Fern Ridge (Safla Rama) Digest

During the Australia Week I had the pleasure, on behalf of the Vice Chancellor, and the University of Papua New Guinea, to host a night of remarkable moment with Dame Carol Kidu, speaking about her life, work, and vision. The talk took place at the Main Lecture Theatre of the UPNG where Dame Carol spoke with the undiminishing passion and affection she has for her family and people. The PNG Society of Writers, Editors, and Publishers in conjunction with the Australian High Commission initiated the concept and organized the guest lecture, featuring the former politician and MP who had set the bar above, and beyond her peers. It is awe-inspiring to be present in the same space where a person of Dame Carol Kidu is the featured speaker. Part of the appeal is to encourage Papua New Guineans to write for The Crocodile Prize competition. I had the good fortune of knowing and working with Dame Carol in other professional capacities. Taking on the role of host for her talk ...

For one year my family had no TV. The one we had no longer worked. Without a TV I found myself watching cheap pirated DVDs on the home PC. For news and other inforrmation I relied on the daily newspapers, radio, and other electronic media such as the internet and Face Book. I can easily get my news in seconds using the internet or on my mobile phone. Incredible, within one year the world of information was just at my finger tip—I didn’t have to wait until the 6.00pm news or for &.30 Report for my news. I depend on my traditional print media for other news and information. I walk every morning down to Waigani market and shopping centre to pick up my newspaper. In doing so I am also exercising and refreshing myself before tackling the challenges of the day. I’m usually up by 4.00am and by 6.00am I need an hour’s walk to and back from Waigani. There aren’t many people in the mornings so it is kind of nice. By the time I head back to my house I meet people making their way to work,...