Fellow inmates of the Naboro Corrections Centre dormitory where Woody Waraqe spent time, witnessed nothing but a determined prisoner sketching his way out to live a good life.

Mr Waraqe who hails from Vanuavatu, Lau, spent six years of his life in prison isolated from his family and close friends.

The 60-year-old father of two children was brought up in Lau where he attended Vanuavatu District School and later moved to Ratu Kadavulevu School (RKS) in Tailevu to start his secondary education. He only managed to pursue his education up to Year Nine.

From there, he returned to his village. When he was in his 30s, he travelled to Suva and this was when things took a wrong turn.

Crime pushed him down and led him to his new home at the Naboro Corrections Centre outside Lami Town.

This was when his hidden talents for carving and drawing brought the best out of him and changed his life from there on.

“It is a quiet environment, there is nothing us brothers couldn’t do so that’s what made our minds work and we created items out of little things we found around our environment,” he said.

“My first artwork was the traditional iTaukei hair comb, I made it out of wood. When I saw it, I said to myself “we can make money out of these things’ and I began making more.”

After serving his time in prison, he began making more combs, carving free-hand household decorations and many other items raking in cash to support him and his family.

His wife is a handicraft vendor.

Ten years after leaving prison, he got a call to join the Fiji National University’s Natabua Campus in Lautoka as an instructor in the Art and Craft Department.

He later worked his way up and became the principal instructor for the same department.

“I spent 12 years at FNU and retired about five years ago,” he said.

“I went back to free-hand carving and painting and I am still doing it today. It has supported me and my family along the way.”

Mr Waraqe said he was ‘lucky’ to be in prison because that brought out his talents and has brought him far in life.

“I make about 10 pieces of my free-hand carvings and paintings in one day and I am in town at least three or four days in a week,” he added.

He also travels at times to Ba and Nadi to sell his products.

Mr Waraqe who resides in Lovu, Lautoka said he earned close to $1000 in a week when most of the buyers were tourists.

“Life is too short, we must learn and move on and become the best people we can be,” he said.

Feedback: nicolette.chambers@fijisun.com.fj