Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 25, Number 3, 1 March 2008 — Edwin "Pali" Lelepali, Democrat [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Edwin "Pali" Lelepali, Democrat

Age: 80 Arrived in Kalaupapa: 1942 Don't be fooled by the poIiticaI label. It's not a sign of partisanship; rather, he just likes the sound ofit so nuieh that it's heeome integral 1o his identity. At 80 years okl, Lelepali has outlived many friends and bo1h of his wives, but when he speaks, his eyes sparkle like he 's 20. Here, he shares a success story as a civil servant in Kalaupapa. In 1980 I worked for eh'il ser\'ice. I workedfor Ihem until I retired. I worked for about a good six or seven years and 1hen I eame foremanfor the eh'il ser\>ice. I had about eight guys under me.

The best part about this, I'm a patient, see, and yet I was above the nonpatients. I was kind of surprised, you know, I was wondering how eome they piek me for that? We had three guys apply for the job: two nonpatients and me, the patient. But I think my qualification, the kine work I do — go Waikolu, go fix pipeline, I do all that, you know? And then when the pipeline broke they no send anybody, they send me, one patient. So I was thinking, 'Gee I wonder if they testing me whether I going grumble or I going refuse,' that's the kine thought I had in mind.

Only me, one, I go by myself I eheek where the broke line is, I go inside shut off the water then I eome back I tell the boss where the pipeline stay, what kine tools we need, so (we) go inside with the bulldozer, bring all the pipe, fix the line. That was my job before. ... I showed them. I went, boy. And because of that I think I eame foreman. Then I heeame above them, and I tell them what to do. For more \>ignettes from Kalaupapa residents, \>isit Ka Wai Ola online, www.oha.org