At CFK, we celebrate and appreciate everything you do. We’re also excited to share that another shipment of donations has arrived on the Island. A big thank you to all the cruise ship passengers who have taken birthing kits on their journeys. Your support means the world to us!
Yesterday, we remembered the great Rev Dr. Ralph Lawton on the third anniversary of his passing. His contributions to the world and the Kiriwinan people will never be forgotten. It’s also been a year since the Kiriwinan’s organised a beautiful celebration of his life. Check out this short video of the event at LAWTON DAY 2023 – THE MOVIE – Caring For Kiriwina Ltd. Let’s honour his legacy by continuing to spread love and kindness in our communities.
We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to the amazing Kiriwinan community, our invaluable partners, generous sponsors, hard working volunteers and kind-hearted donors for empowering us to continue our mission of serving those in need. Your unwavering support is the driving force behind our success, and we couldn’t have come this far without your selfless contributions. Thank you for being an essential part of our journey towards making the world a better place! xxx
Our beautiful calendars are now all sold out. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who has purchased a calendar this year. All the proceeds will be directed towards our wonderful projects. Remember, you can always donate through our shop, and you can also pre-order next year’s 2025 calendar 👏.
Yesterday evening, we had a meeting with our CFK directors and in-country manager to discuss our successes in 2023 and to plan for 2024. We are grateful for this lovely group of people who are helping to continue the legacy of our founder, Margaret Lawton. Today marks the ninth anniversary of her passing, and we miss her every day. Margaret’s spirit guides all CFK decisions, along with the spirit of her husband, the Reverend Doctor Ralph Lawton. We are thankful for the time we had with them, and we know that their presence made the world a better place.
It is a joy that we can be a part of Margaret ‘s vision to improve the lives of the people of Kiriwina. We value our connection to this work which is life-giving and enriching in providing access to healthy birthing, addressing food security and clean water, and supporting the education of students in a very remote part of our world.
The Convenor of the Yarralumla Uniting Church Arts and Crafts Committee, Lynne Thomson.
Our eternal gratitude goes out to the Yarralumla Church congregation for their ongoing support for the Rev Dr Ralph and Margaret Lawton‘s life’s work and legacy.
Kamatokisi!
Featured photo: Yarralumla Uniting Church delegation photographed with members of the Lawton family and a film crew from New Zealand Bible Society on our 2012 trip to Kiriwina for the Kiriwinan bible dedication.
The subsequent film of the 2012 Kiriwina Bible dedication can be seen at the following link: https://caringforkiriwina.org.au/about/rev-dr-ralph-lawton-and-margaret-lawtons-translation-work/
The Strength of a Mother
A mother’s strength is like no other,
Through every hardship and every bother,
She keeps us strong and keeps us whole,
With love and care that never grows old.
We celebrate all midwives worldwide with a special thank you to our CFK educators and VBAs for their outstanding achievements over the past ten years. Here is a speech and photos from our LAWTON day reporting trip to Kiriwina held during the last two weeks of April.
Now the VBAs have been following the education now women are recognised, especially the VBAs. Women are counted now. A great legacy.
CFK head VBA Ruth Boaz speaks about Margaret’s legacy
Video: CFK Head VBA Ruth Boaz praises Margaret Lawton’s legacy
Video 2: CFK VBAs sing a thank you song to the CFK midwife educators Shea Caplice and Jacqui Andrews.
Finally! after 62 years in the making, BUKI BIGA KIRIWINA, A dictionary of the Kiriwina Language of Papua New Guinea, has been published.
With a glorious printed hardcover and gold embossed text, this 1000-page dictionary is a triumph of multiple wills and determination.
This dictionary has been the direct result of the help and encouragement of Rev Dr Ralph’s Papuan and Australian friends. Ralph acknowledged the support of many contributors in the dictionary, and this hardcover version has been produced just in time for us all to celebrate Ralph and Margaret’s contributions to Kiriwina, the place they called home. Thank you to all our sponsors and donors.
Only 2 more nights of sleep until we leave for our beloved Kiriwina to see our wonderful friends after 3.5 years of COVID absence. Getting excited
For more information, please email info@caringforkiriwina.org.au
Rev Dr Ralph Lawton’s PhD supervisor, ANU Emeritus Professor Andrew Pawley and Ralph during the dictionary’s productionThe fabulous Rev Dr. Ralph Stanley Lawton. Here he is holding the product of 50 years of work, the proof of the soon-to-be-published Kiriwinan Dictionary.
