Oil Search Pacific Games Relay in Mendi, Southern Highlands Province

Today the Oil Search Pacific Games Relay arrived by Oil Search charter into Mendi, Southern Highlands.

The Relay team was joined by the Board of Oil Search where Managing Director, Peter Botten, delivered the Baton to the people of Southern Highlands.

From the airport the Baton was walked through the streets of Mendi by Oil Search, the Provincial Government and the business houses of the town, to Momei Oval for a formal welcome.

The oval was filled with school children all brightly dressed in multi-colour uniforms and Tura, Pacific Games mascot, was joined by the Southern Highlands mascot – a Muruk made from bush materials.

Peter Botten spoke of how important the Relay was to the Pacific Games and how the relay allows many people to be a part of the Games.

The Provincial Administrator accepted the Baton into the province on behalf of the people and thanked Oil Search and the Games Organisers for creating such an event for the first time in Papua New Guinea’s history.

The Baton then travelled through to Imbonggu District and visited a number of schools, including the Lumbi primary School where the purple clad children had spelt out Pacific Games 2015, and up to the Yebi Primary and High schools, where over a thousand children thronged around the baton.

Final visits were made to the Mendi Secondary School and the Mendi Nursing College and Hospital, where Tura popped in to see the children in their ward.

The Relay has now been experienced by over 300,000 people across 11 provinces.

The Relay heads around the Southern Highlands province tomorrow