PNGOC hails Sir Henry

The Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee has expressed sorrow at the passing of former president Sir Henry ToRobert.
Sir Henry was the president of the organisation for 29 years.
He first held the role from 1980 to 2000 and then from 2003 to 2012.
On his retirement, he was awarded life membership with the committee.
Sir Henry was also involved with softball.
As the head of the board in the then PNG Sports Federation and National Olympic Committee (PNGSFOC), Sir Henry led the participation of Team PNG at numerous Pacific, Commonwealth and Olympic games.
A man who had a long association with Sir Henry was Sir John Dawanincura, who joined the committee in 1984 as the secretary -general.
Sir John recalled that Sir Henry had first contacted him in 1980 and suggested that he apply for the position of general manager for Team PNG to the inaugural Pacific Mini Games in 1981 in Honiara, Solomon Islands, and then to later become the secretary-general.
Both men were instrumental in the development of the organisation, but it was Sir Henry’s leadership and guidance that was the beacon for the committee.
“His experience as the founding governor of the Bank of Papua New Guinea (BPNG) benefitted us greatly through dealing with important decisions, issues and also ensuring better management of the organisation,” Sir John said.
He described Sir Henry as an influential figure who contributed enormously to the growth of the committee and to sports in the country.
“He was a private man but a hard worker and very professional in his conduct. I admired his work and also learned some important lessons during my time working with him,” Sir John said.
“I am deeply saddened by his passing but I have some good memories from our working days that I will forever cherish as I look back on his life and also on my own journey.
“On behalf of the committee and its member federations, I offer our deepest condolences to the family of the late Sir Henry.
Committee secretary-general Auvita Rapilla said Sir Henry was a man of integrity who provided strong leadership for the organisation.
She served the first year in her current role with Sir Henry at the helm as president.
“He provided the type of leadership that we looked up to and a lot of the organisation’s success can be attributed to the foundation that he set,” Rapilla said.
Apart from his affiliation with sports, Sir Henry held the position of BPNG governor for 20 years (1973-1993), making him one of the longest serving governors in the Commonwealth.