Goroka Show hailed a success

By ZACHERY PER
THE 2023 National Gaming Control Board (NGCB) sponsored 67th annual Goroka Show was successfully staged over the 48th Independence long weekend.
Goroka Show chairman Keryn Hargreaves said she and her team were pleased with delivering a successful event not only for the people of Eastern Highlands but also for other provinces and international visitors, especially tourists.
The Miss Goroka Show Queen was won Joy Hume, she was crowned “Miss 2023 NGCB Goroka Show” at the ball night at the Bird of Paradise Hotel on Saturday night.

Hargreaves thanked Chinese Ambassador to PNG, Zeng Fanhua for delivering the keynote address and opening the show.
Ambassador Fanhua expressed delight at being invited to the show passing on the gratitude of China as a long term partner of PNG and the people of Eastern Highlands.
He noted that Eastern Highlands and China’s Fujian province had a special bilateral relationship venturing into agriculture and education.
He said the relationship and cooperation between China and PNG would continue to grow stronger into the future.
Hargreaves thanked sponsors and organisers for staging a successful show this year after previous shows cancelled because of the Corona virus protocols.
She said the first show without Covid-19 protocols saw a large turn out and more interactions.

She said even though the Covid-19 protocols had been lifted, organisers continued to encourage people to exercise the new normal of wearing masks, distance and washing hands.
There were over 150 groups from all over the Highlands and the rest of the country with Mekeo dancers from Central and Simbai beetle dancers from Madang providing some of the highlights.
Hargreaves said the show also saw a sizable number of tourists which was encouraging.
She thanked the NGCB, Tourism Promotion Authority, National Cultural Commission, Eastern Highlands government and other corporate sponsors for making the show a success.