single parent

As Christine Komba received her Award in Excellence, she was eagerly cheered on by her family in the crowd. Miss Komba's family were attired in green and black to represent her home province of Enga.

Mr Komba is a proud father of three daughters. He raised them as a single father after the tragic passing of his wife almost a decade ago.

When asked about the challenges of putting his daughter through university, like most parents, he said it was not easy.

“As a single father, I’ve been struggling so hard to pay for her school fee.”

Having just come out of long-term relationships, they weren't chasing anything serious.

So when Tessa's suspected food poisoning turned out to be pregnancy not long into their mutually beneficial arrangement, it was a shock.

"I remember bursting into tears, getting straight in my car to go to my friend's place where I walked in the door and threw the test on the table and just cried," 27-year-old Tessa of Sorrento, Victoria says.

"It was definitely not on my agenda."