Letter of Appreciation from Arawa Hospital

AUTONOMOUS BOUGAINVILLE HEALTH SERVICES

              Arawa District Hospital PO BOX 138 ARAWA AROB

__________________________________________________________________________

The President

Brisbane Bougainville Community

Group Inc

2 Moray Court

Alexandra Hills

QLD 4161

Dear President,

SUBJECT:                LETTER OF APPRECIATION FOR DONATIONS OF HOSPITAL ITEMS

I write this letter to express on behalf of the Arawa Hospital Management and staff our greatest appreciation for the kind donations of much needed items including patients’ beds, generator, compressor and others we received some weeks ago.

The status of the hospital now has been elevated to a district hospital from a health centre because of the services provided here so the donations from such kind hearted fellow Bougainvilleans leaving abroad is of great assistance to our patients. The patients are currently sleeping on wooden beds without mattresses and pillows but things should change once we move those beds into the wards after the refurbishment of the hospital next month. The donated generator will be hooked up to the laboratory & operating theatre so it could run the refrigerator used to keep the blood bags for transfusion. The compressor will be kept safely for use with the sterilizer once we get one pending funding approval from the ABG.

Yes funding from the government is too slow so donations received are of great help to us especially the patients. Some lives that could have been saved we couldn’t do so because we lack basic critical equipment. The nurses have to go from sections of the hospital to borrow basic equipment like BP machines, Thermometers, Pulse Oxymeters, Oxygen Flow Meters, Foot Scales, Vacuum Extractors...etc. Hopefully after the elections we should see some significant changes to the delivery of services to our people.

Anyway President, I thank you again for the donations and I would also like to make a special mention here to Mr John Davidson whom am told is the hard working gentlemen of the Brisbane Bougainville Community for his tireless efforts in getting donations and also seeking out to other businesses in Australia especially Brisbane for assistance with transportation of the donated items.

Thank you & God bless you all.

Iggy Giranah

OIC operating theatre & cssd/acting DNS

Last Minute News re the Ball and the Picnic

All attendees for our 25th year reunions, We have a news flash!  The Irish Club, associated with their receivership status, advise that they will not honour our Ball booking. We have switched the venue and the booking to a ballroom at the Hilton Hotel.  The Hilton is situated directly opposite the Irish Club at 190 Elizabeth Street, Brisbane. Please rest assured that the show will go on! This note was just to sort some final housekeeping and to highlight that we still have some tickets available for the Ball. The final day to purchase tickets is Tuesday the 12th May. We would be grateful for any assistance with the sales of these tickets.  Profit is guaranteed to go towards the shipping of medical materials to the Bougainville medical facilities.   The best contact points for the Ball are Cathy Devereux (0448 337600) and / or Monica Larcombe (0413 495919). Our many "friends" have been extremely generous with regards raffle prizes including some major prizes from Panda Pearls. The PP raffle will be conducted separately over both the Friday evening and the Sunday (draw in mid-afternoon) Some interstaters who could not journey the distance have also contributed raffle prizes. This year we will have a mix of foods including a mumu, a sausage sizzle and kebabs. The latter will be sold for $3 per serve.  This small impost will be referred to as a donation. We will be looking for a few volunteers (perhaps just 30  minutes) to assist with the cooking. If this is you then please register your name with Ted or Davo.  The mumu has been offered by the BBCG and our local Bougainvillean community. We ask that families bring an extra chair.  There will be numerous interstate visitors.  Parking fills up quickly. DO NOT TRY TO LUMP IN YOUR ESKIES, ETC.  Walk to the picnic area and there will be trolleys and plenty of willing helpers. I am now lapun and retired and my fee is a 6 pack but most will only ask for a stubby.   Nothing has changed with the mosquito`s. About 3.30 pm they will descend upon us. Come well-equipped with Aeroguard, etc. This morning we visited the picnic venue and found that the facilities have been expanded, see below photos. Please note that if you have no wish to drive then we are situated less than 200 metres from the Boondall Railway Station.  Across the bridge, past the PICNIC sign, there are another two car parks, some of this covered.   Our ranks become thinner each year. I sense that some may be attending for the last time.   Do not miss this opportunity to catch up with your old wantoks.   Presently on the sick list are Baden Stewart, Liz Ryan, Doug Pink and Trevor Anderson.            From the veterans class we have recently been in touch with the Hoopers and the Barnhams and this week I spoke to PWQ.  We are enjoying the company of one ex-Panguna oldtimer as a house guest. He has travelled all the way from Scotland to see you guys.  I hope that he will get along with Raggles. Regards Davo John@johndavidson.com.au 0418 784 186 or 3205 8617

Kieta shipment

All of you Bougainville-ites;

BBCG Container No 1 has arrived in Arawa.  Many people and organisations have contributed to this wonderful cause. The attached shots were taken in Murwillumbah, at the beginning of the journey, at the new Volvo workshop building, in Brisbane and, on arrival in Arawa.

Our thanks go to Alan Wilkins from AB Volvo, Mark Flood from Applus Velosi, Stan Neal from Ruswin Locksmiths, Terry Fuery from Consort Shipping, our shipping agents, East West Transport.  In addition to these senior folk there was a multitude of reporting staff.  We are also grateful for the input of Ian Hayden-Smart of PNG Ports. Many individuals assisted us after hours and in their own time.

There were also several Brisbane people who jumped in behind our President (of the Brisbane Bougainville Community Group, Veronica Henderson.  Veronica herself worked tirelessly to bring this spectacularly successful outcome. Rotary International supported us from Murwillumbah to Townsville.  We could not have achieved such without them.  Of special note is the contribution of Les Pedler, from the Pine Rivers Rotary Club. There were some expenses associated with PNG customs clearance and these expenses were met by  the BBCG. Otherwise all was donated.

Over the next few weeks we commence packing our second container.

Regards

Davo

john@johndavidson.com.au

0418 784 186 or 3205 8617