Going the Extra Mile in Customer Service: A Tribute to Haivetamori

During my years at Air Niugini, from 1982 until my retrenchment in 1999, my late wife Haivetamori quietly ran a thriving market table outside our home in the Air Niugini Kanage Estate at Six Mile, Port Moresby. What set her apart was not just what she sold—but how she served.

She had a unique touch when it came to customer service. One example was the way she handled soft drinks. Instead of simply selling warm cans from a box, she would chill them in our deep freezer, then transfer them into an esky, layering them with ice crystals. Customers soon came to associate her stall with the coldest, most refreshing drinks around.

In late December 1987, we relocated to Sydney for my attachment with Qantas Airways. Upon our return to Port Moresby, our boys were enrolled at Boreboa Primary School. Haivetamori didn’t miss a beat—she resumed selling at the school market, this time offering ice blocks and assorted goodies. Unsurprisingly, her items always sold out faster than the other market mothers’.

Back home in the Air Niugini estate, she adapted again—this time selling electricity top-up vouchers to neighbors. Later, she ventured into the health and wellness space, offering salted water, which she explained helped with hydration and assimilation of water in the body. Though she showed customers how to mix it themselves, many preferred her premixed drinks.

What made Haivetamori exceptional wasn’t formal training. Though she had worked briefly for Boroko Jewellers and Linden Blossom before we married, her instinct for service seemed to be inborn. She remembered customers by name, anticipated their preferences, and always served with warmth and sincerity.

Living with and observing her over the course of our marriage, I often reflected on how naturally she embodied excellent customer care. She was truly born for sales—and I remain grateful to have shared life with someone so genuine, resourceful, and generous in spirit.