“My name is Francis Mero, I am 44 years old and I am married with 5 children, all of them boys. The oldest is 18 and the youngest is 2 years and 6 months old.
I am from Gulf and Southern Highlands provinces and I’ve lived in Port Moresby for 25 years, since 1995.
“I have been working for the Lamana Hotel for nearly 5 years now. So far so good. I love working here because of all the people I come across every day. I get to know people, like my own staff because I lead a team of security guards so I am working with different characters (of people) and I get to know how people think. In the hotel, I deal with customers, different kinds of customers and their expectations.
“Maintaining the standards of my employers is a challenge that I encounter at work every day. For instance, working security at the Gold Club on a busy weekend, I come across partygoers who are not dressed appropriately. Us Papua New Guineans are very stubborn so sometimes my boys and I have to argue with people and then it turns into a big scene, which is something we try to avoid. It’s very challenging. The other thing is managing my boys at work, their attendance, punctuality and ensuring they show up for their shift, because if one or two don’t show up, I will struggle to make sure all areas are covered.”
“Before coming to work for Lamana, I was a Teacher’s Aide with Gordon International School for about 3 years. I was working with little kids and that was a lot of fun. I am a bit unsure about what the future holds right now, I think I’ve lost interest in life itself and I think I need to find something to keep me going. I hope I find that soon.”