Opportunities - Greg Urwin Awards

Greg Urwin was the former Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), who tragically passed away in August of 2008. Greg was deeply committed to the Pacific and its development, and spent much of his career devoted to the region. His strong strategic leadership of PIFS led to many major achievements, including the firm establishment of the Pacific Plan as the platform for ongoing, strengthened regional cooperation and integration for the benefit of the people of the Pacific.

In August 2008 at the Leaders’ Forum in Niue, the Chair of the Pacific Leaders’ Forum, President Toke Talagi of Niue, and the then-Australian Prime Minister, Mr. Kevin Rudd, jointly announced that an annual awards program would be established to honour Greg Urwin’s memory and his dedication to the welfare and development of leadership in the Pacific. It was agreed that the Awards established in his name would be made available to Pacific students who have the potential to become eminent leaders in their chosen field of excellence. The Awards take the form of a short-term placement with a Pacific regional organisation of relevance to the recipient’s professional development and leadership potential.

The Greg Urwin Awards are funded by PLP, on behalf of AusAID, and are jointly administered by PLP and PIFS. For more information, download the Greg Urwin Awards Fact Sheet.

2012 Greg Urwin Award Recipients

Ms Mary Faasau, Tonga

Mary Faasau (known as Nola), 27, is a Tongan national living in Samoa with her husband and four young children. Nola works as a Senior Legislative Drafter with the Attorney General's office in Samoa. She graduated with her LLB from USP in 2006 and completed her Master of Law (LLM) in 2010. Nola specializes in legislative drafting and completed a research piece as part of her LLM studies in 2010, entitled: "Challenges Faced by Legislative Drafters in Samoa and Other USP Member Countries".

Nola's award will see her undertake a professional placement at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat's (PIFS) Political Governance and Security Programme, in the Legislative Drafting Unit. This specialized unit was established to assist member countries in drafting essential national legislation.

Nola believes this placement will provide her with the opportunity to further her leadership potential as well as her experience as a legislative drafter and aspiring Parliamentary Counsel. In particular, she believes it will contribute to her skills and talents in the drafting of statutory laws in the Pacific region.

Mr Rohitesh Kumar, Fiji

Rohitesh Kumar, 30, of Fiji is a Scientific Officer at the Institute of Applied Sciences at The University of the South Pacific (USP). His role involves conducting research on marine sponges, algae and micro-organisms for the discovery of new bioactive compounds. Rohitesh completed his MSc Chemistry via research in 2010 at USP and his dissertation was nominated for the Vice-Chancellor's Prize for Student Research.

Rohitesh's award will see him undertake a professional placement at the Eskitis Institute at Griffith University, QLD, Australia. The Eskitis Institute for Cell and Molecular Therapies investigates novel drug and cell-based therapies for human diseases including cancer, inflectious diseases and neurological conditions. The Institute works towards the development of new strategies to prevent and treat disease with an emphasis on multi-disciplinary research and collaboration with national and international partners.

Rohitesh hopes his placement will encourage scientists and professionals in the Pacific to make better use of the region's abundant natural resources and attract more researchers and students from the Pacific to work in this area.

Ms Takena Redfern, Kiribati

Takena Redfern, 32, was born and raised in Kiribati where she lives with her husband and two young children. Takena is a Senior Agricultural Officer with the Kiribati Government, working on sustaining and improving the production of staple food crops including breadfruit, taro, cassava, sweet potato, as well as other plants with economic, cultural and environmental value. Takena graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture from USP in 2004 and a Masters in Tropical Plant Pathology from the University of Hawaii in 2010. 

Takena's award will see her undertake a professional placement with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community's (SPC) Division of Land Resources in Fiji. This division works towards sustaining livelihood and improving food and nutritional security throughout the Pacific community through technìcal assistance, training and policy advice to members.

Takena is passionate about protecting the environment and natural resources through community-based programs and the engagement of youth. She is committed to helping growers in Kiribati and across the Pacific to sustain and improve food production to meet their needs and improve their living standards.

Ms Cathy Timothy, Papua New Guinea

Cathy Timothy, 37, of PNG is a consultant physician with the ANGAU Memorial General Hospital in Lae. Cathy is responsible for the clinical management of the hospital's cancer patients and the supervision of medical doctors and registrars.

Cathy gradauted with her MBBS from UPNG in 1999 and went on to complete a Masters of Internal Medicine at UPNG in 2010, where she developed a professional interest in oncology. 

Cathy's award will see her undertake a professional placement at the Radiation Oncology Unit at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney, Australia. With no qualified oncologists in Papua New Guinea, the mortality rate of cancer sufferers in the country continues to rise. During her placement, Cathy hopes to gain exposure to advanced  modes of cancer treatment, including radiotherapy techniques presently unavailable in Papua New Guinea. She eventually aims to become her country's first qualified oncologist.

Mr Humpress Harrington, Solomon Islands

Humpress Harrington, 39, of the Solomon Islands is the Director of Nursing Education at the Atoifi Hospital in Malaita. Humpress is responsible for directing and administering clinical educational programs at the Atoifi Adventist College of Nursing. His responsibilities include facilitating and planning the currìculum, course timetable and the recruitment of lecturers. Humpress graduated with a Masters of Adult Education in 2005 and a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing in 2011, both from Massey University in Wellington, New Zealand.

Humpress's award will see him undertake a professional placement at James Cook University School of Nursing, Midwifery and Nutrition in Cairns, Australia. The School has several unique functions, including hosting the WHO Collaborating Centre (WHOCC) for Nursing and Midwifery Education and Research Capacity Building, which develops partnerships with education providers in the Pacific with the aim of strengthening the delivery of nursing and midwifery education. The WHOCC is also the secretariat for the Asia Pacific Emergency and Disaster Nursing Network (APEDNN).

Humpress hopes his GUA experience will enable him to improve student outcomes and better serve the students and staff of the Atoifi College of Nursing.

Ms Siatua Lautua, Samoa

Siatua Lautua, 28, of Samoa is currently employed at the Samoa Water Authority in the Asset Management Unit where she is responsible for the asset register and GIS maps of SWA customer locations. She is also responsible for overseeing the Technical Library of the SWA. Siatua's professional interests include environmental protection and water conservation. She is currently publishing a paper on watershed protection which will be presented to the 2nd National Water Forum in Samoa.

Siatua received her Masters in Global Environmental Studies from Kyoto University, Japan in 2010 where she received an Award for Environmental Leadership. She also holds a Bachelor of Environmental Management from the University of Queensland.

Siatua's award will see her undertake a professional placement at Queensland Urban Utilities in Brisbane, Australia. Queensland Urban Utilities is responsible for delivering water to the people of Queensland and supplying drinking water to 1.3 million residents in addition to collecting, transporting and treating sewerage. Through her Greg Urwin Award, Siatua hopes to improve her understanding of the water supply industry of Australia - particularly in asset management - so that she may return to Samoa and implement her knowledge to improve her country's public water supply.