PROFESSOR Benny Lee's life is dictated by three things - trust, responsibility and familyship.
"They're hard to keep because people are people - but I try," he says. "They guide me."
Professor Benny is the planning manager of the Suva Foreign Language College.
He's helping set up the college structure and systems although his background is solidly grounded in music - specifically as a jazz trumpeter.
Professor Benny and his wife have lived in Wollongong in New South Wales, Australia, for the past decade although he has been in Fiji since December last year.
"Since 16 I've studied and been involved in group music although my parents wanted me to study to become a lawyer," he says with some fondness.
"I listened to country, rock, Grover Washington Junior and I also studied classical music.
"I listened to the music young people were into - Chicago, the Eagles and the Beatles."
For Professor Benny, music is very much a spiritual dimension of his life.
"I'm a Christian and believe music is relevant to everything we do.
"There's meaning in every note - there's meaning in every song - no matter what kind of music it is."
But Professor Benny believes his greatest achievement to date has been his involvement in the development of computer music and the Kareoke phenomenon.
"In my 30's, I got into computer music - nobody taught me - that was around 1984-85.
"It's what's known as sequencer music and it involved putting a music software through the computer.
"It was known as MIDI - Music Instrument Digital Interface."
Professor Benny has featured in numerous jazz concerts in Korea and Australia.
He has even appeared with local musicians.
As an educator, Professor Benny also has a vision for the future - right here in Fiji.
And that vision is guided by the way he treats people - and expects to be treated by people.
"Trust - that's very important. When I give, I give from the heart - and it doesn't matter what kind of person I'm dealing with or what religious belief he holds," he says.
"It's a trust that creates respect for all men.
"Then there's responsibility. When I do business, it is done in accordance with the law of the land. There are no tricks in my business - and an essential part of this is the importance of time." Professor Benny harbours plans of learning the Fijian language and understanding the Fijian mind although he's encountered no difficulty so far communicating with the local population.
And he plans on staying in Fiji for the long haul.
"At the moment there are not many students at the college but we're not rushing," he says.
"I want to build the system first with the help of professional workers."
He also draws a clear line of demarcation between business and charity.
"Business is business and charity is charity. If I hire a worker I expect him to give me my money's worth because that's the honest way," he says.
And the future?
"I want to go deeper into the spiritual aspect of the music - the spirituality in the sound."
