SOCAY Training Institute

I visited the SOCAY training institute over the last couple of days.

 

Initially I went over to see them about their entry in Annals magazine, but found they had some computer problems to sort out. These I have not been able to fix on-site and have brought two machines back to 2 Mile for further work. The power at Hohola seems to be highly variable and I think this is a cause of their main problems. Their UPS is a Non-PS, so they really need a new one of those, plus cables, before they totally fry their computers. The other issue is dust. Their newer computer, in particular, was thick with dirt both inside the chassis and in the power supply.

 

While there, they showed me the classroom that was rebuilt with assistance from the Mission Office after a fire, and talked about their plans for the future. These include business training, including IT skills, and home economics. These ideas are yet to be quantified and funded. I passed along information about how the Mission Office can assist with disadvantaged youth programs and also some of the project request forms.

 

Apparently they were donated some old computers, which I didn't see, for the business program. Someone else had looked at those and found that they weren't functioning.

 

Anyway, I shall use the equipment to be repaired plus some others that I am already working on for a computer repair and troubleshooting "master class" today. When we return the computers I will give a brief talk to the SOCAY students.

 

Attached is a photo from SOCAY. The building at the far end is the one repaired with Mission Office assistance.

 

Peace,

Sean

 

Annals

I have spent some time over the past week completing the edition of Annals in Cassy's absence. You will be pleased to hear I am taking it to the printer tomorrow (Wednesday) following approval by the Board today.

 

Distribution is another matter, but we'll cross that bridge after the printing is in train. The distribution quote from Post Courier was roughly twice the cost of printing. So we won't be taking them up on that. One idea that we will work on is asking through the MSC network if there are businesses shipping goods around who we can piggy-back onto. Tropicana in Rabaul had apparently previously offered to do this a couple of years back.

 

Anyway I'm sure we will work it out.

 

Happy Annals reading!

 

Peace,

Sean

 

Greetings from PNG

Last Friday I travelled to Rabaul and was kept busy fixing computers and doing training, taking photo's of Br James' 50th Anniversary celebration, taking photo's of trucks and buildings at Vunapau to support funding requests, and of course photo's of water tanks. I passed on the information about MSC Mission Office funding for water, AIDS, and disadvantaged youth together with the other funding options that you suggested on your visit. I enclose copies of a few including Mission Office tanks at FMI sisters, Vunapope, and Matupit Island.

 

Brief details of Br James Uratrip MSC - 50 years a MSC

Date of Birth:     14/07/1936

Place of Birth:    Ratongor

Home Parish:     St Anscar, Ratongor Parish

Province:            East New Britain Province

Citizen:              Papua New Guinea

Novitiate:            Douglas Park

1st Profession:    26/02/1961

Final Profession: 26/02/1967

Currently:           At Chevalier Centre, Kininigunan (Kokopo-East New Britain Province)

 

The celebration of his Golden Jubilee of religious profession was held at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Vunapope, on 26th February 2011.

 

Peace,

Sean

 

Around Port Moresby

The past week has been spent trundling around Port Moresby with the Mission Office Director, helping out in various places, attending meetings, etc. While not a lot was completed, many things were started, continued, or moved along.

 

During the week we had a big shindig of MSC's from all over Moresby. An opportunity for the extended group to get together in one place, share a beer or three, and generally catch up and unwind. I was unexpectedly called on to speak. "Unaccustomed as I am ...." - not.

 

All of the offices have now been cabled and residence wireless networked in the 2 Mile main building. We have been gradually getting there over the past month and fixing computers as we go. Four totally dead machines have been resurrected, a further two upgraded, and a number of virus eliminated. Cabling of the Provincial residence should soon follow.

 

More training and web development also continued as we define and refine the sub-sites.

 

An interesting diversion on Saturday was a local traditional style PNG wedding ceremony. Albeit the bride and groom looked a little uncomfortable, indeed unhappy, in their regalia. However everyone else seemed in fine fettle.

 

Tonight we had another big party to farewell the Indonesian government official who resides next door. Another chance to share a beer, wine, etc. I spent some time speaking with him at length about the best places to see in Indonesia.

 

A busy week ahead beckons followed by a flight to Rabaul on Friday.

 

 

Some Random Musings on a Slow Day in Response to an Email I Received

Thomas Merton once wrote: "Whan Lax and I were walking down Sixth Avenue, one night in the Spring, the street was all torn up and trenched and banked high with dirt and marked out with red lanterns where they were digging the subway, and we picked our way along the fronts of the dark little stores, going downtown to Greenwich Village."
 
I think this is something we can ALL learn from, or not.
 
Yesterday, somewhere in the world, somebody did something. But I don't know because I wasn't there. Or to put that another way, I wasn't there because I don't know but.
 
I went shopping in Boroko this morning. Little black children were prodding me because I am white. If they prod me a lot, I may turn brown. Then they will stop prodding me, and I will turn white again.
 
If you toast white bread it turns brown, but if you toast brown bread it doesn't turn white. How do you know if brown bread is toasted? When you leave bread out, it becomes crispy, like French Bread. If you toast it, it seems like fresh toasted bread. So toasted white bread is the same whether you use fresh bread or stale bread. But stale brown bread is just like toasted brown bread.
 
A man walked into a bar ... he should wear glasses.
 
A man wearing glasses walked into a bar ... he must be drunk.
 
A man, using glasses, serves at the bar. A horse walks up to the bar. The barman looks at him and says: "So, why the long face?"
 
The Bible says: " Cursed is anyone who sleeps with his mother-in-law"! Well, duuuuurrr. This must be where mother-in-law jokes started.
 
Did you know that there are more different types of leaf in PNG that there are cans of beer in Australia on any given day? Well, neither do I. I just made it up. But there you have it, the facts don't lie! Or do they, like statistics? I don't like statistics particularly. Statistics like I particularly don't. Yoda would be proud.
 
Use the force, or the farce.
 
There is a hammering in the pipes. Actually it is on the pipes. It is the plumber, plumbing. Or just hammering on the pipes. Remember Danny Boy .. the pipes, the pipes are calling. How do pipes call? By phone I expect. Or maybe a house call. I'm not sure how you hold a house up to your ear to make a call, but there you are.
 
And here I am. But I must be going.
 
Sorry, what was your question again?

 

De Boismenu College

I spent the first three days this week over at De Boismenu College.

 

Day One, involving a little backwards and forwards from Two Mile, was focussed on getting a workable accounting system in place. I installed an accouting package that allows them to record their transactions simply and run financial reports. Together with Soloman and Fr John Mitakda, we set up a suitable chart of accounts and entered all the transactions for the year to date, running off the Income Statement, Cash Flow Statement and Balance Sheet for January. I also typed up a brief operating instruction to assist future work. I will need to go back at some point to ensure Soloman is happy with the processes, put a better backup in place, and check whether we have encountered any transactions not catered for.

 

Day Two was spent setting up the computer lab for the new year. All of the computers were heavily infected with computer viruses. Since they have no internet connection they have not been getting virus or operating system updates, however the viruses have been coming in via USB memory sticks that the students use (more on this later). One computer could be recovered, but all the others needed to be re-installed from scratch. We will need to make some arrangement for them to get virus checking updates on disk and install them regularly. I set all the computers up on a local network, with an additional place for laptops to be attached, and the ability for any PC to print to either printer.

 

Day Three I gave a presentation to the students on Communications and Media, followed by another on computers (a topic of great interest to some and not so much to others), and finally I asked them to grab cleaning materials and join me in the computer lab to give it a good clean followed by a practical of how to use the lab. One of the things I emphasised in the computer talk was the risks of virus infection and to keep their USB stick for use on the DBC computer, not to go sharing it on other computers because they will certainly be infected. After lunch I held an introductory computer class for around eight students who had limited (or in a couple of cases nil) exposure to computers. We covered all the basics right through to hands-on using word processing and spreadsheet.

 

Later I spent time with Fr John putting together a college budget for 2011.

 

A photo of the DBC computer lab is attached.

 

Peace,

Sean

 

What is Social Justice

Macarthur Social Justice Network is excited to have Mr John Ferguson, National Executive Officer of the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, coming to speak to the next meeting about "What is Social Justice?".

The meeting will be held at St Thomas More Parish Hall in Ruse on Saturday February 12th starting at 2.30pm.

The Australian Catholic Social Justice Council (ACSJC) was set up by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) in 1987 as the national justice and peace agency of the Catholic Church in Australia. It aims to promote research, education, advocacy and action on social justice, peace and human rights, integrating them deeply into the life of the whole community
in Australia, and providing a credible voice on these matters in Australian society.

As the National Executive Officer, John Ferguson has a deep knowledge and understanding of what social justice means, the issues affecting social justice, and the current policies and trends in the field. Many people have heard the term 'social justice' but do not know or misunderstand the meaning of the term.

In this talk John Ferguson will answer the question "What is Social Justice" followed by a discussion of the social justice issues in the Macarthur region.

Anyone wishing to attend is asked to contact Michael on 46206047 or email secretary@msjn.org for catering purposes.