Address at the ceremony for ASOP Hohola Youth Boxing Club
19 December 2007; Port Moresby, PNG
Australian High Commissioner to PNG, HE Mr Chris Moraitis
I am really pleased to be here today to celebrate the opening of the new and improved Hohola Youth Boxing Club.
With funding from the Australian Government, Hohola Youth Boxing Club has upgraded its training area and purchased brand new equipment including punch bags and boxing gloves.
The Australian Government provided this funding under what’s known as the Australian Sports Outreach Program, or ASOP. ASOP has been specially designed to provide assistance to grassroots sports projects, such as this one, that are inclusive and bring about real change to local communities.
As we can all see, this is a small sporting club. It is not a grand stadium built with a giant budget or a luxurious venue catering for thousands. It is a small club in the backyard of a house.
But it is an important club. It is a true grassroots club. And it is seeking to make a real difference to the lives of ordinary people in the community of Hohola, here in the nation’s capital.
Hohola is in one of the poorest areas of Port Moresby. Many people struggle to make ends meet and many young people can find themselves drifting into a life of crime.
This club wants to develop young male and female boxers and offer an alternative to “raskol” – or criminal – behaviour. The Australian Government supports that aim wholeheartedly which is why we supported this club with funding from ASOP.
I particularly want to congratulate Hohola Youth Boxing Club for offering opportunities to female boxers. Sport is a wonderful way for girls and young women to develop the confidence they need to become leaders of their communities in the future.
I would also like to congratulate the organisers who contribute to this club, including the President, Nick Calibud. As many of you will know, Mr Calibud is also the Team Manager for the PNG national boxing team. Not many grassroots clubs have a president of that quality.
On behalf of the Australian Government and the people of Australia I would like to wish you the best of luck. I hope that the renovations and equipment which we have helped you to secure will allow you to continue your fine work in the community of Hohola and perhaps produce some champions on the regional, national and perhaps even the international stage.
Australia is a close friend and a close partner of PNG and I hope that our contribution to your club will, in its own small way, help to bring Australia and PNG even closer together.
Thank you.