Australian High Commissioner visits Memorial Park

Story and pictures courtesy of DWU Community Information Centre

AUSTRALIA High Commissioner, Ian Kemish today visited the Memorial Park dedicated to the 28 people killed in the Airlines PNG plane crash on 13 October last year.

Mr Kemish and three officers from the High Commission lit candles and placed them on the cenotaph at the Memorial Park at the Divine Word University campus as a mark of respect for the people who lost their lives in PNG’s largest aviation disaster near Madang town.

On Wednesday (17, October, 2012) PNG’s founding father Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare and Lady Veronica visited the Memorial Park and paid their respect.

The Park was opened by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill last Friday (12 October, 2012) on the first anniversary of the tragic accident.

Since the opening students, staff, parents and members of the public have been visiting the Memorial Park and candles have been lit each evening.

The Park was built by the DWU Community with the support of partners in the Madang community.

The DWU Community built the Memorial Park as one community significantly affected by the tragic accident where 11 passengers killed were parents and close relatives of university students.

Ten of the family members were travelling to the annual Missioning Ceremony of final year students that was to be held the next day, Friday 14 October, 2012. Mr Kemish and his staff paid a courtesy call on the President of DWU, Fr Jan Czuba and visited the Memorial Park while in Madang for another event.

The Australian delegation also visited the recently opened DWU student dormitories built by AusAID’s PNG Incentive Fund at the cost of K 8.3 million. Five double-storey dormitories were built from the fund and were opened by head of AusAID in PNG, Stuart Schaefer on Saturday 28 September, 2012.