South Pacific Brewery’s Port Moresby brewery was pleased to announce that on Friday 19th, January 2024 reached a significant milestone of 1500 accident-free days. This accomplishment demonstrated SP Brewery’s commitment to a safe working environment. SP Brewery’s Safety Manager, Geraldine Makui congratulated the POM Brewery team and reminded them to continue to prioritize safety. “I’m thankful for the POM Brewery team for your commitment to safety." "Let us continue to commit to and improve workplace safety to make sure we all go home safe each day.” To commemorate the day Safety Chat and reward and recognition were held to remind the team of their journey and commitment to safety.

As the academic year draws near for most schools in the country, Ependa School of Evangelism in Southern Highlands; not your regular academic institution has already begun training its students. According to Evangelist David Paki, classrooms were constructed the in 2021 and completed construction in 2023. Once the classrooms were completed, he started the training in May 2023 and has continued into 2024. Depending on attendance, the school trains between 5-20 students from the highland’s provinces and Morobe Province. Mr. Paki said this two-week intensive program that takes place every month, was created with the intention of teaching interested individuals on how to prepare and present well-structured sermons to an audience. “Many laymen who are passionate about preaching lack theological education.” “Therefore, when it comes to presenting a prepared sermon, they become confused and unsure where to begin – anyone who is interested, I gather them together and help them prepare sermons.” Mr. Paki added that the people who attend his school come from all walks of life. “Although my initial target audience were laymen seeking training, people from different backgrounds, ages and careers started attending as well.” “We’ve had teachers, villagers, tribal war lords and drug addicts attending; and it has also become sort of a rehabilitation centre as well.” When asked about challenges, Mr. Paki mentioned that finances are an issue as he relies solely upon the K200 fee students give, which in turn pays for their food and keeps the school running. He is also the only instructor teaching his students. Yet despite these challenges Paki and his students remain enthusiastic. Mr. Paki stated that once the students leave, they spread the word, encourage others to attend and sponsor those attending. “There’s been a steady increase of people who are educated to a degree within the country; therefore, the standard of sermons presented must also increase to meet the demand of the people.” Mr. Paki added there’s been a growing interest towards his program and people from other regions are interested in establishing similar institutions both within the country and overseas. He is also working on a textbook for his program.

The United Church of Papua New Guinea (Highlands Region) recently held their 14th Children & Youth Ministry Convention under the theme: I HAVE COME TO RESCUE MY PEOPLE, in Mendi, Southern Highlands Province. The weeklong program started on Tuesday 2nd of January and ended on Saturday the 6th, which included guest speakers from various parts of the province and a peace march within the tribal fighting zone. An approximate total of one-thousand young people who attended had come from many different highlands’ provinces including Simbu, Western Highlands, Southern Highlands, Enga and Hela. Regional Coordinator, Reverend Sam Topsy, further elaborated on the program’s theme and its message on the lives of young people. “Our theme was taken from Exodus 3:8 (ESV) [... I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey...] where it talks about God rescuing and delivering his people.” “The message to the youths was that we are part and parcel of the Lord’s rescue mission – wherever you go you must be involved, and we also encouraged young people to get into institutions that enable them to partake in the Lord’s rescue mission.” “The Lord is here now to deliver his people, so he needs a vessel to be used, like Moses in the Bible. We are valuable in the Lord’s work both here in the country and in other parts of the world.” Rev. Topsy related the message back to the circumstances that people in Southern Highlands have faced regarding tribal fights which contributed to a lack of development and services. “The location where we hosted the convention is a fighting zone, and they have been fighting for so long, and because of this conflict there are no education and health services reaching the people – people clash over trivial matters –they do not know or understand the gospel well, therefore they need to be to be rescued from spiritual death.” “Once that happens, we will see services reaching the people.” He also thanked the Member for Mendi Munhiu, Hon. Raphael Tonpi for his financial support and provisions towards the program and says his actions perfectly captured the convention’s theme of rescue. Meanwhile Superintendent Minister and Convention Host, Reverend Sao Tapun commented that in spite of costs gained from the program, the rainy weather and walking distance, the people enjoyed the event. “We started off well and we finished off well, there were no accidents, no deaths – people opened their hearts to receive God’s word and souls were saved.” Notable speakers mentioned included Chaplain of the University of Goroka, Rev. Daniel Paraide, Regional Evangelist, Weston Kuling, and National Evangelist, David O’Paki.

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.