Hirdesh Chand started work at the Fiji Sun as an inserter in 2006.

Two years earlier he had just moved from Labasa to Suva  to further his education at what was then the Fiji Institute of Technology.

But that did not eventuate. He found work at a supermarket in Lami and at the same time was a casual worker at the Fiji Sun.

For three years he worked and observed what the printers were doing at the machines.

“The first time when I saw these people working on the machine, running around turning knobs, I wanted to learn too.”

He was given the opportunity to step up in 2009 as a production boy. The production manager at the time later asked him whether he wanted to work on the press.

Mr Chand did not hesitate. He was given three months to learn, otherwise he would be kicked out.

There was no turning back from there. Today Mr Chand is one of Fiji Sun’s senior printers.

He has visited press sites in New Zealand as part of Fiji Sun’s capacity building programme.

Mr Chand is married with a three-year-old son.

This was published as part of the Fiji Sun  17th Anniversary Lift-out.