NEWSPAGE 10 August
2009

(Photo: Arrow International)

NEW ZEALAND: Arrow International appoints new director

(Photo: New Zealand Defence Force)

SAMOA: NZ High Commissioner to Samoa visits RNZAF contingent in Apia
Source: New Zealand Defence Force Press Release

The New Zealand High Commissioner to Samoa, Ms Caroline Bilkey recently visited the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) contingent currently based at Faleolo International Airport in Apia as part of Exercise TROPIC ASTRA.

Ms Bilkey was accompanied by the Australian High Commissioner Mr Matt Anderson and other NZ High Commission staff.

The RNZAF contingent includes four Iroquois helicopters from No. 3 Squadron and the Expeditionary Support Squadron (ESS). Over 100 RNZAF personnel are taking part in the exercise.

Ms Bilkey and Mr Anderson were given a tour of the tented camp and met with department heads who provided an overview of their respective jobs in support of military flying operations.

"It was a pleasure to have Ms Bilkey and Mr Anderson visit the camp. The work we do with the people of Samoa and government agencies will hopefully strengthen our ties with this country and provide our own personnel with valuable training and experience operating in a tropical environment" said the Senior National Officer, Wing Commander Karl Harvey.

Exercise TROPIC ASTRA 09 is being conducted from 29 July to 1 September 2009 and is an annual RNZAF exercise designed to provide readiness training in tropical flying operations, including civil tasking and aircrew survival training for selected aircrew personnel.

In addition, the RNZAF will be conducting flying tasks in support of the Samoan Government as directed through the NZ High Commission. All of the activities being conducted will simulate what will happen in real time on air operations whether it is disaster relief, humanitarian aid or search and rescue and aid to local Governments.

Photo Caption: Flying Officer Jamie Wallace, an Engineering Officer with No. 3 Squadron greets NZ High Commissioner Ms Caroline Bilkey while (from left to right) Warrant Officer Paul Davies, Warrant Officer Steve McCutcheon and Deputy High Commissioner David Dolphin look on.

(Photos: Riamoana Pasifika)

AUSTRALIA: Radio 4EB launches members drive in Brisbane
Source: Riamoana Pasifika Press Release

Community Radio station 4EB launched their members run in and around Brisbane city late last month (July 31, 2009). The station has been in operation for 21 years under the auspices of the Ethnic Broadcasting Association of Queensland. Besides the Samoan community there are approximately 52 other ethnic groups that share the station broadcast headquarters at Kangaroo Point, Brisbane.

Riamoana caught up with them at the Moata Samoa Fale in Deception Bay on the day. The group's secretary, Joyita Stanley-Slade said, "the drive was very successful with the team collecting more than 300 new and re-newed membership supporters."

Areas covered by the group included Logan, Inala and Goodna from the South-side and Deception Bay, Caboolture, Morayfield and others from the North-side of Brisbane. Volunteer workers at Deception Bay said that last year each suburb brought in around 30 members, this year uncovered a record number of 87 with the North-side suburbs topping with over 80 people registering. This is a testament that Radio 4EB is of great importance to the local community.
As with previous member drives, this one was promoted on Radio 4EB but sponsored by local Samoan businesses Uncle Sam's Takeaway, Wong-Kee Restaurant, Matauaina Takeaway and Enchiro Shipping. "Free food and t-shirts were provided for all those who registered on the day," said Slade.

"The success of the annual drives is very important to the station as member numbers may directly affect current broadcast hours in a positive way by increasing on-air time allocation for the Samoan program." The station has been supporting the community through free community notices and local and overseas news broadcasts. An elderly member of the Radio said "the program is my lifeline, I don't go out very often and I get so much pleasure hearing my own language."

Radio 4EB uses the preferred Samoan Language in most of its broadcasts totalling around nine hours a week. Currently there are 20 volunteer workers and more than 300 registered members. For more information about Radio 4EB please visit www.4eb.org.au

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - Sia'a Lio, Napalu Mat'e, Joyita Stanley-Slade and Mavis Urhle.

Photo 2 - Radio 4EB volunteers.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Tamil Nadu community education model to travel to PNG
Source: Sify News

When the Papua New Guinea foreign minister arrived in India, he made a beeline not for India's technology and commercial capitals but to a small Tamil Nadu village to learn about a new non-formal education system.

For Samul T Abal, minister of foreign affairs, trade and immigration, one of the highlights of the first ministerial trip from Papua New Guinea in 30 years was a trip down south, where he visited the Dr. Chandran Devanesan Rural Community College in Tamil Nadu's Kancheepuram district.

In fact, Xavier Alphonse, the director of the coordinating agency for community colleges -- Indian Centre for Research and Development of Community Education (ICRDCE) -- is already known to the Papua New Guinean government. He had visited Papua New Guinea last year to oversee the government's new scheme to set up a chain of community colleges.

'I actually came to know about this initiative through an American friend in Singapore... He (Xavier Alphonse) is setting up two community colleges in our electorates,' Abal told IANS in an interview, referring to his and Prime Minister Somare's constituencies.

Thirty-four Papua New Guineans have already been trained at ICRDCE, who will be working in the two pioneering community colleges that are under construction.

'After seeing those two colleges, other leaders also want the same in their provinces. So, right now we are planning for 13 more colleges,' he said.

Noting that it was a pet project of the Papua New Guinean prime minister, Abal said: 'My PM has accepted this concept from India as something which is good for us to borrow.'

Abal said that India's assistance and technical expertise in setting up those colleges will be highly appreciated. 'We have 60-70 percent of children missing out from education. We want to look at ways to incorporate them into economic activity and nation-building. This will supplement the formal education system.'

During his field visit in Tamil Nadu, Abal was impressed at the way lives were being changed by providing access to education in economically backward areas.

'One of them was very touching. The mother came up and shared her story, about her son who had given up studies. Now, he was earning Rs 5,000, working for a computer company -- far from his wildest dreams,' he said.

In fact, he has asked his Indian counterpart S.M. Krishna to schedule a trip to Papua New Guinea this year, so that he could be taken to those areas where the Indian-assisted colleges will be functioning.
 

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Rehab project aims to plant 10,000 seedlings
Source: Solomon Star

A tree planting initiative in the Western and Choiseul Provinces has so far planted more than 3,000 tree seedlings since February 2009, under an Environmental Sustainability initiative.

This program is part of the Recovery Action and Rehabilitation Project (RARP), a project of the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD) based in Gizo, Western Province.

The Solomon Islands Government, UNICEF, European Union and NZAID jointly fund RARP and is rehabilitating more than 140 schools in Western and Choiseul Provinces affected by the Tsunami and Earthquake disasters of April 2007.

The Project, which began in March 2008, is building back better classrooms, dormitories, offices, libraries, teachers’ houses and water and sanitation facilities that were affected by the disaster as well as providing some furniture.

Assistant Project Manager, Nancy Kwalea explained that RARP implementation started in March 2008 with herself and a Project Manager as the only staff, and has grown to a total of 29 staff by July 2009.

“These include an Infrastructure team of 16, project management, procurement and warehouse management, finance, administration, monitoring and evaluation and other support staff positions.

“RARP has an infrastructure component which is rehabilitating buildings and building structures and a development component which is promoting environmental sustainability and supporting capacity building within the Provincial Education Authorities of Western and Choiseul provinces as well as school committees and communities,” she said

Mrs Kwalea said tree planting is part of RARP’s Environmental Sustainability initiative, being undertaken in collaboration with the Natural Resources Development Foundation (NRDF), a local NGO based in Gizo.

“RARP holds Community Open Forum sessions in communities it has milled timber for school constructions, where environmental sustainability messages including sustainable forest management are shared.

“The community is then invited to participate in replanting seedlings of indigenous tree species on sites where it has completed milling of timber.”

The assistant project manager said 3,300 tree seedlings have been planted in 47 milled sites in Gizo, Kolombangara, Vona Vona Lagoon and Vella la Vella in Western Province, and Sasamunga in Choiseul Province. Also with NRDF assistance, RARP will trial its first mangrove tree planting in Kolokolo and Lambu Lambu in September.

She said nine communities in Choiseul will benefit from Community Open Forum sessions and tree planting from August to November, including Salakana, Voza, Kuku, Jengunu, Kakaza, Qoqala, Puzivai, Tuzu & Nabusasa. RARP is optimistic that with the collaboration of NRDF and communities in both provinces at least 10,000 seedlings of indigenous tree species and mangrove trees will be planted by the end of November 2009.

Apart from environmental sustainability support, Mrs Kwalea said RARP is also providing computer skills training and will be supporting Education Authority Officers and teachers of Western and Choiseul Provinces in Education Management and Development Plans, Annual Work Plans and Budgets, quality teaching and learning, and disaster response and recovery.

It has so far also assisted the PEAs with school fee exemption policies and forms, she said. 
 

(Photos: Australian High Commission)

WORLDWIDE: Pacific leaders witness ground-breaking OFC agreement
Source: Oceania Football Confederation Press Release

Football took centre stage at the 40th Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in Cairns recently with the signing of an AU$4 million partnership agreement between Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), the Government of Australia and Football Federation Australia (FFA).

The landmark agreement, which aims to deliver sports-based programs that contribute to community development in the Pacific, was signed at the Cairns Convention Centre where 17 Heads of Government are gathered for the annual regional meeting.

OFC President Reynald Temarii addressed the leaders and said a special thank you to Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd for his support.

“On behalf of OFC and the Oceania football family, I would like to express my sincerest thanks to the Australian Government for its role in this partnership,” said President Temarii.

“Together with the Australian Sports Outreach Program and FFA, we will be able to use the development of football to improve the lives of individuals, families and communities throughout Oceania.”

The agreement outlines how OFC, FFA and the Government of Australia - through its agencies the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) - will work together to deliver development projects throughout the Pacific over a three-year period.

These projects will include initiatives such as OFC ‘Just Play’ - a grassroots program that promotes physical activity (especially but not only football) for children aged 6-13 and encourages community involvement. ‘Just Play’ is already well established in OFC’s 11 Member Associations but is now set to expand.

Under the new agreement, OFC and ASC will undertake the planning and delivery of projects while FFA will provide close support including the supply of football equipment. FFA will also coordinate the cooperation of the parties.

The Australian Government meanwhile expects to contribute AU$4 million over a three-year period from July 2009 to June 2012.

FFA CEO Ben Buckley, who also spoke at today’s signing, says it is the intention of all parties to extend the agreement beyond this term.

"All of us at Football Australia are excited by this opportunity to contribute to capacity building in Pacific Island communities and to contribute to improved health and education outcomes through sustained participation in sport.

"We look forward to working with Oceania Football Confederation, through the leadership of Reynald Temarii, to achieve outstanding results over the coming years."

The partnership includes funding and support for the Pacific Youth and Sport Conference (PSYC) set to take place in Manukau, New Zealand, from 8-13 March 2010. PSYC is an OFC initiative aimed at bringing together regional stakeholders to discuss how sport can play a role in advancing health, fostering community development, reducing anti-social behaviour and building strong bonds among young people in the Pacific.

Photo Captions: OFC President Reynald Temarii, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, CEO of Football Australia Ben Buckley.