Simon Kaisi Uia was just an ordinary village man struggling with the daily life of an unemployed husband and father until he decided to make the sacrifices to become who he is today.

Simon comes from Nagovis in the Southern Region of Bougainville. After completing grade 10 at Rigu High School in 1985, he was employed as a clerk at Tinputz Burns Plantation from 1986 to 1988. His job was mainly preparing the payroll for plantation workers.

It was there that he met his beautiful wife, Dorothy Latu, who is from the coastal area of Tinputz District. Dorothy had just finished school from St Mary’s Asitavi High School when they met. Both got married and lived together at Dorothy’s village. Their first daughter was born in 1989 but died from a short illness in 1990. Both were so devastated and moved to Nagovis for a fresh start. Unfortunately, the crisis came and Dorothy wanted to come back and live with her family at Tinputz.

The trip from Nagovis to Tinputz was not very easy. It was in 1991 and the crisis had begun. The people were very scared and they fled their villages and hid in the bushes. There were no vehicles available at that time. But Simon had a motorcycle which he and Dorothy used as their means of transport. With their cargoes which included, two piglets tied to each steering handles, one chicken, a 5 litre container containing petrol and Dorothy at the back seat arms wrapped around Simon, they were ready to hit the road. But considering the distance from Nagovis to Tinputz, one would say they would have never made it. The sounds of gun fires were heard from every corner. They came across many road blocks, and to make matters worse, Dorothy was pregnant with their second child.

God was with them throughout the trip and he made it a successful one. Both arrived safely at Tinputz with their two piglets and chicken which they used to set up a small poultry project. They bred and sold the birds for almost 4 years.

 After the birth of their second child in 1992, the family moved to New Ireland where Simon secured a job with New Guinea Plantation. He worked for one and a half years. There the family got separated when Simon left to attend Raval Vocational School in East New Britain to study as a Mechanic in 1994 to 1996.  Dorothy and the child went back to Bougainville. In 1994, Dorothy gave birth to Julian, their third child.

After Raval Vocational School, Simon decided to go for further studies. His wife agreed and off he went to Goroka Technical School and studied Motor Vehicle Mechanics from 1996 to 1997. While he was at school Dorothy stayed at home and worked on their cocoa block. Dorothy was very supportive. She harvested and dried cocoa beans for his school fees and pocket money.

In the second year of his studies, Simon decided to bring Dorothy and their children, to Goroka to be with him while he completed his studies. It was not easy, studying and working on part time jobs to support him and his family. But they made it through. After completing his studies, Simon did his apprentice with Mountain Motors in Goroka from 1998 to 2000 before the family moved back to Bougainville. The trip from Goroka to Lae and then on a ship to Buka took them almost three weeks.

In Bougainville, Simon could not find a job that suited his qualifications. So he decided to set up his own mini workshop in the village. The Bougainville crisis had ended and things were yet to settle. Businesses were down and people were still shaking from the terrible experience.

 Simon wanted a better life for his now large family. His family has grown. With 5 children to take care of, Simon was worried about their education, health and future. He was ready to make another sacrifice. Simon left home again and went to Port Moresby to look for a job. To his luck, PNG Motors offered him a job.

During the time he was working at PNG Motors, Simon brought his eldest daughter, Elleny to live with him in Port Moresby and enrolled her at Marrianville Secondary School in 2009. The rest of the family were still in Bougainville.

 Around that time, Simon saw an advertisement of the APTC Scholarship on paper and got interested to apply on the spot to upgrade his skills and qualifications. Unfortunately, due to the company’s policy, Simon could not attend school and work at the same time, so he had to resign in order to attend classes. This move put him and his daughter into a difficult time but his wife was always there for him and once again supported them from home.

While Simon was attending classes at APTC, he applied and got a job with Boroko Motors. That was a relief. Boroko Motors was happy to pay him and let him study at the same time. The course at APTC lasted for three years (2011 to 2013) and he had to schedule and manage his time between APTC and Boroko Motors. Elleny on the other hand was doing very well in her studies. Both father and daughter didn’t give up. In her grade 12 graduation, Elleny had only one request; for her mother to be there to witness her graduate. It was tough, but Simon managed to fulfil his daughter’s wish. Dorothy and their youngest son Jude flew to Port Moresby in November 2012.

From that time on, Simon made up his mind that Port Moresby is where he wanted to raise his family.

Elleny secured a spot at the University of Goroka and Dorothy and Jude were going to stay with Simon. Simon graduated from APTC and continued working with Boroko Motors. The family was not yet complete as three of their members were still in the village with relatives.

Julian, Abigail and Michelle were attending local schools at home. They missed their parents and longed to be with them. But they had to hang on until things were okay. Having his wife and youngest son with him, Elleny in University and Julian in grade 12, Simon was motivated to work extra harder.

Simon was enthusiastic about working and giving his family the best he could. So he decided to take another step forward. In 2017 he applied to Harmony Gold  in Hidden Valley. His application was successful and Simon got the job as a Tradesman Ancillary Fitter working under the Mobile Fleet Maintenance department. That was the biggest step ever for him. Simon was now able to move his other children to Port Moresby so they could get a better education.

Today Simon is the proudest husband and father to his wife and children. He says, he is satisfied now that Elleny is teaching, Julian graduated from Don Bosco Technical College, Abigail in grade 11, Michelle in grade 9 and Jude in grade 5 all very well taken care of.

All the sacrifices and hard work are worth it. He says, if it wasn’t for that trip he and his wife took from Nagovis to Tinputz, he wouldn’t be who he is today.

He acknowledges the people who helped him during his tough days and contributed to his success. He says, it is never too late to become who you want to be. It takes sacrifices, hard work, courage and trust in the Lord Almighty.

If he could do it, so as you.

By Carolyne Ketsimur