Businessman gives back

I WAS left speechless at this Apo guy, Simon Sia who tackled the wild tracks with local villagers from Goroka to Port Moresby.
He then hosted them in the one of the luxurious hotels in the nation’s capital.
His motto was ‘Give Back’, and I wonder how many businessmen/women have that motive to give back.
He is an exceptional gentleman.
He is very much attached with communities in Eastern Highlands as an Apo man.
Sometime back, I met him in a remote village of Tarabo in Okapa district in Eastern Highlands.
I challenged him in Tok Pisin to make Lahanis team more a provincial team than looking at players from one part of the province.
He beat me with a lot of Tok Pisin words and phrases.
My Tok Pisin was mixed English; his was pure.
At a gathering there, he jokingly said in Tok Pisin: “Mi blong Goroka stret, tasol, skin blong mi em red na yupla wok long paol. Harim, mama bin karim mi long san na mama karim yupla long nait, em tasol na skin kala em narakain (I am pure Goroka but you all seem to doubt because of my skin colour. Listen, I was born during the day and you guys were born during the night, that is the reason for the difference in colour).”
He brought the house down with laughter with this humour.
I was in tears too.
His commitment as franchise team sponsor of the mighty Lahanis in Digicel Cup speaks volumes which Eastern Highlanders appreciate.
He is undoubtedly my nominee for the next Queen’s honour list.

Peter Akori
Okapa
Eastern Highlands