‘I love what I do’
IF you love what you do for a living, you will never get weary of the work assigned to you in a day. These are the words of policewoman Vuli Saumi after scooping the progressive female cadet in the Fiji Maritime Boarder Police award at the World Maritime Day celebration, last week.
Vuli, who hails from Vadra Village in Moala, Lau had started her cadetship in 2010 and was later recruited by the Fiji Police Force in 2014.
She says in her line of work she monitors vessels that are re-positioned in various divisions in Fiji.
“Currently, I’m doing administration work for the Fiji Water Police Department,” she said.
“Every day is a challenge for us but it is how you encounter it or overcome it that makes it worthwhile at the end of the day.
“My work is motivational because it is something that drives me to be someone successful in my own field of work.
“I love what I do and I push myself to go a level higher than where I am in life.”
She says one of the major challenges she faces in her line of work is communication barriers with boat operators or crew members on vessel who do not speak any English.
“We have to be extra patient when dealing with foreign vessel crew members because at the end of the day we have to do our work without any delays,” she said.
“We always stress safety to every seafarer we deal with who go out on a vessel because it’s pivotal.
“Even some seafarers on foreign vessels don’t know how to swim yet are working on these vessels, so it’s important for us to highlight the importance of knowing how to swim and always being safe out at sea.”
According to her, she is the only female policewoman working in the Fiji Water Police Department.
“I would like to encourage other policewomen to join our department because it’s quite a fulfilling job if you love what you do every day especially having to go out at sea,” she said.
Vuli holds a boat master licence and a Class 6 restricted master engineer certificate.