Late Patricia Mawa
The Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department (VMGD) and the Ministry of Climate Change Adaptation bid farewell and laid to rest one of its most resourceful staff on Tuesday this week, after she passed away on Monday.
Late Patricia Mawa, held the position of VMGD’s Manager for Information Technology and Engineering, a position that she held from 2014 until her passing on February 7, 2022.
She was one of the people behind the development of Meteorology in the early 1990s up to 2022.
Ms Mawa pioneered the establishment of the data centre for Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department well before the Information Technology and Engineering unit was established.
She was also behind the Ministry of Climate Change’s data centre.
Originating from the island of Epi, Ms Mawa was born on October 14, 1974.
She attained her secondary education up to Year 10 at Matevulu College on Santo before passing to Malapoa College in Port Vila where she achieved the International General Certificate of Secondary Education 1992 and the Pacific Senior Secondary Certificate in 1993 also at Malapoa College.
Late Ms. Mawa was appointed by the PSC on October 26, 1993 as a trainee climatologist.
But because she was still in College, Mawa had requested to formally start on November 22, 1993 because she had to complete her Pacific Senior Secondary Certificate examinations.
From May 30 to June 17 of 1994, she attended CLICOM 3.0 Training course at the Bureau of Meteorology Training Centre in Australia and she also attended many short trainings and workshops such as in Kuala Lumper, Malaysia, in November 1998 and in Waikato University December, 1998.
She was appointed to the permanent position of Climatologist on December 19, 1995.
After three years from 1995 to 1997, of studying in Australia, in 1997, she was awarded Diploma of Information Technology, Associated Diploma of Information System, from Douglas Mawson Institute in South Australia
She was appointed on an Acting basis to the position as Computer and Information Officer in 2000.
Later on, in November 2000, she was awarded the permanent position by the Public Service Commission.
In 2002, she gained her Bachelor Degree in Information Technology from Flinders University in South Australia.
Late Ms Mawa was given the responsibilities of Acting Director whenever a director was out of office.
In 2006, She was appointed on Acting position as Principle Scientific Officer Information Technology/Engineering and in 2007 was awarded the permanent position by the PSC.
Then in 2014, Patricia Mawa was promoted to the position of the Manager for Information Technology and Engineering, the position she held until February 7, 2022 when she passed on.
SOURCE: VANAUATU DAILY POST
