Lae corporate golf raises funds as PM meets Rudd

 By GABRIEL LAHOC

THE Prime Minister’s Corporate Golf Challenge in Lae yesterday saw Eastern Highlands-based Lahanis Builders triumph out of the 26 companies that took part in the fundraising event.

More than K100,000 was raised from the event.  

Unfortunately prime Minister Peter O’Neill was unable to attend with the arival of Australian counterpart Kevin Rudd yesterday in Port Moresby. 

Eda Ranu and the National Gaming Control Board finished second and third respectively.

Standing in for O’Neill was PNG Olympic Committee president Sir John Dawanicura, his vice Richard Kassman. 

Sir John hailed the challenge a success as an important part of the overall fundraising drive undertaken by the committee.

From the expected budget of K2.8 million to send a national team to the Pacific Mini Games in Wallis and Futuna from the Sept 2-12, the national government had allocated K1.5 million while the PNGOC was tasked with raising K1.3 million before September.

 “The PM’s Corporate Golf Challenge in Lae is a very important part of our overall fundraising drive, the government gives us K1.5m and we have to raise K1.3m so we raise that through the Fun Runs and the corporate golf events and they are very important part of our fundraising calendar,” Kassman said.

Kassman highlighted the importance of the industrial city’s contribution which managed K370,000 towards that K1,300,000 target from the recently held Trukai Fun Run and the golf challenge.

The membership of the national team in various sporting codes, he said, predominantly come from Port Moresby and Lae and therefore the Lae business community’s support was very important.

“With this golf day we work in close consultation with the Lae Golf Club and the business community network which is being used.” 

Each team comprising four players each registered with K3,000 and Kassman said only three teams pulled out after registering from the initial 36 which he attributed to the rainy season in Lae.

“We’ve had a number of teams flying in from Port Moresby and four teams drove down from Goroka, in fact the team who were the winners in 2011, Goroka Coffee, came down to try and win the title again,”

“We are anticipating grossing K180,000 and after costs we should be left with around K98,000, so it’s a significant amount of money from this golf day alone,” Kassman said.