Brink of Death

By Robert Iki Leso

SUCCESS SECRETS FOR CHIEF JACOB SOLE LUKE: BRINK OF DEATH

An Inspiring Life Story of the Owner of Mapai Transport Company

Brink of Death is the first book in the eloquent series of Success Secrets for Chief Jacob Sole Luke. Chief Jacob Sole Luke is a prolific role model and most successful entrepreneur and trucking tycoon. He solely founded Mapai Transport Limited. Mapai is exceptionally one of the thriving trucking companies in Papua New Guinea that employs both nationals and expatriates. If you ever wondered who Chief Jacob Sole Luke is, and how Mapai came to be, this book exposes the glimpse of an incredible journey of building from nothing a transport and logistics empire by a school dropout. Brink of Death particularly reveals the near-death encounter of Chief Jacob Sole Luke during his extraordinary birth. It predominantly highlights the incredible challenges he confronted growing up as a vulnerable child in an extremely hostile and isolated terrain. Reading his biography is likened to joining Chief Jacob Sole Luke in his personal expedition into the unknown to end up doing the utterly impossible.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Feb 9, 2023
• ISBN: 9781669833673

Robert Iki Leso

Robert Iki Leso has been working with the Papua New Guinea University of Technology since 2009 and resigned in 2022. He graduated with Bachelor in Education with Honours from the University of Goroka. He completed Executive Masters in Business Administration with the Papua New Guinea University of Technology. Building Blocks of Writing Skills is his first book published in 2012. Success Secrets for Chief Jacob Sole Luke is his second book written in series.

Book preview

Copyright © 2023 by Robert Iki Leso.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

All the photographs used in this book are from the author’s archives except the one in Chapter 5 which has been used with the permission from the Mapai Group.

Robert Iki Leso

Growth Mindset Solutions

P.O. Box 2008 Lae 411 Morobe Province

Papua New Guinea

Mobile: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

Rev. date: 01/30/2023

Xlibris

AU TFN: 1 800 844 927 (Toll Free inside Australia)

AU Local: [phone] ([phone] from outside Australia)

www.Xlibris.com.au

841791

CONTENTS

Author’s Note

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1 Deadly Attack

Chapter 2 Along The Road

Chapter 3 Bird’s Nest

Chapter 4 Many Tribes, One Language

Chapter 5 Growing Pains

Chapter 6 Ape Knows Best

Chapter 7 Whips Of Love

Chapter 8 Passion For Learning

Further Readings

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This book is sincerely

dedicated to three groups of people:

Those who are kicked out of the education system every year because they cannot meet the requirements to pursue their dreams.

Those who cannot continue their education because of discipline problems, financial constraints, or law and order issues.

Those who wish to become the boss of their own instead of working for others.

Author’s Note

C hief Jacob Sole Luke passed away peacefully on Friday, 22 July 2022, at his beloved village of Lakolam. It choked my throat and drowned my eyes with sorrow. Knowing he would leave anytime, he always said, Jacob Luke will not be here forever, but Mapai will.

With that conviction, he asked me to write his story since 2014. When he died, the first draft of his biography had already been submitted for publication.

Frankly, I have never been engaged in such a project like this. The magnitude and the fear of it dragged it longer than expected. Although he had read the entire manuscript and approved it for publication, it aggrieved me for him not having the chance to see the final product.

However, actually, he had already lived the life. This is his story. It is purposely written for others. In fact, he saw this book ahead of everyone. That is why he had the vision to have this book written. After all, he died empty, leaving everything behind, his work and his story, which will live with us.

Apparently, he had discerned his end coming. For more than two years, he left his office and did something remarkable. He had been transforming Lakolam into a modern village. He had initially constructed his home and early childhood education facilities there through Jacob Luke Foundation. By doing so, he had been preparing himself for retirement.

However, the news of his tragic demise brought shockwaves across the nation, particularly devastating his colleagues, friends, and loved ones. It was untimely because he was not under any medical condition or undergoing treatment.

The previous morning, he retreated alone into the nearby bush with his bush knife and mobile phone, maybe to clear some shrubs. In the process, he passed away silently without anyone watching. His body was discovered the next morning through the tracking device in his mobile phone.

Whilst his mother was heading towards medical treatment to deliver him at Wabag Health Centre in the early 1960s, she gave birth to him in the jungle of Komange. Coincidently, he returned to die near the same spot where he was born.

Through his life, his message was simple: Anybody, from being nobody, from nothing, can become somebody by working hard. He had built Mapai with his sweat, blood, and tears, day and night, to his last breath.

To the readers who have been expecting and patiently waiting for his story to come out soon, I sincerely beg your pardon. English is not my mother tongue. The language sometimes turns funny and crazy. It may get on your nerves when you read or write using it. What sounds perfect may not always be true or correct when others read it.

I have tried my best to ensure the words and expressions used here suitably serve the intended purposes in telling the story of the role model everyone admires. In the event any omissions or errors are found, please bear with me and let me know.

Chief Jacob Sole Luke’s biography is actually a work in progress as it is written in series. So kindly send your comments, inspirations, experiences, and personal encounters with him to my e-mail address, [e-mail], or to my accounts in Facebook or LinkedIn.

Foreword

I t is, indeed, a privilege and delight to write this foreword for a biography that gives account of Chief Jacob Sole Luke. I knew him as a distinguished fellow Papua New Guinean. He was a highly acclaimed business entrepreneur, professional business colleague, and friend.

He was the principal owner, shareholder, and managing director of the corporate conglomerate Mapai Group. The company incorporates Mapai Transport Limited, Mapai Logistics Limited, Mapai Properties Limited, and Jacob Luke Foundation. It also owns and operates a logistics office in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Chief Jacob Sole Luke was a humble and modest person. That personality, however, camouflaged his rags-to-riches story. His life experience defined his character and resounding success as an entrepreneur and family man.

His life story, experience, and rise to prominence as a successful modern Papua New Guinea business entrepreneur speak of his journey. Through hardship, sacrifice, hard work, courage, patience, persistence, perseverance, along with strong ethical values, he had excelled.

In 1978, he was unexpectedly expelled from grade 9 at Pausa Lutheran High School for organising a student protest. He was mobilising the students to demonstrate against the decision of the school board of governors for rushing localisation of the teachers.

He felt it was premature for the local teachers to take over from the expatriates. It was especially at that specific point when it would most certainly compromise standards of education and erode school governance.

With humility, he had taken responsibility and accepted the expulsion decision. In the process, he had embraced