Fruits of friendship: PNG Acting High Commissioner makes unofficial visit to “Sister City” Orange

Papua New Guinea Acting High Commissioner, Mr Sakias Tameo made an unofficial visit to the Colour City late last month, but has vowed it won’t be his last.

Since 1985, Orange City Council has had a Sister City relationship with Mount Hagen in the Papua New Guinea highlands.

For Mr Tameo, who has served in Australia for the past seven years, the overnight visit to Orange came due to an invitation from former councillor, Chris Gryllis, a strong advocate of the Sister Cities program.

“Chris is a good friend of Papua New Guinea and in his former capacity as councilman,” Mr Tameo told Orange City Life last week.

“Orange City and a city in Papua New Guinea (PNG) called Mount Hagan are sister cities and he has been actively involved and had good relations… with, particularly, the leaders and the people of that province.

“And he's always saying that you better come to our city, so I was able to make it during Christmas.” 

Spending the night here just prior to New Year’s Eve, Mr Tameo and his family took the opportunity to visit a local cherry farm, where many Pacific Islanders from Tonga and Vanuatu are working under the Australian Labour Mobility Program.

Mr Tameo spoke with the owner of the possibility of workers from PNG also working in the Orange region.

“We really enjoyed the trip... I told Chris, this is one of the most beautiful cities in Australia,” Mr Tameo said.

“But you know, we really want to strengthen our Sister City relations with Orange in the future… In PNG, we need a lot of support from developed countries, developed towns, on how town councils are managed and provide services and so on,” he continued, in reference to the past assistance Orange City Council has provided Mt Hagen in design and management of waste management, sanitation, traffic, pedestrian plans and governance.

“So we really need a lot of learning to do and I hope I come to your city at some point in time in a more official capacity and talk with the Mayor and everybody else about how we can strengthen relations between PNG and Orange City,” Mr Tameo concluded.