Oil Search Pacific Games Relay in Central Province

The Oil Search Pacific Games Relay flew out of Port Moresby on the Police helicopter up to the Goilala District of Central Province.

The flight took the team over dense wooded hills and green valleys criss-crossed by walking trails to small hamlets of long houses perched on the ridges and on to Woitape, Fane and Tapini.
Chief Ilo Ivolo handed the baton around his Woitape community, before the team landed at Fane, a former French mission station complete with 115 year convent that is now used as the hospital.

The team played aeroplanes with the gathered kids, and the baton, on the incredibly steep and now abandoned airstrip.

The Tapini community put on a wonderful show with Sacred Heart Primary School and Peter Torot Community School and the local community led by LLG President Keleto Kope and District CEO, Francis.

The show included traditional sing sing, a relay around the town and airstrip and a human formation spelling out the words Go Team PNG.

The relay team celebrated the sign spelt out by students from the school and their visiting Australian sister school, Monivae College by doing a flyover with the police siren blaring.

The Central relay then landed in Bereina for a short welcome ceremony before being relayed around the town and taken out onto the Hiitano Highway, where the baton was taken through all the schools along the way to Veimauri.

A warm and colourful welcome at Hisiu, by the Kairuku LLG President, sing sing groups and the Hisui choir before a last stop for the day at the Veimauri market
The Oil Search Pacific Games Relay heads up to Sogeri and Laloki tomorrow.

Photo credit: madNess Photography