Two students of The University of the South Pacific (USP) studying under the Australia Awards Pacific Scholarship (AAPS) have a reason to be proud following the publication of their books as educational resources.
Jimmy Telstar’s Journey of Truth is a collection of poems demonstrating a ni-Vanuatu’s footprints among the musings of Oceania and Roselyn Maneipuri’s Classroom Game Activities, her fifth publication, is a guide for Solomon Islands teachers.
The duo were acknowledged by Christina Munzer, Counsellor Development Cooperation for Fiji and Tuvalu of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Suva at a recent end-of-award lunch held for AAPS students hosted by USP at the Laucala Campus.
Says Telstar, “I have been writing since my teenage years because I went through a lot during that time and the only way I could speak my feelings was through writing and especially poetry”.
She acknowledged that coming to USP to take up literature taught her to be a better writer and she was inspired further by her lecturers particularly in story writing.
“There are 44 poems in my book and one short story which is an experience of a close friend who went through domestic violence, a common issue in Vanuatu, and the story focuses on the children, who are affected the most,” said Telstar, a mother of three.
Telstar started work on the book four years ago and is thankful to families and close friends for their support.
“I am especially thankful to the Australian Government for the opportunity to be here to study and this is the biggest dream I have been able to accomplish while here at USP,” she stated.
Telstar, who has struggled to juggle responsibilities between family and studies, described the moment the book was published as one of sheer joy and relief.
“I had a lot of support from families and friends who have wanted to see this get off the ground and now I know it is a legacy that I will leave behind even when I am no longer here,” she said.
Telstar graduates at the end of November at the USP Emalus Campus with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Journalism and Language and Literature and says that being an AAPS recipient has been amazing.
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