Photos supplied by the Australian High Commission PNG united for 50th birthday events PNG AND AUSTRALIA
J ames Marape was only four years old and living far from the capital in a tiny hamlet close to the West Papuan border – but the fever of independence in 1975 still swept up that little boy and future prime minister just like everyone else in the country. “People like me were tucked away in one of the most remotest parts of our country,” the PM recalled in Port Moresby on May 14 as he helped launch a calendar of events being co-ordinated
“Yumi Stap Wantaim [We Stand Together] is the name of a campaign of high-profile music, art, film and cuisine events that the Australian Government will be hosting from June through to September to celebrate its close cultural ties with PNG”
by the Australian Government to mark PNG’s 50th birthday this year. “For me, I was only four years old back then and so I sort of grew up with the country, not knowing that 50 years on I would have this extraordinary privilege to address the nation in the events leading
up to our 50th as our country’s eighth prime minister.” The milestone anniversary – while marking PNG’s separation from Australia as an independent nation – is also a chance to reflect on the deep continued relationship both countries share.
This extends from joint military operations, economic development partnerships, and aid programs for health and education to a shared love of football that will culminate in PNG’s inclusion in Australia’s National Rugby League by 2028. Yumi Stap Wantaim [We Stand Together]
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