Part 1 of 2 : Hi my name is Elina Onno and I am from Fiji. I first came into Papua New Guinea in 1997 as an exchange journalist with the Nau Fm staff.
The company that I used to work for in Fiji, Fiji Communications Ltd, owns Yumi FM till today.
I had the opportunity of covering the Aitape Tsunami in 1998.
I was there for 3 months covering the Tsunami, not only for PNG and Fiji but also for the South Pacific.
I was only 18 years old at the time.
When it was time for me to go back home to Fiji, I had fallen sick with Malaria.
In Fiji we do not have Malaria and there is no treatment or medication for it.
So, this meant staying back in PNG to complete my dose.
I ended up staying for another six months, it was in that time that I gradually began to fall in love with Papua New Guinea and made my decision to stay.
This year marks my 21 years of living in PNG.
Journalism brought me to my home away from home.
In my family there are seven of us, 3 boys and 4 girls.
My father was not only a devout pastor, he was also serving in the military.
As you know Fiji is very well acquainted with the United Nations so both my parents joined the UN.
All seven of us were asked to sing in the military band, but it was usually us girls that performed.
This is where my road to singing began. Coming out in public and taking the challenge in my musical career outside of where it all started for me was quite an eye opener.