FOR more than four decades, Peni Senikarawa Tamanisau has dedicated his working life to the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
A native of Nayavu, Wainibuka, Tailevu, Peni is now responsible for looking after the church-owned sprawling Fulton Tailevu property.
It is a unique assignment.
The once-bustling college campus is now largely vacant. Only four staff quarters are occupied, along with two churches — one serving the Hindi-speaking congregation and the other the iTaukei-speaking worshippers.
Yet for Peni, the stillness of the property does not mean there is little to do.
His responsibilities include maintaining the grounds and buildings, ensuring the property is secure, keeping the surroundings clean and attending to the general upkeep of the site. He is supported by three casual workers who assist him with the demanding work.
Peni approaches his responsibility with the same dedication that has characterised his long association with the Church.
“I like my work because it is executed in a place that is stress-free and full of peace and quiet,” he says.
Peni completed his secondary education at Fulton College in 1989. He later joined the maintenance section of the college, where he worked from 1993 until late 2013, when the institution relocated to its new home in Sabeto, Nadi.
His connection with Fulton Tailevu, however, never really ended.
At the end of 2023, Peni returned to the old campus, this time as its caretaker. Fulton Tailevu was once a vibrant centre of education, drawing students from across the South Pacific. Young people from different island nations came to Fiji to study, live and prepare themselves for service in their communities.
For Peni, caring for such a large and mostly empty property requires more than simply turning up for work.
“You have to like what you do in order to be faithful to the job,” he says.
His commitment is rooted in something deeper than employment.
“Since leaving high school at Fulton College in 1989, I knew I was going to work for the church that educated me and taught me discipline and moral values.”
That sense of calling has sustained him through the years.
“I felt like working for an institution run by the church was my calling, and four decades later I am still here.”
His words reflect a life in which work and faith have become closely intertwined.
“I remained faithful because God has remained faithful to me. I would be earning more if I worked elsewhere, but I currently am satisfied with what I do because I know I would gain more in the long run.”
