06/10/2025
[PRESS RELEASE]
On Friday, 3 October 2025, Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) Velmoore Kagena, Officer Commanding of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) Engineer Battalion, co-signed an author's contract with the Papua New Guinean author, Lahui Ako, to write the history of the Engineer Battalion to commemorate its upcoming 50th Anniversary on 1 September 2026. Lahui Ako has authored five (5) books to date, including "Nameless Warriors: the Ben Moide Story" (2012), and "God Knows Best: APEC PNG 2018: My Way" (2023). The short signing ceremony took place at Murray Barracks, Port Moresby.
During the ceremony, Lt Col Kagena elaborated that the PNGDF Engineer Battalion has played an instrumental role in national development, disaster relief and regional security, since its formation on 1 September 1976. He emphasized that the focus of the book is to encapsulate the modern history of the PNGDF through the achievements of the Engineer Battalion in the last 50 years, contribute towards unifying the Engineer Battalion as a key driver of nation building in the country, and to provide the PNGDF with the initiative to look forward to a better future beyond 2030.
Capturing this rich history will preserve the experiences of personnel, both past and serving, and most importantly, document the evolution of the Defence Force's capabilities, while inspiring future generations of officers and engineers. The book is expected to be completed by May 2026, in preparation for the 50th Anniversary celebrations next year.
The Author's contract was witnessed by Ms. Momo-Carol Ako, Director of La Global Consulting Services Ltd., and Major Orchyl Worinamia, Acting Director of Engineers from Headquarters PNGDF. Also present was Major Emmanuel Rama, SO2 Engineers.
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