Kokoda Track Foundation
Monday April 21st, 2008
LAST UPDATED
KTF Appoints New Man On Ground In PNG
By Patrick Lindsay, KTF Chairman
The Kokoda Track Foundation is delighted to announce the appointment of our first PNG Representative.
Reg Yates will be our PNG Liaison Officer – our "Toksave Man Long KTF”.
Reg a paramedic with the Metropolitan Ambulance Service in Melbourne, has been granted a leave of absence by his employer to undertake humanitarian assistance in Papua New Guinea from April to November 2008.
He will be based in Port Moresby but will range over the Kokoda region as he oversees the local administration and implementation of the Foundation's programs.
As Liaison Officer for the KTF Reg’s tasks include:
- Visiting key village elders throughout the Kokoda Track area, particularly at villages supplying porters, carriers and guides
- Advising villagers what funds the KTF is providing; for which local projects or purposes; what the KTF’s expectations from villagers is in return; and to gather “marks” (signatures) from village ‘big men’ on simple contracts accordingly
- Gathering requests from villagers; and giving them KTF’s responses, as soon as possible
- Forwarding any village requests to the KTF which actually concern other government authorities, for KTF’s official response to those authorities
- Visiting Provincial and NCD government staff as appropriate
- Informing the KTF of staffing numbers, equipment needs and ‘consumable’ stock levels (relative to sick patient and school student numbers) at all Kokoda Track schools, village Aid Posts and the Kokoda Memorial Hospital; and arranging replacements or re-supply, bearing in mind the role of the PNG Education and Health Departments within the area
- Forming good working relations with the Australian and PNG-based government bodies; community organizations; and trekking and tourism companies
Reg will be carrying out these tasks by walking the Kokoda Track, from village to village between Sogeri and Buna and back again a number of times over the next 6 months.
He will also reglarly visit Oro Province to monitor our projects assisting those devastated by last year’s Cyclone Guba.
We would like to thank Reg for agreeing take up this essential new role, and look forward to bringing you future news of his work.