Perth celebrates in style

PERTH in Western Australia blazed with the Papua New Guinea flag colours as friends, families and past residents of PNG got together to observe the country’s 34 years of Independence over the weekend. 
Guest speaker and former school teacher who taught in PNG, Margaret Clancy, said it was humbling for her to be part of the celebrations as it brought back many wonderful memories of the country she had come to love.
Mrs Clancy said PNG had come a long way and would continue to develop for its people and everyone should be proud of what had been achieved so far.
“There are so many things said about PNG and I would like to say that I had the opportunity to have lived and worked in this beautiful country,” Mrs Clancy said. PNG Western Australia’s Wantok Association president David Willy said it was wonderful to see so many people come together to mark the country’s independence and acknowledge the presence of many former residents who witnessed the occasion.
Mr Willy said the trust and confidence Australia had in PNG was seen through the increasing number of people Australian companies continued to employ.
He said the association had seen many student members excel in the respective fields of studies in different universities in Western Australia and returning to PNG as fully-qualified professionals and that was also a step towards betterment of the country.
The activities were also witnessed by Joanne Waine, representative from the PNG High Commission in Canberra.
She said the support and community spirit was outstanding among the PNG community in the city.