MY LASALLIAN JOURNEY WITH LATE MISS MADELINE FAKEPO AFSC

Louisa Opu

I attended Mainohana High School from 1993 – 1996. After completing my Gr. 10 in 1996, I was selected to Aiyura National High School from 1997 – 1998. I was fortunate to be selected to University of Goroka at the end of 1998 and began my studies as a Secondary School Teacher in 1999 – 2002, a four year Bachelors in Education Degree program. I graduated from the University of Goroka in 2003, at the time I already had a posting at Mainohana and began my teaching, and then attended my Graduation on the 21st March 2003, almost 19 years ago.

I was very fortunate to have been taught by many De la Salle Brothers when I was a student at Mainohana High School. Despite the love and care they gave to the students, I never got to understand their Founder, St. John Baptist De La Salle and their Spirituality and the mission, I guess it was because I was still too young at that stage. However, all these became clearer, when I returned as a teacher after six (6) years.

I began teaching at Mainohana, as a new graduate from UOG in late January 2003 and had a week of teachers’ orientation. It was during this resumption week, that Late Miss Fakepo approached me in the old staffroom (burnt down in April 2014), took a chair and sat next to me and without hesitation, began telling me about St. John Baptist De La Salle. Late Madeline was the school-based lasallian Faciliator and every year when new teachers came in, late Miss Fakepo would make a mention of St. John Baptist De La Salle to them and would conduct a Lasallian Heritage session in the resumption week, and she continuously did that every year, unfortunately they were not too keen on joining the Family. As it was, when I joined them in 2003, it was only her usual thing to do to introduce me to the life story of the St. John Baptist De La Salle, telling me about what she and a few others were doing in the school, in helping both teachers ans students, calling for night prayers and inviting teachers and the formation programs they attended both locally and abroad. She then left me saying, “if you are interested my dear”. At that time, late Madeline was working with Cecilia Hauramiri, Victoria Maino (school nurse) and her husband Leo Oaeke, who later became the Brothers’ driver in 2006 – 2010 to keep the Lasallian spirituality going. They would get together at night for short prayer meetings, maybe once or twice a week.

She encouraged me to join the family saying I was young and vibrant and that I would be a very good Lasallian Family member, probably because she could already foresee the potential in me. It was after that encounter with late Miss Fakepo that I was touched and inspired by the Lasallian spirit from which my Lasallian journey began.

Madeline asked me to take charge of the Lasallian Youth, while she concentrated on the Teachers’ spirituality and Formation. I attended staff prayer meetings organised by her and as the years went by, I went through a number of Formation sessions both locally and abroad, under late Madeline’s leadership as a Lasallian Facilitator.

In July, 2005 we had the first ever Lasallian Youth Congress, hosted by Jubilee Catholic Secondary school under the guidance of Br. Allan, a De La Salle Brother from Philippines and the venue was De La Salle Secondary School Bomana, because of its boarding facilities at that time. The Congress took place during the first week of Term 2 holidays. Late Madeline, Cecilia, Vicky and I went along with the students of Mainohana and spent a week at De La Salle Bomana, taking part in all activities organised. This even became a biennial event and in 2007 and 2009 we had the events.

Late Madeline was a very passionate Lasallian who never gave up, despite her age. She was always full of energy and strength, she was a very good cook, and she was in charge of the Mainohana Guest House, maybe because of her passion in cooking. She was very good at looking after guests, made sure they had water to wash as Mainohana had running water problems at that time, were fed well, and I know every guest that went through would remember her very well and had their own expressions of story to tell of late Madleine. Despite, these extra-curricular duties, her teaching preparations were always efficient, and students always loved her Social Science lessons. She would always carry her umbrella around with her, protect herself from the sun’s heat, and every fortnight, she would change her umbrella. When girls made her upset, she would smack their legs with her umbrella.

Late Madeline had the trust in me and I assisted her in organising Lasallian activities if she was busy with the Guest House or other things. The Principals in those years were also very supportive in the Lasallian activities, Late Mr. Michael Meauri, Mr. Opa, however, there were still challenges we experienced but we did not back down. Late Br. Leo Scollen, Director of Hohola Youth Development Centre at that time was also very supportive and would visit us often, driving the Hiritano highway to come to Mainohana. Late Madeline was always prepared to take the criticism in what we were doing by others, however, she had her own ways of approaching the situations. She was a woman of prayer, and when, such instances occurred, she would call us together to pray and do novenas.

In 2006, the Brothers returned to Mainohana, responding to a request made by the Cardinal His Grace Sir John Ribat, who was then the Bishop of Bereina Diocese, after several concerns raised on the rapid rate of deteriorating face of Mainohana. With the presence of Brothers now, we were given all the support we could get, and fortunately, some of the young Brothers, especially the Indian Brothers (Jayaseelan, Brinesh, Xavior, Antony Doss and Antony Swamy) would assist in facilitating several Formation programs, to both staff and students of Mainohana and also reaching out to teachers in the Primary schools in the Kairuku District. When the Brothers returned to Mainohana, we had visitors from Australia, coming almost every year, including the young men from Malvern College in Melbourne who usually came up during their holidays to do some work in the school. Late Madeline would always be excited to bring them to her Veifa’a village for sightseeing. She would arrange with women from her village to make colourful Mekeo bilums for each of them and on their final night dinner, she would present them the bilums.

In 2006, Madeline sent me to Narooma for a program on “Lasallian Heritage” and it was my very first time to fly out of the country, and all on my own. It was such an experience for me and I am very grateful for this opportunity, to late Madeline and the Brothers for this trip.This is when I was exposed to the wider Lasallian community, and I was very excited to meet Lasallians from other sister schools in Australia.

And again in 2008, Late Madeline and I with two other staff, organised and prepared our students to travel to Sydney for the World Youth Day. Our students were joined by other Lasallian Youths form Lasallian schools in our District as well as from other Districts around the world, we had Lasallian Youths from as far as University of Jerusalem. They had their Lasallian programs (Days in the Diocese) as it was called in Melbourne at Malvern College before moving to Sydney to join the larger group of Youths from various Religious organisations and Dioceses from all over the world to meet the Pope. In Sydney, we were accommodated at Bankstown College.

In 2009, I was given the opportunity to be the Lasallian Faciliator of Mainohana, and with the wisdom, guidance and experience of late Madeline Fakepo, we worked together to organise the first ever “Narooma comes to PNG” program at Mainohana. With the assistance of the National Office in Mt. Hagen, Late Br. Iggy, Elia Wia and Joan Eoe from the POM office, we were able to do necessary preparations and we all had a very successful week-long event. In the same year, Mainohana hosted the 4th Lasallian Youth Congress, and it was also a very successful event. The Lasallian Youth, including the Rebiamul Youth from Mt. Hagen, for the first time joined this event, and on the final night during evaluations, many of the young people shed tears of joy for having had a great experience.

At the end of 2009, I was approached by late Br. Iggy humbly asking if I was interested in taking up the Lasallian Family National Secretary position after, as Eli Wia’s contract would expire end of the year. I was interested and so was preparing myself in 2010 to exit Mainohana and take up this new post, applied for leave without pay from the TSC.

In this same year, 2010, late Madeline and I had a trip to Narooma for the last time, as the Brothers were now going to sell the LaSalle Motel which we used for the Narooma programs. We both attended in the program on “Deepening the Commitment” in May 2010. While we were at Narooma, late Madeline fell ill and did not attend the sessions that made all the Lasallians in attendance very worried, and everyone offered to assist in anyway they could for her to get well. She was brought to the hospital by one of the Brothers for treatment. I checked on her in between sessions and breaks and brought in her meals to her room. It was at the conclusion of the program that she got a little bit better and joined us for the last dinner. Everyone was so happy to see her well again. We both travelled back to Sydney and flew out and back to PNG on Saturday, and were picked up by late Br. Robert McLaughlin at Jacksons International Airport. Late Madeline had her own stories, some funny and some annoying and these are some I witnessed. We were both accommodated at Kensignton before travelling to Narooma and went oddshop (second hand) shopping with Br. Cletus Storey, Brother waited for us outside while we went in an old couple came along and asked what he was doing and he said, he was waiting for his two PNG wives doing shopping and were taking so long inside, this was so funny when he told us at dinner and late Madeline added her share making it even funnier. Late Madeline had a loving and caring personality and was also very generous.

May her soul rest in eternal peace.