NEWSPAGE 06 February
2012

(Photo: Martin Hautus Institute)

(Photo: Samoan Sports Association)

SAMOA: Finalists for the 2011 Samoan Sports Awards announced.
Source: Samoan Sports Association Press Release

Winners will be announced at the Samoan Sports Awards on 18 February 2012 at the Pullman Hotel in Auckland City.

The Samoan Sports Awards have been held every year since 1997, and this year a number of Samoan and other Polynesian NFL stars from America are coming to New Zealand in
support of the awards.

The 2011 Samoan Sports Award finalists include:

Senior Sportsman
 Jerome Kaino – Rugby
 Ma'a Nonu – Rugby
 Ross Taylor – Cricket
 Khan Fotuali’i – Rugby

Senior Sportswoman
 Catherine Latu – Netball
 Fiao’o Fa’amausili – Rugby
 Maria Tutaia – Netball
 Sarah Clayton – Rugby / league / Tag

Junior Sportsman
 Bill Tuiloma – Soccer
 Joseph Parker – Boxing
 Steven Luatua – Rugby
 Carlos Tuimavave – League

Junior Sportswoman
 Sulu Tone-Fitzpatrick – Netball
 Paige Schendelaar-Kemp- Swimming
 Charlotte Davis – Touch and Basketball
 Alisa Parker – Tae Kwan Do

Coach of the Year
 Pat Lam- The Blues
 Vania Lavea – Auckland Storm

Administrator of the Year
 Jerry Seuseu – League
 Ben Mailata – Cricket

Pacific Sportsperson
 Valerie Adams – Athletics
 Mika Vukona – Basketball
 Eamon Lui – Waterpolo

Other special acknowledgements will include the Samoan Sports Hall of Fame induction, where James Leuluai (Rugby League), Joe Stanley (Rugby) and Joan Hodson nee Solia (Netball) will be honoured.

Photo 1 - Samoan Sports Association.

Photo 2 - 2010 Winner, Jerome Kaino.
 

(Photo: APTC)

AUSTRALIA: Australia Day - Samoa Style

The APTC Samoa students, staff and their families celebrated the Australia Day and dedicated it with fun game of cricket in the afternoon. The group of students who participated on the fun day were the School of Trade & Technology students, who had just started classes a week earlier.

These students are from PNG, Solomon Islands, Fiji Islands, Niue, Vanuatu, Kiribati, and Samoa. Most of them had never played cricket before and displayed their abilities during this outing.

The Samoa Cricket Association provided the cricket gear and the 60 players were divided into 2 teams with everyone having a bowl and a bat. There were many breaches of the rules, samples of underarm bowling and much booing of the umpires all considering the casual atmosphere.

The teams were the "Weldunnies" (Welders & Plumbers) who defeated the "Fritters" (Fridgies and Fitters). This was followed by an Australian style barbie which everyone was more than ready for.
 

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Search for PNG ferry disaster survivors to continue until early this week
Source: Radio New Zealand International

There are still at as many as 100 people unaccounted for after the sinking of a ferry off the eastern coast of Papua New Guinea on Thursday.

The MV Rabaul Queen sank near the end of a 20 hour journey between between Kimbe and PNG’s second largest city, Lae, after battling high seas.

The PNG Maritime Safety Authority says 2-hundred and 46 people have been pulled from the sea, but vessels and aircraft are still searching for bodies.

The search area has been widened due to the weather and drift patterns.

The search has been hampered by high winds and heavy swells, making it difficult to spot any survivors.

The Authority’s Captain Nurur Rahman says people can survive for 3 to 4 days in the warmer water, and they will continue searching until they have exhausted all options.

He says debris was found on Friday, but there were no survivors with it.

“I can neither confirm nor deny that people may have gone down with the vessel. It’s quite deep, it’s about a thousand metres deep in this part, where the vessel was sunk. I still think there are a lot of people who would be swimming, and the coast is only nine nautical miles away, so there’s a good chance that people would have swam to the coastal area and got stuck in a place where communications are not available.”

Passengers on the top deck say the vessel tilted three times before it keeled over.

They have told reporters there was oil everywhere and some are now being treated for inhaling toxic substances as they climbed into life boats.

The managing director of the vessel’s owners, PNG-based Rabaul Shipping Company, Peter Sharp, says the company is stunned and devastated by what has happened.

He has issued a statement acknowledging that the sinking has caused tremendous suffering, offering condolences to the loved ones of those affected.

The government has ordered an investigation into the sinking.
 

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Budget passed
Source: Solomon Star

Parliament passed the $3.1 billion budget last Thursday after much heated debate from both Opposition and Government.

The budget took four days of debating the Minister of Finance and Treasury, Rick Hou’s speech.

Then another four days of committee of supply before it was passed on the floor of Parliament.

At times Speaker of Parliament, Sir Allen Kemakeza had to intervene to make ruling on arguments by member of both sides.

Opposition Leader, Dr Derek Sikua was also warned by Sir Allen not to use derogative words during the proceeding after expressing his disappointment over some allocations in the budget.

Mr Hou earlier said it was a rural focussed budget with 50 percent of the allocation will go towards developments in the provinces.

He said there was a $2.2 million surplus and will require no additional borrowing by the Government.

“For the second year in a row, the 2012 Budget will be fully funded, ensuring all commitments and contingencies are funded through a combination of domestic revenue and external budget support.

“Domestic revenue growth in 2011 was revised to $2,478.1 million, 10 per cent higher than the original estimates,” Finance Minister said.

This Government is committed to funding the following areas in order to meet its key policy priorities:

Rural Development and Other Economic Affairs;
General Public Services;
Recreation, Culture and Religion;
Education;
Public Order and Safety;
Health;
Environment Protection;
Housing , Community Amenities and;
Social Protection.
 

AROUND THE WORLD: Guam Governor to push plan for one voice on military build-up
Source: Radio New Zealand International
 
Guam’s Governor Eddie Calvo is to push through plans to present a unified front to Washington on Guam’s stalled military build-up, saying it’s a way out of endemic poverty in the territory.

In a major address to Guam people, he attacked what he called fringe elements threatening the plan.

Sally Round reports.

“Eddie Calvo says Washington has been receiving mixed messages on the build-up which would see thousands of troops relocated from Japan. In his second State of the Island address, the Governor told the Guam legislature that he would issue an executive order to impanel the Guam First Commission advisory body which would present one voice in dealings with the federal government. He praised those who he said had set politics aside on the build-up which would end poverty for thousands drowning in debt and unhappiness. Mr Calvo stressed education as a way out of the poverty trap but also reiterated his intention to aggressively hold the federal government to account for money it owes the territory. He said Guam’s poor shouldn’t shoulder the burden of the federal system any longer.”