A seasoned and highly regarded Community Development professional, Cathy has dedicated her life to supporting the lives and livelihoods of rural Papua New Guineans. After obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Tropical Agriculture, Cathy began her career with the PNG Spices Industry Board, helping small scale farmers connect to local and international markets. 

Finding her passion in working with villagers and farmers, in 2005 Cathy moved across to the Community Development Institute (CDI), taking up a role as Program Officer in the Sustainable Livelihoods program. She spent the next four years working with villages throughout Gulf and her home Southern Highlands province, building the capacity of community groups including farmers, women’s and youth associations. 

Cathy’s integrity, hard work and exceptional relationship skills were rewarded when she was invited to be part of the Monash University Archaeology team conducting research through the Kikori River Basin. Supporting researchers from two Australian Universities, French Archaeologists and a film crew, Cathy adeptly acted as the conduit, translating, mediating and negotiating between local communities and the research team. 

Following this trip, Cathy facilitated a two-week Cultural Exchange taking nine PNG Clan representatives to France, broadening their understanding on the importance of archaeological sites for preserving cultural histories. At Monash’s invitation, Cathy also spent a year in Melbourne as a Data Manager for PNG projects, consolidating field reports, transcribing and translating oral and audio visual records into English. With an offer to study and potentially stay permanently in Australia on the table, Cathy’s heart instead called her home to serve the people of Papua New Guinea, returning to CDI’s Sustainable Livelihoods program, this time as the Coordinator. 

Determined to do something to harness the vast, untapped potential of Papua New Guinean women and girls, Cathy was a founding member of Advancing PNG: Women’s Leaders Network (APNG: WLN) in 2014. APNG: WLN unites and supports women who act as agents of change within their communities. In typical Cathy fashion, she worked quietly and tirelessly, shouldering much of the workload to make the organisation a success. In March of 2024 the women of the APNG WLN members lauded Cathy’s contribution, electing her as their Director. 

As one of the founders, Cathy sees Niu Nature as a vehicle that unites her passions and diverse wealth of experiences. “Higher education admits only a tiny percentage of students, and for most rural Papua New Guineans its simply not an option. We have a huge population of young people without jobs, feeling disconnected and without a sense of purpose in life. Niu Nature is about kickstarting economies in rural areas. Its about valuing village life and building employment opportunities around that right there in the village. I believe everyone can thrive if they feel valued, and that’s what we are working towards.”