Fundraising News

Brisbane Trivia Night 2024: Celebrating Femili PNG’s 10th Anniversary

An update on our trivia night

A big thank you to everyone who joined us at our trivia night on Friday 28th June 2024! Over 90 people purchased tickets to the event, and together raised over $5,600 to support Femili PNG’s life-changing work. The trivia night was a wonderful opportunity to bring together our support community in Brisbane and celebrate Femili PNG’s 10th anniversary.

A special thank you to Murray Henman for graciously hosting the trivia. His creative trivia questions and games turned the event into an exciting night, and we really appreciate all the support he gave in the weeks leading up to the event.

We would also like to thank Mehere Maladina and Fiona Gunn, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to plan and run a successful night. We could not have done it without their support!

Celebrating Femili PNG’s 10th Anniversary

Tackling family and sexual violence in Papua New Guinea is complex. Survivors need support accessing safe accomodation, medical assistance, law and justice interventions, financial and vocational resources, and more. Community leaders need training to deliver services; and families need education to address violence in their day-to-day lives.

Navigating the complex care and justice systems can be challenging for survivors to do on their own. Born out of a Médecins Sans Frontières project at the Angau Hospital Family Support Centre in Lae, Femili PNG was established in 2013 to help survivors access assistance from the many different service providers. They were the first Papua New Guinean organisation to take a case management approach to supporting survivors of violence.

When a survivor first comes in contact with Femili PNG, a trained caseworker will work with them to determine their personal goals – whether it be to transfer to safe accommodation, file a police report, access medical care, take out a protection order, or seek a child welfare intervention. The caseworker then assists them to achieve these goals through a series of follow-up consultations, both with the client and any relevant, complementary, service providers. Survivors are empowered to make decisions relating to their own well-being and safety, with caseworkers assisting them and advocating for their rights within the system.

Since welcoming their first client on 25th July 2014, Femili PNG has assisted over 6,700 survivors of family and sexual violence to access the care they need. Their organisation has grown from just 7 staff in Lae to 61 staff across three locations. Services expanded to Port Moresby in 2018 under the Bel isi PNG initiative, where they also operate a safe house; and to Goroka in 2021 after noticing an increasing number of survivors travelling to access services.

In addition to providing case management assistance, Femili PNG undertakes extensive outreach to raise awareness about family and sexual violence and what help is available. They train community leaders on how to effectively support survivors in locations they can’t reach directly; and collaborate closely with other service providers to enhance their impact.

It was great to see so many smiling faces joining us to commemorate Femili PNG’s 10th anniversary at our trivia night. All the funds raised on the night will support Femili PNG’s work with survivors of family and sexual violence in PNG.

Sponsors and Supporters

A big thank you to all the wonderful businesses and individuals who sponsored prizes for our event, and supported us on the night.

Verve Portraits

Verve Portraits is an Australian family-owned portrait business who specialise in creating authentic, heartfelt and beautiful imagery that encapsulates the true meaning of family and connection. Verve Portraits have generously donated two photography packages, valued at $650 and $1,095, for our trivia night.

TazAnne Designs

TazAnne Designs embrace Papua New Guinean Culture through their fine art prints. They have donated their ‘Bilum Aurua’ artwork for this auction item, which forms part of their ‘Bilum Embellished’ series.

PNG Handcraft Collection

PNG Handcraft Collection (PNGHC) brings you authentic products made in Papua New Guinea and products made by Papua New Guineans. After seeing all the unique products handmade by local members of the community, PNGHC started their small business as a way to share PNG culture and support PNG crafters. PNGHC had a stall at our trivia night, with a percentage of their profits at the event being donated to FPNGA.

Two and Fro

Two and Fro sell gorgeous handmade jewellery, crafted with care in Perth Australia. Many of their designs are creatively made using polymer clay, and are inspired by Papua New Guinean culture. Two and Fro have generously donated three gift boxes, each with 2 beautiful pairs of earrings – a Kundu Drum pair and a Bilum pair.

Fox in a Box

Fox in a Box offer exciting escape room experiences, with 6 incredibly themed and highly immersive rooms in Brisbane. Fox in a Box have generously donated a voucher for 4 players (valued at $168).

The Tivoli and The Princess Theatre

The Tivoli and The Princess Theatre are Brisbane’s most-loved music theatres. The sister venues both house a deep musical heritage, as evidenced by the incredible backlog of artists that have performed on their stages. They kindly donated a double pass to any show at either venue.

Lily Magazine

Lily Magazine is Papua New Guinea’s top-selling magazine for women, featuring profiles on the country’s most inspiring female role-models – from boardroom leaders and creative thinkers to the smallest start-ups. They have kindly donated a complete digital collection of 27 x Lily magazines (valued at over $130) for our trivia night.

Simplicité Natural Skin Care

Simplicité Natural Skin Care is an ethical skin care brand, renowned for their gentle, luxurious and highly nutritive products that give magnificent skin at any age. They have kindly donated a gift pack for our trivia night.

OfaeArts

OfaeArts are based in Brisbane, and design and create gorgeous PNG-themed merchandise. They generously donated two of their incredible t-shirts and a jumper.

Avid Reader

Avid Reader is a bookstore specialising in new, quality fiction and non-fiction. Avid Reader have generously donated 2 x $50 vouchers for use at any of their stores (Avid Reader, Where The Wild Things Are, and Riverbend Books).

Peter FitzSimons

Peter FitzSimons is one of Australia’s best-selling non-fiction writers. He donated three captivating books – The Opera House, The Incredible Life of Hubert Wilkins: Australia’s Greatest Explorer, and Breaker Morant – for our trivia night.

Five Star Cinemas

Five Star Cinemas have established themselves as an important part of their community, connecting movie lovers all across Brisbane. Five Star Cinemas have kindly donated movie tickets for our trivia night.

Brisbane Lions

The Brisbane Lions are an iconic AFL Club in Brisbane QLD. They’ve generously donated a merchandise pack for one lucky winner at our trivia night.

Photo Gallery

View photos from the night via the link below! A special thank you to the Brunswick Hotel, who took most of these photos.