Madang Town signs sister- city partnership agreement with America’s Poplar Village
A milestone partnership agreement was inked this week between Madang Town and Poplar Village in the Wisconsin City of the United States, forging a lifetime of friendship between the two.
The agreement was signed by Madang's Acting Provincial Administrator, Daniel Aloi, and Carlo Capna, Chair of the Sister Cities arrangement.
What spurred the sister- cities arrangement was the recent discovery of a wrecked World War 2 plane in the Raikos District.
The aircraft nicknamed 'Marge' after the pilot's girlfriend was discovered at Lila Village in Ward One of the Astrolabe Bay LLG.
Following Marge's discovery, Madang Governor Ramsey Pariwa extended an invitation to Poplar Village, home of the aircraft's pilot, Richard Bong, for a sister- cities arrangement to remember the sacrifices of the past.
According to history, Bong was a US Air Force major and medal of Honour recipient in WW2.
He was one of the most decorated American fighter pilots and the country's top flying ace in the war, credited with shooting down 40 Japanese aircrafts.
Chair of the sister- cities arrangement, Carlo Capna said, " When we received the invitation from the Governor about this idea, I immediately agreed with no question.
"There is so much excitement with the idea because a lot of young people in Poplar do not know what happened 80 years ago, and their parents might not be telling them. I want them to remember this.
"I also know that the future generations of Papua New Guinea will want to remember the sacrifices of the past that set the foundation of our sister- cities agreement."
He described the signing of the partnership agreement as just the beginning of a symbol of a lifetime relationship; of something special between Poplar Village and Madang.
The agreement opens up a whole lot of opportunities for both cities in terms of education, business, and other areas.
Sarah Sanderson, Public Affairs Officer with the US Embassy in Papua New Guinea, explained the Embassy's role in this sister- cities arrangement is to create a space and time for these two cities to come together, or kind of like a connector or a facilitator.
"But what's really important is the relationship between Madang and Poplar, and this is the relationship we hope to support as it grows," Sanderson emphasised.
She also extended appreciation to the US Embassy and the Department of State for providing funding, which enabled the signing.
Meanwhile, local ward councillor for Lila, Peter, was excited with the agreement. With the agreement now formally in place, he looks forward to exciting times ahead, especially in terms of very basic services.
Peter also thanked Governor Ramsey Pariwa for the sister- cities initiative and Pacific Wrecks for helping to identify the plane.Councillor Peter referred to the wrecked plane as a 'hidden treasure' and assured the people of Poplar that they will continue to look after it.
They are considering building a monument out of the plane.For Madang Province, the sister- cities signing this week was the second.It had signed a similar agreement earlier with Bintang City of the Fujian Province of China.