, taking time out for a memorable stay on the world-class dive resort on Lissenung Island and also the Surf Resort Nusa Island Retreat. During this stretch we had the opportunity to join the Lissenung team on their turtle egg relocation program. As local villagers consider turtle eggs a local delicacy, the owners ofLissenung have started a program to relocate the nests
to the relative safety of their own island where they can at least increase the chances of the tiny turtles hatching safely and making their way into the ocean.
Given the remoteness of the small villages we had visited over the past seven days, the sleepy town of Kavieng seemed like a big city to us and we paddled in with mixed feelings. The joy and relief of successfully completing the trip was overshadowed
by the reality that this incredible journey had come to an end, and that shortly we would be plugged back into the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives. Nonetheless, our bodies needed a rest from the physical hardship and we both had eager families waiting for us.
We were also well aware tllat this adventure wa only a foretaste of the plans we had for the future.
1 a Not only did we constantly marvel at the scenery but also the amount of marine life that constantly to ired iy s ng 11, lYS kly ed, 1, w 1e SS tar 1ite d /<ing sea.
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The three Jakes in the Kavieng Harbour are all different dives. Probably the best preserved is the Lighthouse Jake. Sitting upright in 18m of water near a small light beacon, this Jake still has the round red Japanese sun markings on its wings. Ammunition can be seen in the body of the plane, and it is now home to a wide variety of marine life. Schooling snapper reside near the propellers, mantis shrimp hide in the sand, and well-fed lionfi h patrol the wreck, snapping up small cardinal fish as they wish.
The Reef Jake is the shallowest at around 12m, a depth that competent snorkelers can reach easily, and a really easy dive site for those using scuba gear. It lies upright facing the wall, and is the easiest of the three for divers to sit in and have their photo taken.
Kavieng is located on the north-western side of New Ireland, and is the capital of this northern PNGprovince. About a 90-minute flight from Port Moresby, and 25 minutes from Rabaul in New Britain, it is well known for its standard of diving, trekking and surfing. Kavieng has just under 20,000 people living in the town, and was an important Japanese naval and air base during WW2. Evidence of the occupation can still be seen around the town, but it is the wrecks that hold the divers' interest.
Nusa Island Retreat is a short five-minute boat ride across from the wharf, and is very central to the plane wrecks. This is a great place to stay, with overwater bungalows, a large dining area and bar, and comfortable accommodation.
Three 'Jake' seaplanes rest in the harbour a few minutes from the resort by boat.
These are all in easy diving depths, perfect for experienced and novice divers alike.
Dubbed 'Jake' by the Allies who had trouble remembering and pronouncing the Japanese terminology, the Aichi E13A was the mainstay floatplane of the Japanese Navy during the war, and more than 1400 were constructed. They are 11.3m long, with a wingspan of 14.Sm, and an empty weight of 2.6 tonnes. They could fly at 375km/h and had a range of 2100km. They had one rear-facing gun, a crew of three, and could carry 250kg of bombs.
If you plan to do this, always have a look in the cockpit first for any sharp pieces of metal that might be in your way, and for any dangerous marine life that might be sitting there minding its own business, but might not like your legs dangling next to it. Scorpionfish and lionfish can be found in the area.
The Upside-down Jake is the least visited of the three, and as its name suggests its under-surface faces the sky. It has a visible bomb, so care must be taken here not to disturb too much. It too is shallow, about 12m in depth.
About a half an hour's run from the island is the wreck of a B-25 Mitchell bomber. It lies in 12m of water near a mangrove-laden bay, and is an exceptional wreck. The only problem here is the visibility, as it lies on a silty bottom. The visibility is usually low, often at around only Sm or so. The Mitchell had a six-person crew, and has a length of 16.13m with a wingspan of 20.6m, and an empty weight of just under 9 tonnes. It had a top speed of 438km/h and a range of 2175km.
ieces
r, , that own egs nd visited ists has a m here hallo\\', le 1ell :ar .em silty W, e 1dhas m just l of +
This double-winged plane lies upside down, and one of the small pontoons is still visible on its wings. For a small plane that has now been in the water for about 70 years, it is in remarkably good shape, and would have to rank in the top five dives in PNG.
The front of this wreck is very broken, and it is amazing to swim past this knowing that the pilot actually managed to survive along with the rest of the crew, make it to shore, get to a nearby island and be rescued by a passing Catalina flying boat. The poor visibility makes the wreck seem more surreal as you swim around it, the two large tail pieces looming out of the gloom.
There are other plane wrecks in the area too, and the best of all is the Deep Pete. A biplane reconnaissance floatplane, this two-seater lies upside down in a depth of 40m close to Nusa Island. Alone on the sand, it is surrounded by life. Schools of fish hide the wreck behind them, and the diversity of life that is found on this little wreck, less than half the size of a tennis court, is simply mind-boggling.
Don't think that this sunken squadron is the only reason to come and visit Kavieng, there is a lot more here to offer, with dives of the standard of the world class Albatross Passage, walks around WW2 sites, accommodation of a high standard at Nusa Island Resort, and much, much, more. -4i.
But still, the plane wrecks are a highlight! V
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Located close to the local fresh market & shops Air conditioned rooms with satellite TV Land & sea tours including Duke of York village stays Hire cars Chopsticks restaurant IDD phones & internet access Call Taklam Lodge & Tours on ( 98 9 or 82 to discover exciting Kokopo
Two nations' love of sport and respect for mateship is helping impoverished villages along the Kokoda Track.
Australia and Papua New Guinea's enduring friendship was forged along the Kokoda Track - a jungle path about 60l<JT1 north-east of Port Moresby.
This is where, in 1942, young and inexperienced Australian soldiers arrived to ward off an invading Japanese Army. For four months, they fought a difficult campaign along the muddy, narrow 96 kilometre track, which led to a remarkable, unexpected victory by the Australians. Th31 battle is now considered Australia's most significant during World War 2.
But the victory wouldn't have been possible without the help of Kokoda locals, affectionately known as Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels, who formed a human supply chain to move food, ammunitions and wounded soldiers to and from the front line.
The acts of kindness, courage and selfsacrifice shown by the soldiers and angels became etched into the hearts of both nations.
To pay mutual respect to the importance of the location, in 2008, the Australian and Papua New Guinean governments joined forces to protect the Kokoda Track and to improve the lives of communities along it, where the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels lived.
The initiative included establishing the Kokoda Track Authority (KTA)to collect permit fees from each trekker, which in turn helps manage, promote and sustain the track. A portion of all fees is injected back into the community via projects to improve health, education and the environment.
Both countries are also harnessing the power of sport to spread the message: more trekkers equals more support for communities.
The Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority along with KTArecently descended on the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)in Australia to launch the 'Do Kokoda' campaign.
The campaign was kick-started by AFL legends, and hosts of Australian TV's The Footy Show, Sam Newman and Garry Lyon, who are official Do Kokoda ambassadors.
Newman and Lyon, who both recently completed an 8-day trek, said that despite their demanding football careers, the trek was one of the hardest things they had ever tackled.
"It was bloody tough," Newman said, and confessed to contemplating a helicopter escape in the early stages.
"I would have paid any amount of money to get out of there."
But after a few "delirious" days, he and Lyons found their groove, and formed close relationships with their porters - locals who are employed to help trekkers carry gear along the route.
On the final day of the trek, ewman sought feedback from one of the porters.
"Are people slower than me?" He asked.
"No," replied the porter.
"No one slower than me, I'm the winner?"
"Yes,"the ported confirmed.
There you have it. Newman is the winner of the slowest trekker ever.
Humour, as difficult as it was to muster at times, was one way of pushing past the pain.
At the launch, Lyon suggested the trek should
be compulsory for every Australian school student; such were the rewards of the physical challenge and ofliterally walking in the footsteps of brave Australian soldier , known as Diggers, for a poignant history lesson. Both "wholeheartedly recommend" doing Kokoda.
Also acknowledged on the night wa the great work of the Kokoda Track Foundation, an Australian philanthropic organisation whose aim i to repay the selflessness of the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel
The foundation distribute solar light to villages, build community halls, establishes food gardens, and help with disaster relief.
Ambassador for the foundation is Papua New Guinean-born, rugby union tar Will Genia, who moved to Au tralia when he was 12-years-old. ow 26, Genia plays for Queensland Reds and the Australian Wallabies, who he captained on the international stage in 2012.
Recently, Genia said: "There's a reason so many Australians choose to walk the Kokoda Track. It's unlike any other trek in the world - tough, gruelling and the experience of a lifetime."
More than 3500 trekkers tackle it each year.
"I strongly encourage every Australian to trek Kokoda,'' he said.
"Trekking Kokoda is an amazing opportunity to give back and make a difference to the next generation of the
communities, to whom a great debt is owed."
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The Goroka show held in mid-September every year is a cultural fest that should be marked on everyone's calendar. The peaceful highlands town of Goroka in the heart of PNG comes alive with traditional showcasing of hundreds of different tribal and regional groups and other festivities during this time.
The annual show, which began in 1956 organised by the colonial administration, is now a major cultural event which commemorates Papua New Guinea's independence by showcasing cultural diversity.
Last year I made my way down to the showgrounds at the National Sports Institute in West Goroka in anticipation. The weather was slightly chilly but promising. As I got closer, I saw crowds converging towards the showground, many sporting red, black, yellow and white - the colors symbolic of the national flag- on T-shirts, hats, meri-blouses, dresses, bags and bilums.
Hope of quick entry into the show grounds quici<lY diminished as I saw the human line starting froJ1'l the entrance, and snaking for about a kilometre around the grounds.
The entrance was guarded by show officials and policemen to prevent impatient showgoers cutting through the line. I could hear the enthusiastic sounds of traditional singsings (traditional song and dance) welling up from inside. I reluctantly got into the line which moved surprisingly faster thaJl expected and after 35 minutes, I was inside.
Once there, I was greeted by stalls aligned along the perimeter of the fence selling a variety of good5 from hot food to traditional arts and crafts, printed shirts and bags, to flower seedlings. I manoeuvred over to the singsing area from where the hub of noise was emanating. There, an immense array of various singsing groups were proudly strutting their stuff. They were surrounded by a growing crowd of show goers and tourists - both local and
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international. Kids were hoisted on their parent's shoulders for an enhanced view.
Amidst the diversity I could make out the Bougainvillean girls dancing deftly to the upbeat rhythmic mush: produced by beating on a large bamboo instrument. Played by three men, the instrument was quite impressive as far as indigenous instruments go. They received a hearty cheer from the crowd once performing.
The Chimbu singsing groups were equally riveting with their magnificent headdresses assembled essentially from the choicest feathers of exotic native birds - the prominent ones being the famed birds of paradise. It Lakesat least two hours for them to get into their traditional attire - the end result is worth it.
Other groups also sported colorful intricate
headdresses and the colorful paint on their faces mysteriously masked their features.
I was particularly surprised by a small group of men who dance around with flames of fire on their heads. They didn't have much else on in terms of a costume but the flames were intriguing enough - I'm sure there's some logical science to explain how that worked without smouldering their scalps!
The Manusians were a crowd favorite with their lively dance moves to the rapid rhythm of the garamut. I guess one would be drawn in if you had a bunch oflively girls shouting 'hey' at you continuously (the prominent words I got from their song). Their many encore performances had to end due to the dancer's'exhaustion.
A large group from the Bena people in their
neal bilas (LradiLionalcostume) ang ong that had a wailing mournful tone about it.
There was a variety from Lhe eastern Highlands stemming from their variou language groups.
I also aw intere ting dances from the Moma e region including one entitled 'Dragon of Kalibobo'.
The celebration of indigenous culture continued vigorously as the afternoon wore on and I found myself wearily making my way out of the gates at 5:30pm.
The next morning I was fortunate enough to get a lift in a government vehicle which had a VlP pass, so I made it into the showgrounds smoothly - foregoing the pleasure of standing in a snake line in the tropical heat.
Once inside, my attention was covered in black soot, looking like quickly drawn to two local dwarves who lived in isolation in comedians performing in front of a the surrounding mountain forests booth. Their nonsensical antics got
A group from the Western the throng of showgoers around them laughing buoyantly. After Highlands performed their being amused by a couple of jokes, traditional dance and singsing, I made my way over again to the gathering plenty of attention rron: singsing area. the crowds.
Tolai women in well-oiled tanget With the sun blazing down I took leaves danced in organised file, to the shade of a huge eucalyptus their sound distinctive. Another tree. That's when I realised a local cluster of Tolai men marched live band was performing in the around, whipping themselves, and other half of the showgrounds. ThE those who got in their way, with crowd there was massive - literati\ long strips of some kind of reed. I only allowing standing space. The was reliably informed that it was energy and atmosphere there was a customary ritual performed only as vibrant as any you would find by men in that region and those at a rock star concert, the singers who copped a lashing were devoid undoubtedly celebrities in PNG. of pain even if their skin bled. I I then spotted a young lad striding hastily moved out of their way. towards the singsing area with a
The Madang and Morobe groups live black python hanging from also had pleasant sounding his neck. Younger boys chatted songs, swaying in tune with their excitedly about him and older colourful grass-skirts. women moved cautiously away.
Little handsome schoolboys with Usually one to shrink away from shaved heads and glued on beards this category of God's wonderful trooped about in orderly form led creatures, I couldn't help but by a bandmaster. They were all feel sorry for this one. It seemed
its h subr life1, with The with take Also coul to cl hopl top, dete Mor the 1 tick, the: eve1 regi sing in tl Thii ann star in a sin~ the pro!
.g like its handlers had tortured it into Jn in submission and it hung almost Jrests lifeless at the neck of its carriers with many of its scales flaking off. The lad moved on nonchalantly with the python and people paid to 1g, take pictures with it.
1 tron: Also from where I was standing I could see a young man attempting took to climb a high greasy pole ptus hoping to get to the prizes at the local top, his competitor anxious and the determined at his heels.
ls. Thf More than 100 groups registered for terall) the traditional singsing,and 18,000 .The tickets were sold over the course of !was the show. Every dance, every song, tind every cultural group from every gers region was unique. Each dancer and IG. singer told their own story proudly iding in their native tongue.
ha This was the final day of the 57th m annual Goroka Show, and the sun :d started to set as I stood surrounded r in a blur of colour, tribal chantings, 3y. singsings, and rituals. As I left the grounds I made myself a om promise that next year I would 'ful definitely come to the show again.
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She's bold, she's beautiful and she's awesome - and she's the Spirit of Hela.
An LNG carrier almost 300 metres long, or the equivalent of three rugby league fields, the Spirit of Hela stands tall at 12 storeys high, and can carry 80,000 tonnes of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).
In May, the Spirit of Hela, owned and operated by Mitsui O.S.K.Lines (MOL), arrived in Papua New Guinea for the first shipment from the PNG LNG Project. The first cargo left on May 25 from the Project's Marine Terminal, just 20 kilometres outside Port Moresby, bound for Japan.
The PNG LNG Project, operated by ExxonMobil PNG, has built a pipeline from Hela to Central Province. The project also includes a gas conditioning plant and LNG plant to produce and process the natural gas found in the Highlands.
Over the 30-year life of the project, the company expects to produce more than 9 trillion cubic feet of gas.
"It is toda: ofHt carg1 our,
Wet wen obst, engi and wer
The Hides Gas Conditioning Plant in J-IeJa has the capacity to produce 960 million cubic feet of gas per day.
For the last few months, a gradual handover of facilities from the construction teams to the production teartl has been taking place. The production team is the group of people who will manage these facilities and deliver LNG to customers for the next 30 years.
In addition to the Spirit of Hela, there are five other tankers roughly the same size delivering PNG LNG cargo to buyers. An LNG tanker is expected be at the Marine Terminal every four to six days to load LNG.
Managing Director of Exxon Mobil PNG Limited, Mr Peter Graham, spoke proudlY at an event to mark the first LNG cargo loading.
Mr C defi1 war·
"Thi und the: that
Just two months ago, after four years building the necessary infrastructure, and completing the start-up and commissioning activities, the Spirit of Hela added to the nation's pride as she sailed off on her first journey to Asia.
"It is with great pride that I stand here today with our first LNGvessel, the Spirit ofHela, moored behind me, and the first cargo only days away from being shipped to our customers.
We have worked hard to see this day. There were numerous challenges - at times, the obstacles were enormous. But, with sound engineering, planning, creative solutions and an amazing team of dedicated people, we have got to this stage."
Mr Graham said the occasion was a defining moment for PNG - to show to the world just what it is capable of.
"The PNG LNGProject is an enormous undertaking, successfully completed with the support of the entire nation. I expect that we will see further foreign investment
in the country off the back of the P G L G Project as companies see what can be achieved here.
"We will see P G's strong economy continue to grow, which will have a broad impact across the country.
"With sound investment of the revenues from the project, the country will be set up for a stable future of continued growth. We have been so proud and humbled to be part of this growth and we look forward to our ongoing partnership with Papua New Guinea."
Mr Graham added that the start of the PNG L G Project positions P G as a resourcerich nation uniquely placed to deliver natural gas to meet the growing demand of Asian markets over the long term.
"Revenue from the PNG LNG Project will provide a long-term financial basis from which Papua ew Guinea's economic and social development can continue," he said.
Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister, Peter 0' eill, officiated at the milestone event on May 14 by authorising the process co prepare the Spirit of Hela for the loading of the first cargo of liquefied natural gas.
It was only two years ago in Tari that a decision was made for the first LNG hip to be named Spirit of Hela.
Just two months ago, after four years building the necessary infrastructure, and completing the start-up and commissioning activities, the Spirit of Hela added to the nation's pride as she sailed off on her first journey to Asia.
[i1 !1 -.J
Origins ofHela
Spirit of Hela is named after Hela, one of PNG's newest provinces established in May 2012. Hela comprises three districts which were previously part of Southern Highlands Province. The districts are Komo-Magarima, Koroba-Kopiago and Tari-Pori. The province covers an area of about 10,500 square km, with a population of around 400,000. The provincial capital of l lela is Tari.
The Spirit
Like other cultures in Papua New Guinea, the I lela believed in a spiritual being and creator of all things called Dadagaliwape. Central to their belief in Dadagaliwape is a centuries-old prophesy called Gigira Laitebo. The myth foretold there was a light called Laitebo living inside the mountain Gigira, which when kindled would illuminate llela and the world beyond.
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'A unique experience' is how passengers describe a cruise through the "Islands of Love'
BY PETERBARTER
The Kalibobo Spirit is a 30m motoryacht based at the Madang Resort, and is available for charter to islands and ports in PNG. Amongst the most popular of destinations are the Trobriand Islands, situated north of the D'Entrecastreaux Group.
Up until recent years, MTS operated the SO-passenger Melanesian Discoverer on scheduled cruises between Madang and Alotau via the Trobriand Islands. When the vessel was sold it was replaced by the Kalibobo Spirit, a smaller vessel with accommodation for up to 12 with a crew of 10. The vessel has full dive facilities aboard, two tenders, a helipad and the qualified crew is largely made up ofTrobriand Islanders who are pleased to share with the passengers their knowledge and experience gained over 40 years of cruising in Milne Bay.
The Kalibobo visits the d'Entrecastreaux Group, including Normandby, Fergusson and Goodenough and the small island of Wagifa where passengers can walk to the hill overlooking the Moresby Passage. Unique diving experiences are available off Dobu where there is an undersea discharge of volcanic origin. At Dei Dei a visit to the hot springs is a highlight where legends are
told and eggs are cooked in boiling water. Other hot springs can be seen on Fergus on Island. At Budoya a mall Catholic Health Centre is visited where ome years ago Maria Von Trapp, of The Sound of Music fame worked as a lay mis ionary.
Leaving d'Entrecastreaux Group, depending on weather, you can sail to the Marshall Bennett Group and the islands of Egum Atoll, lwa, Kaiwata and Gawa, all of immense interest. Some are atolls and others have limestone intrusions with the village located on the tablelands reached by steps cut into the lime tone. At Cgom the vessel enters the atoll over a shallow reef and drops anchor outside Yaneba Village, which was first visited by MTS aboard the Melanesian Explorer 40 years ago.
During the yam season legend has it that women chase the boys through the yam gardens to practice what was described by Bronislaw Malinowski as 'free love' - visitors can observe but should not participate!
Help was given to build a school and
th1
the school desks donated are still being used today. The village stretches along a white sandy beach with traditional style houses, with the school and church in the centre. Here you will see the Kula canoes, some large, that still undertake Kula rung voyages; others smaller, driven by sails. These are used for fishing and to travel to fn other villages in the lagoon. An experience Sc you will never forget is to travel in a Kula in canoe with the trade winds propelling the Isl canoes at speeds ofup to 20km/h. de et
Further south there is a rock that protrudfl dE out of the sea which was named Quark ot Rock by us many years ago. It is the breeding ground of thousands of seabirdS including albatrosses, terns, eagles and it has to be the most fertile island in PNG. Below, in crystal clear waters, you can see the beautiful live reef and sealife including sharks - a most amazing place to dive. The islands of Iwa, Gawa, Kaiwatta are similar in geography and where a walk i!lt0 the centre is a rewarding experience. The people of all three islands live in isolation for most of the time, visiting the other Trobriand Islands and Alotau in their Kul8 canoes only when weather conditions permit. At Giwa, the late Jacques Cousteau and his son, Jean Michelle Cousteau, described the diving as good as it gets anywhere in the world.
Leaving the Marshall Bennet Group, we arrive at Kitava, home to more than 5000 people living in 10 villages around a picturesque island along with the smaller sandy atoll of Nuratu. These two are separated by an aqua blue channel which is an ideal mooring for the Kalibobo Spirit, It would be easy to spend several days on Kitava Island. Like all islands in Milne Bay there is excellent diving, although at times the current is swift, and for the nondivers a visit to Kitava Community School is an exceptional experience, especially if they perform cultural dances, singing and
ng 1g a tyle n the noes, rung ils. ,el to rience Kula gthe ,trude, rk Jirds 1d it G. n see udiJlg ·e 1k into The 1tion r •Kula ,teau ve 000 tiler hich pirit'.[ne at nonwol lyif and
perhaps a BBQin the evening on Naratu Island. A walk around the island past Kweawata and Lalela villages takes a full day, being warmly greeted by the people who welcome visitors.
On the main island of Kiriwina a stop at Kaibola is an exciting experience - be prepared for very enthusiastic vendors selling intricate ebony carvings with inlaid pearl shell, bowls, walking sticks and colourful grass skirts. If the people are aware of the visit literally scores ofTrobriand Islanders will make their way from all over the mainland to sell their wares. At the Community School at Kaibola the students may perform cultural dances in their traditional dress which is unique to the Trobriand Islands, with both boys and girls competing with beautiful body decoration. During the yam season legend has it that women chase the boys through the yam gardens to practice what was described by Bronislaw Malinowski as "free love" - visitors can observe but should not participate!
At the outbreak ofWW2 Malinowski, a German anthropologist, wrote a number of interesting books about th e Trobriand Islands including Sexual Life of the Savages and Argonauts of the Western Pacific. These books have become mandatory reading at most universities in the :"7estern World. Malinowski was given the choice of being interned for the duration of the war, or remaining on the Trobriands. The rest is history.
Other Trobriand Islands include Kailuena, which has five ~-ages including Komo and Kaduwaga, bo~ worth a_ VlSlt. Kuyawa Island is a long strip of sand with beauuful natural lagoons and an abundance of crayfish which if purchased will be featured on the menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
JMore than 30 years ago MTS ma
established the Melanesian an Foundation. Satisfied passengers sta aboard the Explorer, Discoverer and Ba now the Kalibobo Spirit donated of generously, along with crew who wt gave 50 per cent of their gratuities, vi~ backed dollar-for-dollar by the ac1 Foundation and the Barter Family. Al1 Almost every island and village in the Marshall Bennett and Trobriand lar Islands have benefited. de
) es,
Schools and churches have been built, desks and educational materials donated, plus medicines and equipment supplied. From the start, the owner of MTS,Sir Peter a nd Barter, has ensured that the rewards of tourism should flow to the people who have so warmly welcomed the visitors. This happy state of mutual acceptance survives to this day. ly. in and Although the Trobriands were largely pioneered by MTSas a tourist destination, larger international ships such as the Orion, Oceanic Discoverer and P&O's mega ship with more than 2000 passengers are beginning to visit Milne Bay. It is hoped that this influx will not spoil the uniqueness of a visit to this region and impact on the very real and individual welcome given to all visitors by the Islanders. In any event MTSwill continue to operate with their discerning passengers to the more remote islands which, without doubt, remain one of the South Pacific's best kept secrets.
You can book a charter on the Kalibobo Spirit by contacting Wesley or Alex on (675) 422 1300 or , info@mtspng.com. Web www.mtspng.com
Satisfied passengers aboard the Explorer, Discoverer and now the Kalibobo Spirit donated generously, along with crew who gave 50% of their gratuities, backed dollar-for-dollar by the Foundation and the Barter Family Almost every island and village in the Marshall Bennett and Trobriand Islands have benefited.
Reclining on the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef, Heron Island proudly pageants a galaxy of feathered and finned residents below and above the shoreline. This exquisite coral cay exemplifies Australia's most diverse ecosystem, a living and breathing art gallery that straddles the Tropic of Capricorn.
The Mo-hour boat transfer from Gladstone glide me into 24 square kilometre of shimmering reef, and has me arrive jaw-gaped at a peacockgreen lagoon. Stepping ashore, it becomes eminently clear that wildlife rules the roost on this lushly vegetated isle. And it's noisy, with around 80,000 black noddy terns currently nesting in the tree canopy.
It's a steamy January morning as I navigate through the world's largest pisonia forest. The large, vivid green leaves of the pisonia tree draw life from lhe island's abundant fresh water. And salt-tolerant octopus bu h, pandanus palms and casuarina trees shelter the island from wind. Squeaking and squawking with week-old chicks, nests of black nodclies trail from the trees like aged rattan bowls.
Up to 30,000 wedge-tailed shearwaters also breed on Heron Island, annually. These birds, that mate for life, return at night to the same underground burrows that they build, shelter and nest in, which is why I have to stick to the island's weaving path
"Watch for cone shells. If they feel threatened, cone shells defend themselves from other fish by shooting a neurotoxin-filled harpoon," he says. Knee-deep in water today, I peer through my SeaScope and diligently inspect my passage.
Shark Bay's reef nat glisten beyond sands pocked with frenetic ghost crab activity, where eastern reef egrets (or herons, after which the i land was named) dine on mollu c and crustaceans on the low-tide menu. I join marine biologist, Nick, for a reef walk. And out he comes with it:
"Watch for cone shells. If th y feel threatened, cone shell defend themselve from other fi h by hooting a neurotoxin-filled harpoon," he ays. Knee-deep in water today, I peer through my Seascape and diligently inspect my passage.
The lens capture a rainbow of creatures. And Nick then introduce us. I shake limb with a tuberculate tarfi h, then bemu eat a pickle of sea cucumber , from the piky greenfi h to th burnt sausage type. Sea cucumber , uniquely, can spit out their sticky white web of internal organ to ensnare prey. And Lifei not lost-they then regenerate the
vomited organs. Remarkable!
A black jelly-like critter with a lumino~ violet rim waves about in the water. Nick tells me it's a headshield slug. Its beauty i not represented by its name.
Being sheltered and shallow, with exceptional visibility, snorkelling on Heron Island is divine.
Finning past the staghorn coral to the island's bommies, I search for manta rays that hang around them to use as a cleaning station, courtesy of parasitical goby fish. Instead, I meet two white-spotted eagle rays, and theY are thoroughly handsome. Swaggering blacktip reef sharks move them on, quite unfazed by my presence.
Snorkelling, I drift to Pam's Point to check out the pinstriped sweetlips and emperor angelfish, as a graceful green sea turtle dining on algae, comes into view.
Something seems to be stirring above, so I periscope my head up, remove my mask and squeal at the sight of a group of eagle rays dancing on the horizon. I spot a fin, so down I go again, to trail a lemon shark. He's gone. Lying still for a moment, I spot, to my thrill, three giant shovelnose rays tiling the sandy floor. They stir only when a two-metre long Queensland Grouper (affectionately named Gus by the islanders) arrives to show that this is his yard!
h
0 r !m to :y of 1eet j they gering on, t to is and green : into hove, vemY group .zon. I trail a ill for a e giant floor.
·long tely lves to
Between ovember and March and sun et and midnight, endangered sea turtles nest on Heron Island. Ne ting in the almost-exact spot where they were born, decade before, remains a phenomenon. Their hatchlings sprout from the and after seven weeks. Sitting patiently at orth Beach, beneath a galaxy of stars, I wait. And wait. And wait
Nature is harsh for green turtles that begin breeding from the age of 30, and then only every three to eight years. Just one in 1000 hatchlings make it to adulthood. Lucky survivors can live for an incredible 100 years. The nesting turtles on Heron Island use feeding grounds as far away as Fiji!
It's a long night, and you can hear a grain of sand move. In the early hours, I almost give up the wait, until, just before sunrise, the waters part to reveal a head, gasping for air. She scans the beach, so I crouch. With the coast clear, she clumsily clambers past the high-tide mark to the protection of drooping casuarinas. Her back flippers begin a feverish excavation as she arduously digs a pit for her eggs. After depositing what could be up to 130 eggs, she covers her clutch with sand.
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As daylight overwhelms night, I see that she's a rare loggerhead turtle. For every 50 green turtles that might nest on this island per night, there'll be one loggerhead. She huffs and puffs her return to the water. And as she vanishes into the . • ocean, I'm left in a state of emotional awe.
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he sizzling rays of the sun hit the nape of our necks causing each one ofus to flinch. Huffing and puffing, one by one we staggered up the steep rocky hills like ants. The climb up the hill seemed endless and soon some stopped in their track , now feeling the aching twinge in their calves.
Gazing down at the starting line, everything and everyone looked so small. The comfort of the canopy of trees initially seen at the entrance of Lake Maroon was now but a di tant mirage. Wheezing helplessly, I looked back thinking, "This is it. We're going into the battlefield now."
Lost in my thoughts, the tug on my arm brought me back to reality. My uncle Troy smiled reassuringly at me knowing full well that my asthma was giving me a difficult time.
"You can do this. Ju t keep breathing in and out." he said. I took a second and followed hi advice. With each gulp of air. I felt more at ease and prepared to complete our mission. He helped me up a layer of large jagged rocks and w jogg d further into the obstacle course.
Catching up with the re t of our team, call d I uny Wuzzies for Change, we found ourselves confronted with our first ob tacle. A lofty black wall of about 3 metres stood th r glaring down at us. Courage, mat hip, enduranc and acrifice: the values used by those who fought in the llattl of Kokoda.
The e values were evident through the cheerlul chanting and words of encouragement from our t am and other fellow team With a en e of team spirit, w set about hoisting each and every team mate over that wall oft st. We now stood on the other side magically transform d into modern age "grunt ".
On signing up for the Kokoda Grunt. I had no id a what I was up again t. Sure, I knew that my registration f of S80 would go a long way t0wards proj cts alfiliated w11h the Kokoda village. but never in my wild st dr ams did 1 anticipate turning into a "grunt'' by ·unset.
A grunt i n·t the grumbling ound a pig mak , rath r it's a term used for an infantry oldier and it's worn with u11 r pride. That en e of pride is acquir d during th gru ling challenges of the 5km long ob tacle cour e held at Lake Maroon just on the out kin of Bri bane.
Challenges that empower teamwork compel one tor alis th value of cooperation at a time like the Battle of Kokod,. QI course, the degree of the trial faced in this inaugural v nt will never amount to that of the Kokoda Tr k' kirmish s. Instead lho e trial in the Kokoda Grunt form omewhat of a simulator to feel a pinch of what tho e Au tralian oldier and ruzzy Wuzzy angels endured, and without the warfare.
"Those soldiers would've been very cold throughout their nights and days in the Jungle." It's not until you put yourself even lightly in their shoes that you truly feel such respect for them.
Crawling in thick deposits of mud under razor shali~itli barbed wire, you think about how the soldiers had on face something similar. They had to grovel and s!itlt~uz~ through the mud and pouring rain for days on end. Fve ron
Then there was the murky river we had to cross ov cros1 Thank goodness for the rope that extended all the And way from one side of the bank to the other. Althoug'1 the rope was thick and made blisters on our hand ;a it served its purpose of helping each grunt across it a~~: river. we 1
My mind pondered afterwards about how those acco genuine grunts did it in the past. How did they pass cow through rivers and navigate the jungles of Kokoda Of Cl without safety nets like readymade bridges, ropes c ea floating devices? Still brooding, shockwaves surged Ko:, through my body as my teammates and I plunged and ourselves in and out of a pool of freezing icy water. sold
I thought: "Those soldiers would've been very cold taui throughout their nights and days in the jungle." Jt'S tho not until you put yourself even lightly in their shoe It's 1 that you truly feel such respect for them. forg
All the teams in the Kokoda Grunt, including mine, ~g were undergoing a similar experience to that of th mm who served in the Battle of Kokoda - both Australia The and Papua New Guineans. The difference between in B our modern tussle and theirs is that we fought in a it hi controlled environment, and without gunfire. TheY ven didn't. Despite all the dangers lurking about in the the, shadows of the Kokoda jungles, they simply threw as t caution to the wind. These men showed tremendoU Bri: courage and bravery.
harrWith that in mind. my team and I pressed ad· forward with our heads held high. The :litbFuzzy Wuzzies for a Change had truly nd. lived up to the spirit of comradeship. From climbing over giant walls to ovecrossing muddy murky water, we did it.
1e Jut And we achieved everything without ids, leaving a mate behind. Wearing our 5 tb hearts on our sleeves, we held one another and crossed that finish line. We had done it. The feeling from accomplishing such a strenuous obstacle ass course is really remarkable.
ia
, 5 o:Of course, the Kokoda Grunt challenges • can never amount to that of the Bartle of :ed d Kokoda. However, it has given my team and I a small taste of what those brave :er. soldiers endured. If anything, it has ,Id taught us to be even more appreciative of Jt'S those who fought that battle.
toesIt's left an imprint on us that the mateship forged between the Fuzzy Wuzzy 1 e, Angels and Australian soldiers is quite th!J!inimitable.
ilia, The Kokoda Grunt is an annual evenc held en in Brisbane, Australia. However, this year 1 a it has been cancelled for lack of a quality iey venue. Despite the Grunt being cancelled. Je there are other obstacle courses such W as the Toowoomba Challenge and the loU Brisbane 2014 Kokoda Challenge.
If you'd like co participate in any of these great causes, then jump onto their website www.kokodachallenge.com and register yourself and your team.
Apart from the registration fees, each team can also raise some money as pan of their contribution to the Grunt. All proceeds go towards projects affiliated with the Kokoda Trek plus giving Au tralian youths a chance to walk the notorious harsh trail of Kokoda.
·Toe Fuzzy Wuzzie for a Change" rai ed just O\'er 900 from doing raffle ale on Papua ew Guinea home brand good which I must say will go a long way towards upporting the pirit ofKokoda.
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inter in Australia may well make tourists think only of skiing in the Snowy Mountains. But in 2014, art is throwing up a fair challenge to the world of goggles, gloves and gluhwein, with three major events in three different States which could easily justify a Grand Tour.
Kicking off the party - for the first time - is the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF)on July 24, which is Queensland's celebration of the lively cultural scene involving both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists in that State.
Then, from the local to the national, you can fly across to Darwin for the venerable National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, where the best Indigenous art of the past year will be in competition for serious money - the winners announced on August 8.
And after this balmy cultural feast in the
tropics, it's back to winter reality and art Th from all over the world at the Melbourne fru Art Fair in that city's elegant Royal the Exhibition Building from August 12. Take your fur coat!
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ake CIAFwas established by its State government in 2009 especially to the promote Queensland art. Now, the newly independent Fair is in , art competitive mode, aiming to attract the "fresh eyes and enthusiasm" to of"dedicated art collectors and dealers" before they·re duchessed by Darwin or Melbourne.
And the Fair offers has much to offer:
• An appealing water-front setting, both traditional art-centre work and Blak urban grit,.
• Dance from one of the most culturally specific communities on Cape York-Aurukun - reviving works that haven·t been seen in public since a 1962 film recorded them.
tists u Ible nder art for ed on e 1rt ne tke n
• A fashion show by up-and-coming Torresian designer, Grace Lillian Lee, soon to be featured in Vogue Italia.
Awayfrom the Fair where you can shop for anything from teatowels to fine art by such stars as Mavis Ngallamatta, Alick Tipoti and Christian Bumburra Thompson, there·s a curated show of Indigenous sculpture (Solid!) and a day-long symposium discussing hot topics in Indigenous art.
Over the years since 2009, CIAFhas brought 65,000 visitors to Cairns,spending $5.6m. - half of it on art.
That's been a great boost for both the economy of a tropical city frustrated by the high Aussie dollar and for the remote artists of.• the Far North.
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BY SUSAN EAMES
The Komodo dragon, or Komodo monitor, is the world's largest and heaviest lizard. It has a tail so powerful, one swipe can break a buffalo's leg. It preys on macaque monkeys, deer, water buffalo, birds, snakes and even young lizards. It is said to disembowel its victim first to feast on the toothsome entrails.
The widely-held belief that the bacteria in the saliva of Komodo dragons kill their victims has been discredited. In 2009 researchers came to the conclusion that Komodo dragons produce venom. When a lizard bites its victim, toxins in the venom cause the prey tog~ into shock and decrease its blood clotting ability.
It's not so surprising that we are still learning about this reptile. Astonishingly, Western scientists only discovered the Komodo dragon in 1910.
escs.
As we walked, Arif informed us that lizards can reach speeds of 30km an hour at the most dangerous (i.e. warmest) time of day.
"When IS that?" I asked.
"Now," he said without a trace of malice.
My husband tightened his grip on his pole.
Ihe Komada National Park was established in 1980 and became a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site in 1991. The island of Komada has the largest population of lizards and attracts the most tourists. However, we chose to VisitRinca (pronounced Rin-cha), a quieter, rnore authentic venue where touristy "dragon feeding shows" do not feature.
Our boat cruised into a deep, secluded inlet on Rinca. A lizard was lying next to the Jetty,immense and quiet as a crocodile.
With a slight feeling of trepidation, our small group walked along a trail through mangroves to the PHPA Camp to pay our Park entrance fees. A little further along Wasa small settlement of houses built on stilts where we met our guide. A large lizard was reclining close by. I was alarmed and fascinated in equal measure by his hypnotic lidless stare. So much fresh meat!
Our guide, Arif, carried a forked pole. He explained that the forked end was fashioned to hold the lizard's mouth shut, thus preventing it from biting. No one Pointed out the absurdity of expecting a flimsy pole to hold back a 2.5 metre long
monster, jaws closed or not. No point in scaring the guide is there?
There were more adults lying comatose and several youngsters were wandering around, forked tongues flickering. The lizards use their tongues to smell, taste and sense chemicals in the air. Apparently the animals were lurking around the settlement because they were attracted to the smell of blood from fish being cleaned. Arif assured us that the lizards are not fed.
It was time for our dragon-spotting walk. My husband grabbed another forked pole
on the grounds that two poles are better than one.
At the start of our walk we saw some long-tailed macaques scampering up trees and a lizard disappearing into the undergrowth. As we walked, Arif informed us that lizards can reach speeds of 30km an hour at the most dangerous (i.e. warmest) time of day.
"When is that?" I asked.
"Now," he said without a trace of malice.
My husband tightened his grip on his pole.
Beforelong we found ourselves walking parallel to a lizard which was plodding along about 20 metres from us. It remained on its course, even though it was surely aware of us. Komodo dragons have relatively poor hearing, but there's nothing wrong with their sight: they can see well for about 300 metres.
The largest specimens can reach up to three metres in length, but this individual was slightly smaller. It was subtle at first, but after a few more minutes we realised that the lizard was angling its course to converge on ours.
Arif appeared unconcerned. He paused to show us large mounds of disturbed earth to one side of the track, explaining that they were megapode nests. Alsoknown as incubator birds, megapodes are about the size of a domestic chicken. Their name means "large foot". Megapodes use those large feet to scrape enormous nest mounds in which to incubate their eggs.This method means they don't have to sit on their nests.
Unfortunately for megapodes, Komodo dragons target their nest mounds, either to lay their own eggs in them, or to steal the birds' eggs.
Our lizard had now reached the mounds. Tongue flickingin and out, it cast about the mounds. Then it began to dig. We watched with interest, unsure if It was a female about to lay her eggs, or if it was searching for megapode eggs.
-1 n d-or1 e s r -a -
Females lay about 30 eggs around September. As this was early October, egg-laying was a distinct possibility. This was potentially exciting because conservationists have estimated that there may be only about 350 breeding females in the total wild population of 4000-5000 lizards. Perhaps we were about to witness a relatively rare event.
We didn't have to wonder for Jong. A megapode bird arrived on the scene. There seemed little doubt from the bird's agitated behaviour that the Komodo dragon was digging in order to steal the bird's eggs.
What transpired next was like watching David take on Goliath. The plucky bird began to scratch at the ground to unearth small stones. It then flicked each stone at the lizard. I couldn't believe this puny effort would have an effect, but the lizard paused in its digging. The megapode kept up the pressure, strutting perilously close to the lizard and continuing to flick stones at it. To our astonishment, this was enough to cause the lizard to give up.
It heaved itself out of the hole it had been digging and turned its attention to the little group of spectators. Opportunistic and intelligent, perhaps it had decided that one of us would make an easier meal. It began to approach us, tongue flickering as if tasting the air to pinpoint the juiciest victim. I was crouched down, absorbed with taking photos, my husband yanked me to my feet and drew me backwards. We need not have worried. Arif stepped forwards with his forked pole and pushed the animal's head. The lizard turned aside and plodded off.
We smiled in surprised relief, a flimsy forked pole had vanquished Varanus komodoensis, the largest lizard in the world.
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With just a murmur of muffled electric motors, Cui Jing flies up 15 metres or so to retrieve a bottle of wine from a refrigerated drinks cabinet the like of which I have never seen before. Then, as lady-like as one can be so far above a bar in a flared skirt, she slowly descends with the required vintage in her customised waist belt.
I had initially wondered why she was dressed in a glittering metallic silver angel outfit, complete with wings, rather than the more demure uniform of the other bar staff and realise now that the silvery creation actually disguised a body harness. We are in the lavishly appointed but under-patronised bar under the Park View Square tower block, an awe-inspiring folly of Art Deco madness both inside and out. The magnificent vaulted ceiling is an ornate combination of tapestry, faux balconies and intricate metalwork that arches over the enormous three-storey wine chiller at one end and the music dais over another bar at the other. Here a small be-suited band backs up a female singer who croons the 'latest' Bing Crosby or Frank Sinatra classics to the few patrons who inhabit the plush saloon floor. The whole place is a fantastic but enjoyable anachronism, a great place for a quiet evening sun-downer. Or a bottle of wine!
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The small square outside is overlooked with a ledge of tall bronze statues of people that the Taiwanese millionaire building owner admired, including Sun Yat-Sen, Salvador Dali,Isaac Newton, Shakespeare, Plato, WinstonChurchill and Albert Einstein. Andif the place seems familiar, yes it does lookvery much like buildings depicted in Batmans' Gotham City comics.
Alternatively,one could sit in the Long Bar of Raffles Hotel drinking overpriced Singapore Slings and contemplating the colonialhistory of the building and the cityWhilstshucking peanuts, throwing the shells on the floor to be trodden on by the next customer, all part of the experience apparently. Under the somewhat ineffective raffia punkahs that waft hot air around the room, this iconic cocktail has been drunk since it was first mixed here in 1915. However,the lazy idyllic tropical days of Somerset Maugham and other literary notables have gone - the hotel bars and charming courtyard are now more likely to be host to tourists ticking off the 'done that's' on their bucket lists.
Alsoan example of understated elegance and, importantly, cheaper drinks, is the colonialstyled Intercontinental Hotel just up the road from Raffles with its warm Wood-panelleddining, drinking and meeting areas. Here a pianist plays subtle tnelodiesthat waft over the high ceilinged central salon area, complete with Gothic columns,glass candelabra and obsequious Waitstaff.
There are of course many other bars in hotels across the city, often brashly glass and steel like the buildings above them. At the bottom end of town there are those slightly seedy establishments along Orchard Road well known to all taxi drivers, where a loud and electric mix of music, alcohol and people of all nationalities attracts a certain younger crowd of bohemians.
In years gone by the area around Bugis Street was renowned as a hangout for transvestites, but this is long gone with the redevelopment of Bugis Junction, a roofed and air conditioned shopping complex incorporating old streets and shophouses. Not a dodgy character to be seen anywhere nowadays, thank goodness!
However, it's boring to stay in one bar all night in a city as exciting as Singapore and one could do worse than jumping in a taxi for a drive around the place at night. Many of the buildings, both the older shop houses and more radical modern architecture that abounds, look totally different at night when cleverly illuminated. It seems as if the city of about 5 million souls never sleeps and that most people, and the apparently 24,000 taxis, are all on the streets in the evenings. Eating out is obviously one of Singaporeans' favourite occupations. Shopaholics beware though, most shops are open until 10.00 pm so retail therapy is an option also!
For more music, head to the hundreds of restaurants and bars housed in what were warehouses along the banks of the Singapore River in one of the small streets near Boat Quay and Clarke Quay. I !ere there is a huge range of entertainment establishments - with names such as the Crazy Elephant Bar, Little Saigon, Le Noir, Hooters, Mulligans, the Pump Room, Wings and The Highlander, mentioned to provide a feel for the ambience of the area. These are not necessarily places to go for a quiet drink but there is an endless variety of surroundings & styles to choose from.
Being on the river means that if the fancy takes you, a short cruise on a bumboat, once used to transfer cargo from ship to riverside warehouse, is a pleasant option also. One could take a cruise back to one's starting point, admiring the buildings at night or just use a river taxi to journey from one suburb to another. It only costs S$3.00 for example to travel from Clarke Quay to the Marina Bay Sands stop where the casino, restaurants and other eateries sit in the cavernous building at the base of the huge tri-tower hotel. The more energetic could walk on a bit further and take a ride on the Singapore Flyer ferris-wheel for views over the twinkling lights of the city or go for a romantic stroll around the vegetation of the beautiful Gardens by the Bay,which are also open at night for a light and sound show. There are a number of cafes and restaurants in these areas as well.
Chinatown in the evening is nice. Pinned down by an ornate Indian Hindu temple on one side and a Chinese temple on the other, the area is a maze of stall-lined streets and traditional shop-houses and of course places to eat and drink. For a very modest price one can eat great food and people watch whilst taking care of a bucket of large bottles of Tiger beer.
There are places outside the CBD to go as well. In the evening one can experience what is billed as the Night Safari, when some of the 1000 nocturnal animals at the Singapore Zoological Gardens are active and special shows are staged to provide a very different night out.
This island city is a place of interesting contrasts both day and night, with almost innumerable options for romantic, quiet or noisy experiences before, during or after dinner. However, for me at least the term 'Singapore Flyer' conjures up a variety of very different
memories!
BY LANCESEETO
The Southern state of Alabama in the United States is far removed from the healthy ancestral diet of eating fresh, wild foods from the land and the sea, and has held the undesirable title of consistently being one of the top five fattest states in the US.
The high-fat, highly processed diet of fried and takeaway fast foods is the likely factor in Alabama's obesity rate of 32 per cent in 2013. A lifetime of eating fatty foods and sugary drinks takes a toll on the waistline
and the integrity of our genes and immunity, with Alabama also having the highest obesity rates amongst school children. But despite the proliferation of cheap and convenient fast food chains in the South, a growing movement to eat healthier is beginning to creep into the diet of Alabamians, and herein lies the lesson for all of Western civilisation. What may be too late for the current generation, education and awareness of the link between diet and disease, and a return to eating locally from the land, might just help save a new generation from repeating the dietary mistakes of the past.
Montgomery, Alabama has held great historical significance for the USA,being the capitol of the Confederacy and the location of the First White House and Executive Residence of President Jefferson Davis in the lead up to the US Civil War of 1861-1865.
Montgomery, Alabama has held great historical significance for the USA, being the capitol of the Confederacy and the location of the First White House and Executive Residence of President Jefferson Davis in the lead up to the US Civil War of 1861-1865
Mostsignificantly in modern history, Mo~tgomerywas also the birthplace of the CivilRights Movement and a focal point of segregation between white and black. Montgomeryis where pastor Martin Luther Kin~was inspired to take up the rights of AfricanAmericans, after civil rights activist RosaParks refused to move from her seat on a bus in 1955 segregated between whites ~nd blacks._Shewas arrested and fined $10, ut the chain of events triggered by her arrest, changed the United States forever. FaS t forward nearly 60 years since the RosaParks incident and 150 years since the c· • fin tvil War, Montgomery once again ds Itself leading a new movement in the 21st century, this time, to revitalise a city's modern Southern cuisine.
Capturingthe techniques and hickorysmokedflavours of slow-roasted BBQ ;~d showcasing seafood from the Gulf to ~{e~,young local chefs are returning to- eir ~o_mestate to pioneer the seedtable initiative teaching Alabamians to reconnect to the land and the roots of their Produce.The seemingly uphill battle to ~etSoutherners to eat healthier cleverly ~-getsthe next generation with a simple P ilosophy of connection "Give a kid a nd· • tsh and they may or may not eat it.
Teach them how to grow a radish seed, nurture and harvest it, then the radish becomes a product of ownership and pride. I made that!" says Mark Bowen, Education and Outreach Coordinator for the EAT South community farm project.
The Renaissance Hotel's Executive Chef, John Melton, is just one of the local chefs who has embraced this new way of eating local. His early exposure to the creole and Cajun flavours of New Orleans, combined with the traditions of Southern cuisine has seen him lead the charge in creating signature dishes like his sweet tea-brined chicken
and a decadent breakfast of a bweet potato and duck confit eggs benedict served with a peach-infused, legally distilled moonshine called Shine. Home-brewed moonshine hooch or white lightning is still illegal i~ the state of Alabama, but the licensing of its first legal distillery since Prohibition brings cultural history to the tables of the gourmet traveller.
Take a walk downtown to a revitalised Montgomery entertainment district and you'll find upcoming chefs like Leonardo Maurelli III, redefining Southern cuisine at one of the hottest eateries, Central.
Although not formally trained in the culinarY arts, Executive Chef Lea's Italian heritage, insatiable palate and his championship of local produce puts him in good standing with some of the country's top young chefs. From his tender pork jowl cheeks with sweet cornbread and molasses, to his smoky wood· roasted rib-eye meatloaf with buttermilk mash and house-made relish, or the blackened catfish with okra stew and gouda grits - Maurelli has cleverly captured the essence and traditions of Southern Alabama cuisine.
Across town, James Beard Award Nominee chef and owner Wesley True brings an adventurous and farm-inspired cuisine to the tables of Montgomery. Hailing from neighbouring Mobile, True honed his culinafY skills in New York City before returning to his home state to be a part of the regional Southern cuisine movement.
His restaurant, True, sources produce within a SO-kilometre radius, inspiring visually masterful dishes like his "taste of spring" of seafood mousse, poached Gulf shrimp, red pepper ice cream, spring pea dashi broth, finished with Gulf squid ink. Like Maurelli, Chef True has stuck to his roots and incorporated much of his Southern influence into his signature plates. "No modifications please!" stipulates his menu.
The power and respect of the rock star chef has returned to the culinary scene in Montgomery. But this time, it has all the cultural heritage, historical story and health of eating from • the land.
* Lance Seeto is an award winning chef, television host and international food writer based on Castaway Island, Fiji. He was a guest of the Montgomery Commerce, Convention and Visitor Bureau and Alabama Tourism. Follow his global culinary adventures as he goes in search of cultural flavours at www.lanceseeto.com
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RoadrangerBRAKEVALVES
he fantastic limestone isles of Phangnga Bay jut from the ocean like sleeping dragons. Amid these zoomorphic snoozers tou·n find the long, skinny twins of Koh P~oNoi and Koh Yao Yai islands. East of Uketand west of Krabi (and a world ~Partfrom both), they still run on slowCoat time. Neither island is a Robinson /Usoe wilderness, yet their beaches ;en•t jammed with hire chairs or their 1aters shredded by jet-skis. Your resort's ttn _mowermight be a buffalo and s e n1ghtlife a cricket's chirp. Just what t 1n_ e romantics still look for in an island o tday.
speedboat zips us out from Ao Po pier 1 ; :huket's east coast for a half-hour ride
a d0 h Ya? Yai, midway between Phuket T~ K;ab1- it's 24k~ in either direction. b ere s a concrete pier, a gaggle of fishing si;ts careened in the sun, a few Moslem ; 0 bOolgirlsand not a hawker or hustler a] e seen. A well-padded truck rolls us ru~nga sealed road past villages, bush and her-tree plantations until we reach our
resort, Koh Yao YaiVillage that's perched on a slope overlooking the mystical bay.
Koh YaoYai,the less developed of the two islands, was settled long ago by Malay and Mon people. There are now good roads across its 46km length and as we cruise them it's easy to see that the main industries are still fishing and boat building, plus rubber and coconut plantations. It's an informal place and our drop-in visit to a rubber plantation - a forest of tomorrow's car tyres and condoms - and its little, handoperated latex factory that's run by Burmese migrants, is welcomed. It's similarly easy for us to check-out an offshore fish farmtl1atbecomes the source of tonight's lobster dinner.
Next day it's time for one's choice of kayaking or snorkelling, plus an afternoon massage. Regrouping later beside the resort's main pool we slurp sundowners while watching the Jurassic riot of Phangnga's dragon islands parading below a darkening, magenta sky. There aren't too many gin and tonic vistas like this on eartl1.
We're carving across the lime-green waters of Cheow Larn Lake in a longtail boat. The karst hills landscape around us is the freshwater version of Phangnga Bay, some 100 kilometres to the south. This giant reservoir was created in 1984 to power Ratchaprapha hydroelectric dam and is now the liquid jewel ofKhao Sok National Park.
The grand expanse of Khao Sok park sits between Thailand's Andaman and Gulf coasts. Its 740 sq km of rainforest, lakes and islands combine with adjacent nature reserves to form the largest wilderness expanse in Thailand, if not all mainland Southeast Asia.
Limestone peaks, their pale walls grained like petrified wood, rear from the water. Their jungle topknots, far above us, are silhouetted against the sky. Even higher, eagles on snack patrol pivot lazily in a thermal gyre. We come ashore at the best of several "raft house" resorts, the luxury Elephant Hills Rainforest Camp. We are stabled - in a very refined sense of the word - in a floating, tented camp on Cheow Larn Lake that becomes our base for jungle walks, lake excursions and kayaking, plus great dining on crisp, barbecued freshwater gourami.
It's time for a hike. I hear the boom of gibbons in the jungle and, luckily, spy one of our long-limbed cousins slipping through the trees. It's much easier to spot a rioting tribe of longtailed macaques as they do their no-net trapeze stunts, swinging and crashing through the canopy. The hornbills are far more reticent. "There are plenty here," our guide assures us. "Lies, damned lies and tour guides," we assure him, with a wink.
Instead we see dive-bombing fish eagles and massive hardwoods whose buttress roots could hide a small elephant. There are, in fact, wild elephants here, along with civet, leopards, pangolin and barking deer - all of them too canny to be seen by a crash of midday bush-bashers. However, canapes and sundowners, we are told, are sighted daily.
Dusk falls and the handsaw serenade of a billion jungle insects cranks up. Most extraordinary is the so-called "football stadium cicada" whose single note - as held by millions of thempans right around the landscape in the aural equivalent of a football stadium's Mexican Wave. To the sounds of jungle's primordial, mate-whistling serenade, another G n' T and the sun go down, ._ both beautifully. V
Information: Transfers for Koh YaoYai depart from Bang Rong and Ao Po piers, Phuket. Take a taxi from airport to the pier - negotiate the fare in advance or, better, have your resort arrange it. Khao Sok Park entrance is two hours' drive north of Phuket airport.
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BY DIANA MCMANUS
For amateur spieliologists and tourists alike, Chillagoe is a mere two and a half hours drive from Cairns and is a great place to escape from the touristy coast and get a real taste of the Australian outback.
With a sealed road for all but about 15 kilometres, you can easily make it a day excursion in a normal car, have a huge amount of fun, and still get back to Cairns in time for dinner.
Once beneath an inland sea, the country around Chillagoe is a weird landscape of craggy, weathered, ancient limestone reefs and grykes. Thrust upward over time, and subjected to inten e heat from later subterranean volcanic action, much of the limestone has metamorphosed into marble, creating a thriving
industry for the locals, few as they are. A sign coming into town proudly boasts a population of 310, by which time you'll have passed any number of open pits surrounded by huge blocks of white marble awaiting collection.
It's a nice little town, with some attractive old buildings from days of yore when it was a mining boom town at the turn of the 20th century. The ruins of the old smelter still stand, though these days visitors are encouraged to use the interpretive viewing platform rather than having a hands on adventure foraging amongst the derelict and dangerous buildings. The tall chimney stacks have iron bands around them to try and prevent their collapse.
The scale of the smelting processes used on the copper, silver, lead and gold found in the area is impressive. The smelter was assembled and updated repeatedly between 1901 and 1911, and closed sometime during the 19S0's.
The town also has two pubs with that icy cold beer that goes down so well after some hot and thirsty sightseeing. Chillagoe is in the Mungana Caves National Park and there are six different caves for the public to explore. Three of these are guided by Park Rangers and the others are self-guided for the intrepid, though torches are strongly recommended. Obviously the guided tours come at a cost, which goes towards preserving the caves and developing the infrastructure for viewers' safety and pleasure.
The first tour kicks off at 9am, so you should leave Cairns at about 6am for time to purchase tickets at The HUB,the town's interpretive centre. Each cave has its own unique character, so it's hard to make suggestions about the best ones to see. I personally like Donna Cave because of its wonderful formations, excellent lighting and stainless steel railing and steps.
Its name comes from a shadow, cast by a lime tone curtain formation, resembling the profile of the Christian Madonna. There are also beautiful columns and calcite crystals, stalagmites and stalactite , gorgeous formations like dripping ice cream cones, cauliflower heads and reef coral. This tour take about an hour to complete and is graded as moderate.
Nearby Trezkinn Cave, also graded moderate, affords fantastic views over the Chillagoe landscape from its entrance. It's a much shorter experience, though with several quite steep sets of stairs. It does have a magnificent chandelier formation at its heart though the day we went it was closed for development projects. Apparently everything has to be completely constructed externally and bolted together in the cave, so as not to disturb cave life such as the little horseshoe bats which inhabit them.
Swim time. It's possible to trek across the limestone formations to Balancing Rock and onward to the Royal Arch Cave, but we decided to give that a miss. While I went off to buy some beers, my young Japanese friends chose to explore Pompeii Cave, next to the Donna Cave. A torch is a must for this. There are large boulders strewn around from a previous roof collapse so it's a bit arduous getting to the bottom where there are some quite attractive formations to be found. It's rated as difficult. Nearby Bauhinia Cave offers a similar experience.
With a couple of XXXX'sin hand, Queensland's own beer, we headed out of town on the weir road for a few hundred metres. Here we clambered down the steep stairway to the river and plunged into the water for a quick cool off, followed by lunch.
Usually the water is crystal clear but today it was cloudy because of the huge amount of rain in the previous couple of weeks at the height of the wet season. It's a nice little oasis with water pouring over the rocks forming a big, natural pool. Melaleucas line the river bank and the smelter's chimney stack looms above the hill which divides you from it.
After lunch is the Royal Arch Cave tour, so-called because of two of its features. Externally there is an outcrop which
looks decidedly like the profile of Queen Victoria's upper half; hence the 'royal' label. Within is an impressive eroded archway that supplies the other part of the cave's name.
This cave is one of the largest cave systems in the area and takes about 90 minutes to complete, and it's not lit. It does have a lot of natural lighting from places where the roof has collapsed. evertheless the ranger supplies each viewer with a torch.
Because of the roof collapses, the light entering the cave has promoted algae growth and a light green hue covers some of the formations. The light encourages other creatures such as frogs and lizards to inhabit the cave. In this cave are some small, ancient marine fossils, testimony to the caves' oceanic origins.
Unlike Donna, the Royal Arch is not generally a 'live' cave. There i littl evidence of the sparkling calcite crystals and dripping talactite of the form r. llow ver there are some interesting hape formed by the calcite in year gone by uch a the elephant, the goat, the o trich with hi head in the wall and the ugly stepsi ter. omeone obviou ly had a lively imagination when the cave were first explored.
Sometimes you have to stoop quit low to pa s from one chamber to the next. llere there were plenty of bats darting about, small hunt man pider and a couple of smallish spotted pythons. One really nice thing about the caves is that they're cool. The average temperature remain about 22 degrees Celsiu all year round, but the humidity level can till get a bit high.
Finally we drove about 15 kilometres north on l the unsealed Developmental Road to visit The C Archways, an easy, above ground stroll though a big, semi-open cave amid the grykes. The sheer scale of the limestone walls is enough reason to go there. It's easy to miss the turnoffwhich is opposite the Mungana cattle yards where you might see a road train or two off- loading the beasts at the railhead where the line ends.
There were plenty of cattle roaming freely across the road since it cuts straight through the cattle stations. My Japanese contingent couldn't get enough of the sight. I mean, how many photos of cows do you need? Especially when you can line them up with one of the giant ant hills out there!
Out at the Archways is also some Aboriginal rock art. It's only a small sample, but nicely presented.
Then it was time for a visit to the Chillagoe Hotel for an outback pub experience. In the main street it's easily accessible and has more character than the nearby, modernised Black Cockatoo Hotel/Motel. The locals breasting the Chillagoe marble bar were chatty and hospitable, and the barmaid served the most delicious blueberry muffins imaginable, cooked by her husband. They own the pub.
We hit the road at about 5pm, perfect timing to see kangaroos out for their late afternoon grazing. You have to return through the cattle siding of Alma den, which in itself is a fascinating, tiny town where the cows wander the street (singular) and railway line at will. Shades of India! It too has a great little pub and beer garden but on this trip we gave it a miss.
So when you come to Cairns, if you're looking for a truly Australian experience which will capture the essence of the outback, you can't .-. go past chilling out at Chillagoe. V
BYSUSAN EAMES
TThe violinist sat on a tiny stool near the street corner. He wore a suit, a white cap and highly polished shoes. He was playing Puccini. As we listened to him I couldn't help but smile. How apt to find a smartly dressed busker playing Puccini in Florence, the birthplace of modern opera.
The city of Florence in Italy is also the source of the Renaissance in Europe. Renaissance is the French word for rebirth. The phrase was coined to describe the significant changes that occurred in Europe between the 14th and 16th centuries, from economic and political to scientific and artistic.
As a teenager I saw a photograph of Michelangelo's remarkable sculpture of David. The image haunted me over the years. I arrived in Florence filled with anticipation that I was finally going to see the original. Our ambitiously priced hotel was a disappointment and breakfast was beyond horrible. I didn't care: I was in Florence and I had a date with a sculpture. But I decided to visit some of the other attractions first and save David until last.
Florence is jam-packed with museums, galleries and churches in tribute to its Renaissance legacy. It is also jam-packed with tourists.
The Uffizi is a famous museum, described as one of the best in Italy. If you arrive without a ticket, the queues are formidable. We bought tickets timed for entry later that morning and went to explore the Ponte Vecchio around the corner.
Ponte Vecchio means Old Bridge. The bridge spans the River Arno at its widest point. It dates back to Roman times and has been rebuilt several times. The current bridge was reconstructed in 1345 after a flood. Adorned with rows of shops, by the 16th century the bridge shops had become the street of hog butchers. Fernando I de'Medici allegedly evicted the butchers and replaced them by goldsmiths because he couldn't bear the smell. A bust of Florence's most renowned goldsmith, Benvenuto Cellini, stands in the centre of the bridge.
After an enjoyable wander along the bridge to investigate the dazzling jewellery on display in the shop windows it was time to return to the Uffizi.
Built in 1581 under the orders of Granduca Francisco de'Medici, the Uffizi is next to the Medici Palace. The building was originally intended for offices and meeting rooms for magistrates before it became a gallery.
The paintings in the museum are arranged in chronological order, beginning with 13th century altar pieces. We explored room after room of religious and mythological art. All the great artists of the Renaissance are represented here with paintings by Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, Botticelli, Bellini, Rubens and Titian to name a few.
I have to confess that I found there were only so many Madonna and Child paintings I could view without glazing over, and it was a relief when we found a sprinkling of Rembrandts to break the theme.
I found the Bargello Museum more to my taste. The museum building has gone through various incarnations, including even a prison. Today, with its spectacular collection of Renaissance sculpture, the Bargello should not be missed on any Florence itinerary.
In addition to sculptures, the Bargello houses collections of ivory, ceramics, jewellery, Islamic art, Turkish carpets and exquisite enamelware.
The oldest building in Florence is The Baptistry, believed to date from the 6th or 7th century. The truth about The Baptistry's origins is not clear, but in the Middle Ages, the Florentines thought it had been built as a Roman Temple to the god, Mars.
The Baptistry sub equently gained its name becau e communal baptisms were performed on March 21 every year on children born in rtorence during the preceding 12 months.
Perhap one of the ma t intere ting things about thi ancient, octagonal building is its plendid gilded bronze doors of Old Testament scenes, designed by Lorenzo Ghiberti in the 15th century.
Just aero the way from The Baptistry i the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, or The Duomo. florence' cathedral with it massive dome dominates the city's skyline. The 13th century cathedral wa eventually completed in the 15th century when rilippo Brunelle chi's dome was built. It's one of the largest churches in Italy and the dome is said to be the largest brick dome in the world .
We walked around the exterior of the basilica, marvelling at its green, pink and white marble panels patterned with rectangles and flowers. Then we arrived at the exuberant main entrance. The fa~ade was designed in the 19th century by Emilio De fabris and is extraordinarily elaborate.
It was our final day in Florence after a hectic schedule. I left my husband to relax and made my way to the Accademia Museum. The Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo created the Accademia in 1784 when he united the drawing schools in Florence into one Academy and founded a gallery of paintings for the pupils to study.
Today the gallery contains many striking exhibits, but I was only interested in one. Ticketless, I joined a depressingly long queue. Every half an hour, the queue shuffled forwards as batch after batch of visitors entered the museum.
Eventually my turn arrived. The Accademia is large and I wondered how I was going to find David. As I anxiously cast about for a layout plan of the building, I turned a corner and found myself gazing down a long, narrow corridor flanked by sculptures. At the end of the corridor, David stood on a plinth, beautifully lit under a domed ceiling. I was transfixed.
The City Council of Florence asked Michelangelo to carve David from an almost 6-metre block of damaged marble. He began in 1501. It took him three years. The result was stunning.
Michelangelo insisted that the sculpture be erected in the Piazza Signoria as a symbol of the Republic. It was eventually moved in 1873 from its outdoor site to protect it from the elements.
According to Michelangelo's diary entry, David was: "A civic hero, he was a warning ... eyes watchful ... the neck of a bull ... hands of a killer ... the body, a reservoir of energy. He stands poised to strike."
According to me, he is simply breathtaking and worth every bit of discomfort negotiating the tourist hoards in Florence.
As I stared up at him, I swear I could hear a violin playing.
WORDS:BARNYYOUNG
PHOTOS:BARNYYOUNG AND JORDYSEARLE
The West Coast of New Zealand's South Island is renowned for its challenging terrain'. natural beauty, high rainfall, vorac10us sandfl.ies and kayaking. Located only three hours' drive from Christchurch's international airport, the small town of Hokitika has become a hub for international paddlers looking to access the West Coast's spectacular rivers.
After landing in Christchurch and picking up your rental car, you will soon find yourself driving through Arthurs Pass, a steep and winding road with breathtaking vistas mimicking Papua New Guinea's Southern Highlands.
Hokitika itself is a small town with a population of around 3000 but the countless rivers draining the nearby Southern Alps are what make the area so alluring for kayakers.
Of these, the turquoise blue Kokatahi river is rated as the best. Despite its close proximity to Hokitika, the harsh terrain and volatile weather in the Kokatahi valley makes access difficult and the only way of reaching the put-in is by helicopter.
author,stoked to be at the take-out, ready for another lap on his favourite river.
For any one peering down from the helicopter at Kokatahi for the first time, shivers down the spine are quite understandable. The rugged alpine scenery within the confines of this stunning river valley is truly breathtaking.
Luckily for kayakers, New Zealand just happens to have the highest number of helicopters per capita of anywhere in the world. The main reason for this came from a government-introduced bounty, whereby hunters were paid to depopulate National Parks of wild deer. This, coupled with a rise in both fur and venison prices, meant that from the 1960s to the 1990s hunting proved a lucrative industry, with many hunters being able to invest in helicopters. Nowadays new laws and the use of 1080 aerial poison has resulted in numbers of deer plummeting and a sharp decline in heli-hunting. The helicopter legacy continues however, with former hunting pilots such as local legend Bruce Dando now spending their time flying kayakers and tourists into the wilderness instead.
From the bridge at the Kokatahi's take-out, 10 short minutes in a helicopter will have you accessing the put-in to one of the best whitewater kayaking rivers on the globe.
Despite not possessing the visually spectacular waterfalls of such destinations as Chile or California, the Kokatahi should not be underestimated. This becomes apparent as soon as the flight begins, with the landscape changing from meandering farmland to abrupt gorges and dense native bush. For any one peering down from the helicopter at Kokatahi for the first time, shivers down the spine are quite understandable. The rugged alpine scenery within the confines of this stunning river valley is truly breathtaking.
If you get off line 011 the Kokatahi, be prepared to t,e punished.
Once on the water you are treated to Class IV-V whitewater all the way down to the spectacular Cover Shot. This classic 15-foot drop is made obvious by a stark increase in gradient as the water seems to fall off the face of the earth. Cover Shot can be walked around on the right or line up one of the best rock smear-launch combos anywhere in the world. This drop gained its name in the fir t descent when Graham Charles, editor of Z Whitewater, was adamant he got the "cover shot" for his new guide book, only to lose his camera later that day after flipping and being ejected from his kayak dovvnstream.
Below Cover Shot you have a couple of kilometers of boat scoutable class IV-Vwhitewater before a huge slip on river left heralds a portage for most teams. This gnarly drop has seen about 10 descents over the years but most opt to clamber over the loose debris to the safer waters of the turquoise pool below. Back on the water it isn't long before a tightening of the valley walls signals the approach to Carnage Gorge. This narrow constriction almost cau ed the demise of Bruce Barnes and Graham Charles on the first descent. For a couple of years after the fir t descent, this backed up washing machine-type hydraulic forced teams to battle for close to two hour to portage the 400m of dense bush and teep terrain around Carnage Gorge. Thankfully over the last few years debris movement has changed Carnage Gorge allowing paddlers safe passage again.
Over the next 3-4 km prepare to be mesmerised as you paddle through some of the most picturesque and pristine class IV-IV+boogie anywhere in the world. Make sure to hoot and holier as you come through the next gorge to experience the echo that middle earth provides. The next horizon beckons the classy Skateboard ramp. This funky rapid resembles a kayaker's halfpipe; enjoy flying out over the perfect seam before funnelling down a steep ramp into the pool below.
Back on the water enjoy beautiful bedrock rapids before arriving at the twin towers portage. Portage on the left before lowering your boats off a large 6m bedrock boulder. After sliding down the smooth-lined bedrock into the pool below before walking around the final gorge up a steep track on the left. From there cross the swing bridge and enjoy the final 3-km paddle out through braided farmland to the car and on to the Kokatahi pub for a well deserved cold beer.
In my opinion the Kokatahi's spectacular gorges, drinkable turquoise water and ultra classic ramp and slide style bedrock rapids make it one of the best rivers in the world and I feel extremely blessed to .... have it in my backyard.
AIRNIUGINIOPENEDA NEW OFFICEin Honiara (Solomon Islands) on June 2 to handle sales operations for the Solomon Islands, Nadi (Fiji) and Port Vila (Vanuatu). The airline's business interests in these countries was previously looked after by a general sales agent.
The airline's Chief Executive Officer, Mr Simon Foo, said it was important for Air Niugini as a regional airline to establish its own office to look after the interests of its customers in that part of the region.
"In order to expand our market and further strengthen our presence in the Pacific, and especially in the Melanesian countries, it is important to have a fully-fledged office to take care of our customers," he said.
In charge of the newly-established office is Apisolom Kaili, who has recently taken up his post there as Port Manager. His appointment is in line with Air Niugini's program to provide international work exposure for young Papua New Guineans in Air Niugini's international offices before returning to head office to take up executive roles within the airline.
In congratulating Apisolom Kaili, Mr Foo said: "Testing your capacity and management skills in unfamiliar circumstances with people from all walks of life is far more enriching."
Mr Foo added that the more exposure a leader has to all aspects of the airline business operations, the better he or she will be in taking actions as needed to weigh in on decisions they make on the airline and the impact of those decisions.
Apisolom Kaili joined the airline in 1997 and worked in several areas beginning
with Human Resources, followed by Ground Operations, Safety, and Corporate Charters before his appointment to the Honiara office.
Air Niugini's Honiara office is located on the second floor of Antony Saru Building, opposite the PNG High Commission.
Charity Trust tournament held over the Easter long weekend, Air Niugini fielded two teams in the Men's and Women's divisions.
The women's team came second in the finals against InterOil. They were also awarded a trophy for Best and Fairest in the tournament. The men's team made to the knockouts.
The tournament has been an annual event since 1998, held to raise funds to assist charity organisations in Port Moresby and other centres such as the Sir Buri Kidu Heart Foundation, St John's Ambulance, Modilon Hosptial in Madang, the PNG Women's Doctor's Association, and Kesh Medical Foundation to name a few.
Each year three charity organisations are selected to be beneficiaries from the .... monies raised during the tournament.
AT A RECENTPORT MANAGERS'CONFERENCE held in Port Moresby, Air Niugini management recognised several domestic ports for achieving 100 per cent on time performance in the airline's domestic schedule.
The ports of Tari, Mendi and Misima achieved 100 per cent on time performance for three consecutive months including January, February and March this year.
The respective Port Managers were congratulated by the airline's Chief Executive Officer, Mr Simon Foo, for their excellent results and urged them to maintain the performance.
Other ports that achieved 100 per cent on time performance for two months in that period included Hoskins (January and February) and Wewak (February and March.) Air Niugini Kavieng achieved the goal in January, and Lihir in February.
On the overall performance, Madang took out shield for leading on time performance in bigger ports, while Wewak led for ports in category B, Tari in category C and Mendi and Misima for the smaller ports.
Mr Foo urged these ports to maintain their performance and challenged other ports to work hard to lift their performance.
The PX Port Managers' conference is an annual event where all managers from outside Port Moresby come together to discuss issues and challenges faced at their respective ports and discuss ways to improve. The conference allows for open and interactive discussions between port manager and staff from other departments within the airline's head office.
Air Niugini currently has 25 domestic ports and .._ 11 international destinations.
AIRNIUGINIRECENTLYEMBARKEDon a new customer service initiative that will be sustained and grown over the year The strategy is called the "mullipUer effect" or "ripple effect".
An initial training group of 60-90 staff from various departments throughout the airline's network can get out a me sage to 2000 employee fa ter and more effectively than one trainer trying to conduct a number of training ses ions for the company's entire human resource.
The first group pictured here underwent a two-day cour on customer ervice course to learn technique , concepts and idea to adapt and use when they conduct their own training at their respective work place.
The benefits of the concept of Cu tomer Service Champions action: Saves time in getting message out.
• Provides company-wid teamwork. Cconomie of scale.
• Cost aving .
• More effective way to reach more than 2000 employees. Creates a motivated work force.
The "moments of truth" courses offered the course attendants with knowledge and skills needed to anticipate and respond in various constructive ways to the problems customers inevitably meet.
Work hop Object covered such areas as:
• Analyse problems of poor customer ervice and how to deal with them.
• Analyse current method of dealing with cu tamers and identifying strengths and weaknesse
• Demonstrate learning and understanding of current customer care concepts.
• Understand the value of effective customer care to the airline.
Discuss how can good customer service be a standard and not an exception.
• Analyse the benefits of internal customer service.
• Acknowledge value of customer "reactions" (how to handle an upset cu tomer and their complaints).
• Understand basic needs customers have. Importance of service recovery.
• Comprehend the "value of a customer".
• Use effective communication theory.
AJRNIUGINILASTMONTHheld an open forum with its key business partners in Port Moresby to gauge their views on the airline's level of customer service and seek suggestions on how to improve performance to meet customer expectations.
The open forum was led by Chief Executive Simon foo and enior management. The key areas of focus included the airline's flight schedule. frequent flyer program, in-flight meals and other general customer service issues.
Mr roo said that the airline welcomed criticism from its customers and hopes that the feedback from the forum will help Air Niugini lift the standard of cu tomer services.
I le added that the airline has been working to improve operations in many different areas, and that as a front-line department, customer service is a critical area the airline will endeavour to improve.
