I have been working as a librarian at the Tubusereia Primary School for nine years since coming to Tubusereia in 2012, where I help start the school library.
My name is Edna Sida Perukamea, my husband’s name is Bobby Peruka Perukamea and he is from Tubusereia village. I am from Logea Island in Samarai, Milne Bay Province.
My husband and I got married in 1974 straight after graduating from Madang Teachers College. My husband and I went to the same college, that’s where we met and got married, through customary marriage.
We have two children, a male and a female, they are married have their own families…we are grandparents. I have four grandchildren, two older boys are in high school at the Mount Diamond Secondary School, my other granddaughter is in grade 8 at Tubusereia primary School and my youngest granddaughter is in elementary school.
I started teaching primary school classes but I got married and stayed at home for a while before working work again but this time as a librarian. I am not a trained librarian but I learnt on the job. I am a teacher by profession. I started working at the Michael Somare Library at the University of Papua New Guinea and later joined the Medical library at the Medical Faculty in 3-Mile.
After that, I went to work at the POMIS primary school, then left work for two years before being employed by Gordons Secondary School. I worked there for 12 years but had to resign because my husband was very sick and I had to take care of him.
My house is close to the lower primary school and that is how I came to work at the Tubusereia Primary School. In 2011, the headmaster of the school then, John Kaikere, who was a good friend of my husband mentioned to my husband during one of their conversations that he had many books. He said he wanted a librarian who could sort out the books and start a library for the school.
My husband then told him that I was a librarian and could help him out. This got me to write a letter to the school board, I submitted my papers and the job was mine.
Since then I have been working as a librarian at the Tubusereia Primary School for nine years now.
When I first started work, all these books were stacked up with no proper organization. I started with arranging the books and putting them in order and that is how our school library started. So far, I have enjoyed my work because I like working with small children… I am at the age of retirement but plan not to leave my job anytime soon. I am happy to serve the community and continue on working.