Mendi express sorrow over passing of Mioks stalwart

BY BENJAMIN KOITAKA
THE Mendi Muruks extended their condolences to the family of the late Timothy Lepa and the Enga Mioks management as well the people of Enga following his death in a car accident on Monday morning.
Lepa was the chief executive of the rugby league’s Coca-Cola Ipatas Cup and the coach and mentor to the Mioks until his sudden and tragic passing in the Markham Valley, Morobe.
Muruks chairman Isaac Joseph said Lepa’s death had shocked and saddened his board who had worked with him over the years developing talent in the Highlands region.
“Timothy was a great man in developing the game in PNG,” Joseph said.
“On behalf of the Muruks board, players and fans, we pass on our sincere condolences and sympathies to the immediate family, tribesmen, and the people of Laiagam and Enga for the loss of one of their true servants and icons.
“We also want to let Governor Sir Peter Ipatas, the patron and founder of the Ipatas Cup which Timothy built and managed since it started, that our sorrows are with him at this time.”
The former Mendi MP said his relationship with Lepa started 20 years ago when he took a Mendi-based team to the Ipatas Cup.
“I came to know Timothy when I led the Mendi Menjals to the Ipatas Cup when the competition was introduced in Enga in the late 1990s.
“Many teams wanted to compete but he (Lepa) invited us to join the competition and we took part and won the first Ipatas Cup final,” Joseph said.
Joseph described Lepa as a committed and hardworking man who was dedicated to developing the Ipatas Cup concept not just in the Highlands region but throughout the country.
“Timothy’s place in PNG rugby league history is set. He helped the start the Ipatas Cup, the largest off-season rugby league tournament in the country, and he was also a big part of the Mioks success over the years.
“He also did his part in identifying talent and developing these players to be national representatives and I’m sure a lot of young men owe a debt of gratitude to him.”