Project Scientist: Fiji Reef Conservation Project
Added to website: 11 July 2004
BIRTH
This was where it all started. After 26 hours cocooned in the relative quiet and safety of a jet plane, being fed and entertained and generally looked after, I was pushed out to take my first lungfuls of steamy Fiji air. Within the next couple of hours, my life as a Project Scientist would begin.
CHILDHOOD
Life at Raviniake was busy and incomprehensible around me, and every person had their role, whereas I was the innocent, who never knew who did what, or why, or how. My daily routine at first consisted mainly of asking questions and making mistakes – such as the day I neglected to defrost the chickens for the evening meal. I learnt that lesson well – a late dinner is a cardinal sin in a house full of hungry divers!
My learning curve was steep, but everyone was patient and friendly. The pace of life was fast, so that very quickly I found that I too had my place at Raviniake, and in fact felt like I had always been here. Confidence came quickly once I found my feet – and with it came more work and responsibility as I started to grow into the PS role. Life was exciting, every day bringing a new challenge. I can still remember the thrill of giving my first lecture!
MARRIAGE AND CHILDREN
For the PS there is just as much work to do off-site as at Raviniake. Life is a whirlwind of meetings and workshops, learning and teaching, and all the time building up personal and professional relationships with Project Partners old and new. Trips into the nearest town Nadi, and across to the capital Suva are a regular occurrence, as well as visits to the villages of the Mamanucas and the Coral Coast. I have been very grateful for the opportunity given by the PS role to see more of the ‘real’ Fiji, away from site. In conjunction with various Project Partners, I have been able to teach coral reef awareness programmes in local schools, visit villages and resorts to teach simple reef monitoring methods or basic coral reef ecology to the communities, dive operators and guests.
Perhaps the most satisfying part of the job is starting to see the results of your own hard work. Some project that you’ve worked hard towards (and no doubt at least occasionally despaired of) comes to fruition and suddenly there it is - something you have ownership of, something to be proud of.
MID LIFE CRISIS
With so much going on sanity can be hard to hold on to! Constantly returning to site to find new volunteers you hardly know can be wearing, and it is sometimes easy to lose sight of the bigger picture, to become caught up in and overwhelmed by the detail of day-to-day life. There is always plenty of work to be done, and it is dangerously easy to forget to take a break, or to start feeling guilty for any time spent not working. Perhaps the most important realisation is that the job is what you make of it. Every day is different; every day is yours to design.
OLD AGE
With experience comes wisdom. One day, not so long ago, I finally woke up and felt as though I knew exactly what was going on, and understood entirely what was needed and expected of me. I’ve learnt an astonishing amount, met many fascinating and fabulous people, and generally enjoyed a long and happy life as a PS here in Fiji. Now I’m fast approaching retirement age and am ready to hand over the reigns to the next generation, while I disappear back up to the big jet plane in the sky……
- Kate Tanner
