A Huli nurse who speaks Kuanua

The National Weekender
CAREER
“ I really welcome the sealing of Magarima station roads, and the upgrading of the govenment houses with electricity. It is a dream come true…”

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
A RETRENCHED nurse from Hela still speaks Kuanua after learning it a couple of years in East New Britain getting basic education 60 years ago.
Hoiba Abiago (in his 80s) from Panduaka village, Magarima District completed his grade six at George Brown Memorial Primary School (now Secondary) in 1962.
“I’m a grade six school leaver from George Brown Memorial Primary School at Vunatimu. Unfortunately, I didn’t do well so I didn’t continue to High School. Any way I returned to Tari and worked as a TB/leprosy controller at Tari Health Centre.”
Abiago started his primary education at the United Church run Awabiya in Magarima District doing grade one to Grade five, “From there I went to George Brown to do grade six. It was a United Church run school so the United Church pastor sent me and other Huli boys to George Brown and it was my first time to get on the plane from Tari to go to Rabaul. It was also the first time for me to see the sea and to leave Tari and go and meet people from other past of PNG and also the rest of the world. Although I didn’t make it to High school. The exposure was more than enough for me. I like the outgoing Tolai people and that’s how I learnt the Kuanua language and I still speak it whenever I meet a Tolai person. And they are always surprise that an old man from Magarima and speak Kuanua in Magarima station. I also leant how to do airgir (Tolai mumu) when at George Brown and really loved it. But after returning to Tari, I forgot to cook airgir because there is no coconut trees in Hela. To do airgir you need to make plenty coconut cream”.
Abiago said that after returning from George Brown he worked at the Tari Hospital. “I then attended Mendi School of Nursing from 1973 to 1976 to become a qualified nurse. And from there I came to Magarima Station and worked here till I got retrenched in 2019. I was paid only K40, 000 and I think that is not enough for my 56 years of serving the people. So I need to see my MP Manasseh Makiba and Prime Minister James Marape who is also the Tari- Pori MP. Both men need to ensure that I get a good pay out”.
Abiago who has been working as a nurse in Tari and Magarima health centers since 1964 said that the transformation project initiated and implemented by Komo-Magarima MP Manasseh Makiba is a good sign to him that his (Abiago) effort in working in the run down Government house at the Magarima station is not wasted.
“I’m really happy for Makiba’s effort. We the public servants have been living in deteriorating houses since 1975. Like my house, it is run down and is no longer fit for Government officers to live and serve the people. I really welcome the sealing of the Magarima station roads, upgrading of the Government houses with electricity.
“It is a dream come true. Never in my mind had I thought that this station will be transformed. I already came to the point to accept the deteriorating state of the station and that it will be like that forever. It’s good for such infrastructure developments to take place.
“When infrastructure is improved, people will take pride and improve in their respective role in serving the people. During the colonial administration we the public servants were performing to the best of our ability due to good infrastructure projects.
“And these infrastructure project, we have been using till now MP Makiba is transforming the station.”
Abiago has two wives and six children.
He says he has many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

  • Clifford Faiparik is a freelance journalist.