Theonila Matbob survived a civil war and is now reshaping her parliament to help women

Photo: ABC News: Natalie Whiting. Retrieved from abc.net.au

For Theonila Roka Matbob, the pain in her distant past is deeply etched in her mind.

She grew up in the shadow of the controversial Bougainville mine, and her father, John Roka, was killed during the Bougainville conflict.

She still remembers that day when her dad was taken away by armed men from a faction in the conflict.

She was only three years old.

“They were starting to drag dad. They dragged him while he was still holding me and dad had to drop me onto the lawn and when I fell, I remember crying and then dad being taken away.”

John was one of 20,000 people who died during the conflict.

It is a painful wound for the region and more than 20 years later, Bougainville is still working to mend itself.

As Theonila grew up, the painful experience lingered in her memory. She was fuelled by a desire to heal the hurt both her family and the region had gone through.

She started first by setting up a community education centre with counselling resources.

“I kind of felt that there was no point in me continuing to pity myself and my siblings for what had happened. I wanted to take up a journey that would then be able to compensate in a more meaningful way,” Theonila said.