Tingting Bilong Mi Essay Competition HERE ARE YOUR JUDGES

Presented by Ples Singsing Masterminds

FINAL JUDGES

Fiona Hukula is a researcher and advocate against violence. Fiona enjoys reading PNG literature and believes that reading is an excellent way to help us think about the world around us. She believes that all children should be given the opportunity to read books. Fiona is a volunteer with the Rainbow Project – a reading group for children of West Papua refugees.

Philip Fitzpatrick is now retired and writes as a hobby. He has written numerous novels, including the Inspector Metau series, as well as non-fiction books. He spent many years working in Papua New Guinea, first as a kiap and then as a social mapper. He also spent many years working with Aboriginal people in Australia. He was the co-founder of the Crocodile Prize Literary Awards and was director of Pukpuk Publications, which published works by Papua New Guinean writers. He lives in Tumby Bay in South Australia, a short walk from the beach and a couple of good coffee shops.

PRELIMINARY JUDGES

Martyn Namorong is a writer and blogger and recently has been engaged by PNG’s national leaders to assist in areas of public policy communications and both national and subnational policy implementation. He currently resides in Central Province where he is taking a break from the national scene.

Kela Kapkora Sil Bolkin was born in the Galkope area of the Simbu Province. Galkope was heavily colonized by the Catholic Church so he became an ‘altar boy’ and soon went on to study for the priesthood. However, he quit after completing his philosophical studies and attended the UPNG where he completed a BA degree. He also has a Masters degree in PublicPolicy from the Australian National University. His job with USAID ended in November 2020 and he is now scavenging the scourging streets of Port Moresby. He started writing since 2011 and his first book was published by Crawford House Publishing in Adelaide and launched at the PNG High Commission in Canberra in 2013. He also won the PNG Chamber of Mines and Petroleum Award for Essays and Journalism.

Caroline Evari. works as a World Bank Team Assistant where she was recently interviewed for International Women’s Day 2020. “Caroline Evari began writing at the age of six. She is now the author of 28 children’s books and has published her own book of poems, Nanu Sina: My Words (reviewed here by writer/blogger Tanya Zeriga Alone), all while supporting the World Bank and its nine projects in Papua New Guinea and raising two sons”.

Betty Gabriel Wakia is a writer, blogger and women’s advocate, with qualifications in education from University of South Wales, UK and Tianjin University of Technology and Education, China. Betty, along with Caroline, contributed to the milestone publication My Walk to Equality edited by Rashmii Bell. She is a volunteer assistant teacher at New Erima Primary School, where she has launched a student writing program which is also promoted by Ples Singsing.

Ed Brumby spent nearly 10 years in PNG – as a teacher in the East Sepik and then editor of the School Papers and graduated from UPNG in 1972 with a BA in linguistics and literature. He then, variously, wrote and produced print, video and multimedia educational materials for Aboriginal and immigrant children in Western Australia, at the Hong Kong Polytechnic and Shiga University, Japan and, for ten years, was Director of Educational Services at Deakin University – and CEO of Deakin University Press. Ed retired in 2012 after spending 12 years designing, marketing and arranging certified and bespoke education programs for insurance professionals in China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. He now mentors several PNG writers and plays his classic guitar.

Michael Dom is a Principal scientist at PNG National Agriculture Research Institute based in Lae. He is well known poet with a number of books to his credit, including e-books which have been made available for free download here. Michael’s poetry has been recognised by the BBC Scotland (The Political Economy of a Pig Farmers Life) and the Commonwealth Educational Trust (Lucky Little Lizard).