Biography

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AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Jerry’s full name is Jerry Oliver Simunapendi, with a nickname Jerry. He was born in Biak. Jerry lives in Nabire in his father’s house. He has one brother named Ivan and one sister named Ryon. His father came from Waropen and his mother from Biak. His father bought their house in Nabire, a Christian/Muslim community which was felt to be safe. He attended the Malompo elementary school. Then

When Jerry was 12, after primary school, Jerry’s family moved to his father’s village in Waropen as the government moved his father there. This was a different community to Nabire being a Papuan Christian community. Accordingly, life revolved around Church, as Jerry explained, “The church is my house.” The people built the church, with his father shovelling sand and his mother cooking for the workers. Jerry attended the Urei Faisei Junior High School. He soon met friends and played soccer with them.

When Jerry attended the Waren Senior High School in Waropen. He was a smart student.  This opened the way for University in Sumatra where he began nursing studies.

Jerry began an Arts degree at the Satya Wiyata Madala University in Nabire, in 2021, wanting to be an English teacher. He had become interested in the BPN since 2017 because his sister Ryon was a teacher of BPN,  but he really involved when he came to Nabire in 2019. He would come to Ryon’s course and help them with what he could. In 2022, Fred Bundah the BPN manager, asked him to work for BPN Papua in 2022 as a secretary.  As Jerry shared, “It is a privilege that BPN give for me to join, also I know that it is such a blessing of God. I promise that I will take this responsibility to work seriously and do my best. After all I love English.” For Jerry, the BPN Papua is not just another foundation, it is as family.

Jerry enjoys working as a secretary, as he likes writing letters and helping people. At times he finds the work challenging, as he was initially “not good at the computer”. He would work slowly and learn what to do through trial and error. He is also greatly that Fred and Mina teach him new things.

Jerry loves hair styling, fishing, playing football, dance, and watching movies.  He decided to cut his hair last April vowing and cut his hair until he went to Australia. His dream came true when Fred asked him to be an Australian Papuan Cultural Exchange Program (APCEP) student in 2023 hosted by the BPN in Perth.

Through the efforts of Richard Smith from BPN, the principal of the Milner International College of English, Warren Milner, agreed to assist the people of the Papuan provinces of Indonesia, offering two twelve-week scholarships for Papuan students to study at the college free of charge. This extraordinarily generous offer will enable us to send 2 students each year to Milner College for intensive English language education. Jerry was selected to travel to Australia in February 2023, and visit Perth for three months After delays of their flights en route to Perth Jerry arrived in Perth with a fellow Papuan and settled in with their host families. They started their courses at Milner College and worked hard, coping with public transport as well. Jerry’s English was assessed to be so good that he was accelerated to the Teaching course.

Jerry shared that “after three months here, we believe that we can go home to Papua and make a lot of difference to our places; like teaching English to others in Papua, so there will be more Papuan people who can speak English and they can have a better life with a good job, education, or scholarship.”

He stated that he experienced ‘amazing people” in the BPN. They were God’s gift. He never thought there would be people such as these who would be prepared to take an interest in him and other Papuans.

Jerry returned with a desire to teach and has since established his own English course for local people. One of his future dreams is to set up a business, a café in which people would receive education in English as well as food and drink. 

Jerry and the new café about to be completed.

 By. Robert Edward Hoskin

 

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