SPUMS CONFERENCE 2012 - May 20-27, 2012

MADANG RESORT & KALIBOBO VILLAGE, MADANG,

Following a meeting with Dr Cathy Meehan, the convenor of the next Annual Scientific Meeting of the South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society, (SPUMS), We have opened the SPUMS 2012 Web page to provide you some basic information in regard to the 2012 Conference to be held at the Madang Resort & Kalibobo Village in Madang.

MADANG, MADANG

For those of you that are unfamiliar with PNG and Madang, Madang Township (Pop. 30,000) shares the same name as the Madang Province (Pop. 450,000) and has more than 173 languages and unique cultures. It is located 350nm NNW of Port Moresby and is approximately 1 hours flight. The township itself is located on a naturally beautiful harbour inside an outer reef which extends from Tab Island (Pig) to Sek Island a distance of 7nm in which there are 30 odd islands, some inhabited, others not. The township has several supermarket stores selling basic items and clothing. There is a chemist, 4 banks, several hotels /resorts and guest houses. There is a road link to Lae and the Highlands and the North Coast Road to Bogia. The remainder of the province is accessed by foot, airplane and boats. The people in the town area are known as Bel people and share the same language; you will find them friendly and they welcome visits to their villages.

The economy of Madang is entirely dependent on the National Government who drip feed Madang and the other provinces, resulting in generally poor infrastructure which includes roads, schools, and health services. Despite the chronic shortage of money, the Private sector includes what is considered the best University in PNG, the Madang Teachers College, the PNG Maritime College, the Lutheran School of Nursing and the College of Allied Health Science which has now been taken over by DWU. Of interest to SPUMS is the proposed Rural Doctors Faculty which is expected to take in students in the near future.

The resources in Madang include Timber (being largely exploited by Asians), Fishing (being exploited by the Philippines), copra, cocoa, sugar, oil palm and shortly Nickel (China) and Copper. As I said earlier it is difficult to understand why Madang has a chronic shortage of funds to deliver basic services to the people. Tourism is the one renewable resource available, all the natural ingredients are in Madang and it is obviously has the greatest sustainable future.

At this stage, I will bow out of the politics and provide intending SPUMS delegates with specific information related to your 2012 Conference.

Accommodation

Both Madang Resort & Kalibobo Village are adjacent to each other and share each others facilities. All rooms are air conditioned, ranging from standard, deluxe, executive, waterfront bungalows and two presidential suites. Most have Queen size and single beds, fold-away beds and cots are available. It has been suggested that all SPUMS be accommodated in the Kalibobo Village which provide all categories with the exception of standard. Facilities in all rooms include en-suite, coffee/tea making facilities, some have small kitchenette, balconies, LCD TV with 20 channels, fridge, radio and lounges. Electric club cars can provide transport within the grounds of the resort.

Meals

The Madang Resort has several restaurants and function rooms providing Western, Chinese, Japanese menus and take away Pizzas. Breakfast is served in the Janek Aben in the main complex. Lunch and Dinner in the Haus Win or the new Pacific Green function room under construction. Table d'hote, a-la-carte, mumus, BBQ featuring fresh seafood and local beef are our specialities and we can cater for most dietary requirements. A special meal package will be available to SPUMS delegates as an option.

Entertainment

The Madang Resort has a resident musician providing dinner music in the evenings and a local string and bamboo band plays several nights a week in the Haus Win. Cultural entertainment can also be arranged within the hotel or in nearby villages and islands.

Diving

Niugini Diving Adventures will be arranging two dives each morning and the dive sites can be seen on-line under Niugini Diving on the MTS website www.mtspng.com. Most dives will begin at the Resort Marina but we hope to also arrange diving at the Quarry, Hole in the Wall and US Boston wreck up the North Coast.

Sightseeing, Kayaks, Sailing, Fishing, Bikes, Rental Cars, Tennis & Golf

Non-divers will be offered sightseeing, harbour cruises and snorkelling. For children special activities will be arranged and supervised by our staff. Baby sitters are available up request. We have kayaks, sailing catamarans, traditional canoes, bikes available which are complimentary to SPUMS delegates. Rental cars from MTS or AVIS are also available. There is a night lit tennis court and guests are automatic members of the Madang Country Club which has a well maintained 9 hole golf course.

Conference & Meetings

The Sana Room 1 has been booked for the conference each afternoon, the room is air conditioned and equipped with audio visual, white board and PA system. In addition to the Sana Room, we have a Board Room (25 persons), Nicholai Maclay Meeting Room (70) and the Pacific Green Function room with seating for 150 (will open in Nov 2011). The Madang resort also has large marquees, tents, chairs that can be set up at the Resort Forum Park for special events.

Packages

We will be negotiating with Air Niugini to provide you a combined air and land package from Cairns, Brisbane and Sydney. The package will provide the various categories of accommodation with full breakfast, transfers and porterage in Madang. A separate meal package will also be made available for adults and children.

Security

You should not fear about the safety in Madang. The grounds of the Madang Resort and Kalibobo Village are perfectly safe. Madang itself is one of the safest towns in PNG but when walking around the town, we will arrange for our staff to be available.

Bookings

We will be attaching a PDF template in the near future detailing all the costs. We will also arrange with Air Niugini to carry dive gear on their flights. Air bottles and weight belts will be available and providing we know in advance details of any other equipment required, we will do our best to have it available on your arrival. All accommodation bookings made directly with the Madang Resort will be exempt from GST. As you know this the second time SPUMS have held their conference at the Madang Resort. Since the last conference, the Resort has more than doubled in size. Many of the same staff remain including Skita & Joseph. We are all excited about seeing you all again and if we can assist in any way please do not hesitate to contact Wesley or Isaac at info@mtspng.com.

Kind regards

Sir Peter Barter, Managing Director, MTS, Madang Resort & Kalibobo Village

Message from the Convenor:

Preliminary announcement

South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society

41st Annual Scientific Meeting 2012

Dates: 20–27 May 2012

Venue: Madang Resort, Madang, Papua New Guinea

Theme:

“What lies beneath: the pleasures and perils of our diving environment”

Keynote speakers:

Associate Professor Jamie Seymour, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland

“the jelly dude”

Richard Fitzpatrick, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland

“the shark guy”

If you wish to present a paper or have any queries please contact:

SPUMS ASM 2012 Convenor

Dr Cathy Meehan

E-mail: cmeehan@mcleodstmed.com.au

Mobile: +61 417783653

Additional information will be available soon on the SPUMS website at: