Maunten Meri Co-op acknowledges MP

By PISAI GUMAR
A WOMEN’S group in upstream Rumu River, Wampar, has shown its appreciation for all the help it got from Huon Gulf MP Ross Seymour by offering him K10,000 for his election expenses.
The women saved the cash from selling  coffee, cocoa, peanuts and brus (tobacco) to present to Seymour.
The Fanzum, Siara, Sefu, Bogeba Mama Maunten Meri Cooperative Group president Thea Lima Yonayong said that Seymour relieved their years of hardship by building  the road and gave them a truck to access markets and other vital services.
“For years, women carried loads and crossed the Rumu River over to Muttu, walked to Fayang, then to Wawin National High School and were described as ‘ol meri lo maunten’ (women of the mountains) by people in the plains,” Yonayong said.
However, the adversity became a thing of the past with the development of the road access.
“With the construction of a highway from Rumion piggery to Mama-Bogeba, we are able to deliver our fresh produce and cash crops directly to market,” she said.