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13 February 2018

On Friday 9th February, the Nicholls lecture series continued with a lecture entitled 'Papua New Guinea: The Land of the Unexpected' which was given by Bishop Peter Ramsden OB.

After completing his Geography degree at University College London, and being ordained as a Bishop, Peter and his wife decided to have a year of adventure before settling down. They travelled to Papua New Guinea, after seeing an advert for it in the local newspaper. This year turned into many, as he found out how much he enjoyed living and working with the local people.

He spoke of the wide variety of experiences he had in the country where he lived in the jungle of the Jimi Valley. These experiences included; campaigning for domestic violence and HIV/AIDS awareness, conducting services in churches, which he reached by boat and light aircraft, and even finding himself alone in the jungle, trying to reach a village, with his backpack floating away down a river!

Bishop Ramsden brought his lecture to life by showing us traditional spears from Papua New Guinea that are designed to kill birds, pigs and even people. He also asked a member of the Lower Sixth to read an excerpt from the Bible in the native Papua New Guinean language.

In summary, this lecture encouraged us to think about the possibilities that travel offers. It also made us consider how making the most of opportunities could lead us to discover new passions.

Katherine Rutherford – Senior Prefect