Member Profiles

MEMBERS PROFILE

Vanimo Lasallian Family Area Coordinator - Charles Waeda

Charles Waeda is the Principal of St La Salle Wonder Kids, an Early Childhood centre in Vanimo in Papua New Guinea. He is a father of 6 children and has worked ten years in Education. Charles brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his role.

Tell me about your call to ministry. How do you live out the Lasallian Values?

My call to the ministry is very raw but timely when the late Br. Ignatius Kennedy asked me to join the Lasallian Family in Papua New Guinea in 1999. Back then, it was teachers and students only from Holy Trinity Teacher’s College. I was asked to help with the Lasallian activities in Vanimo. From then and there until now, I am still living the Lasallian value after twenty-one years.

What does being a Lasallian mean to you?

Being a Lasallian means so much to me, for someone who never graduated from a Teachers’ College and now teaching for ten years is because of what I learnt from Lasallian gatherings for twenty-one years. The teaching of our patron Saint had a significant impact in my teaching career.

Who is your role model? Why do you look up to this person?

My first role model is Br Ignatius Kennedy who inspired me when he invited me to join the Lasallian family. The second role model is Maureen Ammoniu, the mother of my children and who I have been working with for the last twenty-one years. I have six children. The first is a girl then two boys and another three girls. Unfortunately, I lost a girl named ChaSalle, after the patron saint and the first letters Cha is from my name.

What is your current role in the Lasallian Family? Explain?

I am the Principal of St La Salle Wonder Kids Early Childhood Centre and have been working here for ten years. Vanimo town is a small tropical town of Papua New Guinea lying on the north-west part of the country and sharing the land border with Djayapura in Indonesia. The school is on the north tip of Vanimo town on beautiful white sandy beachfront which meets the Pacific Ocean.

The school is small and with semi-permanent material buildings. Still, it has a long record of graduating some good students who are now performing academically well in primary and secondary schools in Vanimo, Sandaun province. The school has three teachers, five staff members and 75 students. As well as my school duties, I am a single parent and the area coordinator for the Vanimo lasallian family.

MEMBERS PROFILE

Flora Teng - Shines a Light on Mt Hagen Teacher’s College

Flora Teng is the Lasallian Family Area Coordinator of Mt Hagen in Papua New Guinea, as well as a teacher at the Teachers’ College. Growing up in Kotna. Flora went to a Lutheran Primary School. She is now a mother of four lovely girls. Being involved in the Lasallian Mission gives her strength to overcome all adversities in her life.

What does being a Lasallian mean to you?

Being Lasallian means doing things creatively and to make a difference. It means to show great enthusiasm in teaching by touching the hearts of my students. It means to be a good example in words and deeds, as well as a friend to all and enemy to none.

Tell me about your call to ministry. How do you live out the Lasallian values?

Firstly, I strive to live out the Lasallian values in my family with my daughters. I strive to live the Lasallian Virtues of patience and humility as the crown virtues of all virtues.

What does religion mean to you? Religion is my hope, strength and life.

Who is your role model? Why do you look up to this person?

Br. Ignatius Kennedy, FSC is my role model. I look up to him because he was a great mentor, and he was an inspiration to my life and my family.

Tell us a bit about where you teach and your current role at your school?

I am currently teaching at Holy Trinity Teachers’ College. The college is almost 60 years old. It is the oldest Primary Teachers’ College in PNG. Technology is not yet integrated into the school. Some time , projectors are used in the lectures. There are 600 students at the college, both male and female. There are 35 staff members. Our motto is “ Vision, Dedication and Service.” I am lecturing in the Religious Education Department and am assisting students with the Formation Program at the college.

What is your current role in the Lasallian Family? Explain?

I am the Area Coordinator for Lasallian Activities in the Mt Hagen Area with the help of the Lasallian School Coordinators. We develop the Lasallian yearly calendar collectively for varies events in for the year. We write formation programs, youth events and organise fundraising for financial sustainability. We have Pastoral Care and Community Worship Programs weekly with recollection and retreats for each class once in a year which are spiritually enriching.