Papua New Guinea

In September, a group of 16 students and four adult volunteers departed for our annual Building Mission to Papua New Guinea. The boys were all students from Year 11 who had saved up their own airfare to give up a week of their September holidays to be part of the trip. Two De La Salle staff members, Tim Hogan and Sam Magree, accompanied the boys, along with Cel Curtis, parent, and Brian Lowe, a local builder. This year the group was again situated at De La Salle, Bomana, where they continued the work begun by 2011’s team. Bomana Boys, 9–12 is located 17 kilometres outside Port Moresby. This year’s focus was to renovate two of the classrooms in the school’s science labs. The project was set back somewhat by a lack of tools (the shipping container we sent over was stuck on the dock for the duration of our stay). Despite this the boys were able to get an impressive amount of work done over the two weeks, and the rooms were left in a far better condition. Each lab was scrubbed, sanded, re-plumbed, painted, had new desk tops affixed, new louvres cut and mounted, and new ceiling fans attached. The boys also built new shelving and tile splash-backs behind the work benches. During their stay the boys also refurbished two of the living quarters. With work complete the boys had time to enjoy the local culture. They visited the Kokoda Track, spent the weekend at another De La Salle school in Mainohana, visited the Australian War Cemetery in Bomana and undertook a village tour. The Community of De La Salle Bomana were welcoming and appreciative of the boys’ efforts. They were recognized as guests of honour at the school’s final assembly. During their stay, the boys made lasting friendships with the locals. A big thank you must be extended to Tim Hogan, Cel Curtis and Brian Lowe. Their expertise was crucial to the project and the patience they showed while explaining tasks was exceptional. The trip would not have been possible without funding from our Mission Action Day funds. It was an experience to see first-hand our contributions making the difference. Text and photography by Mr Sam Magree