Pisimi dedicates award to wife of 45 years

Weekender

By GIBSON GEORGE TORASO
A 71-year-old former envoy and educationist from the Southern Highlands has dedicated his recent Queen’s Birthday award to his wife of 47 years, the Catholic Church and his people for their support, as a token of appreciation and a Christmas and New Year present.
Henry Koiaie Pisimi from Kendal village in Ialibu was a former consular-general to Southern Queensland and Northern Territory from 1998 to 2002. It was his last post before retiring.
Pisimi, one of the 2018 award recipients who had served the State for 35 years, thanked God for caring for him and giving him many blessing, his wife for her faithfulness and support and the Catholic Church for getting him educated.
“I thank my beautiful wife, Susan, who stood by my side and helped me to share and make decisions not only about my family but also on important areas of development of Southern Highlands,” Pisimi said.
“She also worked with the provincial government and was the first president for provincial women’s council and for provincial Catholic women’s council. I had to assist her with her jobs by providing resources to the work with. In this way we shared our knowledge and experience to assist each other for our family and for the province in our 45 years of marriage.
“For all these, I am dedicating my recognition of service medal to her, the Catholic church and the people of Southern Highlands.”
Pisimi said without the help from first parish priest of Ialibu late Fr Henry Kusenick and first Bishop for Mendi Diocese late Firmin Shmidt, he would not have been to school.
The father of six left his Kendal village when he was nine after his parents separated. He stayed with the priest at the Ialibu Parish station. In 1959, Kusenick and Shmidt, both Catholic missionaries from the United States, sent him to attend school at Fatima in Banz, Jiwaka.
After Fatima, he attended St Peter Channel College at Ulapia in East New Britain in 1965 and later attended Goroka Teachers College from 1968 to 1969. His teaching career began when he graduated from Goroka.
Pisimi was in Goroka when he decided to go back to serve his people.
“Only three of us Southern Highlanders were at Goroka,” Pisimi recalls, adding that it was because “Southern Highlands (including Hela) was the last frontier to be discovered by the colonial powers”.
In 1970, he was posted to Idupu Primary School (now Hangapo) in Tari, Hela. The following year, he left for Kudjebi Primary School in Koroba/Kopiago district. Two years later, Pisimi become headmaster of new Munima Primary School.
At the eve of country’s self-rule in 1973, Pisimi attended a six-month headmasters’ course at the Port Moresby Teacher’s College – now the PNG Education Institute.
“After completing the short course, I was promoted as a district primary school inspector,” Pisimi recalls.
“I was one of the first district school inspectors to be appointed from the region. Three years later, I was sent to Chimbu and back to Southern Highlands as superintendent in 1976.”
Pisimi said, he travelled the province to asses and research educational needs and developed the first five-year education development plan which was implemented from 1977 to 1983.
“We were able to expand and increase access to formal education for children. We developed policies to eliminate obstacles against the progress of girls’ education by increasing number of girls attending schools,” he said.
“With the help from the provincial education board, we built six high schools, four vocational centres, 50 primary schools and the teachers’ education resource and transit centre.
“We ensured that the education programmes did not compromise with the quality of education.”
Pisimi said after 10 years of heading education development, he was satisfied because performance indicators showed his province was one of the best rated.
In 1985, Pisimi was appointed as assistant secretary, teacher education. “I was more determined to fulfil my dream of giving back to my home province to the best of my ability,” he said.
“I turned down the offer and accepted the position of first assistant secretary for social services in the province.”
Pisimi was the provincial head of divisions of education, health, local level government and community development and religion and achieved many for his province.
Pisimi established the provincial university centre while providing boarding facilities for vocational centres.
In health, he created incentives for doctors at main hospitals and improved staff accommodation and worked with Unicef to help introduce child survival programmes.
He also helped set up the provincial council of woman and the provincial office of cultural centre as well as the youths and sports office.
Pisimi was first recognised for his service in 1993, when he was acting as the deputy secretary for the department of Southern Highlands.
He later became the deputy administrator finance, policy and planning from 1996 to 1998 when called to serve as the consul-general in Australia.
Pisimi held that post until 2003, when he was recalled despite requests from the government of Queensland and the community for him to stay.
“After that I had no choice but was asked to retire so I retired in after 35 years of service,” Pisimi says.
Pisimi now lives with his wife and family at Tokara suburb in Port Moresby.