Wama Philip builds Villa cultural centre to preserve history, revive highlands tourism:calls for support

BY HERBERT KEWA
Special Correspondent | PNG HERALD

WESTERN HIGHLANDS — Community leader and former police officer Wama Philip has spent 18 years transforming his own family garden at Villa into a cultural village and recreational centre, driven by a vision to preserve history and create a future tourism destination for Western Highlands Province.

Wama, who hails from the Moge Nambka Melemb tribe, says Villa holds an important place in the history of the area, having once been a hub for early explorers and missionaries. He says this location is where the first airport was established for aircrafts to land and take off.

Villa is approximately 15 minutes drive from Mt Hagen city, past Rebiamul.

Last week (7.08.2026), Wama gave THE PNG HERALD an exclusive tour of his best kept secrets of his backyard paradise which he has now converted into this breath taking nature and recreational park.

Living near the edge of the former airport site, Wama witnessed how changes over time, including population growth and development, gradually affected the area.

He became concerned that the stories and history connected to Villa could eventually become only memories passed down by older generations.

Determined to carry forward what his forefathers had left behind, Wama took responsibility for preserving that history by transforming his own garden into a cultural attraction.

The development became the foundation of the Villa Park Cultural Centre — a cultural village and recreational area where people from Western Highlands, visitors from other provinces and tourists from overseas can experience the history and identity of Villa.

The project has taken 18 years to reach its current stage.

Wama, a disciplined family man and community elder with 12 children, says the journey has required significant personal sacrifice. He has given up family time, personal resources and the use of his land because he believes the project can create long-term benefits for the wider Villa community and Western Highlands Province.

Without a separate income source supporting the project, Wama has largely financed the development from his own pocket. He is now calling on support to develop it further so it becomes an engaging and collective community project whwre peace, unity and restoration can

He has travelled to purchase trees, flowers and creeping plants to landscape and beautify the centre. He also invested in wildlife attractions by purchasing animals including crocodiles, snakes and birds as part of his original vision for the site.

However, due to the lack of external support and funding to build proper facilities and provide the animals with the care and treatment they required, Wama eventually had to let the animals go.

Over the past 18 years, he estimates he has invested almost K10,000 of his own money into developing the cultural centre.

For Wama, the project is not simply about creating a recreational facility or a business opportunity. His vision is to preserve and retell Villa’s history at the local, provincial and national levels while creating a tourism attraction that can benefit future generations.

Wama said coastal areas of Papua New Guinea have nature parks, but similar nature-based attractions are limited in the Highlands.

He believes Villa has the potential to become a unique destination where people from across Papua New Guinea and overseas can visit, learn and experience the history and culture of the area.

“One day, I hope people from all over PNG and the world will have plans to visit Villa Park as their dream destination,” Wama Philip said.

Despite the challenges and limited support, Wama remains committed to seeing his vision become a reality.

After 18 years of dedication, personal sacrifice and investment, he hopes Villa Park Cultural Centre will become a lasting legacy for his children, the Villa community, Western Highlands Province and generations to come. ENDS

In these exclusive coverage, Wama walks THE PNG HERALD through some of the landscaping and development taking place at Villa Park Cultural Centre (left).

He says the project needs more support as it is at growth phase. With the project taking off, it can also engage the community as it becomes a haven of rest, leisure, unity and peace within the community. Both local and international tourists are welcome to come visit and learn about the cuture.

For more information, or to support Villa Park Cultural Centre, contact pngvision4040@gmail.com or quebrimediamarketing@gmail.com

Story and Captions by: Herbert Kewa

About the Author:

Christina Kewa- Swarbrick

Publisher- Christina Kewa-Swarbrick has over 20 years experience in the Media Industry and over 10 Years in Prophetic Engineering. She's a Holistic Life Solutions Coach, who combines her lived knowledge and experiences and her professional industry knowldege to help others. She's the founder of VISION4040 (PNG) and DBUM Bible Technology, a spiritual mapping system unlocking destiny blueprints . To engage her professional services go to this link: cks.vision4040.com