The sudden passing of Sir Ebia Olewale has greatly saddened members of the Board and staff of PNGSDP. Sir Ebia has been a friend and colleague during the establishment of the Company. As a fiercely loyal child of Western Province and a firmly committed PNG nationalist he brought to the Company his experience, his many gifts and his wealth of knowledge of Western Province and the country. As a former Member of Parliament representing South Fly electorate for Western Province he was committed to the improvement of services to the people of Western Province.

As a director of the Company, which was established to support the people of Western Province and PNG, he was a strong advocate for transparency and for responsibility. He was dedicated to ensuring that Western Province in particular and the country in general benefited from the funds entrusted to the Company.

Sir Ebia used every available opportunity to visit projects in Western Province and in other parts of the country. He shared in celebrating the many successful projects in which the Company has engaged. Of particular concern to him has been the Company's response to the HIV pandemic and he became a champion of the Company's work in this area.

As a leader at the time Papua New Guinea gained independence Sir Ebia was acutely aware of the important financial contribution Bougainville made to the young nation. He was firmly committed to this commitment being recognised by PNGSDP as opportunities arose to be of assistance there and followed with interest the various projects in Bougainville now supported by PNGSDP.

Three days before his death Sir Ebia, visiting the Western Highlands, took delight in opening a dormitory for nursing students at the Nazarene nursing school in Kudjip, noting that this famous school had offered training to nurses from Western Province. He then travelled to the Southern Highlands where he witnessed the results of community efforts to build a primary school in the Lai valley. He said that, as a Western Province person, he was proud to be involved in supporting education in his own province and at the same time being able to be involved in supporting communities in other places prepared to help themselves.

PNGSDP has lost a friend who combined fierce determination to fight for the rights of his people with an appreciation of the efforts of his colleagues and staff of the Company.