Author: Frank Ani

Tenk Yu Tru!

The 2025 PNG Open concluded on the 17th of August with Cory Crawford being crowned as the 2025 Kumul Mineral Holdings Limited PNG Open Champion for the second time. Kudos to you!

This year’s PNG Open was bigger and better in which the inaugural PNG Open Women’s Championships was held for the first time. The 2025 PNG Open hosted players from across the world which created a very competitive arena for all the 120 professional golfers across 4 days of competitive golfing.

The Board and Management of Southern Cross Assurance Ltd would firstly like to thank to the Prime Minister of PNG Mr. James Marape. THANK YOU for ‘swinging by’ at our hospitality tent, PNG Golf Association for the opportunity to support this international event and congratulations on hosting yet another successful PNG Open tournament and not forgetting the Royal Port Moresby Golf Club for making the event possible with the exceptional golf course.

And a special acknowledgement to our homegrown golfers, Morgan Annato and Margaret Lavaki for an exceptional display of skills in challenging conditions to finish the tournament on a high note amongst world class competition.

Southern Cross Assurance looks forward to continuing its support for the PNG Open in the years to come.

Community Contributions Komuniti Kona Latest News

SCAL Supports PNG OPEN 2025

Post author By Frank Ani
Post date August 12, 2025
No Comments on SCAL Supports PNG OPEN 2025

SCAL is proud to be supporting the 2025 PNG Open with a sponsorship of K30,000 presented to PNG Golf Association (PNGGA). Earlier this year, SCAL was the Naming Rights Sponsor of the National Amateurs Golf Championship hosted in Lae. SCAL is proud to continue its support for Golf in PNG.

Presenting the cheque on behalf of SCAL was our Chief Underwriting Officer Mr. Uari Oaveta and our Business Development team.

PNGGA President Ian Hodge said that “this year’s PNG Open will be a historic event in PNGGA history as the new ladies category will be introduced where we will have 7 professional ladies coming from Australia to play against our 8 best ladies from Papua New Guinea. The purpose of this new introduction is to promote gender inclusion to show that everyone can play in one field as one.”

This tournament will have 120 professionals taking part vying for the win. There will be players coming from America, Spain, Fiji, China, Korea as well as the Philippines with 7 of those players having ratings of the next ‘big golfers in the world’ Hodge added.

Hodge thanked SCAL for their continuous support to the growth of golf in PNG over the years. “SCAL’s continuous support, along with the other sponsors, will go a long way towards creating pathways of development for our junior players and we envision that supporting our junior players development will allow us to deliver a world class standard PNG Open event” said Hodge.

SCAL looks forward to an exciting weekend of professional golfing action and wishes all the players the best of luck!

SCAL Joins PNG CORE Resources Week

Post author By Frank Ani
Post date August 1, 2025
No Comments on SCAL Joins PNG CORE Resources Week

SCAL is delighted to be connecting with industry leaders this week at the PNG CORE Canconex Resources Week 2025 Exhibition being held at APEC Haus. In line with PNG’s 50th independence anniversary this year, the exhibition’s theme is focused on celebrating the valuable contributions of PNG’s resource and energy sector towards economic growth and community development over the 50 years of Papua New Guinea’s independence.

It has been an exciting week for our Business Development team who have been busy interacting with visitors to showcase the various commercial insurance covers suitable for businesses operating in the resource and energy sector.

Our ‘safety first’ risk management approach combined with our world class reinsurance security means SCAL is in a strong position to adequately underwrite major commercial risks, as well as specialty risks specific to the resource and energy sector.

SCAL is proud to be a Service Member with the PNG Chamber of Resources & Energy (PNG CORE) and we are ready to play our role to help support the growth of PNG’s resource industry for the next 50 years and beyond!

Menstrual Health Day Awareness with UNICEF

Post author By Frank Ani
Post date June 2, 2025
No Comments on Menstrual Health Day Awareness with UNICEF

Last week, we were privileged to listen to a health and wellbeing awareness session conducted by UNICEF representatives Elizabeth Oswyn, Bernadette Yakopa and Lavoncher Dotson about Menstrual Hygiene Day which is observed on the 28^th of May each year.

The purpose of Menstrual Hygiene Day is to raise awareness on the issues faced by girls and women that affect their day-to-day lives at home, at school and at their jobs. Issues such as lack of access to sanitary products at school or at work, being absent from school and work due to period pains and discomfort, girls and women living with disabilities, stigma about menstruation due to either personal or cultural beliefs, are all due to the limited availability and access to educational and support platforms to drive menstrual health and hygiene awareness.

To address this information and education gap, UNICEF collaborated with other stakeholders to create a PNG-based menstrual health app called, Oky PNG. The app’s primary feature is a calendar for tracking users’ menstrual cycles and gives alerts (reminders) in advance for users to make the necessary preparations to avoid embarrassing or stressful situations at school or at work. The app also features an elaborate sexual and reproductive health encyclopedia with information that was vetted and approved by the PNG Department of Education and PNG Department of Health, to ensure the information is presented in the appropriate context that is relatable to Papua New Guineans, as well contact information for family and sexual health service providers. Since launching on Google Play Store and Apple App Store in 2024, the number of active users is growing steadily among middle-high school girls which is a positive indication that the app is being received well and the number of users will continue to grow.

This important awareness session highlighted the need for creating safe spaces for open conversations and having support systems in place to allow for proper menstrual care. The session also gave our male staff genuine insight into the challenges women face and the role they can play to support or spread the awareness.

As an organisation that values women empowerment, we believe raising awareness about menstrual health is also important for creating and maintaining a safe, healthy and respectful working environment here at SCAL, as well as at home.

We thank UNICEF for this insightful engagement. Let’s continue to break down the barriers and support this cause to promote good menstrual health habits for girls and women in PNG.

Community Contributions Komuniti Kona Latest News

Southern Cross Assurance Limited is The Naming Rights Sponsor for The National Amateur Golf Championships 2025

Post author By Frank Ani
Post date March 27, 2025
No Comments on Southern Cross Assurance Limited is The Naming Rights Sponsor for The National Amateur Golf Championships 2025

SCAL Chairman Roxon Undi (center) presenting the cheque of K20,000 to PNGGA President Ian Hodge and Female Vice President Rosalind Taufa

Southern Cross Assurance Limited (SCAL) is excited to announce that we have been given the honor to be the Naming Rights Sponsor to this year’s PNG National Amateur Golf Championships which will be hosted by the Lae Golf Club from the 18^th to the 21^st of April.

The National Amateur Golf Championship is a PNG Golf Association (PNGGA) sanctioned tournament. Each year this annual tournament attracts about total 150 golfers from around Papua New Guinea looking to secure qualification and selection to represent PNG in other major PGA events, such as the PNG Open, and other regional PGA tournaments overseas such as the Asia Pacific Junior Golf Championship, and also the Pacific Games and Mini Pacific Games.

PNG Golf Association President, Ian Hodge said, “I would like to sincerely thank Southern Cross Assurance Limited for coming on board as the naming rights sponsor. Our main aim at this time is to generate enough funds to increase our junior kids’ participation and provide them the opportunity to compete at the national stage.”

“This is not the first time we have sponsored Golf and we would like to continue supporting amateur Golf. We are here to support PNGGA and the young golfers around the country. Last year, SCAL was also a major sponsor of the PNG Open, which was a huge success in which we look forward to continuing our support.” said SCAL Chairman Mr. Roxon Undi

As a locally owned company, we are committed to supporting initiatives that have a lasting, positive impact on our local communities. By partnering with PNGGA, we are showing our support towards the development of young and local talent so they may succeed in their golfing aspirations.

Community Contributions Komuniti Kona Latest News

SCAL supports Kick Entertainment event for International Women’s Day

Post author By Frank Ani
Post date February 28, 2025
No Comments on SCAL supports Kick Entertainment event for International Women’s Day

SCAL Representatives presenting the cheque to KICK ENTERTAINMENT co- founder Ms. Ruth Kedea

Southern Cross Assurance Limited (SCAL) has teamed up with Kick Entertainment as a sponsor of their International Women’s Day (IWD) social event, ‘90s Rewind (Pop Divas edition) to be held on Saturday 8^th March at the Alibi Bar & Grill. The event promises to be a night of fun, great music with live performances by of PNG’s talented, upcoming singers, Asi Vaname, Sumitai, Faith Romney and Vaita Pala.

This event also marks the revival of the Musik Meri Movement initiated by Kick Entertainment – Managing Partner, Ruth Kedea, in 2019 with the aim to establish a platform to support the growth of PNG females in music, which aligns with the 2025 IWD theme “Accelerate Action” which emphasizes the need to take decisive action to create safe environments for women to thrive.

Ms. Kedea said “On behalf of the Kick Team, we are so grateful for SCAL’s support because the sponsorship not only goes towards this event, but will also help drive our plans for the Musik Meri Movement forward. We have more activities planned for the Musik Meri Movement down the line and we hope SCAL will continue to support us in our journey.” At SCAL, our vision is to become a leading general insurer in PNG and the pacific, therefore personal growth and professional recognition is a priority. Currently, almost half of SCAL’s workforce are women, with five women holding supervisory and management roles, and we will continue to invest in training and development of all our employees. Therefore, this sponsorship is a way for SCAL to ‘pay it forward’ by supporting Kick Entertainment and their mission to creating safe creative working environments for PNG females in music.

Tags insurance, insurancecompanyinpng, internationalwomensday, internationalwomensdaypng

Community Contributions Komuniti Kona Latest News

SCAL Staff Receive Senisim PNG Certificates of Completion

Post author By Frank Ani
Post date December 10, 2024
No Comments on SCAL Staff Receive Senisim PNG Certificates of Completion

Team SCAL Posing with their certificates

21 staff that successfully completed their 11-week-long transformation tables of the Senisim PNG program have received their certificates as ambassadors of good values which can allow them to begin their own transformation tables in their homes and local communities. The group of staff members that received their certificates are comprised of senior and junior officers from the various departments in the company.

The Senisim PNG Program is an 11-week program designed to give participants in-depth and practical understanding of the 11 values that are the qualities of good leadership. The aim of this program is to transform individuals into becoming greater versions of themselves and be a role model for positive change in their families, organizations, neighborhoods and local communities, and eventually, the nation as a whole.

Our team took some time out of their busy schedules to head over to the PNG Tribal Head Office to receive their certificates. Senisim PNG Program Director Pena Pokeya said that this was the first time they have had visitors come to their office to receive their certificates.

Mr Pokeya said the Senisim PNG program participation is growing in both private and public sector organizations across the country. SCAL is one of the organizations that has shown genuine interest and it’s pleasing to learn the program has helped improve attitudes of the staff and the results showing in their productivity this year. Moving forward, Senisim PNG is looking to roll out the program in schools in 2025.

Here at Southern Cross Assurance Limited, our vision is to become one of the leading insurers in PNG, therefore personal and professional development of our team members will always be on of our top priorities and we are committed to investing in training programs to expand technical knowledge as well as enhance soft skills to improve teamwork and customer service delivery.

Community Contributions Komuniti Kona Latest News

SCAL supports Popo Primary School’s Staff Housing Project

Post author By Frank Ani
Post date November 26, 2024
No Comments on SCAL supports Popo Primary School’s Staff Housing Project

SCAL Chief Underwriting Officer Uari Oaveta presenting the dummy cheque to Popo Primary School Head Teacher, Mr. Weka Leapo

Southern Cross Assurance Limited donated K3,000 cash to Popo Primary School in Gulf Province. The funds will be used to purchase remaining building materials required to complete the renovation of the staff houses at the school.

Popo Primary School Head Teacher Mr. Weka Leapo thanked SCAL for their timely support as the project is needed to be completed as soon as possible and ready for the 2025 academic year. This will certainly boost the morale of the teachers to remain committed and continue to consistently deliver classes for the students in 2025 and years ahead. “On behalf of the school and board, we are very thankful to SCAL for stepping in and also, they are the first private organization that has come to support our school” Mr. Leapo added.

SCAL’s Chief Underwriting Officer, Mr. Uari Oaveta is a success story of Popo Primary School. He is part of the pioneering group of students that attended the school when it first opened in 1964. Through his professional career spanning over 20 years, he has maintained his close connection with the school and commits time to assist the school for various requirements or projects.

“I was elected as the school’s patron this year, so I am just trying to do as much as I can by giving back to the school.” said Mr. Oaveta.

SCAL is proud of its home-grown roots and has a commitment to support worthy causes that make a genuine impact and create tangible benefits in our local communities.

Cancer Awareness Carried Out at SCAL Office

Post author By Frank Ani
Post date October 31, 2024

SCAL Women's group photo

Our team observed Pinktober with two very special guests, Sister Helen Hukula from A Well Woman’s Clinic and Mrs. Janet Yaki, a cancer survivor and founder of the PNG Stoma Association. Both guests were invited to talk to our staff to learn more about the causes and different forms of cancer and to share their testimonies of their personal battles with cancer.

Sister Helen Hukula runs her own clinic, A Well Woman’s Clinic, located in North Waigani (Port Moresby) and has been running for over a decade now. Sister Helen’s clinic conducts physical examinations as well as collecting tissue samples for lab tests for early detection of cancer in the breast and cervix. Since 2011, A Well Woman’s Clinic has served more than 7,000 women to date, with just over 300 women last year alone. Sister Helen encouraged both young women and men to get regular medical check-ups done to be certain of your body’s medical condition. It is best to detect cancers in its earliest stages so it can be effectively managed as well.

Mrs Janet Yaki is a colostomy cancer survivor and founder of the PNG STOMA Association. Mrs Yaki shared her testimony of the physical, emotional and mental stress she endured from being first diagnosed, undergoing seven surgeries and trying to adjust to trying to live a normal life as an ostomate. It is through her personal battle that she was inspired to establish the PNG Stoma Association to provide care and counselling for newly diagnosed patients (Ostomates) who undergo Ostomy surgery, most commonly as a result of colorectal or bladder cancer. As the driving force behind PNG Stoma Association, she voluntarily attends to post-surgery patients to show them how to correctly use a stoma bag and this gives her the opportunity to offer counselling and sharing about her own experiences.

Both women highlighted that cancer or any chronic illness doesn’t just affect the immediately affected areas of the body but there is also a heavy and lasting impact of the experience on patient’s emotional and mental health, and not forgetting the financial burden it imposes on families. This is why both Sister Helen and Mrs Yaki have made it their mission to continue to create cancer awareness and education and provide practical assistance to anyone who needs their help.

The key messages from both guest speakers were to do regular full medical check-ups, and maintain a healthy physical and sexual lifestyle. Our staff were honored to meet and learn from these two inspirational Papua New Guineans, who are driven by their passion to serve others.

Tags developmentscal, insuance, insurancecompanyinpng, insurancepapuanewguinea, insurancepng, liability, mining, papuanewguinea, png, portmoresby, portmoresbyinsurance, scal, southerncrossassurance

Komuniti Kona

SCAL supports PwC Corporate Challenge 2024

Post author By Frank Ani
Post date October 17, 2024
No Comments on SCAL supports PwC Corporate Challenge 2024

L - R: Delca Isoro, Tessa Joseph, Burford Maru, Labini Johnson, Vinoshan Ragunathan, Saba Ako, Martin Sengele

Team SCAL recently took part in this year’s edition of the annual PwC Corporate Challenge held at the Sir Hubert Murray Stadium on the 13^th of October. The aim of this annual event is to raise funds for local charities that provide assistance for local communities in the areas of health, education, and other issues affecting women and children. This year, Team SCAL joined more than 50 other companies to take part in the 5km walk/run challenge and support this worthy cause.

Team SCAL registered 2 teams to take part and it was a great opportunity to meet with other like-minded businesses and individuals that also give back to our local communities. On the morning of the challenge, the stadium was full of energy as teams came together to walk for charity!

We are pleased to know this year’s event successfully raised over K160,000 that will go towards worthy organisations like Sir Buri Kidu Heart Institute, Ginigoada Foundation, WeCare Foundation, Life PNG Care and iCare4U PNG.

At Southern Cross Assurance, one of our ‘star’ values is Diversity – value all people, hence SCAL is committed to support such charitable events that go towards helping improve the lives of our fellow Papua New Guineans, after all we are a proudly locally owned!

We are with you.

Tags insuance, insurancecompanyinpng, insurancepng, liability, papuanewguinea, png, portmoresby, portmoresbyinsurance, scal, southerncrossassurance

SAFEGUARD WHAT'S

IMPORTANT TO YOU

Let's arrange your insurance cover today.

YOUR PROTECTION.

OUR PROMISE.

Let's arrange your insurance cover today.

RELIABLE & AFFORDABLE

INSURANCE PROVIDER

Let's arrange your insurance cover today.

LET US HELP SAFEGUARD

YOUR HOME & BUSINESS

Let's arrange your insurance cover today.

INSURE TODAY.

PROTECT TOMORROW.

Let's arrange your insurance cover today.

SAFEGUARD WHAT'S

IMPORTANT TO YOU

Let's arrange your insurance cover today.

YOUR PROTECTION.

OUR PROMISE.

Let's arrange your insurance cover today.

RELIABLE & AFFORDABLE

INSURANCE PROVIDER

Let's arrange your insurance cover today.

LET US HELP SAFEGUARD

YOUR HOME & BUSINESS

Let's arrange your insurance cover today.

INSURE TODAY.

PROTECT TOMORROW.

Let's arrange your insurance cover today.

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories