Simon harbours hope for future

 CHRISTOPHER Simon hopes to return one day to his Guhu village in Madang to help the people raise their standard of living.

The village is in one of the most remote and under-developed districts in the country in the mountainous ward 3 area of the Rai Coast local level government, which is located along the Finisterre Range.

 “We walk more than 15 hours to reach my village from the coast,” Simon said.

Because his parents were poor, he discontinued classes at the Mebu Primary School and left the village to live with his sister in Lae where he attended Menyamya High School. 

He later graduated from Finschhafen Vocational School with a certificate in tourism and hospitality.  

After working with NCS Raibus from 2008 to January 2011 as a chef, Simon decided to join Ramu NiCo.

He worked in the production and packaging section to oversee the flow of products from the dryer into the bags for packaging and labelling before shipping overseas.

“This is the job I love doing because I am learning a lot of things that will be of help to my future,” he said.

“The opportunities to explore and learn more are there. I take the initiative and try to ensure my Chinese colleague teaches me.”

Simon has a very positive attitude towards his work and is liked by his Chinese colleagues in the department where he worked.

His manager recommended him for an award and he was presented a certificate of excellence and a bonus of K500 by the company.