Shane, 28
Born in Lae, Papua New Guinea
Came to Australia in December 1999
How did we meet?
I messaged Shane after I found him on the Meet new friends Sydney Facebook page. He is also an avid Dragons fan and we hope to go see a game together someday!
What is your occupation?
At the moment, I am doing demolition and construction work. I started this new job 5 weeks ago, demolishing old houses around the Macarthur region. I previously also worked in the construction industry operating vacuum trucks; I was a FIFO worker at one point and I struggled not being able to see my family for long periods, up to 5 months at a time.
Before all of this, after high school, I joined the Australian Army as a rifleman but I didn’t last long; I got injured after a year and a half. It was a dream of mine though to serve.
Why did you come to Australia?
My mother met and married an Englishman, my stepfather, and then chose to emigrate here in pursuit of a better life.
I moved from Lae to Port Moresby initially, completed 2 years of schooling and then moved to Sydney and the Campbelltown Region.
It took a bit of time for us to get used to the Australian way of life.
What do you like about Sydney?
Sydney definitely feels like home to me and it is comforting knowing where everything is. I know all the good spots to go to and I feel fortunate to call this place home.
It’s a very multicultural city and it adds a lot of flavour and diversity to the city. For example, there are many Pasifika in Campbeltown whereas there are many Lebanese in Lidcombe, Vietnamese in Cabramatta, Portuguese in Petersham etc.
Sydney has all the great Australian landmarks and I mustn't forget about nature. I prefer going south to Wollongong, Ulladulla and Kiama. It’s very tranquil and the beautiful scenery puts you at ease.
What don’t you like about Sydney?
Sydney is very expensive in terms of housing. Whereas I’m currently sharing a house with a mate, it was a struggle before when I was living alone to make ends meet. Rent would take up half my paycheck.
Back when I was operating vacuum trucks, I was driving all over the Greater Sydney region and absolutely struggled with the gridlock. For example, I would drive from Campbelltown to Seven Hills to pick up the truck and then drive down towards Wollongong. The M4 and M5 were always bumper-to-bumper.
What would you like to say to Sydneysiders?
Work hard. play hard.
When you’re at work, work hard and try your utmost.
On your weekends and days off, do whatever you love and make the most of life. Play hard.
What languages do you speak?
English, Tok Pisin
I predominantly use English in my day to day life but whenever I’m with my family or other people of a Papua New Guinean background, I speak Tok Pisin, the most widely used language in the country.
A fun fact is that PNG is the most linguistically diverse country in the world: there are over 800 languages being used although a lot are slowly dying out. Tok Pisin is taking over as people move from the villages and rural areas to big cities.
Teach us one word/phrase from your native language.
Bata stret
It’s like “Hey brother” and can be used as a greeting.
Girls would use lewa stret as lewa means sweetheart.
What is one thing you want us to know about your native country?
Papua New Guinea is developing fast. I last went there in 2011 and it was incredible to see all the proceeds from oil and gas - our country is rich in natural resources - being used to build new infrastructure, shopping centres and roads.
We are a country of rugby league fanatics. I’ve heard of incidents of people dying after the State of Origin matches a few years ago. We take it very seriously as it is our national sport (the only country in the world where rugby league is the national sport) and everyone knows at least a few players’ names.
Who is the most famous person in your native country?
Justin Olam
This proves my answer to the previous question.
He’s only the second PNG local rugby league player to play in the NRL and recently played in the 2020 NRL Grand Final for the Storm.
He’s an absolute superstar and his name must be still buzzing in everyone’s mind back in PNG.
What is the best dish in your native country?
Aigir
It’s a soup-like dish from East New Britain Province, the province where I’m from. It’s made by cooking chicken and vegetables like sweet potatoes rapidly in coconut milk heated with hot stones.
It’s so good but I haven’t had it for a while. Maybe I’ll make it for you one day.
Disclaimer: All posts are personal opinions and perspectives of the interviewees and are not a perfect representation of the whole country/experience.
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