NEWSPAGE 01 April
2011

(Photo: Patsy Schwalger Photography)

NEW ZEALAND: Award winning documentary attracts Pacific donors

(Photo: Australian High Commission)

SAMOA: Australia supports sport and healthy lifestyles in Samoa
Source: Australian High Commission Press Release

An active life and good diet are the basis of a healthy lifestyle, Australia’s High Commissioner said in Savaii last week at the handover of WST10,000 of sports equipment.

Australia’s High Commissioner, Stephen Henningham, visited the villages of Palauli and Pu’apu’a in Savai’i on 25 March to present the sporting and recreation equipment.

During the visit, the High Commissioner and his wife Catherine, were privileged to receive a customary welcome from the matai of Pu’apu’a.

“Sport and recreation provide life-long lessons”, High Commissioner Henningham said. “Fair play, teamwork and healthy lifestyles are things we should all work to achieve and support in life - both on and off the field.”

The equipment was provided under the Australian Sports Outreach Program. It comprised equipment for cricket, rugby, soccer, table tennis, weight lifting and swimming.

Oceania Academy of Sports representatives, Leituala Dr Ben Matalavea and Uaea Laki Apelu, welcomed the High Commissioner to the handover ceremonies at the Palauli and Pu’apu’a schools.

The speeches by the High Commissioner and Dr Matalavea stressed the importance of combining an active life with a good diet - with an emphasis on traditional foods and a minimum of sweets and soft drinks - to maintain good health,.

Pastor Reverend Fereti Sefo also welcomed the High Commissioner to Palauli village. There is no greater advocate of a healthy lifestyle: the Reverend is a former Samoan representative in Soccer and the Triathalon, and a former senior tennis and rugby player.

The Australian Government strongly supports other sports and healthy living activities in Samoa. The Fiafia Sports program, run by the Australian Sports Commission and the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture, provides funding for equipment, trainers’ salaries and training for village leaders to manage sports programs for adults, teenagers and children in targeted villages. In 2010, Australia provided WST 786,500 to the program and is again supporting the program in 2011.

Photo Caption: Australia’s High Commissioner, Stephen Henningham at the handover with Oceania Academy of Sports representatives, Leituala Dr Ben Matalavea and Uaea Laki Apelu.
 

(Photo: NEWS-4-US)

AUSTRALIA: Vanuatu Australia Police Project continues its support
Source: NEWS-4-US

The Vanuatu Police Force Capacity Building Project (VPFCBP) was recently superseded by the Vanuatu Australia Police Project (VAPP).

During the final meeting of the VPFCBP the Australian High Commissioner His Excellency Jeff Roach said that this was another step forward for the Vanuatu Police Force (VPF) building a more effective police force which served and protected the community of Vanuatu.

Mission Commander VPFCBP for the proceeding two years Superintendent Bill Quade outlined the achievements of the five year Project.

“The achievements of the project, including 126 new recruits, the donation of a Tier II vessel, various infrastructure projects and multiple training courses, develop the capability and capacity of the VPF, and facilitate and support self-reliance and management,” he said.

Manager Australian Peace and Stability Operations Centre (MAPSOC) James Watson represented the National Manager International Deployment Group at the final meeting.

During his opening remarks he highlighted and complimented the VPF on recent changes to the Vanuatu Police Act.

“These changes now provide the VPF with a modern and effective legislation base on which to build an effective governance framework” he said.

The VAPP will continue to support the VPF, with four main areas of focus, including training and professionalisation of VPF, infrastructure, assets and logistics, workforce renewal and internal VPF governance.

VAPP will be in operation until 30 June 2012.

Photo Caption: Commissioner Bong officially opens the recruit course.
 

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: 40 teams to tee off in PM’s Golf challenge
Source: The National

Promising youngster Sophia Cragnolini will be among other golfers taking part in the Prime Minister’s Golf Challenge to raise funds for Team PNG to participate in two international competitions - the 2011 Pacific Games and the Commonwealth Games.

The 13th Prime Minister’s Corporate Golf Challenge will be held at the Port Moresby Golf Club tomorrow. It is expected to tee off at 10.30am.

The Pacific Games will be held in Noumea, New Caledonia, from Aug 27 to Sept 10 while the Youth Games in Isle of Man from Sept 7-13.

The 15-year-old, part Chinese and Italian will be with other young women golfers like Margaret Lavaki, competing with senior competitors in the fundraising drive.

It is one of the events in the PNG Sports Federation’s annual sporting calendar.

PNG Sports Federation secretary-general Auvita Rapilla said she was impressed with young players - both men and women taking part in the tournament.

She said yesterday with a registration fee of K3,000 for a team, 40 teams had confirmed their participation.

She said the federation was encouraging companies to promote their corporate images, and they would provide prizes for the best dressed teams.

A similar tournament will be held in Lae in June.

As part of their sponsorship to PNGSFOC, The National is sponsoring the SP Awards nomination forms that run every Fridays since Feb 4 to March 25 as well as printing the SP Awards presentation invitations and programme.

Last year’s champions Prime Minister’s Team 2 will be back to defend their title.

Teams who finish third and fourth will receive the following prizes courtesy of Air Niugini - four return tickets Port Moresby to Cairns and four return tickets Port Moresby to Rabaul respectively.

Any three of the 39 teams lucky enough to sink the ball in one swing at the 5th hole will win K5,000 in cash, sponsored by Kina Securities while Digicel will give away a ZTE Light Tablet phone with K1,000 credits.

During the evening, a major draw courtesy of Air Niugini will take place.

All companies that sponsor a team will go into a draw to win the following prizes: two return tickets Port Moresby-Hong Kong; two return tickets Port Moresby-Sydney; and two return tickets Port Moresby-Brisbane.

Courts will be offering shopping vouchers while Coca-Cola Amatil have also jumped on board to provide drinks during the tournament.
 

(Photo: Australian Government)

SOLOMON ISLANDS: New Australian High Commissioner announced
Source: Solomon Star

Australia's next High Commissioner to Solomon Islands will be Matthew Anderson who is expected to take up the position in May.

Mr Anderson will replace Frank Ingruber who has been High Commissioner since May 2009.

Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kevin Rudd made the announcement yesterday.

“Australia has a close relationship with Solomon Islands based on shared regional interests, longstanding people-to-people and commercial links, and a substantial development assistance program,” he said.

“Australia works to promote peace and prosperity in Solomon Islands through the leadership of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), in partnership with fifteen Pacific neighbours. Australia looks forward to continued cooperation with Solomon Islands and regional partners in achieving RAMSI's objectives.”

Mr Anderson has a strong background in Pacific island affairs and speaks Pijin.

He was most recently Australia's High Commissioner to Samoa.

Mr Anderson has also served overseas in Papua New Guinea, South Africa, and was the chief negotiator of the Australian-led Peace Monitoring Group on Bougainville.

Prior to joining the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 1995, Mr Anderson was a commissioned officer in the Australian Defence Force.

He is married with three children.

Mr Anderson was awarded the Public Service Medal in the 2011 Australia Day Honours List for his role leading the consular and humanitarian response to the 2009 earthquake and tsunami in Samoa.

Photo Caption: The new Australian high commissioner to Solomon Islands Matthew Anderson.
 

(Photos: New Zealand Defence Force)

WORLDWIDE: New Zealand Defence Force prepares for Pacific mission
Source: New Zealand Defence Force Press Release

A contingent of New Zealand Defence Force (NZ Defence Force) personnel will head for the Pacific early next week onboard the HMNZS CANTERBURY, as the US-led exercise Pacific Partnership gets underway.

Pacific Partnership is a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) exercise, aimed at increasing interoperability between the US, NZ, Australian and French forces involved while carrying out civil aid taskings in Tonga, Vanuatu, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea and the Federated States of Micronesia.

The NZ Defence Force has committed the HMNZS CANTERBURY, her crew and up to 150 personnel; made up of medical experts and engineers/builders to the Niuatoputapu (Tonga) and Espiritu Santo (Vanuatu) phases of the exercise. They will be working alongside the USS CLEVELAND, the US Coast Guard, two Australian Landing Craft Heavy (LCH) vessels, and a French PUMA helicopter and crew that will be embarked on CANTERBURY.

Commander Joint Forces NZ, Air Vice Marshal Peter Stockwell, says the NZ Defence Force's involvement in this exercise is crucial to maintaining an effective HADR capability.

“It is exercises such as Pacific Partnership that ensure the NZ Defence Force is prepared to respond to natural disasters when we are called upon. These skills aren’t just required in our Pacific neighbourhood, but also in our own country, as we’ve sadly experienced in Christchurch both in September last year and February this year.”

Niuatoputapu was devastated in the 2009 tsunami. The NZ Defence Force and NZ Government responded in the initial emergency, and are returning there to continue in the rebuilding. NZ Defence Force personnel will carry out clinical, dental and environmental health tasks and education, as well as installing water tanks, refurbishing schools and clinics and helping to clear tsunami debris.

In Espiritu Santo, NZ Defence Force personnel will undertake general surgical procedures, help with water harvesting projects and provide refurbishment assistance to schools.

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - Soldiers from Linton Military Camp load water tanks onto a Unimog, in preparation for loading on the HMNZS CANTERBURY.

Photo 2 - The HMNZS CANTERBURY being loaded in Devonport.
 

Photo 3 - The HMNZS CANTERBURY off Samoa coastline.