New Dawn’s light begins to shine bright

Aloysius Laukai

Unesco funds have finally reached us to purchase the equipment to start an alternate voice on Bougainville’s airwaves. The first $US16,000 was received through our bank and the transmitter and its components have been packed and will be loaded on to ABG's new boat that will leave Port Moresby next week on its maiden voyage from the Philippines.

Thank you indeed for all the hard work to persuade Unesco to approve funds to get New Dawn FM off the ground. We will definitely need your continued support as we move forward with this project. Chairman Carolus Ketsimur will write to you personally but I wish to sincerely thank you for coming this far with us.

We hope to test the new signal on 95.3MHZ as soon as the equipment arrives in Buka. In due course we would like to invite both Martin Hadlow and Keith Jackson to visit and assist us with some broadcasting training.

I have already secured a lot of companies to sponsor programs. As 2008 is Weapons Disposal and Reconciliation year, we will also be carrying out a lot of awareness announcements funded by UNDP and other non-government organisations.

I am fully committed to see that what we have started grow from this very humble beginning continues to grow. Our intention is to get an experienced overseas manager to work with us so, as we begin this journey and start raising funds, we will need your help to find somebody suitable for our radio station.

Aloysius Laukai is a director and acting manager of New Dawn FM, a community radio station being established to assist north Bougainville recover from the ravages of the recent civil war.

Photo: Dawn over the Buka Passage