Jonathan living his dream in mining

By PETER WARI
It was Jonathan Muna’s dream when in school to work in the mining industry one day.
Today, the 29-year-old from Hangapo village in the Tari-Pori district of Hela is living that dream as an employee of ExxonMobil (PNG) Limited at its Hides gas conditioning plant.
“It’s amazing how far I’ve come from the first time I stepped into a mine. But I remember my class teachers always say that we must have dreams in life to be somebody, as their word of encouragement to students.”
Jonathan is the eldest in a family of nine – seven boys and two girls.
He completed Grade Eight in 2002 at the Kagamuga Primary School in Western Highlands. He attended Hagen Secondary in Grade Nine and Grade 10 in 2004 and 2005.
He then pursued a Diploma in Business programme majoring in marketing at the International Training Institute in Port Moresby. He was rated as one of the top five students.
“Straight after my graduation ceremony in February, 2006, I was offered a job placement with the same institute as marketing and business coordinator.
“I worked for three years. One of my achievements was to set up the ITI Lae branch.”
But he was still missing something. It was not the industry he dreamt of working in.
In August 2009, he got a call from Hastings Deering (PNG), an engineering company that provides Caterpillar products. It serves mining, oil and gas companies. They wanted him to be interviewed for the position of operation manager although he had limited knowledge of the technical aspect of that work.
After two weeks, he received a call from Hastings Deering (PNG) that there was a vacancy at the Lihir gold mine (now Newcrest Mining Limited) after a three-month probation period at the head office in Port Moresby.
It was the break he was looking for. He resigned from ITI to join Hastings Deering (PNG). He was posted to Newcrest after completing his probation period.
Jonathan has now worked with Hastings Deering, Halliburton Energy Service in Hides, High Artic Energy Service in Gulf and ExxonMobil (PNG) Limited in Hides, Hela.
He also attended various work-related courses in Adelaide, South Australia, obtaining internationally-recognised certificates.
“The dream to work in the mining sector has come true. I am thankful to my teachers. Sometimes the advice they give about having a dream and studying hard to achieve it has meaning in life.”
He advises young people who like him dream of working in the mining industry is to be committed and dedicated as it is God’s call.
“For students to thrive and succeed in this field, they need confidence and passion because it is tough.
“My job is fulfilling as it has allowed me to grow as a person – to be a confident leader. I never knew I had these skills. I am a happy person because I have achieved my dream.”