From Sorovi to Suva
By COLIN TAIMBARI
PAPUA New Guinea continues to lose many of its highly qualified citizens to the lure of highly paid jobs overseas. Be they as geologists to mines in Australia and Africa or as pilots to some of the world’s most glamorous airlines or as animal doctors in the little known field of veterinarian science.
One such loss is that of Dr Ilagi Puana, the most highly qualified veterinary surgeon in PNG and the Pacific Region. Dr Puana until his departure on March 16 was the Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) of the National Agriculture & Quarantine Authority (NAQIA). After 22 years of dedicated service to his beloved country, it was indeed a difficult decision but Dr Puana has decided it is time to try his hand overseas for the sake of his young family.
From humble beginnings in the mid-60s in little known Sorovi on the outskirts of Popondetta, Dr Puana will now be based in Suva for the next three years as the sub-regional veterinary specialist with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community. (SPC)
His duties will involve working and developing animal health and quarantine capacity of Pacific Island countries covered by the SPC, mainly in Polynesia but also some parts of Melanesia including PNG.
Dr Puana is a humble and down to earth character that meeting him for the first time, you wouldn’t tell he is a qualified animal doctor. When he was introduced to me as Doctor, this soft spoken Central province man was quick to point out with a grin that he was “an animal doctor and not a human doctor”. He attributes his persona to his childhood and upbringing and the struggles and sacrifices that had to be made along the way. We all have affection or a lasting attachment to some special place on earth. Places that have impacted greatly on our lives either as children or adults. For Dr Puana that special place is Sorovi Block No.266 in Oro province. It’s a place this Central province man calls home. In fact, he likes to think of himself as an Oro Kaivan as he was born and raised there. Puana could tell you many interesting tales about growing up in Sorovi in the mid-60s and early 70s. It was then known as Jimburu but later renamed Sorovi and made popular by the Alopops Band who originated from the area.
Dr Puana’s family first came to Sorovi in the 60’s when his father, a retired PIB infantry soldier who fought on Bougainville in the Torokina campaign during the 2nd World War was offered a piece of land in Sorovi which was subdivided for agriculture lease as small cocoa blocks.
The resettlement opportunity for old man Puana was a reward for his service to the country so the family settled at Block 266 adjacent to the Biru Prison and a few hundred meters from the Pawa Haus (PNG Power station) and the Popondetta Agriculture Training Institute (PATI) - now Vudal University (Oro campus).
“My childhood was a very difficult one as I struggled between school and looking after my younger brother and sister in Popondetta after the death of mother during our early childhood life,” he recalls. “I spent much of my primary and high school days as a day-student walking about 20km to and from school every day.”
Dr Puana also recalls being a caddy after school for expatriates who frequented the nine-hole Popondetta Golf Course so he could earn just enough to buy a tinned fish at Bottom Store to trek the next 10 kilometers back home for the family dinner. Sharing those caddying stories with Doc - as he is affectionately known by his work colleagues - was a bit nostalgic for me as I also was a caddy there and learnt to play the game.
The young Puana attended Popondetta primary and Popondetta high school before going onto Kerevat National High School and the University of Technology where he attained a Degree in Tropical Agriculture. In his early school days he was almost involved in the famous caribou crash that killed many school students on an army cadet camping trip. Fortunately for him, he missed out at the very last minute while at the tail end of the line to board the Caribou in Lae, when told that they could not board any more because the aircraft had reached its weight load capacity. He lost a good friend and a school mate in that fatal crash.
“For me it was a natural choice to become a didiman because of my association with cocoa farming in my childhood days at Sorovi block and I pursued my education accordingly,” he says. He also developed an interest in becoming a veterinary surgeon or animal doctor as it was referred to then and the opportunity came when a Department of Agriculture & Livestock recruitment officer visited UNITECH during his final year to lure students to do veterinary training in New Zealand and Australia. He was awarded a scholarship to study veterinary science at Massey University in New Zealand through the NZ Bilateral Aid Scheme. In 1980, he left for the first time on an overseas experience but after three years, life proved difficult for him in a foreign country and culture shock took effect so he decided to return to work in PNG as a scientist at the National Veterinary Laboratory, DAL Agriculture Protection Division.
He returned to Massey in 1989 and successfully completed a veterinary science degree in 1990 and continued the year after to successfully complete the postgraduate qualification specializing in Veterinary Pathology. Dr Puana return to PNG at the beginning of 1992 and worked as a veterinary pathologist at the national veterinary laboratory.
“Having successfully graduated in veterinary science and becoming the first PNG national to become a vet pathologist was in fact the highlight of my academic achievement given my struggle in life. At last I saw myself as somebody with a unique profession in PNG and this gave me the urge to go forward to where I am now,” he says.
In 1991 Dr Puana was transferred to NAQIA and appointed CVO of PNG until 2006 when he was also appointed as acting general manager-technical services on a caretaker basis until a permanent appointment was made. Dr Puana had rejected the general-manager position as he had always enjoyed and had pride in doing “real veterinary work on the field”.
In fact, Dr Puana has enjoyed his job with NAQIA and PNG so much that during his 22 years service to the government he refused earlier offers by the SPC to be the Animal Health Adviser - a position much higher than what he has now accepted. From Mauritius as senior veterinary officer; New Zealand and Australia as state veterinarian; and Vanuatu as Principle Vet Officer. “These were offers of much higher remuneration than the current offer, however, I rejected them all, merely because I believed that my country needed my specialist service more than they did as PNG is severely short of national veterinarians and of course money was not everything,” he says.
“I guess I had a nationalistic attitude at the time. However, I realized now that been nationalistic has its downside especially if the country has nothing better to offer for ones commitment and dedication to the nation. I have decided that mine and my family’s future are of vital importance and should take preference, hence, the latest change in attitude to accepting the SPC offer.”
Dr Puana believes that working in a regional inter government organization such as SPC will also give him a better opportunity to serve the region and PNG as a whole. NAQIA managing director Andrew Yamania agrees. At a farewell organized for Dr Puana, Mr Yamania said he was not taking his expertise completely away from PNG and he believed Dr Puana would better serve his country from his new position. At the function many spoke of his commitment, his professionalism and his never relenting attitude to what he believed was best for PNG.
Over the years, Dr Puana established close affiliations with national, regional and international animal health and quarantine organizations and agencies including SPC, FAO and OIE. He is also a Member of the Royal College of Veterinarians in England. PNG is indeed poorer after his departure While it will be a brain drain on PNG, Dr Puana is proud to be a Papua New Guinean capable of serving in a high profile regional organization and matching the best in the profession at the international level.
Dr Puana was recently awarded a Member of the Order of Logohu (ML) although he likes to think that there are more worthy recipients and he thanked those who unknowingly recommended him for the award.
Fourth in a family of eight - seven brothers and one sister (three deceased), he originates from Wairavanua village in the Aroma Coast area of Central province. Dr Puana’s eldest son is now a second year student at Vudal University in East New Britain hoping to one day becoming a veterinarian like his father.
Apart from his interest in rugby union - obviously from his Massey University Varsity team that played senior grade completion in New Zealand, canoe racing has become a big part of his life as well, especially on weekends. With the assistance of his brothers in the village, they built five racing canoes over the years for the local village canoe racing competitions. And of course, each canoe had to be named after what better place than Sorovi.
“All the canoes were named Sorovi Mei 1 up to 5 in recognition of our upbringing in Oro and that little block in Sorovi which we still call home. In fact Block 266 is still there and we still associate with it to this very day,” he says.
Dr Puana knows that like the other PNG professionals, his leaving is a serious professional brain drainage for PNG and the Government must look seriously into addressing the issue by improving work and remuneration packages for nationals. Experienced and qualified people are leaving wherever they can for greener pastures as life styles are changing and those who are able are taking that opportunity.
“I am leaving under a three year secondment arrangement with NAQIA and I hope to return after three years and hopefully things will change then,” he added.
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