Local bands and artists from East Sepik Province hope to end the year 2023 on a high note when they take the stage at The Cosmopolitan Club tonight (Friday, December 29, 2023). The night, titled 'Wewak Local Night,' will feature a few Sepik local bands, including the Zone 5 Crew (Z5C), Metelel Tribe of Vanimo, and the debut of the new band 'Pajes of Sawarin' on stage. The bands will perform alongside Felix Yausi, one of Sepik's greatest solo artists, Sterling Warren, and the 2022 YUMI FM Music Awards -Artist of the Year 'Beejoh'. Yausi will perform few of his hit songs including Yaram Medley, Pondo Pondo and Wara Sepik while Sterling Warren will electrify the night with his top hits like Murik Basket, Simel Sanda and one from his latest singles, 'Atako'. Beejoh, will perform with the newly introduced band 'Pajehs of Sawarin' on their latest hit song "Mapmonist," which is currently playing on PNG radio. Meanwhile, Z5C will move the stage with their top songs 'Puppy Love' and 'Meri Matis' while Jenno Japs will crank up the night with his top hit single 'Nangu Influence'. Expect a night of Sepik contemporary disco with a modern twist and Beejoh's unique vocal and resonance. The guest band, the Metelel Tribe of Vanimo, Sandaun Province, will set the night to the West of Sepik. Tickets are currently available for K40 in advance and K50 at the gate. If you want to support these local artists by purchasing tickets, please contact Jenno at 73901912 or 78639414.

St. John Ambulance receives over 4000 false calls to its emergency number 111 every day which totals to roughly 28, 000 false calls in a week. This is dangerous as it blocks and hinders genuine calls from getting through to the emergency hotline. Chair of the National St. John Council Dame Jean Kekedo stated that false calls made are a waste of resources and puts not only the genuine callers’ lives at risk but also the ambulance officers who respond to those calls. “A false call recently resulted in an attack on the ambulance crew, resulting in thousands of kina worth of damage to the ambulance vehicle.” “The mental trauma that ambulance officers suffer as a result of such attacks, as well as the stress that call takers face on a daily basis while responding to thousands of calls, are very concerning for the ambulance service.” Dame Kekedo added that currently there no laws that specifically protect the officers of St. John. “There is no law that makes falsely calling the ambulance service illegal nor is there any specific law that makes impeding ambulance officers from performing their duties a crime.” “There is no specific law that makes assaulting an ambulance officer more serious and there is no law that allows the ambulance service to see the exact location of the 111 callers at the time the call is placed, which would immediately assist officers in identifying fake calls and quickly locating casualties in rural areas without street addresses.” Dame Kekedo stated that there needs to be tough laws in place to protect St. John’s first responders to enable them to continue doing their job effectively. “Legislation enabling the tracking of calls and making it illegal to make false calls to public emergency numbers - like 111 will help the ambulance service proactively act to address the 4,000 nuisance calls each day.” The St John Ambulance Bill, which will be debated in Parliament during the next session, guarantees the safety of ambulance workers.

Like hospitals and other emergency services, St John ambulance operations centre was in the normal swing of things – answering calls for help. Anticipating an increase in the number of emergency incidents during the holiday season, more emergency ambulance crews were rostered on duty to meet the demand over the long Christmas weekend. From Friday evening to Tuesday morning, 17 ambulances were on duty in Lae, Kokopo, Kupiano Bereina, and Port Moresby, responding to 370 emergency incidents. From Sunday evening to Tuesday morning, ambulance crews responded to 162 emergency calls during the St John Ambulance (SJA) Christmas operation. The distribution of these calls revealed a high demand on Christmas Eve (50 incidents), Christmas Day (49 incidents), and Christmas night (63 incidents). The breakdown of emergency incidents by location showed that Port Moresby topped the list with 78 incidents, followed by Lae with 44, Central with 27, and Kokopo with 13. The nature of emergencies varied widely and included snakebites, gastrointestinal issues, respiratory issues, motor vehicle accidents, obstetric/maternal complications, childbirth, trauma, and more. Two of his incident types that stood out during Operation Christmas are particularly noteworthy: violence and trauma-related incidents – totalling 25 incidents. In addition, the ambulance service accompanied 26 women to the hospital for childbirth and follow-up during the holidays. Looking ahead, the ambulance service is anticipating an even busier New Year weekend as communities continue to celebrate the holiday season. SJA thanks the communities for their support in ensuring a safe Christmas operation for our ambulance crew.

Trainee St John Ambulance nurse Cathy John was blessed to have a heart-warming experience of delivering a baby girl while she was on her first day of ride-along duty just three days away from Christmas.  For Nurse Cathy who had previously worked in hospital settings, delivering a baby in a location other than a hospital was an entirely new and breathtaking experience. “This was my first time delivering a baby in the ambulance, and to do this on the first ride-along is an amazing experience, one that I will never forget in a very long time.” This extraordinary turn of events occurred on Friday when an emergency call reported a 28-year old woman in labor at the bus stop in front of Gordon’s Secondary School in Port Moresby. The Brown River Area expectant mother and her husband were in town for Christmas shopping. She was on the verge of giving birth without knowing the expected due date. The woman was surrounded by bystanders when the ambulance arrived, but the ambulance crew wasted no time in getting her into the ambulance for examination. The contractions became more severe on the way to Port Moresby General Hospital, prompting Nurse Cathy to check on the woman. To everyone's surprise, the baby's head was already visible. The crew made a quick decision to pull over along the road at Hohola, and with the birthing kit in hand, the mother gave birth to a healthy baby. The baby was cleaned, and the mother and baby were transported to the PMGH labor ward after the birthing procedure was completed. Upon receiving the handover notes, the hospital’s nursing staff expressed their joy and congratulated the team for successful delivery. Cathy is one of six nurses who worked with St John Ambulance in 2021 at the Nightingale COVID Care Centre (NGCCC) and have now returned to join the ambulance service on the road. Her remarkable entry into ambulance service exemplifies the unpredictability of emergency medical work and the dedication of healthcare professionals like Cathy who are prepared to respond to the unexpected with skill and compassion.

The youth of Grandville Seventh-Day Adventist Church are gearing up for its PNG4CHRIST Fundraising Walkathon from Port Moresby to Kerema, KaIntiba, Menyamya, Lae Goroka, Simbu and Jiwaka, in order to support their fellow Jiwaka Adventist members. This initiative aims to raise funds to contribute towards the construction of a VIP main Centre in Minj, Jiwaka Province. Chairman of Fundraising Elder James Dat stated that they decided to raise more than what the initial cost was in order to contribute to other programs run by their fellow Adventists in Jiwaka. “The estimated cost was about K320, 000 but we decided to raise K500, 000, that way we can not only achieve the main purpose of our walkathon which is to contribute the construction of the VIP main Centre in Minj, but also to support another thirty-four VIP care centres in the province as well.” “Currently, about 10, 000 people are being taken care of at these thirty-four care centres, and apparently they are going to establish twenty more next February – which will bring the number of centres up to fifty-four.” Mr. Dat stated that this was the result of the people of Jiwaka coming up with the concept of caring for the vulnerable individuals – something he believes the government has overlooked. “From our view, we’ve seen that the government has forgotten vulnerable and special people like widows, widowers and disabled people.” “We’ve seen the policies and programs of the government, but the problem is these individuals have been left out.” “The kind of roads being built, the kind of infrastructure being built, does not cater to these individuals – it does not give them access to certain services.” According to a concept paper produced by the church, the VIP program has made a great impact on the lives of many neglected and outcast people, giving them support. This led them to see hope in Jesus Christ and thus many received baptism last year. The Walkathon event will take place from December 24th, 2023, to January 1st, 2024, signifying the end of the year and the beginning of the New Year.

Health experts are urging Kiwis to put a Covid-19 booster shot on their Christmas list for the best chance to avoid the latest variant impacting their summer holidays. According to the Science Media Centre, modelling was suggesting that hospitalisations for the current Covid wave will peak this week - just days before Christmas Day. And while the newest variant JN.1 is picking up speed in New Zealand, stocks of antiviral Paxlovid are running out, it said. University of Canterbury's Professor Michael Plank said JN.1 was likely the fastest growing variant seen this year, and could lengthen the time New Zealand was in its current wave. "JN.1 was responsible for around 10-15 percent of infections in New Zealand according to the latest sequencing and wastewater data, so we are yet to feel its full impact," Professor Plank said in a statement. "But if it grows at a similar rate to other countries, it could become the dominant variant early in the new year. This could cause the wave to continue to rise for longer, or potentially cause a double peak." Last week Te Whatu Ora and Pharmac announced supplies of the anti-viral medicine Paxlovid were running low, and authorities were working to redistribute stock and secure more shipments next year. The good news, Plank said, was that the start of the school holidays could bring a reprieve as its ability to spread is reduced. "The risk of getting severely ill with Covid-19 is now very low for most people. However, it can still be a serious illness for some and there is still a risk of Long Covid (although this is much lower now than earlier in the pandemic). "If you're over 30 and it's been more than six months since your last vaccine, you may be eligible for another booster. Now is a good time to get one to reduce the risk of Covid ruining your summer holidays. And if you don't feel well, it's better to stay home than to risk spreading Covid or other nasty viruses, especially if you are seeing elderly relatives over the holiday period." University of Otago senior lecturer Dr Lesley Gray said Covid-19 numbers rising again coincided with people becoming overdue for booster shots. Dr Gray also reiterated the importance of hand hygiene with such illnesses. "No-one wants Christmas to be ruined by stomach bugs and/or Covid-19, so double up on hand hygiene, make sure you have good food preparation habits - and when meeting in groups with people especially indoors, do consider wearing a mask. We know that masking up helps reduce the transmission of the Covid-19 virus. "If you are eligible and haven't had your Covid-19 vaccination or booster yet, pop it on your Christmas list and get your free jab." Canterbury University epidemiologist associate professor Arindam Basu said the fifth wave of Covid was likely to keep rolling into the new year, "partly due to the indoor gatherings in poorly ventilated places, and holiday travels", as well as the new variant. "Infections are likely to last longer and this variant has immune evading properties. "Vaccinations, masking, RAT tests and where possible, avoiding mass gatherings are still our best bets. Source:RNZ.Com

Media can have a huge impact in terms of bringing truth to the masses, however for multiple reasons, oftentimes mainstream media and churches do not engage with one another. Sometimes churches have their own media outlets, or they only trust specific media outlets to bring their message to the masses; other times it could simply be a lack of knowledge in the media’s role in helping churches; or it could be church leaders having deep reverence towards God, hence they are cautious in giving out information to just anyone especially a message that comes from a divine source. Layman of the Messianic movement, Samuel Kanau said originally, media was supposed to help the church. “Media is supposed to be the platform that that spreads truth and avoids misinformation, but the thing is, the media must also be born-again.” “The church cannot cast pearls to the swine as it is stated in Matthew 7:6 [‘don’t give that which is holy to the dogs, neither throw your pearls before the pigs, lest perhaps they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.’].” “Information-wise the church uses the theocratic system of spreading information in which whatever God speaks, the church repeats, whereas the media uses the demonic or Babylonia system of spreading information, that is, education, intellectualism etc.” “In other words, God did not reveal information to you. That is one of the reasons why the church keeps to itself.” “Whatever work you do, it has to come from the spirit.” He also spoke of the doctrine of the seven spheres of influence that impact society – that is, the spheres of government, education, family, business, church, arts & entertainment, and the media. “I believe a lot of Christians do not understand the spheres of influence; in the past people understood that each sphere of influence had a crucial role to play in order for a country to move forward.” “If the media and the church had stuck with God’s original plan, a lot of people would have repented, as information would’ve already gone out.” He added that one thing the media does that the church doesn’t do is emphasize on the discovery of information. “Churches emphasize on change – mindset change; heart change; inward to outward change.” “Most churches do not stress on inspiration, discovery, or response, which is something the media does.” Mr. Kanau also stated that sometimes so-called religious people do not invite the media because they may feel intimidated intellectually. Hence, most times churches prefer religious media to regular media.

SP Lager announced the winner of its Red Cap Promotion for the Southern Region this Tuesday, December 12th – which was Janet Algon. Ms. Algon was the lucky recipient of one of four 25-seater coaster buses. The promotion started in August and ran for three months ending on October 31st. Participants were required to collect six red promotional bottle caps and submit into an entry bin in order to go into the draw to win. Sales Manager for SP Brewery Matthew Green further elaborated on why this promotion was done. “This National Consumer Promotion (NCP) was aimed at retaining very loyal customers and consumers, this was put together as a way of rewarding our customers and it’s by far the biggest promotion we’ve had under our flagship brand SP Lager.” The promotion received a total of 704, 259 entries nationwide [Southern - 280,000 entries; Momase - 167, 000 entries; NGI - 50,000 entries; Highlands – 206, 000].

Minister for Education, Dr Uke Kombra, OBE, reiterated the importance of the Government's 'No child left Behind' policy when speaking at the Year 8 graduation ceremony of Ono Primary School in Usino, Madang Province on Thursday, December 7. “We must ensure that all children enter the education system at preparatory and complete Grade 12. No one in PNG must be left behind.” He added that there are a number of changes as a result of the implementation of this policy: · We have introduced the tuition fee policy. The Tuition fee policy helps to relieve parents off the burden of paying school fees for their children and ensures no child is left behind due to non-payment of school fees. · Introduction of project fees in 2022. The Government started paying project fees for students starting in preparatory to grade 12 and vocational. The accountability of these funds rests with the community, Boards of Management (BOMs) and the school administration. “We will not come down to witness how you spend these funds. Parents have the right to question the board and administration of when these funds are received and how they are spent. “There are many schools that have used these funds to develop their schools well and there are also many schools that have not seen any changes.” · We have the 1-6-6 school structure policy that states that every Local Level Government (LLG) must have a high school. Dr. Kombra added that sometimes circumstances within the communities and financial constraints make it difficult for the government to provide education services. “If the community is peaceful and looks after the school, teachers and facilities and there is cooperation and support from parents and everyone in the community, then the schools and students will prosper.” “We must help to support our teachers with resources to help their work in order to improve the quality of education, train them, students must learn inside a clean classroom, and must have learning resources to use to learn.” Another issue Dr. Kombra highlighted was the issue of geographical and lack of internet access most schools have. “One of the areas that the Department can come in and support schools is with e-learning resources. The infrastructure here at Ono Primary School complements the e-learning policy. “Teachers do not have to go far to access the internet and resources to use to teach the children.” Dr. Kombra then commended the Minister, Hon. Jimmy Uguro, MP for his leadership. “Our country will not progress in terms of development if we don’t have the right leadership in place. “Education is no different. A leader in education with a vision, a dream and leadership qualities will ensure that the education system operates smoothly.” “We in the Ministry are happy that he is our political head because he is a teacher by profession and he understands the education system very well, he is well-versed with government policies that are being implemented by the Ministry and as a result the Ministry is administered well.” Dr. Kombra was invited by the Minister, Hon. Jimmy Uguro, MP to Ono Primary School to witness the opening of a new double classroom and launch of solar-powered e-learning devices.

Peterson Mathius, a lawyer – a graduate from the University of Papua New Guinea – a person living with disability is an advocate for individuals like himself. He graduated in 2021 and was admitted in 2022. As a young man he wanted to pursue medicine but when he was in second year of his under-graduation degree, he was told by the medical faculty management that it will not be possible for him to pursue a career in medicine because it will ‘compromise’ the dignity of his patients because he would require an assistant all the time. Eventually, Mathius had to withdraw from the sciences because of the non-inclusive policies and apathetic management but he chose to study law instead, to advocate and to become the voice of his people. Mathius, a wheelchair user, has broken barriers not just in academics but in mundane activities. He mentioned that he is a regular visitor to the National Rugby Football Stadium in Port Moresby. “It is not only the right to fun and recreation, but also about my right to dignity and be seen and respected in the same manner as any other”. His regular visit has convinced the gatekeepers to open the disability access. He said that the stadium was built accessible, but the management keeps the gates to the accessible area locked because no people with disabilities ever come to watch the game. Consequently, they may have forgotten about the fact that it is actually meant for people with disabilities. “One of the reasons why this is so, is probably because not many people with disabilities go to watch the game.” According to Mathius, there are multiple reasons why a lot of disabled folks do not go out. Most significantly there’s fear, fear of being rejected, of discrimination, of being stared at. “Sometimes family members see them as a burden, so they will take them out for something they perceive as critical but not for fun and recreation.” He mentioned that it was the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3, just a few days back; however, the significance of the day leaves much to be desired. Countries celebrate 16 days of Activism as designated by the United Nations yet discrimination towards people living with disabilities still exists. The People with Disabilities community awaits the National Disabled Policy 2015 -2025 to be revised.

Recently, LiteHaus International, in collaboration with Niunet, donated 20 computers to St John Ambulance for ambulance education. SJA PNG is embracing digital platforms for learning, and we recognize that using technology to improve education is consistent with the philosophies of both LiteHaus International and Niunet. CEO of Niunet, David Valentine expressed great delight towards aiding SJA. “Niunet PNG has been assisting LiteHaus International in identifying recipients for its Pacific Digital Infrastructure Program, and it gives both of our companies’ great pleasure to be able to assist the St John Ambulance Training Academy with this computer donation.” “In addition to the hardware donation, we are looking forward to working with SJA over the next few months on their digital learning platform requirements.” St. John Director of Clinical Services Dr. Arabella Koliwan thanked Niunet and LiteHaus International for their donation. “This donation will directly support the training of ambulance officers and ambulance clinicians at our ambulance academy by facilitating interactive learning modules, hosting educational and clinical resources, and improving the quality of training. “They will be a valuable resource not only for initial ambulance training programs, but also for our ongoing professional development.” “We acknowledge Niunet’s commitment to bridging the gap in access to technology and continuing to support education and now healthcare in its efforts to broaden access to digital learning platforms.” “These computers will have far-reaching consequences for the communities we serve as we strive to maintain high standards of education and service delivery in the pre-hospital space.” Dr. Koliwan added that she hopes this donation represents the beginning of sustained partnerships between their organizations.

The eldest of five siblings, Bartholomew is from Baimuru within Gulf, and was born and raised in Kapuna after his parents initially moved there to study and eventually settled there. He was the first local to get employed at Kapuna Hospital full-time, in a managerial role, the young man has pioneered a lot of firsts. In his younger schooling years, he was part of the first batch of the Kapuna Life School and later was part of the first batch of students from Gulf to be sponsored by TotalEnergies EP PNG Ltd (TotalEnergies) to attend Port Moresby Technical School (POM Tech) in National Certificate trade courses. “At the time, they couldn’t make Kapuna Life School an official school since there were only five children but thanks to Barbara Calvert, we received uniforms and school materials which were shipped from New Zealand.” Following a brief stint at Kikori Secondary and then Port Moresby Grammar School for high school, he moved across to Goroka Grammar in Eastern Highlands, to complete his grades 11 and 12 in 2015. “It was a good boarding school, I was able to complete my grades 11 and 12 with a few of my good friends from Kapuna and then I got accepted into Pacific Adventist University (PAU), as an Australia Awards Scholarship recipient.” He unfortunately had to withdraw 2 years into his Nursing degree at PAU, due to a combination of wrong choices influenced by bad company. “After I pulled out from nursing, I went into this negative place in my head where I believed I had failed, and I felt there was no hope. “My family also gave up on me because they told me I had taken for granted what I had been given.” “When I was back at home, figuring out what to do, I happened to be in Kerema at the time the TotalEnergies’ Community Liaison Officers were conducting awareness and that’s how I heard about the scholarships being offered by TotalEnergies.” He was accepted into the Machining and Fitting course in 2019 at POM Tech, as part of the selected scholarship recipients and vowed to make the most of the opportunity. “I really wasn’t into technical trades because I personally had this heart of service, so I couldn’t connect being a machinist with that of being in a life of service, but I thought I should just give it a try since it was a really good opportunity for me.” “I really wanted to be a nurse or a doctor, some day and really help people, I just had this heart to help and serve others.” While at POM Tech, he involved himself with student groups like the Tertiary Students Christian Fellowship (TSCF), which led him down a better path and instilled within him strong leadership qualities. In 2020, he became the TSCF president for the school. “I started taking up leadership roles within that space, it really helped me in my spiritual walk, and I found good friends and started hanging out with them.” Graduating in 2021 with a National Certificate 3 in Maintenance Fitting and Machining, he stayed on at POM Tech as the TSCF coordinator, before the team at Kapuna asked him to return home with a job offer. He credits his time volunteering as a youth at the hospital, helping the former Projects Manager, Mr Colin Calvert and all other mentors, for helping him to build his experience and obtain different training certificates, to eventually become the Supplier and Logistics Manager. Regarding educational opportunities for the people of Gulf Province, Bartholomew said that he sees that there are many opportunities for the young people of Gulf, however most villages do not have proper schools or communications systems. “The people of Gulf province need to understand their place in their community but also to understand the level at which the province is at in terms of looking at it from a broader perspective.” “For example, you could receive a scholarship to attend a tertiary institution like I did, but if your attitude is not right or your heart is not really in it, then you’re just wasting your time.” “My best advice would be to live for others every day. “Living for others means you have to know what you are and know what you can contribute - know your potential and goals and live towards them but also love yourself whilst you’re doing this.”