Australia Awards

Their training at the college saw them gain sea time experience on various vessels and graduated as certified officer with international qualifications.

The cadets celebrated their achievements at a ceremony attended by the Australian High Commission's Minister Counsellor, Penny Morton, and representatives from PNG's National Maritime Safety Authority.

This week, he convened with the Morobe Chapter of PNGAus Alumni and Australia Awards, expressing enthusiasm for the impactful contributions of alumni in fostering social and economic development.

Launched in June 2008, the Morobe Chapter boasts a membership of over 150 individuals, showcasing the success and growth of the initiative.

High Commissioner Philp acknowledged the transformative effects witnessed through Australia Awards PNG, emphasising its positive influence on entire communities.

From an early age, Mary was exposed to seafaring through her late father’s small craft business, chartering passengers across the maritime province of Milne Bay.

So, it comes as no surprise that Mary followed in her father’s footsteps by becoming a marine engineer after completing a marine cadetship, supported by an Australia Awards PNG scholarship.

Mary says education plays an important role in society, allowing us to explore more opportunities.

However, there are numerous challenges in accessing education and in her experience, it was economic hardship.

The gathering was graced by the esteemed presence of Australia’s former Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, who served as the guest of honour.

The focal point of the Women's Leadership Luncheon was to recognize and applaud the exceptional accomplishments of the PNG alumnae of the WLI Women's Developmental Leadership Program. These extraordinary women have been catalysts for positive change within their workplaces, communities, and the nation as a whole.

From the vanishing sun to the prospect of rainwater filling the ocean, his curious mind pondered it all. But it was the mechanics of radio voices that truly captured his attention.

Years later, Kevin’s passion for journalism and advocacy for underrepresented communities to give them a voice, led him to pursue a Master of Combined Studies in Media and Communications and Creative Industries at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, through the Australia Awards Scholarship.

Funded by Australia Awards PNG, these courses are designed to enhance capacity in STEM education and improve the identification, response, and management of diseases and infections through Health Science.

The awardees were welcomed to the country with a beautiful ceremony featuring indigenous Nunukul Yagera dancers, who acknowledged and gave their consent as traditional owners of the land where the event was taking place, showing deep respect for the rich culture of the Australian Indigenous people.

“Therefore, I applied for the Australia Awards Scholarship to study a PhD, so that I could do research and contribute to new knowledge in curriculum delivery,” says Dr Irene Semos, lecturer at Divine Word University (DWU) in Madang Province.

The DWU lecturer, from Manus and Bougainville, has a Master of International Public Health and recently obtained a PhD in Public Health from the University of Queensland (UQ) through Australia Awards PNG.

“Each of my parents have PhDs. They are my greatest inspiration.”

These applicants hail from seven Pacific Island countries which are Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. They are Australia Awards scholars who demonstrate outstanding leadership potential. 

Through the program, each participant will be supported to develop their own leadership style, build key leadership skills and behaviours, and develop regional and country-based networks to help drive positive development change in the Pacific.

Agribusiness is definitely one of the ways we can do that, said Australia Awards alumna, Rosemary Imara.

Rosemary is passionate about helping fellow Papua New Guineans to build better lives for themselves and their communities by making use of the huge potential of agriculture in PNG.

“Papua New Guineans have great potential to transform our land into farmlands and create our own agribusiness,” she said.

Originally from Rigo District in Central Province, Lydia’s interest in climate change started when she joined UNDP in 2012.

She saw first-hand the challenges of identifying different climate change impacts and solutions for different communities and regions.

She applied for an Australia Award on impulse when she was working with the PNG Climate Change Authority, with the full support of her employer.