By Fidelis Sukina – EMTV News, Port Moresby
With the APEC leaders summit Meeting just a week away the final touches are being put to some structures around the city, at the entrance to the Jacksons Airport. There is a new structure that will welcome delegates and visitors to Port Moresby and it is slowly taking shape with much anticipation from the public.
APEC Delegates coming from the Jacksons Airport will be welcomed by two birds of Paradise facing each other, the Birds are placed in a way to welcome visitors and the public going up the Kumul flyover.
The sculpture is made of steel and is being built by a local company, Creative Artline Limited.
The company’s Project Manager, Iso Repo is always on site putting in the man-hours and assessing the quality of the job, ensuring that there is no delay to the project.
Repo was not eager to talk on camera but was ecstatic about the project.
A big structure Repo said, the total cost of the project will be made known after they complete the project and calculate their costs. The structure is 24 meters wide and is slowly being painted.
When EMTV caught up with them yesterday the workers were putting the first coat of paint on the sculpture and welding in the final pieces of the structure.
When we went back again the next day, the team of painters was mixing the paint and the sculpture was also being given a touch of Port Moresby’s tribal designs.
When complete it would have designs of the Motu Koitabu and the brown, black, yellow, white and green of the Raggiana bird of paradise. The structure is slowly coming into fruition, but it is likely to be finished before Monday (November 12, 2018).
The team is partnering with Advance Signs Limited that is providing the cherry pickers and will write the text in front of the sculpture which will read Welcome to Port Moresby and at the back the ‘Motu’ word “Bamahuta” which means goodbye, the circle in between the birds’ faces will have the National Emblem.
Repo said the project was supposed to be taken up last year (2017) but funding only became available for the project this year.
Creative Artline limited designed the concept but they are not new to building such a structure in the city with their work spread out in Port Moresby. The sculptures of two birds of Paradise at the Boroko roundabout, two turtles at Koki roundabout and the Conch Shell at the Gordons roundabout are just a few of their handiworks.
With the rush of APEC very visible in the city and the talk of the town this structure though is the most eye-catching and the wait, to see the finished product is keeping the residents of the city anxious.
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