NEVER GIVE UP 02

 

PERSEVERENCE PAYS OFF FOR JULIET TABALI

Juliette with her husband, Chief Insp Joseph Tabali and three children who turned up to witness her ITI graduation.

By PORENI UMAU of Post-Courier, Kokopo

The idiom ‘every cloud has a silver lining’ is a testament for one hard working woman.

It has not been smooth sailing to get to where she is. Life’s many tests have carved her to be where she is today.

The blue graduation gown shone brightly against the midday Kokopo sun. It was one of those deserving moments. Flanked by her husband and children, Juliette stood proudly knowing that the challenging journey she travelled has turned sweeter.

Moments ago, she was awarded as the dux in her class. She just graduated with a certificate in accounting at the Rabaul distance learning centre for the International Training Institute.

That was in 2019.

For Juliette, everything did not just come into place. Life handed her its fair share of trials. Doses of hardships, pints of heartaches and moments of despair, but she took one day at a time.

The year 1992 introduced her to a life of struggle. She was in Grade 10 at the OLSH Vunapope High School then, when her dad was murdered at his home in Bali, West New Britain province. It was that same year that she won a place at Aiyura National High in Eastern Highlands province, to continue her studies. Her mother left her job as a nurse the previous year and her dad, who was with Harbours Board, now PNG Ports was no longer around to support her.

Her mum seeing the difficulty to support her, asked Juliette not to take up the offer. Instead, Juliette enrolled at the Rabaul Business Studies to take up clerical classes for 40 weeks, against her will. She is the second of eight siblings and the situation caused her to mature quickly to support her mother and other siblings.

After completion of her course she successfully landed a job as a bank teller with Westpac Bank in Port Moresby. Three years later, she joined Barclay Brothers in the nation’s capital as a payroll clerk. A year later, she left to work with the Bank of Hawaii. It was at that time, that she was expecting her first child so she left her job to travel to Rabaul to have the baby. 

In 1999, she joined her previous employer, Westpac Bank in Port Moresby. Four years later, Juliette was sent to the bank’s Kavieng branch. She spent two years in bilas province and left work again due to outside pressure, to stay home in Kokopo and look after her four children.

As a single mother with four children and unemployed, it was tough to make ends meet. She landed a job with Toboi Shipping while at home but only lasted a year. Juliette was brought up in a good Christian home and she has continued to hold onto her faith despite what life threw at her. The agony of unemployment, the heartbreaks, and the gossip of locals and the challenges of a single mother only strengthened her faith to keep trusting in God.

In 2008, life came in its kind gesture and she was offered a librarian job at her former school, OLSH Vunapope Secondary on a casual basis. Favour was on her side and in 2013, she joined Kada International as a teller on three months' probation. In just two months, goodness unwrapped its wondrous package to announce that she was confirmed as a banking supervisor.

The positives of life did not stop there. In 2015 she was appointed as the acting operations manager while the company was searching for the right person to be recruited to the job. She held two positions, banking supervisor and the latter. In 2017, through the Bank of PNG requirements and after passing the fit and proper screening in just two weeks, Juliette was appointed as the assets and recoveries manager.

Juliette says her success comes through her faith and trust in God. She also acknowledges the time, support and understanding from her husband, Chief Inspector Joseph Tabali, whom she met in 2009 and have been together for 10 years.

A soft spoken person, Juliette in her graduation gown, her accounting certificate and crowded by her small family, said that the challenges she faced did not stop her from completing her studies.

She had to juggle work, studies and attend to her seven children and grandchildren.

She said that being a mother, grandmother and wife of a provincial police commander was demanding but God has always given her strength to come through.

She is also very grateful to her employer and the board of directors for putting funds into training for staff and she is privileged to be part of that. She said that life has taught her many experiences and she has taken with her lessons that she wants to share to young women and people, to always look after their first job. She said having a job does not mean that you have everything. She encouraged women not to stray away from believing in God and never let pride overcome them.

She urged young mothers to know God and His goodness would never leave them. He said that knowing God and having faith in him is enough hope and reason to carry through each day. She said that women are their own downfall and should not look down on each other, instead assist and raise each other up.

Where she is now is the result of hard work, her faith in God and support from her husband, children, family and employer.