PNG Air Volume 38

Volume 38 2024

M A G A Z I N E PNG Air

PNG’S DANCE CREW ON TOP a career high after taking fourth place at the world hip-hop championship P8 All-male crew Wan Squad hit

Best Homemade SME Products P26

Tonton Malele Music Launch P42

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MAGAZINE PNG Air

Thank you for choosing to fly with the people’s airline. The first few months of 2024 saw us ease out of the peak period only to be thrust into a fuel crisis – something for which our industry and the country was not prepared. Our business took a huge hit as daily operation was affected. Our RPT (Regular Public Transport) flight schedule was compromised, and as a result significantly reduced. We managed to have contingencies in place to carry us through the uncertain times. I would like to thank our staff for their support and all their tireless efforts in ensuring all our aircraft were still flying through this period. This first quarter was challenging but, as always, we persevered and navigated through this. We will not let these setbacks deter us from moving through the period of consolidation to driving efficiencies and strategically planning for the future. Be reassured: the safety of our customers, the quality of our service and product to market still continue to be big drivers for our business. The arrival of an additional ATR aircraft in late April will allow us to rebuild a more robust RPT schedule tailored to meet the needs of our customers. At PNG Air, the staff work hard to ensure we get you, our loyal and valued customers, to your intended destinations safely and on time. We appreciate your choice to travel with PNG Air – whether you are one of our regular passengers or travelling with us for the first time. We hope your travel experience with us is nothing short of spectacular. I would also like to acknowledge the ongoing support of our contract partners, Newmont and St Barbara Mining, both in New Ireland Province, and also K92 Mining in Morobe Province. As always, PNG Air will continue to strive to satisfy our customer expectations of transporting you safely from where you are, to where you need to be. We look forward to welcoming you on board soon as we continue to connect Papua New Guinea.

PUBLISHED BY Pacific Islands Publishing Editor Margo Nugent m.nugent@moore.com.pg Airline Editorial Contact Dalai Thomas dalai.thomas@pngair.com.pg Sales and Distribution Maiyola Steven pipsales@moore.com.pg

Design and Layout Anthony Lingnonge pipart@moore.com.pg Correspondence to the airline:

All rights reserved. © Copyright 2024 by Pacific Islands Publishing, a division of Moore Business Systems (PNG) Limited. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. Statements, opinions and viewpoints expressed by the writers are their own and do not necessarily represent those of the publisher, editor or the airline. Information contained in this publication is assumed to be correct only at the time it was originally obtained by the writers and may be subject to change at any time without notice. Any material accepted is subject to revision as is necessary in the publisher’s sole discretion to meet the requirements of this publication. While all care will be taken, neither the publisher nor the airline will accept responsibility for accidental loss or damage. Marketing Manager PO Box 170, Boroko, N.C.D. Papua New Guinea Ph: +675 302 3100 Fax: +675 325 2219 E: pngair@pngair.com.pg Editorial correspondence to: The Editor Pacific Islands Publishing PO Box 7543, Boroko, N.C.D. Papua New Guinea Ph: +675 321 0000 Fax: +675 321 0002 E: m.nugent@moore.com.pg Printer Moore Printing Scratchley Road, Badili N.C.D. Papua New Guinea Ph: +675 321 0000

Enjoy your flight.

Best regards and God Bless,

Brian Fraser Chief Executive Officer

Cover photo PNG hip hop crew Wan Squad perform at the 2023 World Hip Hop Dance Champonship in Phoenix, Arizona, in August last year where they placed fourth “Dancing to the Top” Page 8 Photo supplied by Wan Squad

VOLUME 38 2024

TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT SPECIALISTS

Contents

08 Dancing to the Top

Just six years after its formation, PNG hip hop crew Wan Squad has become the country’s top dance act and the first to compete overseas. The all-male troupe open up about the hard work, discipline and sacrifice involved in competing at an elite athlete level, and how a fourth placing at last year’s World Hip Hop Dance Championship in the US has made them even more determined to reach for the gold this year. From purses and earrings made from dried banana stems to pot scourer soap bars made from burnt seashell waste, and PNG’s first line of handmade perfumes, some of the country’s biggest innovators are its smallest entrepreneurs. We talk to the top 15 microbusiness finalists of the annual Lily ‘Homemade’ competition about how they came up with their fascinating products and where they are going from here. 42 Tonton Malele Video Launch Top-trending PNG musician Tonton Malele launched his latest album on March 21 with a first of-its-kind visual spectacle. With sponsorship from PNG Air, the artist’s 26 PNG-Made premiere at The Cosmopolitan nightclub included the screening of his 10 new music videos, each containing short films that tell the story behind the song. 42 PNG Air – News PNG Air news bulletin and updates 45 PNG Air – Inflight Games

08 “Dancing to the Top”

Exercise the mind with Christina Lovatt’s crossword and puzzles for your enjoyment.

48 PNG Air – Inflight Comfort

46 PNG Air – Where We Fly

A few health tips and easy exercises to help make your PNG Air flight as comfortable as possible.

A map of Papua New Guinea and PNG Air flight routes, plus airline contact information, transfer information, and Inflight Games’ puzzle solutions.

42 “Tonton Malele Video Launch”

26 “PNG-Made”

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Wan Squad’s manager/ co-founder Pyan Ng is lifted up by fellow dancers Lloyd Nadile (back left) and Fred Mathew, while at the front (from left) are Max Raoma and fellow crew co-founder David Chee during some downtime at the Gold Coast, Australia, in June 2022

Renata Laveil DANCING TO THE TOP PNG’s number one hip hop dance crew Wan Squad have set their sights on a gold medal at the 2024 World Hip Hop Dance Championship in Arizona, USA, in August after the triumph of coming fourth last year

VOLUME 38 2024

I t was kinda like a movie,” says Wan Squad co-founder, coach and manager Pyan Ng, describing how he and David Chee cruised Port Moresby nightclubs in 2018 searching for the kind of raw dance talent needed for PNG’s first professional hip hop crew. The final two dancers recruited into the squad’s initial six-man lineup – Max Raoma, now 32, and Lloyd Nadile, 31 – were both approached in clubs after the pair watched them perform. “David was like, ‘How do we find who’s good – who’s got good attitude, who’s going to work hard, adapt to what we want to do?’,” recalls Pyan. “And then he said, ‘There’s this guy called Max’ so we went all the way to The Cosmopolitan (club) to watch him dance a solo, and then we’re like, ‘Ok you’re in’. “We found Lloyd at Lamana (club) – not drinking, dancing in a competition. We’re like, ‘Well, we need a tall guy’.” [Laughs] Growing to eight members at its peak, the group that David and Pyan founded six years ago has become PNG’s number one dance act and the country’s first to compete internationally, including wins for the last three years in a row at the annual Brisbane (Australia) hip hop dance competition ‘House of Champions’, as well as wins at the

“

Hip Hop International – South Pacific Islands qualifying competition in Auckland, New Zealand. But the real career pinnacle to date was last August when they placed fourth at the World Hip Hop Dance Championship – referred to as ‘the Olympics of Hip Hop’ – out of 67 top-tier dance crews in Phoenix, Arizona (USA). They will return from August 3-10 this year to try to better that result. Reflecting on the achievement on ABC’s That Pacific Sports Show earlier this

year, Pyan described it as “the best moment”. “It gave us so much strength and hope that we can do it. We’re gunning for that gold medal, that’s the prize our eyes are on.” The squad has built a massive online fan base in recent years, including over 150,000 followers on TikTok and 50,000+ on Facebook, with their videos attracting a minimum of 100,000 views each. One posted in 2020 has been watched an incredible 1.7 million times.

“We worked with the people who had the same goal and mindset we had – to travel overseas and compete internationally, to be professional, take dance seriously and treat it like a sport”

Wan Squad performs in Auckland in 2019 at the Hip Hop International South Pacific qualifying competition

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Fourth in the world! PNG’s Wan Squad performs at the 2023 World Hip Hop Dance Champonship in Phoenix, Arizona, in August before (below left) coming in fourth

“They were not ready for the change of training to be elite and professionals, so that’s where we came up with Wan Squad.” It is early December 2023 and we are sitting in a circle in Wan Squad’s Gordons dance studio, a large shed built earlier in the year towards the back of Pyan’s family trucking business, Nings Agencies in Gordons. Our seats are the black exercise step boxes used by the squad on workout days as they train for the gravity- defying (up to 4m high!) lifts, backflips and other athletic dance moves they are known for. The squad’s highly synchronised and original routines each take about four months to create and follow an open- style choreography consisting of ‘feminine’ – also called ‘waacking’ (heavy on arm movements and

Accomplished dancers themselves and with similar heritage – both David and Pyan are PNG Chinese – it was a natural progression for the pair to join forces to create PNG’s first professional dance collective after an earlier attempt by David on his own stalled. “Before Wan Squad, I had a crew called Buck Souljas,” says David, explaining the lineup as slightly different in that

it included one female dancer and six males. “We tried to use my old team but it didn’t work out because there didn’t have the same vision we had. They would come late for practice or not turn up at all. There was no commitment. We was no motivation, and they probably changed the name to Wan Squad and worked with the people

we had – to travel overseas and compete internationally, to be professional, take dance seriously and treat it like a sport.” Only David’s then 16-year-old cousin Joel Vene (now 21) and Fred Mathew (then 24, now 29) made the jump across to the new group. “I think I may have pushed them a bit too

hard,” admits Pyan of his involvement with Buck Souljas.

who had the same goal and mindset

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posing, born in the clubs of 1970s Los

In New Zealand at the Hip Hop International South Pacific qualifying competition in 2019

Angeles), breakdancing (combining acrobatics, gymnastics and rhythm), and krumping (derived from clowning where one body part remains rigid). The sun has set outside the studio, but the interior room is neon-lit so you would think it was still daytime. The camaraderie among the young men is clear to see, an indication of the time spent together sessions three times a week – more as they head into competitions. The two newest recruits, who joined shortly before our visit – Joseph, the youngest member at only 20, and his older brother in rehearsal, which includes four-hour

Ajay Ravu, 24 – fit right in with the original six, casually chatting and making each other laugh. The ages now range from 20 to 32, with most still single, although three have wives or girlfriends, and four have kids. Unfortunately since our interview Max has left

the group for personal reasons. David is wearing a grey LA Dodgers baseball cap that he picked up in Las Vegas last year, along with his trademark black Wan Squad logo t-shirt that features the crew’s founding date of 08.08.18 in white digits. Although

softly-spoken, his crew respectfully defer to him as their leader. Pyan, the 30-year-old group manager and creative director, has

the most overseas experience, having been a member of

Brisbane (Australia) hip hop crew, Academy of Brothers (AOB), from 2008, a collective of

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VOLUME 38 2024

Wan Squad perform at a promotion for their sponsor Mountain Dew

moves from videos on the internet, so we need good knowledge from guys like this.” A highlight of his time with the squad came in 2019 while competing in New Zealand at the South Pacific qualifiers hip hop dancers, and his “all-time favourite crew”, The Bradas. He met one of the crew again when he came to Port Moresby last year. “I used to watch their videos, even when he met that country’s top male though they’re old, and think about how they came up with their sets (dance routines). They won back-to-back world championships, and they really inspired me,” Max said. Champions videos on YouTube – the same competition that Wan Squad has now won three years in a row, the latest in October 2023. “It was like a dream that one day I should go there!” Lloyd Lloyd says he used to watch House of is a certified builder who works fulltime for a contractor in the city but, like all the other members who hold down regular jobs, makes the time for rehearsals and fitness sessions for five hours every Saturday afternoon, and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5pm- 9pm. Still a teenager when the squad was first formed, Joel describes himself as, “like the new generation for dancing. I started

dancers who founded their own creative arts company District Studios. In July 2017, Pyan and three AOB members travelled to PNG for a three-day primary school tour by LOUD Cre8ive Workshops founded by Brisbane- based PNG musician couple Jagar and Jaime-Lee Renagi Va’a, with the series culminating in a ‘meet and greet’ with the Port Moresby dance community at the Taurama Aquatic Centre. Although invited to attend, David almost didn’t go as he was juggling after hours dancing in Buck Souljas with a bartender job at the Sanctuary Hotel, and the hours were killing him. “I was working and dancing at the same time, it was a bit tough, I was about to quit dancing and all of a sudden there’s this post (on Facebook), saying AOB was coming,” David said. “Some dancers used to come, like (Australian group) Justice Crew, and I was like, ‘Nah, it’s going to be the same. Nothing will change.’ So I said I’m not going to be there, you guys (Buck Souljas) can go. I don’t want to dance

anymore. I give up.” But he changed his mind after seeing another post, a video of Pyan and his AOB crew talking about their visit. “When I saw Pyan’s surname, I was like, ‘He must be my cousin!’,” David laughs. At the event, David got to talk to Pyan about his dream of developing a PNG dance crew to compete overseas. It was a start.

we can do it’. David is very hardworking, very humble, very quiet, but on the dance stage he’s really impressive.” Being asked to be part of Pyan and David’s new crew in 2018 was a thrilling moment for Max, who had been working as a solo dancer at Cosmo nightclub since the disbanding of his previous group Mannequins that used

“In the old days it would just be going out drinking every time we finished dancing. We’d get the coins (prize money) and buy alcohol. Wan Squad inspired me to stop all those negativities”

In 2018, David’s and Pyan’s paths crossed again when Pyan returned to Port Moresby to manage Nings Agencies. “David pulled me aside and said, ‘Hey I want to do this’,” says Pyan. “For me, I didn’t come here for dance, I came back to run my dad’s business, but I saw the heart in him (David) wanting to take this further, take it to the next level, so I told him, ‘If you can get me a team and you guys can commit to what I want you to be, then

to take part in local competitions. “Most of them got married and I was the only one sort of keeping the team together,” he said. Max was eager to see how far his dancing skills could take him so when he got a Facebook message inviting him to join the new group, he didn’t hesitate. “My goal is to stand on the international stage and dance and upgrade my skills. Here we’re stuck, there’s no good dancing studio, we’re just copying dance

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Off to conquer the world! David Chee takes a selfie of the crew as they prepare to fly out to Brisbane in October 2023

when all the dancers from the old era were starting to quit and that’s when I came in and started learning dance and I saw there was an opportunity. So, I texted Pyan that I really wanted to make this dream real,

David Chee on a mission to see the sign

On a hike to the famous Hollywood sign in the hills above Los Angeles in California in 2023

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to go out there and represent PNG and just learn different sorts of dancing.” David had already been training and mentoring his young cousin so he could join Buck Souljas, so to now see him at a professional level in Wan Squad makes him very proud. Back in 2018, Joel was studying for his Grade 8 exams so it was difficult to keep up with dance practice, but he passed and went on to complete Grade 9 at Badihagwa High School the next year. “Sometimes we miss our family vacations, and because we love Wan Squad, we put our commitments first,” Joel said. “Like school, for me I was doing exams while I was training and it was really tough but I had to, I chose dance over my schoolwork. I said, ‘I’m going to dance. I don’t care if I don’t make it, this is my passion’, so I had to sacrifice and that was like one of my biggest challenges, trying to juggle both.” Joining Wan Squad last year was an eye-opener

for Joseph whose previous dance crews – Autobots in 2018 and No Fear while living at home in Tubuserea village in 2019 – did not take practice seriously. “In the old days it would just be going out drinking every time we finished dancing, we’d get the coins (prize money) and buy alcohol. Wan Squad inspired me to stop all those negativities – going out and drinking unnecessarily, and dancing only to entertain people. I knew this is not just to learn dancing but to become a better person.” Pyan nods in agreement, and adds that the group has a no drinking rule, with every member expected to be role models in public. One wall of the dance studio is covered with floor-length mirrors which the crew use to synchronise with each other during dance practice. At the far end of the room, there are steel monkey bar- type structures which sometimes feature on Facebook video reels when the crew does pull-ups.

Fred and Joel at Venice Beach Skatepark, Los Angeles

Taking in the sights of Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles

“Dancing here, we don’t train like how we used to in our old crews,” newcomer Ajay says with a smile. “We were always just doing dance practice, but in Wan

Squad we actually train , like lifting weights.” Pyan points to the wall behind us which has a holding rack filled with metal barbells and disc weights. Lloyd

VOLUME 38 2024

branding. It’s kind of like my background as well – marketing. And these boys are great kids. They were never perfect, no-one is, but it was just a matter of David and me saying we need to mentor them to be good dancers, but also good people. That was kind of our aim.” New Zealand dance group The Royal Family is one crew that really inspires the group. “Pyan has a friend in that group,” Fred says, “so we were able to get together and dance with them in their studio when we went down to New Zealand in 2019. This was a big achievement for me because I always wanted to learn the ‘fem set’ – girly-girly dance steps. I like to dance more fem (feminine) because here we always get criticised (if they dance that way), but we didn’t give up and it was good learning from other dancers of the world. I was really happy when Pyan said we were going to practise at The Palace (The Royal Family’s base).”

Wan Squad get a little starstruck on their 2019 visit to the studio of top New Zealand dance crew, The Royal Family in Auckland

like getting a job, going out in public and doing public speaking, getting to know each other and other people as well. It’s a good process and we have achieved a lot thanks to Pyan and his family. The family has been good to us ever since we started.” Pyan says that developing Wan Squad has also been about developing a brand. “We treat this like any sport, like rugby league or soccer – we train physically to keep fit,” he says. “There are rules, contracts, guidelines into representing this brand. I’m all about

At The Palace dance studio of NZ’s The Royal Family crew

nods, explaining that adapting to the new training regime for him also involved learning how to manage money

we were used to that.” he said. “When we came here, it’s different. We had to work hard and earn our spot. So, if we practise well, the team vibe is good. There’s a lot we have achieved individually,

and look after his family. “Before we

would just take breaks any time we wanted –

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“Parris Goebel is the leader of The Royal Family,” Pyan adds. “She’s like the number one choreographer (in the world) – she works with Nike at the moment, and celebrities like J-Lo (Jennifer Lopez), Rhianna and Justin Bieber.” David explains that his reason for pursuing dance is not for fame or glory, but to find a positive direction after surviving a tough childhood. One of four children raised by a single mother after his father left, money struggles forced the family to move often to stay with relatives or in settlements until his cousin’s family took them in. “I’m so grateful for Joel and his family because back then, every day I felt hungry but there was nothing in my stomach. So I was feeling I should go and steal or I should just end my life or something. I was really young, probably 14 or 15. When I see all these boys here, it’s like family. When I’m down, seeing everyone together keeps me going without thinking about all that negative stuff.” David now has a good job as the operations manager at Nings Agencies. everyone’s emotions and feelings,” Pyan agrees. “That’s why we’re very grateful to have a way to express that – struggles and everything. No one really appreciates “This dance group is like an outlet for

Shots from Wan Squad’s highly viewed dance videos

dancers. It’s so hard and I think it’s really great that you guys are writing up about it too because no one ever understands the struggles that dancers go through – not just rugby players and soccer players.” Although the COVID-19 new group in that all public performances had to be cancelled, Pyan describes it as a blessing in disguise as it enabled the crew to further its online presence and find a much bigger audience. pandemic in 2020 was a blow for the “Their videos attract a minimum of 100,000 views each, with one posted in 2020 watched an incredible 1.7 million times”

“We were working with Lae Biscuit as ambassadors for Liklik Totti (biscuits) and then we discovered TikTok and ended up being TikTok famous,” Pyan said. From there, Wan Squad became brand ambassadors for Fone Haus and its JBL electronic products, Jack’s of PNG, and Mountain Dew soft drink, distributed by Pacific Industries. After COVID ended, they continued exclusively with Mountain Dew, which Pyan describes as “the only brand we’ve worked with

that’s actually helping the dance community”. Both Mountain Dew and NCD Governor Powes Parkop paid for Wan Squad to travel to Arizona for their first US World Dance Championships in 2019 where they came a respectable 10th. Since then Mountain Dew has funded all their trips, including the US for the world championships again in 2022 where they placed 12th, and last year where they secured their thrilling fourth place. “It’s very difficult to find sponsors because they

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Members of Wan Squad and its ‘young guns’ junior squad Bad Boyz with merchandise at the new Gordons training studio

Weight training pep talk

“We don’t train like how we used to in our old crews. That was just doing dance practice, but in Wan Squad we actually train , like lifting weights”

go for ambassadors who are NRL (football) players, so it’s tough,” Pyan says. “But the boys, they do get paid for what they do here. They’re doing this as a living, they’re on a wage, yearly, with all our ambassador work and gigs. It’s confidential how much, but they’re not millionaires. Not yet.” For the past three years Mountain Dew has sponsored an annual PNG dance competition hosted by Wan Squad, with last year’s event at APEC

House in November the biggest yet with 22 dance crews from around the country vying for K20,000 prize money and the chance to compete at House of Champions in Brisbane. Five-member crew Easthood from Ensisi Valley (Port Moresby suburb) won but unfortunately could not travel to Brisbane as nobody had a passport. Pyan says the

difference between the Mountain Dew

well, hopefully – South Pacific Islanders. We’re inviting dancers from Samoa, Fiji and Tonga.” So what does the future look like for Wan Squad? “We know we’re not going to be able to do this forever,” says Pyan. “When you reach a certain age you end up wanting to settle down with a wife and kids, find a career that’s not so physically exhausting. But we

competition and regular nightclub comps was the industry development aspect. “We have kids’ divisions and we’re trying to encourage dancers to get ready to go (compete) overseas. For the next one (tentatively scheduled for September 21, 2024) we’re actually going to be bringing –

FOR MORE INFORMATION PO Box 140, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea Phone: 321 1700 / 321 1723 | Email: admin@rpyc.com.pg | Terms & Conditions Apply As the premier members-only aquatic sports club in the region, we pride ourselves on setting the standard for excellence in leisure and recreation. With operations seven days a week, our club offers a plethora of amenities and activities designed to cater to every member of the family, such as: Restaurant, Cafe & Bars 50 Gaming Machines Kids Playground & Splashpark Gym Chandlery Diving & Snorkel l ing Sailing Hobies & Lasers Canoeing & Fishing Salon & Spa Safe & Secure Location And m uch m ore ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BECOMING A MEMBER AT THE ROYAL PAPUA YACHT CLUB

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Dance rehearsals at Wan Squad’s Gordons studio

just like to inspire our community and our younger generation and get them off the streets. We chase our passion and do what we love. Our goal is to become our own project for the community, to inspire, motivate and touch many more than just us.”

nurturing a younger generation of dancers, Wan Squad last year held auditions for a new eight-member crew called Bad Boyz, all aged under 21, which competed alongside them at the 2023 Brisbane House of Champions. And although Wan Squad now has Bad Boyz as their second

younger squad, it’s a far cry from the ‘army’ of dancers Pyan aspires to create for PNG. “When you go to the world championships you see more than 20 crews from one country, 500 to 1000 dancers from one country. But we represent PNG just six of us and it sucks to go up against these countries with armies

of dancers. So we’re hoping to eventually take a whole army if we have enough brands to sponsor each group to go – that would be a dream.” The squad also took part in a five-day urban youth workshop for NCDC last year, teaching more than 300 young school dropouts from 8 Mile, 9 Mile and

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VOLUME 38 2024

Memorabilia and photos of Wan Squad’s wins in competitions around the world have pride of place on the walls of their Gordons dance studio

“The boys, they do get paid for what they do here... but they’re not millionaires. Not yet”

or play rugby?.’” However he also acknowledged that it was hard to make it as a professional dancer in PNG and having a backup career was wise as well. “We’re getting paid for dancing right now but we’re not going to dance forever and maybe the money might stop coming in. I’d love to just dance fulltime but it’s just the reality in PNG (that you can’t make a living from it), and I’ve always told the boys that PNG is not the end country to live in. “In Australia and America you have more opportunities – for dancers, for choreographers, there are more dance studios, more dance classes. In America you can be a backup dancer for artists, or you can dance in (Las) Vegas at fulltime residency shows. You can also go to Korea and do backup dancing. “I have a lot of friends who are dancing with Chris Brown and J-Lo (US singers), or living in Vegas dancing fulltime, like in the Jabbawockeez (popular US hip hop crew). I’ve always encouraged that for the boys, but it’s tough. Anyone can go, you just need that backing, that (courage) to move and try to achieve something. The world is your oyster. If you want to be someone, go out and make it happen – work for it.”

Gerehu such topics as discipline, self-confidence and teamwork strategy, including a game where they had to scream out a war cry to bring out their confidence in front of their mates. “The boys were there for 10 hours a day,” says Pyan. “We need to be able to say, ‘Hey look, not everyone is academically smart. There are creators, athletes’. But there’s no platform, no clubs, no associations, no backing and no support.” David says he’s an example of a kid who has found a way

forward despite not finishing his schooling. “In this country I feel like it’s your attitude and your character that will take you to where you want to go, without having any papers. I’m one of those kids where I don’t have any certificates, I didn’t pass my Grade 8, I failed two times, that’s around the time my parents separated. But dance has taken me this far and meeting all of these boys.” Pyan says part of his goal was to create opportunities for kids who might not be ‘book smart’. He urged the families of such kids to get

behind them. “It starts from our own bubus (grandparents) and parents who are still old school about how you work for money, but you need to encourage your kids, (say) ‘Hey, you don’t have to go to school, you want to dance

Hamming it up for the camera during the 2022 visit to the US

VOLUME 38 2024

International CELEBRATING W MENS DAY

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Renata Laveil and Margo Nugent PNG- MADE A national search for the most innovative PNG-made products unveils some hidden gems and provides a much-deserved boost to the country’s tiniest home businesses 26 VOLUME 38 2024

C ough drops made from the rich organic honey produced by Alma Napo’s bees and mixed with homegrown ginger and lemons from her farm high up in the misty mountains of Buang near Bulolo, southwest of Lae, have won a national search for PNG’s most innovative homemade product. In second place in the Lily HOMEMADE Microbusiness Competition is a galip nut oil skincare range of products Morobe beekeeper Alma Napo harvests honey at her Buang farm to make her popular all-natural cough drops that were the winning product of the 2023 ‘Homemade’ Competition

Gracelyn Takiu, and in third place are pretty floral baked clay earrings with coconut shell inspired by PNG flowers crafted by Alice Kolokolo in Port Moresby. The three inspirational

women were named as the winners of their respective categories of Edible, Useful and Wearable on November 17 last year, then on April 22 in the new issue of PNG women’s magazine Lily , Alma

was revealed as the overall winner of the K10,500 cash prize from PNG-Australia Partnership, MiBank and Women’s Micro Bank. Runner-up Gracelyn received K3000 and Alice

K2000 from the PNG-Australia Partnership. All three also now

“This has showed us we can turn what we are passionate about into something big, and have our lives changed entirely”

handmade by Kavieng-based

have business websites in a

Businesses officially launched! ‘Homemade’ Competition finalists graduate from Pacifund’s 30-day BizLaunch Challenge at Port Moresby’s Gateway Hotel on February 14. From left are Keith Kipma, Vinzealhar Nen, Alma Napo, Gemona Kila, Freda Binsarp, Marilyn Menz, Alice Kolokolo, Asaria Sokove and Steven Kaikai. Finalists Grace Takiu (in Kavieng) and Kzeal Yonon (in Lae) graduated remotely. Four other finalists have not yet completed the training. 27 VOLUME 38 2024

LEFT: Judges of the ‘Homemade’ Microbusiness Competition assess finalists’ products at a mini market set up at Lily headquarters, Moore Printing, in November 2023

hustle’ entrepreneurs to confident professional business founders was evident for all to see, from having shirts printed with official logos to producing business cards, creating product packaging with barcodes, having pop- up banners made, and beginning processes such as business registration and food safety certification. Two of the finalists have even taken the next step of opening their own shops! The graduating finalists each took to the podium to pitch their business plans to key banking, microfinance and investor representatives, many referring to the social causes at the heart of their businesses – from helping farmers by creating a byproduct from their crops, to funding an orphanage and creating jobs. One finalist, Vinzealhar Nen, creator of coconut byproducts such as yoghurt, butter and jam under her business Haus Bilong Moss, said, “My mum will tell you I’ve never completed anything in my life! I’ve started things but never pushed through with it, but since this one was so close to my heart I just had to do it.” Keith Kipma, who has created the first PNG-made perfumes under his brand Kipi-

6 Fragrance (and who opened his first shop at Garden City SME Centre in POM in March, just weeks after the business launch) described being “really pushed to up my game” by the competition. “I never imagined I would make it this far, but with the new perspectives gained from the training, now I’m motivated to keep growing and evolving.” Marilyn Menz, creator of single- serve honey sachets under her Madang- based business LNM Services, said, “This has broadened horizons for all of us… feeling the feels of a businesswoman now.” Asaria Sokove, creator of cassava, banana and other vegetable and fruit flours under her business Hauslain Harvest, said retailer CPL was now interested in stocking her organic gluten-free flour in its Stop n Shop supermarkets, while Chef Julz Henao, a competition judge and an SME himself with his own catering and meal delivery business The Healthy Food Co, also wants to buy the flour for his clients. “For some of us it was just a dream to actually sell our products,” she said. “(This competition) has showed us we can turn what we are passionate about into something big, and have our lives changed entirely.”

K24,000 prize from Media Partners, while K4000 worth of business setup expenses including from Business Link Pacific. The flights for the finalists and winners to attend the business and trademark registration have come judging in Port Moresby were covered by PNG Air, and The Stanley Hotel provided rooms for the visitors. The prizes don’t stop there. The 15 finalists – five from each category

and chosen last year from about 300 entries – each received K2000 worth of business development funded by the Australian Government, including a 30-day training package with Pacifund that culminated in a graduation and official business launch ceremony at Port Moresby’s Gateway Hotel on February 14. In just a few short months, the transformation from home-based ‘side-

VOLUME 38 2024

1ST OVERALL

translates as Sister Honey. Alma is an IT specialist (she worked for Datec in POM and Lae for eight years) but moved to Buang for health reasons, beginning a holistic and herbal medicine journey that included curing her own painful ovarian cyst with natural remedies. Her village store is called Remichs (pronounced ‘Ree-mikes’ – a combination of her husband Michael’s name and the name he gave her at their 2011 wedding ‘Remah’. “Ramah means height in Hebrew, but then I registered Remah so it stayed that way! He

and I believed, and had faith, that we would do fine in the village and walk into another level both spiritually and physically. It was faith that led me to resign from my well-paid job believing I would go much higher being my own boss.” Michael is a former evangelist (church) worker but now helps his wife full-time with their store and bee farm, one of 22 in the district that supplies Highlands Honey at a set price per litre. Last year their production was drastically down to 20 litres after floods destroyed five of their 12 hives, but they are now back to

A lma started making cough drops sweetened with honey from her own bees after seeing a need for a cold and flu medicine where she lives in Lagis village, high up in the chilly remote mountains of Buang in Bulolo District. With so many people afflicted with coughs and sore throats, Alma searched the internet for remedies, learning a hard candy-making technique using sugar and honey to make cough drops. As a beekeeper, she already had a ready source of honey, and sourced the other ingredients of lemons, ginger, sugarcane, aloe vera and holy basil from her garden. Through trial and error last year she developed a cough drop that lasts for three to four weeks

temperature, and in August took her first batch to sell at the Lae Incubator Hub, packed in homemade beeswax wraps. They were a hit, and she sold all 47 pieces (her silicone mould only had 47 holes!). She has since expanded to 12 moulds plus three candy thermometers which have helped speed up production. The drops were initially only sold in Alma’s village trade store and were so popular she had to remind local children they were not normal lollies! Since the competition opened up selling opportunities, she now sells in POM via her elder brother who travels back and forth from Bulolo. Orders can be made through her new website (one of her prizes) or Facebook page. Her new business name of ‘Ari Ani’

in a tightly sealed plastic jar at room

VOLUME 38 2024

in May she presented entries for both her new honey cough drops, and the beeswax wraps in the Useful category. “To make these drops and wraps with no electricity is quite a challenge,” she wrote, “but

Cough drops are made by hand using moulds

with my family’s help, my drum oven, charcoal oven and fireplace, I am proud to enter them for PNG to benefit if I become the winner.” The drops are 100% organic with no additives, and the honey is not heated or refined like commercial honey. When the drops are made, the honey is stirred in

with turmeric extract, berries, avocado skin and stone, natural dyes from leaves and seeds used traditionally to dye the famous Buang ‘tulip’ bilums. Alma says it is “100% doable” to create her drops on a large commercial scale, with the main cost buying plastic jars and cotton for the wraps. “I believe my cough drops may become PNG’s originally unique and healthier remedy for colds and flus, and an immune booster. Packed and sealed with all the honey goodness, it’s a PNG homegrown product worth selling to the nation.” – Ari Ani Health Products BELOW: Members of Alma’s family prepare to extract juice from sugarcane to make sugar dust for the cough drops

nine and hope to expand to 20 this year. “We produce one of the best tasting, if not the best tasting honey there is, period. Am I eligible to enter it?” Alma wrote in an initial enquiry about the Lily competition’s Edible category in March 2023. After being advised the judges were looking for innovative products made from raw ingredients,

last on low heat to preserve nutrients. All ingredients are locally grown, right down to the sugar water and corn starch for dusting drops made from local sugarcane and corn. For the wraps, Alma uses pine and dammar resins from her backyard trees, virgin coconut oil, and wax from her hives, with 100% cotton, then paints them

VOLUME 38 2024

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GRACE TAKIU GALIP NUT BODY OIL

G race first became interested in galip nuts almost 25 years ago and planted 500 nut trees in

her village, Metemin, in New Hanover in New Ireland. Fast forward to 2022 when she noticed in the main Kavieng market an abundance of galip nuts and how women were struggling to sell them, and began online research into the nut’s many health benefits. That same year she invested in a hand-operated hydraulic cold press to extract nut oil and resigned from her technical service manager job at New Britain Palm Oil to focus on her ‘side’ business fulltime. She has since developed a range of skincare products made from her own cold-pressed oil – including soap, facial and body lotion, hair gel and her most popular product, body oil, which her customers use to sooth body aches as well as treat skin conditions such as tinea (grille and white spot), itches and rashes. The hard, outer shell of the nuts is not wasted either but burned to produce a charcoal powder to treat stomach aches and pains (daily dose is 1 teaspoon in a glass of warm water). As well as selling at Kavieng market, Grace has customers across PNG, including local resorts that buy her soaps for guests. Her business is now helping

nut suppliers in New Ireland as she buys from them to keep up with demand for her products. Although nut harvests are seasonal, Grace has discovered she can store unshelled nuts for long periods to keep production constant year-round. – Bhear Galip Virgin Oil

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VOLUME 38 2024

ALICE KOLOKOLO FLORAL CLAY EARRINGS

A lice became a stay-at- her job as executive officer to the late MP for Sumkar (Madang) Chris Nangoi to focus on her family, including fourth baby Grace, who needed close care as she was born premature the next year. She initially sold meri blouses for extra income, then, with Grace turning six months last August she looked for something she could do creatively at home and started experimenting with making oven-baked polymer clay earrings. Her pretty floral designs, the delicate petals cut from clay with a stencil knife and embellished with varnished

coconut shell for a Pacific island

home mum in 2022, leaving

feel, soon attracted attention online through her FB page Jadasha Grace Collections (taken from her children’s names Jael, Jedaiah, Elisha, and little Grace). The earrings also made their runway debut on August 19, worn by models in the PNG Fashion & Design Week show. So far Alice has tackled such distinctive PNG flowers as Highlands peace lilies, periwinkles and bird of paradise tropical heliconias, and has also made themed batches for Independence,

Christmas (gingerbread houses and striped candy canes) and breast cancer awareness with a pink ribbon. She has since expanded her range to include beaded bracelets, and printed tshirts and hoodies. – Jadasha Grace Collections

VOLUME 38 2024

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