THE JET Volume 8 Number 1

Inside
TOP STORIES
Alana wins Supermodel

Pageant
Page 5
Coconut Crab Wonderz to Olympians tour Spain

blitz Expo
Page 11
Page 23
Mum strives for sons

education
Page 10
Treasure Island guarant- Fiji u17 women wins

ees guests
Page 14 bronze
Page 23
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2016. ISSUE 79
50 CENTS
www.thejetnewspaper.com
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Jack strives
Page 11
to be the best
FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
TappooCity Takes Shape
Tappoos complex modernises Lautokas sky line
By CHARLES CHAMBERS
The Sugar City is sporting a new
look as the TappooCity Lautoka complex takes shape.
The new building has changed
Lautokas city looks from being a
little laid back than Suva to one of
being a bustling shopping centre.
During his speech at the Lautoka Chamber of Commerce Business Forum on January 16 at FNU in
Natabua, Tappoo managing director
Mahendra Tappoo said the total investment for the complex was $30
million.
He described the complex as a
world class shopping mall and the
construction of the building was progressing on schedule since beginning in December 2014.
When it is completed, you will
see a unique and an up-market
shopping mall which will not only
contribute to the growth of tourism
in Lautoka but help the growth of
employment and job creation and
increased economic activity, Mr
The architectural view of what the finished Tappoo complex would look like. Photo: SUPPLIED.
Tappoo said.
He said this was also of benefit for
all businesses operating in the city
and also the people of Lautoka.
Two of the stand-out features of
the new complex would be the two
Life Cinemas and five star corporate
booths similar to stadiums overseas

for those wanting to watch sporting
events at Churchill Park.
The booths are built in to the
complex and overlook the entire
Churchill Park enclosure.
The cinemas will be operated by
Life Cinemas who currently operates

Life Cinemas in the RB Patel complex in Nadi.
The building itself includes a Tappoo department store with its world
renowned international brands of
products, from perfumes and cos-
metics, jewellery, watches, sports

and fashion wear, to white goods,
electronics and furniture.
Continued on page 8
www.scribd.com/thejetnewspaper
Fiji - the way the world should be
FROM THE DESK
Spare a thought
Each year, at this time, you
will definitely pick them out.
Those parents who are budgeting whatever little money
they have to make sure their
child or children is ready for
school.
These parents include single
parents, those who have lost
their jobs, those who cant find
employment and those living
from `hand to mouth.
You will find them walking
into every shop trying to get a
bargain on school bags, exercise books, stationery, uniforms,
shoes and the list goes on.
Then you will see them sit in
a shady spot and check everything, count whatever they have
left in their purses and purchase
whatever they can from the
shopping list.
Some live on a day to day
basis and sometimes scrounge
around for food.
The bottom line is these
parents are going through hardships and condemning their
inabilities to cater for their childrens education boils down to
arrogance for one who does not
know their background.
In the United Kingdom, back
to school is putting a tremendous strain on parents finances

as one in four borrow to cover
the cost of a new uniform, according to Citizens Advice.
Almost two thirds of parents
in the UK face costs of over 70
for a new school uniform for
each child this term and 19%
will fork out more than 150 per
uniform.
The national charity also
finds that only 11% expect to
pay under 30 for a new school
uniform.
A third have planned ahead
for the pricey pullovers by saving up money for their childs
school uniform and a fifth earn
enough to absorb the cost.
But a quarter will resort to
borrowing money rising to a
third among unemployed parents and 23% of all parents
dont know how theyll pay for
it.
Next time you want to criticize these parents, take a step
back and think, or better still,
take a step forward and help if
you can.
Spare a thought for them.
Being the hub of the Pacific, Fiji has everything that a spectacular tropical paradise has to offer from private island resort accommodations, top class restaurants to white sandy beaches, inbound
tours, jet boat rides, hot air balloon rides, mountain trekking, inland tours, eco tourism, sky diving,
helicopter rides, cruise trips, scuba diving, massage and beauty parlours, vibrant night life and a
lot more than any other destination in the world offers
ON THE BRIGHT SIDE
Nadi Airport opens new rental car booths
CHARLES CHAMBERS
THE JET is Fijis first community newspaper published weekly by YOURSPACE LIMITED from Nadi - the tourism capital of Fiji.
PUBLISHER
: SAMUEL SHANKAR
Cell: 9966115
EDITOR/ NEWS
: CHARLES CHAMBERS
Cell: 9973290
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: ANUSHIL KUMAR
Cell: 9203847
NEWS
: SERELISONI MOCEICA
Cell: 8311013
PRODUCTION
: ANUSHIL KUMAR
Cell: 9203847
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EMAIL
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COMPLAINTS: The Jet Newspaper continues to strive for excellence in its
publications. With this in mind we welcome all complaints and suggestions from our readers. All such comments could be sent to
feedbacks@media.com.fj We thank our readers for your valued support
towards The Jet Newspaper.
PRINTED By MAX MARKETING
LAYOUT By ANUSHIL KUMAR
The newly opened Rental Car booths at the Nadi International Airport. Photo: SUPPLIED.
By SERELISONI MOCEICA
A new area for rental car
companies is part of the new
look Nadi International Airport.
Airports Fiji Limited recently opened the rental car
booths at the Arrivals section
providing a more convenient
one stop shop for visitors into
the country.
We hope the people of Fiji

and our visitors enjoy this new
experience that we have created, AFLs Executive Chairman Faiz Khan said.
Previously rental car operators were situated in different locations at Arrivals
but now our visitors will find
rental car services in a convenient central location, Mr
Khan said.
Popular rental agencies
such as AVIS, Budget, Euro-
cars, Bula Car Rentals, Hertz

Rentals and Carpenters Rentals have immediately begun
their operations from their
designated booths.
Extensive works are still
being carried out as the NATMP is progressing towards
completion later this year, Mr
Khan said.
The $105 million refurbishment will see the airport
delivering upgraded areas in
stages as the rest of the airport
remains operational.
On 16th November last
year the departures lounge
was released to the public.
Four new speciality retail
outlets, Jewellery Galleria,
WH Smith, Nike and Rip Curl
have also opened earlier this
month, the chairman added.
The Attorney General is
expected to announce a soft
launch of the upgraded areas.
University fees are VAT-free

By CHARLES CHAMBERS
The new Value Added Tax
(VAT) rate will not apply to
university fees and charges.
This was confirmed by
Consumer Council and Fiji
chief executive officer Premila
Kumar.
Mrs Kumar said all university fees and charges, including tuition fee, registration fee
and library fee are all VAT free.
Mrs Kumars comments
came in the wake of queries
by university students and the
public in regards to VAT application on university fees and
charges and whether students
should expect the fee structure to be revised by the dif-
ferent universities.
According to the Tax Regulator, Fiji Revenue & Customs
Authority (FRCA), all university fees should be VAT free. As
an activity of a non-profit body
it does not constitute taxable
activity and also it is an exempt supply according to the
VAT Decree Mrs Kumar said.
However, if universities
have book shops or have given
facilities such as hall, ground,
swimming pool, restaurants
etc on hire or on lease and
their annual turnover is more
than $100,000, then they must
reduce the prices of these
services to be in line with the
new 9 per cent VAT rate, she
said.
For privately-run educa-
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
tional institutions that is profit

based, for example, computer
schools, and hair/beauty training schools with annual turnover of $100,000 must reduce
their fees and charges.
The Council is calling on
the students to be on a look
out when enrolling at these
commercially-run
educational institutions as the 6 per
cent VAT reduction must be
reflected in the fee structure
this new school year.
She said members of the
public who were unsure
about the companies whether
they are VAT registered or not
should contact the Council,
Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority or the Fiji Commerce
Commission for clarity.
Newly graduated students during the Fiji National University graduation ceremony at
Vodafone Arena in Suva. Photo: SUPPLIED.
LOCAL NEWS
West also have Dengue Cases FNPF warns

By CHARLES CHAMBERS
Major urban centers in the

western division, Lautoka,
Nadi and Ba have reported
dengue cases.
Although the cases are not
major, the National Advisor
for Communicable Diseases
Dr Mike Kama has reiterated
his call for residents to help
combat the breeding of mosquitoes.
At present, Labasa has the
highest number of reported
cases with 39 cases, 14 from
the western division and two
from the central division.
The reported dengue cases
in the west have all been reported from the urban centers
or within the town boundaries.
The cases are not serious

and are rather mild, Dr Kama
said.
Dr Kama said they were
more worried of other diseases like Chikungunya which
could develop amongst those
infected with dengue.
We are continuously asking the public to be more vigilant, especially after rainy conditions to destroy mosquito
breeding places, he said.
Everyone must protect
themselves from being bitten
by mosquitoes and use repellants and coils whenever possible, he said.
Water storage areas and
places where it is stagnant are
the places where the mosquitoes breed, he said.
Dr Kama said early signs of
dengue include red eyes, high
fever, headaches and body
on false
withdrawals
By CHARLES CHAMBERS
pains.
If one has these signs,
then he or she must see a
medical practitioner as soon
as possible, he said.
Dr Kama said the onus was
firstly on residents to combat
the mosquito breeding places and the local council will

work with the health ministry
to carry out necessary work
such as a mosquito spraying
campaigns.
Doctors fees go down

Private doctors fees have
decreased by six percent.
The Consumer Council recently sent a media release
warning patients of private
doctors, dentists and opticians to be on the lookout for
the change in rates.
The 6% VAT reduction
should be reflected in all fees/
charges, covering consultation fees to securing medical
examination certificates to
extracting a tooth and to other
medical services provided by
the private medical practitioners, chief executive officer,
Premila Kumar said in the
statement.
The Council has warned all
private doctors, dentists and
Premila Kumar.
medical clinic operators who
were registered for VAT with
the Revenue and Customs Authority to adjust their fees to
the new 9 percent rate.
Mrs Kumar encouraged patients to be vigilant when us-
ing these services and keep in

mind the reduction in fees.
If they find, there is no
change in the fees or charges,
they must question the clinic
or lodge complaints with the
Council, Fiji Commerce Com-
Villager dies after boat hits Beacon

By CHARLES CHAMBERS
Mitieli Rokoua will never
forget that fateful night two
weeks ago when he lost his
best friend and cousin.
Rokoua was one of three
people from Yaro Village in
the Malolo Group of Islands
who were thrust off their boat
in waters near their village.
His 24 year old mate and
cousin died in a boat accident.
The three were travelling in

a fiber glass boat when it hit a
beacon.
Rokoua, who was still admitted in Nadi Hospital when
interviewed was reluctant to
speak about the accident as
the loss of his cousin was still
fresh in his memory.
He however confirmed the
accident happened around
2am.
The deceased body was
later found floating in the sea
near the village.

Rokoua suffered some
slight injuries to his head but
was up sitting up and conversed freely with a police
officer who was interviewing
him regarding the incident.
The captain of the boat
was treated and sent home.
A post mortem was conducted on the victim while police investigations continued.
mission or FRCA, the CEO

said.
Consumers should also
expect to pay less for diagnostic or laboratory tests such as
blood tests, x-rays and ultrasounds.
Mrs Kumar said health
services were costly and
consumers would find the
decrease in cost beneficial to
them.
Therefore, the onus is
now on the medical service
providers who are registered
for VAT to get themselves
organized and embrace the
transformation taking place in
the countrys taxation system
by passing the benefit to the
public, she said.
The VAT was reduced on
January 1.
Make My Day
-Christina Aguilera, singer.
Fiction writing is great. You
can make up almost anything.
-Ivana Trump, former Mrs
Donald Trump.
Funny Celebrity
quotes
I dont drink these days,
I am allergic to alcohol and
narcotics. I break out in handcuffs.
-Robert Downey Jnr, actor.
Smoking kills. If youre
killed, youve lost a very important part of your life.
-Brooke Shields, actress.
Yaro Village on Malolo Island. Photos: GOOGLE.
The public has been

warned against making false
claims for withdrawals from
the Fiji National Provident
Fund.
Investigations so far found
some members had actually
made withdrawals and later
claimed that they had not
done it.
Anyone found making
false claims to withdraw
funds from the Fiji National
Provident Fund will be investigated and prosecuted, FNPF
warned.
Investigations began following a series of complaints
of falsified withdrawals in
2015, resulting in investigations being undertaken that
revealed that the complainants had indeed withdrawn
their funds from FNPF.
Falsified withdrawals are
when members lodge complaints against withdrawals
made from their accounts,
stating that these were not
done by them.
Out of the eight cases investigated, two cases involved
members who had migrated
overseas claiming that they
had not fully withdrawn their
savings.
Investigations by the Fund
revealed that these members
had withdrawn on migration
grounds and documents retrieved indicated applications
were processed as per appli-
cations from these members.

The findings also indicated
that members had signed
and cashed their payments,
which was later verified by
the banks.
In another case, a member
had claimed that he had not
withdrawn under the Funds
unemployment
assistance
scheme in February last year
despite the Funds records
stating otherwise.
The member disputed this
stating he was employed at
the time of withdrawal and
could not have withdrawn for
unemployment.
According to FNPF, the
man later told investigators
that he failed to recall applying for the funds when evidence were presented to him.
FNPF
has
reminded
members that strict measures
are in place for withdrawal
purposes, this includes the
verification process that authenticates that the member
is indeed the bona-fide account holder.
Whilst members are encouraged to report any irregular activity on their accounts,
the FNPF appreciates if withdrawals are verified prior to
lodgment of any complaints.
FNPF
said
members
should remain vigilant in safeguarding their savings and
it would ensure all avenues
were explored to safeguard
members hard earned savings for their retirement.
If we dont succeed we run

the risk of failure.
-Dan Quayle, former US
Vice President.
So wheres the Cannes
Film Festival held this year?
I owe a lot to my parents.

Especially my mother and my
father.
-Greg Norman, golfer.
I think that gay marriage is
something that should be between a man and a woman.
-Arnold Schwazneggar, former actor, Governor of California.
If it werent for electricity

wed all be watching TV by
candlelight.
-George Gobel, actor/ comedian.
Ive never really wanted to
go to Japan. Simply because
I dont like eating fish. And
I know its very popular out
there in Africa.
-Britney Spears, singer.
I mean, part of the beauty
of me is that Im very rich.
-Donald Trump, business
tycoon.
Whenever I watch TV and

see all those poor starving
kids all over the world, I cant
help but cry. I mean Id love
to be skinny like that but not
with all those flies and death
and stuff.
-Mariah Carey, singer.
I used to work at McDonalds making minimum wage.

You know what that means
when someone pays you minimum wage? You know what
your boss is trying to say? Its
like, Hey if I could pay you
less I would, but its against
the law.
-Chris Rock, actor/comedian.
Facts are stupid things.

-Ronald Reagan, former US
President.
Ive been noticing gravity

since I was very young.
-Cameron Diaz, actress.
New Nurses to be Posted Soon

New nurses can expect to have their postings by the end of February this year.
This was the message by the Health and Medical Services Minister Jone Usamate in a statement sent recently.
We have been receiving queries from graduate nurses regarding their postings. We are looking at the end of February to finalize this.
An aerial view of Malolo Island.
LOCAL NEWS
Australias Alana Carter wins

South Pacific Supermodel Pageant
Alana Carter won the ninth
2016 World Supermodel South
Pacific Pageant.
The 23-year old Australian
beauty was one of 12 contesting the title last week at the
Pearl South Pacific Resort.
She is now set to travel to
South Africas Bloemfontein
as the face of the South Pacific
where the World Supermodel
pageant is to be held in March.
The pageant held at the
Pearl Resort for the second
consecutive year sees models
from Australia, New Zealand
and Fiji compete for the title.
The Australian models
took home almost all of the
titles in the pageant.
World Teen was Australias
Miraciah Rarasea with Fijis
Mykaela Powell taking out the
Runner Up position.
Australians Diamond Langi
was Best Dressed and Poppy
Shokker was the senior runner-up.
Onisimo Moii in an earlier
statement said the Pageant
was a regional competition
Alana Carter (4th from right) together with the models that parcitipated at the pageant. Photo: ONISIMO MOII.
that allowed models from the
Pacific the opportunity to trav-
el on an all-expenses paid for

trip to compete at the world
event.
The winner of the overall
Pacific Islands attend APTC Classes

By CHARLES CHAMBERS
More than 200 students,
including those from Papua
New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Kiribati have begun
classes at the Australia Pacific
Technical Collage in Fiji.
This follows orientation
events held at APTC campuses in Vanuatu, Solomon
Islands, PNG, Samoa and Fiji.
Funded by the Australian
Government, APTC is an innovative development program.
The program delivers a
wide range of technical and
vocational courses to increase
the number of skilled, competitive and productive workers in targeted sectors across
the Pacific region.

Students have travelled
from Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Kiribati to
live and study in Fiji over the
next 22 weeks.
Jonathon Todd, APTC Fiji
Country Manager said the orientation was designed for students to meet with the administrative and teaching staff, as
well as to gain an understanding of the APTC history, rules,
expectations and code of conduct.
Understanding the assessment methodology (which
highlights the competencybased training model employed by APTC), and the
student support available are
also included at the two-day
session, Mr Todd said.

Commenting on the Orientation sessions organised for
APTC students, Mr Todd said
APTC has built a sense of excitement and pride in the students for making it to where
they are today.
Sala Tikoduadua, national
trainer in Commercial Cookery, who assisted with APTCs
presentation on behavioral
expectations and culture, also
entertained the students with
an informative activity designed to reveal where each
student is from.
The orientation ended with
a tour of the APTC Training
Centres and the Administration Office.
The support students re-
ceive from trainers and tutors,

Learning Support Facilitators,
Works Skills Facilitator, and
Student Services and Welfare
Officers aims to ensure students will achieve their very
best from the beginning of
their training, Mr Todd said.
In addition to the vocational training provided this year,
APTC staff are focused on ensuring consistency, currency
of training to support careerseeking goals of students, and
increased work placement
opportunities for students.
New courses being offered
at the Fiji Campus this semester are Certificate IV Disability
and Certificate III in Individual
Support.
pageant in South Africa gets a

one-year contract with Trump
Model Management.
Fiji Airways maintains

on time performance
By CHARLES CHAMBERS
Fijis National Airline, Fiji
Airways and Fiji Link, its regional and domestic subsidiary have recorded a high
percentage on their aircrafts
operating on time.
The recording was for
March 2015 on-time performance (OTP).
Fiji Airways reported an
OTP of 84.90% in March,
compared to 88.61% in February, and 75.92% in January.
Fiji Link recorded an OTP of
94.0% in March, compared
to 91.90% in February and
86.90% in January.
Fiji Airways Board Director Stefan Pichler stated: Its
good to produce a consistent
result, and ensure that were
meeting our monthly objective of an above 80% OTP.

The results for Fiji Airways
in March were impacted by
issues related to minor mechanical issues, slow boarding and loading of cargo. We
obviously want to keep this
consistency for April and the
months to come.
The on-time performance
for both airlines is available
on the Fiji Airways website:
http://www.fijiairways.com/
about-fiji-airways/on-timeperformance/. OTP is a global
airline industry benchmark
which measures aircraft flight
departures as being on time
if they depart from the gate
within 15 minutes of the airlines scheduled departure
time.
Fiji Airways A330-300 at the Nadi International

Airport. Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.
President of Fiji H.E Jioji Konrote with family in front of the

new Fiji Airways A330-300 at the Nadi International Airport. Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.
Students familiarise themselves during the first day of classes at APTC. Photo: SUPPLIED.
LOCAL NEWS / ADVERTISEMENT
USP Interns join

InterContinental Fiji
LAUTOKA CAMPUS
By CHARLES CHAMBERS
CAREGIVING FUNDAMENTALS
The USP Lautoka Campus is pleased to announce its first offering of the training course, Caregiving
Fundamentals for 2016.
If you are interested in Caregiving as a Homecare Worker, or as a Family Caregiver, or pursuing a
career in Caregiving, then this course is for you. The Course consists of 110 hours of classroom
theory, skills and demonstrations and First Aid/CPR training together with 40 hours of practical with an
approved client. This course provides you with necessary skills required in Caregiving.
Successful students will be awarded a Certificate of Completion from USP and First Aid/CPR Certificate
from Fiji Red Cross Society.
Day Cluster
1 February 2016 18 March 2016
Duration: 7 weeks
Time: 9am to 2pm
Venue: USP Lautoka Campus
Evening Cluster
1 February 2016 1 April 2016
Duration: 9 weeks
Time: 5pm 8pm
Venue: USP Lautoka Campus
Fees: $900 (Cash, installments, Cheque or can be assisted by FNPF)
A lifeline has been given by

InterContinental Golf Resort
and Spa to six tertiary students from the University of
the South Pacific.
The internship allows the
students, as part of their degree program, to gain firsthand experience of the Hospitality and Tourism industry.
It would also help develop their skills and practical
experience, build contacts,
strengthen resumes and learn
about the various departments within a resort prior to
graduating in 2018.
This is the 4th year that the
luxury Resort has committed
to the internship program to
be able to assist undergraduates with an opportunity to
join
the
InterContinental
workforce and gain valuable
practical experience.
Each of the students would
be allocated to both front and
back of house departments

and could expect to cover
all departments of the resort
within the 12 months of their
internship.
In order to be accepted
into the program, students
must be recognized as high
potential candidates by their
institution before they are approved to be eligible for consideration.
The six students were part
of just under 100 that underwent a rigorous series of interviews at the annual USP
Careers Fair with resort representatives.
Students were qualified
during the interview based
on their confidence, product
knowledge, aptitude to develop their career and ability
to demonstrate examples of
the IHG Winning Ways of Do
the Right Thing, Show We
Care, Aim Higher, Celebrate
Difference and Work Better
Together.
We want our interns
to learn and accumulate as

much practical experience
as possible and to give them
an opportunity to apply the
theory theyve learnt in the
classroom to real-world situations, Andrew Davidson,
Area General Manager South
Pacific at InterContinental Fiji
Golf Resort & Spa said.
This program equips the
interns with the comprehension and expertise needed
to excel in different facets of
the hotel industry as well as
investing in themselves and
their future, he said
At the InterContinental
Fiji Golf Resort & Spa, we are
committed to supporting our
educational institutions, developing talent and our future
leaders by investing in its people through partnership with
USP for paid internships in order to strengthen Fijis growing Hospitality and Tourism
industry., Mr Davidson said.
Minimum admission requirements: Must be 18 years and over; FJC pass in English or has good
command of spoken and written English. Submit the application with a copy of birth certificate and
two (2) passport photos.
We only have 20 places per class to apply early to secure your place.
To obtain the enrolment form and for further information, contact Rajendra Singh,
tel: 6666800; fax: 6667133 or email: rajendra.singh@usp.ac.fj or Babita Sharma,
email: Babita.Sharma@usp.ac.fj or enquire at the USP Lautoka Campus, Western House,
corner of Vidilo Street, Lautoka or visit our website: www.usp.ac.fj/lautoka
TOWARDS EXCELLENCE IN LEARNING AND KNOWLEDGE CREATION
The six USP candidates at the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa. Photo: SUPPLIED.
New nurses to be posted soon
LAUTOKA CAMPUS
CISCO NETWORK ACADEMY

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
FOR ENROLLING IN 2016 CCNA COURSE
CCNA Routing and Switching V5 focus on network infrastructure, mainly Routing and Switching,
but it also includes Wireless access, Security and Connectivity to branch offices using WAN.
Students move from Basic networking to more complex enterprise and theoretical networking
models later in the curriculum.
Target Group: This specialised training is suitable for fulfilling the career aspirations of those
either employed or seeking a career in networking in a competitive environment during this era
of rapid technological advancement.
MODULE
DATE
START DATE
END DATE
WEEKS
CCNA-1
Introduction
to Networks
TCP/IP Suite, Application Layer,

Transport Layer, Internet Layer,
Network Access Layer
2/2/16
8/4/16
10
CCNA-2 Routing &

Switching
Swtich Network Device, Switch

Network Configs, Routing
Protocols (OSPF), Configuration
(IPV4 & IPV6)
19/4/16
24/7/16
10
CCNA-3 Scaling
Networks
LAN Redundancy, Etherchannel,

Advance OSPF/EIGRP, (IPV4 &
IPV6), Trouble Shooting
5/7/16
9/9/16
10
CCNA-4 Connecting
Networks
Hierarchical Network Design,

Connecting to the WAN, Point-toPoint Connections, Frame Relay,
Network Address Translation
for IPV4, Broadband Solutions
27/9/16
2/12/16
10
New nurses can expect to
have their postings by the end
of this month.
This was the message by
the Health and Medical Services Minister Jone Usamate
in a statement sent recently.
We have been receiving
queries from graduate nurses
regarding their postings. We
are looking at the end of February to finalize this.
He said the nursing employment process for all new
graduates will be completed

by the said time.
All newly graduated nurses must serve as an intern
at one of the three divisional
hospitals, being CWM, Lautoka or Labasa hospital, Mr
Usamate said.
Postings will then be undertaken after the completion
of their internships.
The newly graduated nurses are legally obliged (Nursing
Decree 2011) to pass the Fiji
Nursing Council (FNC) Registration Exam to legitimize
their practice in the country
Venue: USP Lautoka Campus- Classes will be offered two evenings per week from 5pm to 8pm
as per schedule given above.
Fees: $900 per module
Placement: Only 20 places are available so it will be offered on first come-first served basis.
To obtain enrolment form and for further information, contact: Rajendra Singh,
tel: 6666800; fax: 6667133 or email: singh_ra@usp.ac.fj or Babita Sharma, email:
Babita.Sharma@usp.ac.fj or enquire at the USP Lautoka Campus, Western House, corner of
Vidilo Street, Lautoka
TOWARDS EXCELLENCE IN LEARNING AND KNOWLEDGE CREATION
Health Minister Jone Usamate. Photo: SUPPLIED.
which is the practice undertaken by nursing fraternities in

countries, the statement said.
Mr Usamate added that
the marking of the FNC Registration Examination was
complete and the results have
been submitted by the Nursing Professional Standard
Committee to the Registrar
which is due for release soon.
The ministry will also employ 200 new nurses as it
was committed to improving
health service delivery around
the country as it strives to improve the nurse patient ratio.
LOCAL NEWS
Fiji Airways Platinum Sponsor for Awards Record number of

tourists again
By CHARLES CHAMBERS
National airline Fiji Airways

is the sole Platinum Sponsor
for the 2015 ANZ Excellence in
Tourism Awards.
The Board of Trustees &
Organising Committee of the
ANZ Fiji Excellence in Tourism
Awards made the announcement highlighting the fact that
the two organizations had a
long standing partnership.
In making the announcement Chair of the Board of
Trustees, James Sowane, acknowledged Fiji Airways support over the past 18 years of
the annual awards.
We are honoured to have
the support of Fiji Airways as
the board of trustees believes
it is highly appropriate that
Castaway Island resort staff celebrate their win in a category

during a previous awards night. Photo: SUPPLIED.
our national airline, which is
renowned for continued excellence in service and operations be an integral part of and
closely identified with Fijis
premier tourism event, Mr
Sowane said.
The ANZ Fiji Excellence

in Tourism Awards challenges
and recognises our industry
colleagues who continuously
strive for excellence in their
respective businesses, he
said.
Andre Viljoen, Fiji Airways

Managing Director & Chief
Executive Officer said the airline was delighted to continue
their association with the ANZ
Fiji Excellence in Tourism
Awards.
As the largest inbound air
carrier here, we are an integral part of the Fijian tourism
industry, Mr Viljoen said.
The continued and increased association with the
awards demonstrates our
commitment to our industry
colleagues.
We look forward to an
exciting night and wish all
the award nominees the very
best, Mr Viljoen said.
The 2015 ANZ Fiji Excellence in Tourism Awards Gala
Dinner will be held at the Denarau Convention Centre on
Friday 19 February, 2016.
Fiji Airways Platinum Sponsor for Awards

By CHARLES CHAMBERS
One of Fijis popular resorts, Radisson Blu Resort Fiji
have again come to the rescue of some educational institutions in the western division.
Through their Adopt a
School program, the resort
began 2016 with a busy schedule working with Western Division Special Schools, FNU
Lautoka and Ratu Navula College.
Radisson Blus Responsible Business Committee distributed 17 brand new sewing
machines with a retail value
of $7,744 to assist vocational
training within special education facilities, like the Sunshine School in Lautoka in
Nadi, Lautoka and also a similar center in Ba.
The resort was impressed
with the dedicated teach-
ing staff who obviously were

passionate about assisting
children with a wide range of
disabilities.
It was a pleasure to hand
over various gifts which were
gratefully received and will
enhance the employability skills of those students of
school leaving age, Responsible Business Ambassador
Trish Knight said.
To help get the school
started would be amazing
if anyone in the community
could donate fabric or sewing
supplies, she said.
The resort, committee and
school would like to acknowledge Courts Fiji for the kind
support of making this project
a reality - much appreciated
by all.
Adopt a School also had
the opportunity to visit Fiji
National University and hand
over some text books suitable
for students studying Teacher

Training.
The resort received a warm
welcome from Dr Tanveer and
his team and was interested
to hear about his plans for the
future of the library.
The resorts Beverage Director Hani Daher and Executive Chef Brent Assam handed
over a brand new dough mixer to Ratu Navula College valued at F$4,000 which would
enable their vocational hospitality students improve their
pastry skills.
The resort said this would
increases chances of gaining
suitable employment.
The Adopt a School program was committed to assisting with hospitality training
in the local community and
regularly the Radisson Blu Resort Fiji team members have
conducted training sessions
for their students in the area
of Barista coffee making.

We look forward to expanding this support in 2016,
Ms Knight said.
Radisson Blus responsible
business initiatives to date
have included the distribution of over 350 computers,
18 new library set ups, fully
funding the building of an
Early Learning Centre and
many other worthwhile projects which benefit our local
schoolchildren.
This earned the resort the
Responsible Business Hotel
of the Year Asia Pacific award
within the Carlson Rezidor
Hotel group back in 2014.
General Manager Gerard
Knight said he was very proud
of what the resort team was
continuing to achieve, but
stated that the best was still
to come with 2016 donations
expected to exceed 2015.
A record number of visitors arrived into the country
last year totaling 754,835, an
increase of around 40,000 visitors from the initial target.
This means that the current visitor arrival number is
a 9 percent increase from the
2014 number.
Tourism Fiji executive
chairman Truman Bradley
(pictured) hailed the genuine
collaboration between stakeholders of the industry and
the enabling environment offered to invest in the development and the growth of the
industry.
Mr Bradley said 2015 was a
milestone year for the industry in the country which has
surpassed all expectations.
We were quite confident
of achieving this target towards the latter half of 2015,
and thus evaluated what was
working for us and what we
can improve on, he said.
Tourism Fiji is ardently
supporting the industry to
continue to raise the bar.
He said the growth of the
industry was unparalleled and
acknowledged the efforts and

support of the government.
The Fiji Bureau of Statistics
provisional visitor arrivals for
December reached a record
65,951, an increase of 10.8per
cent compared to 2014, and
increases were recorded from
all of Tourism Fijis key source
markets, with traditional markets Australia and New Zealand making 67.1per cent of
the total.
Australia maintained its position at the top with 367,273
visitors, making 48.7 per
cent of the total arrivals with
New Zealand following with
138,537, accounting for 18.4
per cent.
The North American Market (United States and Canada) sits on third place with
79,540 visitors (10.6 per cent),
Europe had 31,195 arrivals
(4.1 per cent), United Kingdom had 16,716(2.2 per cent),
China had 40,174 (5.3 per
cent), India had 3,352 (0.4 per
cent), and South Korea had
6,700 (0.9 per cent).
Others countries, including Japan, Rest of Asia, Pacific
Islands, and Others made up
71,348 arrivals (9.4 per cent).
Fijians safe as IS
attacks Jakarta
By CHARLES CHAMBERS
Radisson Blu Resort staff with recipients of sewing machines that were donated to special schools. BOTTOM: Students and
teachers of Ratu Navula Schewel Secondary chool with the dough mixer. Photos: RADISSON BLU RESORT .
All Fijian embassy staff in

Jakarta, Indonesia are safe as
authorities continue a lockdown following bomb blasts
and shootings carried out by
Islamic State militants.
There are a total of 18 Fijians living in Jakarta and this
inlcudes ten members of the
Fijian mission, including their
families.
The others include four
students, including one senior
police office and four others
working in and around Jakarta.
All are reported safe and
have been accounted for.
All are safe at embassy
staff homes, according to the
Fijian embassy and have been
issued warnings to stay away
from the road links and stay
indoors.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs remains in constant contact with its Indonesian coun-
terparts to ensure the safety of

all Fijians in Jakarta.
Meanwhile the death toll
has risen to three as authorities in Jakarta confirm that a
total of 12 IS militants linked
to the bombing and shooting
rampage have been arrested.
According to Indonesias
Reuters correspondent Samantha Hawley the militant attacks in Jakarta have
claimed a third victim, with
a man dying from gunshot
wounds to the head, Indonesian police say.
The Islamic State (IS)
group claimed responsibility
for the coordinated bomb and
gun assault on the citys central thoroughfare on January
14 which also left at least four
suspected attackers
Indonesian
authorities
blame the attack on an Islamic State faction made up of
Malay-speaking Indonesians
and Malaysians, which is part
of the extremist groups ruthless fight for a self-proclaimed
caliphate in Syria and Iraq.
LOCAL NEWS
Animals Fiji Nadi Secures

Home for Pets Clinic
By CHARLES CHAMBERS
Nadi will soon become the
centre for professional animal
health care following the purchasing of a land at Nasoso.
Animals Fiji, operated by
the West Charity Trust Society, purchased the two acre
piece of land to establish their
permanent Animals Fiji Nadi
Clinic & Shelter.
The was funded 100 percent by charitable donations
managed several events including the annual Fur Ball
held at the Sofitel Fiji Resort
& Spa during the months from
March to May each year and
via its Buy a Brick campaign
which resulted in numerous
donations.
According to Casey Quimby, Co-Founder & Managing
Trustee of Animals Fiji, more
funds were needed with a ten
year plan in place to continually raise funds to pay down
the debt and increase its operations.
The clinic was presently
situated beside Carpenters
Motors in Namaka on a rent
free land, thanks to the generosity of Bandag Fiji.
This is a charity organisation working with the community to provide better health
care for household pets and
other animals such as goats,

pigs, horses and cattle.
This organization was
built through blood, sweat
and tears with funding coming by way of some kind donors, Ms Quimby said.
She said the initial start off
came through donations from
a former Fiji family who had
migrated to the United States.
Donations include blankets for the animals, food,
cleaning products and detergents and toys for the animals, Ms Quimby said.
She said charges for medical treatment for animals are
subsidised and affordable to
pet owners.
For example the normal
charge to de-sex a dog is $130
while we charge only $25.
The clinic presently has
a qualified veterinarian and
clinic doctor from the Netherlands, Dr Marjon Strijker.
Prior to this Dr Strijker had
worked with the Ministry of
Primary industries in New
Zealand.
Ms Quimby said they will
soon have a second qualified
veterinarian joining the clinic.
The organization presently
has five veterinarians working
at its clinics throughout the
country have come from England, New Zealand, the United
States and the Netherlands.
Ms Quimby also noted
there were no courses available locally at any of the universities for veterinarians.
Animals Fiji provides emergency care for sick animals
and plays a vital role in the
management and control of
Fijis feral cat and dog populations.
It is currently the only veterinary or animal welfare organization in the Western and
Northern Division and relies
on donations to function as
it receives zero government
funding.
Animals Fiji plays a vital
role in ensuring the health of
Fijians and their animals.
Ms Quimby said she would
like to see in the near future
for the Ministry of Education,
Ministry of Health and Biosecurity unit to work together
with Animals Fiji.
Meanwhile the new clinic
at Nasoso is located on the

right-hand side of Koroniqava
Road, off the main Nasoso
Rd when towards the Nasoso
sub-division.
The relocation will occur
in the last week of this month.
Because of the relocation,
the present clinic was closed
till the end of January and will
be unable to accept any animals for surrender until February 28.
Ms Quimby said if anyone
was interested in assisting
with the Animals Fiji Nadi
Clinic move by providing
manpower, trucks for moving,
boxes, or any other assistance
to contact them on 6701012 or
at info@animalsfiji.org.
Those wanting to make a
monetary or donation in kind
can visit their website www.
animalsfiji.org or contact Ms
Quimby on 9992334.
Treasure Islands Rainy Guarantee

One of Fijis most popular tourist destination, Treasure Island Resort have added a new attraction to those
planning to holiday on the picturesque island.
The resort has launched a Rainy Day Holiday Guarantee.
This guarantee was designed for those wanting to
travel early in the year but decided against this because
of the wet season and the possibility of having rainy days
during their holiday.
q
Continued from page 1
Our focus has always been

on internationally renowned
brand names of products.
Mr Tappoo said specialty
services will include a chemist, a hair and beauty salon, a
medical centre, a physiotherapy clinic, a travel centre and
many more.
You will have a world
class play centre for kids and
an international food court,
he said.
You will have everything
TappooCity Suva has and
more.
He said the complex would
also include a world class motor car showroom showcasing
leading international motor
vehicle brands like Kia, Mahindra and Foton.
Some potential businesses
at the complex includes banks
and finance companies, travel
agency, supermarket and convenience store, chemist, hair
salon, and food outlets.
Next month we will be
inviting for expressions of interest and giving opportunity
for not only established businesses but also all those budding local entrepreneurs who
want to take advantage of this
unique opportunity, he said.
Mr Tappoo said the opening of the complex would
boost tourism in Lautoka and
like what TappooCity Suva has
become.
These and the attractions planned by the Lautoka
Chamber of Commerce are
all essential ingredients to
attracting tourists and making their visit to Lautoka City
memorable and enjoyable,
Mr Tappoo said.
Sweet Tweets:
What is your opinion on the current
maintenance of the
Nadi roads?
Elia Kula,
Nadi Back Road
I think the government
is doing a good job trying to
get this work done not just
for Nadi but other places as
well. But maybe it would
be a good idea if the proper
authorities keep a lookout
for speed driving when the
work is complete because
of the many road accidents
we have.
Emori Gavidi,
Votualevu
I hope they get it done
fast. The maintenance
works causes traffic jams
early in the mornings and
we end up arriving late to
work.
LEFT: Animals Fiji veterinarian, Dr Marjon Strijker, attends to a sick puppy while the owners look on at Animals Fiji. RIGHT: Casey Quimby, Savenaca Derua and
his wife Raijieli with puppies that were up for adoption at Animals Fiji. Photos: MARGARET NAQIRI.
Single mom on the grind for kids

Going back to school is
an exciting, nerve wrecking
and also a very stressful time
for both parents and students
alike but for Votualevu residents, Ana Kotoilevuka and
her children it is business as
usual.
Ms Kotoilevuka is a familiar face at the small market
beside U Save Supermarket in
Votualevu where she sits day
in and out to ply her trade.
My husband died a few
years ago and since then it has
always been my kids and I.
My kids help me out during
the holidays so when its time
to go back to school we have
money to pay for their school
needs, she said.
The single mother sells

produce from her garden including cabbages, chillies,
pawpaws, cucumbers and
more.
The Nadroga woman has a
small farm at Votualevu back
road where she plants her
vegetables with her children.
We are self-sufficient and
this has been our main source
of income for the last few
years.
My children are well fed
straight from our garden so
the income we get from here
helps pay for everything else.
Despite the lack of a fatherly figure in her household, Mrs
Kotoilevuka said she is stern
with her children and encourage them to strive to do their
best at home and school.
My two older sons are
Doctors Fees Decrease

Private doctors fees have decreased by six
percent.
The 6% VAT reduction should be reflected
in all fees/charges, covering consultation
fees to securing medical examination certificates to extracting a tooth and to other
medical services provided by the private
medical practitioners, chief executive officer, Premila Kumar said in the statement.
both in high school and the

youngest is still at primary and
I keep a strong rein on their
activities but theyre always
at the market with me when
they need to, she said.
The small scale farmer
said she had high hopes that
her children will be successful
at school and will look after
their family well.
All I can do is help them,
pray for them and encourage
them and let them go, and in
turn they will look after me
when I cant come to the market anymore, but that is still a
long way off, Mrs Kotoilevuka
said and smiled as she attended to her next customer.
Thousands of children
made their way back to
school as it began on January
19 last week with Education
New Car Rental Booths

Available
A rental car area is the latest addition to the
progressive development of our very own
Nadi International Airport.
The Airport opened the rental car booths
last week at the Arrivals section providing a
more convenient one stop shop for rentals
to visitors into the country.
When we all play our

parts, definitely we will bear
the fruits, he said.
Islanders Attend APTC Classes

More than 200 students, including those
from Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands
and Kiribati have begun classes at the Australia Pacific Technical Collage in Fiji.
Funded by the Australian Government, APTC
is an innovative development program.
We should acknowledge
the help of all these expatriates that have come to take
care of the roads. They work
day in and out to fix our roads
which will help in the long
term especially with tourism.
Maca Navukibau,
Legalega
Business as usual for the vendor at the market.

Photo: SERELISONI MOCEICA.
Minister Mahendra Reddy urging support from all stakeholders towards quality education
for our children.
Preeti Chand,
Nadi Town
It would help Nadi in

its quest to become much
more of a tourist attraction
and liven up the look of the
town.
Vat Free University Fees

The new Value Added Tax (VAT) rate will not
apply to university fees and charges.
This was confirmed by Consumer Council
and Fiji Chief executive Officer Premila Kumar.
Mrs Kumar said all university fees and charges, including tuition fee, registration fee and
library fee are all VAT free.
LOCAL NEWS / ADVERTISEMENT
Kava Shop takes Nadi by Storm

By MARGARET NAQIRI
A very popular business is
taking over Nadi by storm and
it all has to do with Fijis popular beverage, kava.
Commonly
known
amongst the faithful as Kava
Bars or Grog Shops, this new
business continues to grow in
popularity, especially amongst
those looking for peace and
quiet after a hard days work
at the office.
For new business owner
Uday Singh, opening his own
Kava Shop in Nadi town has
always been his dream and
today he is very happy with
the choices and achievements he has made.
It was my overnight planning, he said.
Mr Singh said had worked
for Nadi Town Council, spending five years in the Health
Department and four years in
landscaping and beautification.
No one in my family has a
business in town.
I opened Brothers Billiard
and Grog Centre to give some
responsibility to my sons so
they know what its like to run
a business, so they can be independent, he says.
With the experience he
had gained and the sacrifices
he had made for his family, he
was able to provide a better
life for his sons.
Sometimes we came
across some difficulties but
have never given up.
This is a full time job because you will have to attend
to your customers and most
of the time I spend at the kava
shop than at home.
From left: Ashneel Kant Singh, Brothers Director Uday Singh, wife Mohini Lata,volunteer Adriana and Krishneel Kant Singh pose for a group shot.
Photo: MARGARET NAQIRI.
We have been operating
this business for nine months
now from April 25, 2015,
and what I achieved during
this time, some people may
achieve in nine years.
It is a very interesting business as I meet people from all
walks of life - some good and
some bad, Singh said.
Brothers Billiard and Grog

Centre is open 24 hours and
the shop is run by his sons
Ashneel Kant Singh and Krishneel Kant Singh together with
his wife Mohini Lata.
We have a volunteer
member Adriana who never
refuses anything we ask.
She looks after the pool
tables, the canteen and runs

errands for us, Mr Singh said.
We are very different
compared to other grog
shops.
We are very clean, have
more than enough space to
sit and relax and our secret
weapon after mixing the grog
is we filter it.
The shop opens at 8am

daily but there is no closing
time as this is done when the
last customer leaves.
We dont allow dealing of
illegal substances and alcohol
and have a very friendly and
safe environment.
For those who are looking
into going into this business
go ahead as it is a very good

business and you will achieve
a lot but you will also have to
make a lot of sacrifices along
the way, he concluded.
In Nadi town there are
around six kava shops, Martintar area has three and Namaka has two.
Our Valentines day cake

just $15 for a small
heart...
LOCAL NEWS
VOU opens new school in Nadi President

champions
NCD
awareness
campaign
DEPTFO NEWS
Members of the VOU Dance Group from Suva pose for group photo in style. Photo: SUPPLIED.
By CHARLES CHAMBERS
One of Fijis biggest dance
group
attractions,
VOU
opened its doors this week for
a new school for Nadi.
VOU Fiji will be starting dance classes for all age
groups in Nadi.
The school, at Naicker
Street, will be headed up by
senior VOU member Navi
Fong.
Mr Fong has had dance

training in the USA and performed and choreographed
with VOU internationally.
Meanwhile winner of Fijis
Dancing Super Star Sharleen
Ali continues to run the Suva
School at 30 Desvoeux Road.
Ms Ali also has many years
teaching and dance experience.
The class schedule for both
locations is the same and will
include classes such as Toddler Toes, Boyz Danz, Hip Hop,

Contemporary and an Adult
Jazz/Hip Hop.
Enrollments have already
started at both locations this
week between 3pm and 6pm
or one could also enroll on the
VOU website.
I am so excited to be involved in the setting up of the
new Nadi School, Mr Fong
said.
Its a key expansion for

VOU and an important moment in the dance and arts
sector in Fiji.
I cant wait to get started
and support students on their
dance journey!
Arts education is an integral part of an individuals holistic development and VOU
is excited to be able to offer
this new creative learning opportunity to the community in
Nadi.
To find out more information about the Nadi School
contact Navi on 8350575 or
Navi@voufiji.com. For information about the Suva School
contact Sharleen on 9218146
or sharleen@voufiji.com.
University looks for Donors Mum strives for

By CHARLES CHAMBERS
The University of Fiji is
looking for a kind donor to
finance the building of a $1.6
million Student Centre at their
Saweni Campus.
Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Prem Misir
said the centre was one place
at the university which he
holds dear to his heart.
If anyone is willing to assist the university with the
building of the centre then we
would be extremely grateful,
he said.
Professor Misir said the university was actually looking at
around $6 million for further
developments to the university.
The Government, in its
2016 National Budget approved $2.3 million for the
university.
Professor Misir said the
trend was worldwide where
funding for education was de-
creasing every year.

The university has established a revenue diversification team to increase revenue
sources.
Meanwhile the University
of Fiji is collaborating with
Trent University from Canada
on Biomaterials research.
In another development,
the United States Agency for
International
Development
(USAID)
Pacific-American
Climate Fund (PACAM) will
provide US$404,729 to fund a
partnership project between
the University of Fiji and the
University of South Florida.
The project, awarded to
UniFijis Centre for Climate
Change, Energy, Environment
and Sustainable Development
would involve the mapping
and monitoring of reefs near
Votua in Ba and Maui Bay on
the Coral Coast.
The three-year project,
which will begin from April
this year and end in April 2018,
would increase the capacity
of the Fiji Government and the

communities situated close
to these areas to protect the
coastal and marine resources.
Professor Misir said the
universitys School of Science
was also instrumental in creating the Online Application
and Enrolment System for
those wanting to study there.
You could go online from
wherever you are and register, he said.
He said this was a first for
any university of Fiji and one
he was proud of.
The university will host an
education Fair on February 5.
The Fair is targeting students who have completed
Year 12 and 13 and anyone
else seeking higher education.
One of the greatest
achievements of 2015 was the
setting up of the University of
Fiji Alumni with the primary
aim to enhance the image of
the institution further.
sons education
Mere Galivia selling mangoes at the Nadi Market.

Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.
By CHARLES CHAMBERS
University of Fiji Vice Chancellor Professor Prem Misir with Public Relations Officer Shirley
Sangita Prasad. Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.
10 THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
At the beginning of every

year, many parents worries
on their childrens education
begins.
The thoughts start running
through their minds of how
are they going to cope and
manage to have their kids all
ready for school.
For those who are finding it
hard to make ends meet, their
worries are more.
Mere Galivia is one of
them.
The Jet Newspaper team
found her selling a few piles of
mangoes, at $2 a heap at Nadi
Market last week.
Her worries were etched
all over her face.
Her son, Joseva Nabogibogi Uqeuqe attends Class 3

at Togo Primary School.
Its getting harder every
year when I start putting things
together to see that Joseva is
ready for school, she said.
The cost of uniform is getting higher each year and then
we have to see to his lunch
every day.
Also his exercise books
need to be bought along with
pencils, pens and other stationary, she said.
Her husband was at home
planting cassava for their use
and also to sell, she said.
Mrs Galivia said it was
tough but she was making
sure he was there at school
on the first day.
The President, His Excellency Major-General (Retd)

Jioji Konousi Konrote, is Fijis
champion for the awareness
campaign to reduce NonCommunicable
Diseases
(NCDs).
The Minister for Health and
Medical Services Hon. Jone
Usamate had invited the President to become Fijis leading
advocate for the elimination
of NCDs, which contribute to
eighty-percent of deaths in the
country.
Following the Presidents
acceptance of the honorary
position, a team from the Ministry of Health and Medical
Services today conducted a
presentation to the President,
the First Lady and staff of the
Office of the President.
Led by the Assistant Minister for Health and Medical Services, Hon. Veena Bhatnagar
and the Permanent Secretary
Dr. Meciusela Tuicakau, the
presentation focused on the
causes of NCDs and on how
Fiji could change the situation
to have a healthier population.
Fijis national advisor on
NCDs Dr Isimeli Tukana presented the following statistics:
Premature deaths are
any death that happens below
70 years
80-percent of deaths in
Fiji are caused by NCDs
NCDs contribute to a
lower life expectancy which
is currently below 70 years for
both male and females
The three top NCDs are
heart attacks, diabetes and
stroke
NCDs also contribute to
mental illness, cancers, heart
diseases, obesity,
NCDs make people more
prone to accidents and injuries, among other diseases
The causes of NCDs include but are not limited to:
smoking, alcohol and kava
abuse, eating junk food, stress
and worries, physical inactivity
NCDs can be overcome
through eating healthy meals,
drinking clean water, breathing oxygen, moderate physical activity on a daily basis,
and having a positive attitude
Dr Tukana said that the
overall target is for all Fijians
to have a healthy lifestyle. This
essentially means changing
ones behaviour
He said a major component of the NCD awareness
campaign is to promote wellness from the conception
stage, or when a child is yet
to be born, right through to
senior age
It is anticipated that the
President will promote wellness and a healthy lifestyle
throughout Fiji, especially in
schools and with youth and
community groups.
The President His Excellency

Major-General (Retd) Jioji
Konousi Konrote.
TOURISM / ADVERTISEMENT
Jack Strives to be the best
Coconut Crab Wonderz to blitz Expo
By CHARLES CHAMBERS
By CHARLES CHAMBERS
Jack Johnson has strived

to be the best in whatever he
does and at his age, he is well
on his way to achieving that.
At 32 years of age, one
would consider him young
with the position he holds at
Sofitel Resort and Spa on Denarau Island.
The renowned resorts
new Food and Beverage Operations Manager has certainly come a long way since starting his career in the hospitality
industry in 2005.
Hailing from Tore Village,
in Cuvu, Nadroga, the father of
three was beaming with pride
at his new job.
He attended Cuvu District
School and Cuvu College before deciding his destiny lay in
the tourism industry.
His
mother,
Makereta
Kuricivi Johnson, now retired worked as an executive
housekeeper at the ShangriLas Fijian Resort.
His dad, John is still the
band leader at Mana Island
Resort and it was inevitable
that Jack would follow in his
parents footsteps.
After secondary school,
Jack attended the Fiji National
University and a diploma in
Quality Management.
He is also certified by the
Australian Butler Services,
successfully completed and
certified for an Australian
course, Seven Habits of Highly
Effective People, Trainer of
Trainers and completed the
course in Responsible Service
of Alcohol from FNU.
In 2005, he began work at
Shangri-Las Fijian Resort as
a front office attendant which
lasted three years.
Following this, he took on
a new role as Duty Manager at
Novotel in Suva for two years.
This years Fiji Toursim

Wedding Expo will have a
new added attraction to its
range of products Coconut
Crab Wonderz.
Sure to attract a lot of attraction at the Expo, which
will be held and will be on
March 19-20 at the ShangriLas Fijian Resorts Exhibition Centre, the Nadi based
company is becoming a hit
amongst the weddings being
held at major resorts.
Coconut Crab Wonderz
is an express wedding documentation service provider.
The company was established in March 2014 and is
run by a couple, Isoa and
Leilani Tokalautawa, based in
Malawai, Nadi.
From applying for special
licenses to registering marriages, to delivering either
personally by hand to couples
from abroad on departure or
door-to-door delivery at their
preferred addresses, Coconut
Crab Wonderz has it covered.
We are looking forward
to exhibit our product at the
Tourism Fiji Wedding Expo
Jack Johnson at the Sofitel Resort and Spa.

Photo: CHARLES CHAMBERS.
Following this, he was promoted to Banquet Manager
and also worked as the sales
Events Coordinator at the
same hotel.
In 2013, Jack successfully
applied and scooped the job
of Banquet Manger at Outrigger on the Lagoon in Sigatoka
and the following year was
appointed Senior Outlet Manager.
He joined Sofitel in December 2015 and described
his impression of the resort as
a place which greatly lifted his
passion to work in the tourism
industry.
I just cant wait to make
my way to work every day
here its the passion, he
said.
It was and still is exciting
to meet new people, he said.

Jack said Sofitel was a resort where everyone would
want to work as it was one of
the most developed resorts in
Fiji.
Some of the staff here are
sent overseas for training and
the way the resort looks after
its employees is unbelievable, he said.
The resort nurses new
employees when you start to
make you the best in what you
do in the industry, he said.
You are given every opportunity to better yourself
in whatever you are doing at
Sofitel, Jack said.
Jack is married to Kelera
(nee Hill) and their children
are Helen, 8, Paul, 7 and twoyear-old William.
to market our product and let

people know we are here and
to inform our industry partners of our services, Ms Tokalautawa said.
This, she adds, would
hopefully give Fijis wedding
market an edge over other
wedding destinations.
Our company is different
as it is the first in Fiji to provide
an express service - wedding
documentation errands for
couples who come to marry
in Fiji.
It is a service that compliments other services like
wedding planners or coordinators - we specifically deal
with wedding documentation, she said.
The company has being
collaborating with other tourism operators in Fiji, with clients such as Sheraton Fiji Resort, Namale Resort and Koro
Sun Resort.
Ms Tokalautawa said it was
important to have partnerships established with the industry for Coconut Crab Wonderz to grow as a business.
I believe it is important to
establish partnerships with local tourism operators because
we need each other to help

grow this industry.
There are areas which
we, small businesses, specialize in that other big operators
can benefit from to help market their product or increase
their sales, she said.
Coconut Crab Wonderz
allows them to deal with the
clients on all the preparations
and details for the wedding
reception, while not having to
worry about the paperwork.
Couples do not have to
wait in queue because we do
the waiting and the running
around. In doing so, couples
get to spend more time organising with their wedding
coordinators. Thus we compliment not compete.
Ms Tokalautawa confirmed
that Coconut Crab Wonderz
would also be exhibiting their
company, Tokman Holdings
Limited, as well as their newly
established Photobooth hiring
business.
An actual Photobooth that
prints photos instantly one of
the first in Fiji, she adds.
The Fiji Wedding Expo will
be open from 9am to 5pm
daily on the two days.
A couple signs the registry after their wedding at one of Fijis resorts. INSET: Coconut Crab
Wonderzs Managing Director Leilani Tokalautawa. Photos: SUPPLIED.
11
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NADI IN PICTURES
Nadi In Pictures
13
TOURISM
Treasure Island guarantees guests

By CHARLES CHAMBERS
One of Fijis most popular
tourist destination, Treasure
Island Resort has added a
new attraction to those planning to holiday on the picturesque island.
The resort has launched a
Rainy Day Holiday Guarantee.
This guarantee was designed for those wanting to
travel early in the year but decided against this because of
the wet season and the possibility of having rainy days during their holiday.
The Rainy Day Holiday
Guarantee meant guests
could enjoy great holiday sav-
ings (February Specials) without having to worry about the

weather issues knowing that
they were covered.
The resorts general manager Robert Waide said thes
Rainy Day Holiday Guarantee
covered travel from the 23rd
of January 2016 to the 29th
of February 2016, with conditions applying.
If guests are unfortunate
enough to have rain on their
holiday they have 15 months
to utilise this offer leaving
them plenty of time to plan
another holiday and better
still, the 50% reduction is off
the Treasure Island Resort
rate at the time they make
their next booking which can
be any time of the year, Mr
Treasure Island Resort. Photo: SUPPLIED.
Waide said.
Treasure Island being a
four-star resort offers 68 traditionally-styled and recently
renovated bures, along with a
sophisticated restaurant and
bar, impressive three-tiered
swimming pool and a highly
acclaimed kids club!
Treasure Island has that
truly authentic Fijian experience and this genuine hospitality is contagious and the
main reason we have so many
return guests, Mr Waide said.
We pride ourselves on our
quality product and service
and we look forward to welcoming you to our beautiful
island, he said.
InterContinental
leads the way for
Chinese guests
By CHARLES CHAMBERS
Intercontinental Fiji Golf resort and Spa is gearing up for
an influx of Chinese guests.
Next month is the Chinese
New Year and anticipation high
on the high number of arrivals
of Chinese holidaymakers.
A pilot resort for the China Ready program that was
rolled out in 2015 by parent
company, IHG,with the property investing considerably into
making sure that the needs of
Chinese guests were taken into
account and in the process deliver enjoyable and memorable
moments that were the hallmarks of an InterContinental
guest experience.
The Resort has also received its official premium accreditation from IHG meaning
that it has met all the criteria
check points to be able to be
certified property ready and
trained to look after the needs
of Chinese guests.
The resorts Marketing Executive, Sarah Chung said since
2015, the Resort had invested
in Chinese scripted menus in
all its outlets, introduced Chinese language TV channels,
enhanced the breakfast buffet
menus and sourced Chinese
teas for its luxury suites to be

able to ensure that the InterContinental experience on offer was
synonymous with any other accredited InterContinental property around the World.
InterContinental Fiji continues to improve and invest in
training programs to secure its
position as the number one resort in Fiji for the more discerning Chinese traveler, Ms Chung
said.
Staff now has access to IHG
accredited training specific to
the Chinese market, their service needs and expectations,
and this has helped the staff
in looking after their Chinese
guests.
The Resort has also set up
accounts on Chinese social media sites, investing with partners
in Chinese print and digital advertising and was also working
very closely with the IHG Regional Sales Office based out of
Shanghai to leverage preferred
partnerships and campaigns.
Director Leisure Sales and
Marketing Hudson Mitchell also
conducts regular sales call into
China partnering up with travel
agents and ensuring that agents
and consumers had access to
the most recent and updated
information that would assist in
driving more business into the
Resort.
With Chinese agents and

consumers alike appreciating
the fact that the InterContinental is situated on an award winning beach that has been voted
number in Fiji and top 25 in the
world, the introduction of Chinese initiatives has allowed for
more interest in market.
We are excited about Chinese New Year and the fact that
we are the premium choice
for accommodation in Fiji, Mr
Mitchell said.
To assist with our sales and
marketing efforts in China, we
have implemented IHG Corporate initiatives for Chinese
New Year.
This includes our Chinese
targeted promotion Unwind,
Stay & Dine, which has tailored
inclusions designed to satisfy
the specific needs of Chinese
travelers.
He said with more luxury
Chinese travelers opting for an
InterContinental
experience,
their Club InterContinental
product was a much sort after
option for accommodation with
their Chinese partners.
We look forward to creating a memorable experience for
our Chinese guests this Chinese
New Year, Mr Mitchell said.
Luxury Club InterContinental One Bedroom Plunge Suite. Photos: SUPPLIED.
TOURISM / ADVERTISEMENT
Fiji Airways welcomes Ben Ryan aboard as its newest ambassador
FIJI AIRWAYS
Fiji Airways, Fijis National
Airline and Ben Ryan have
teamed up, with the airline
naming the Championship
winning 7s Coach its latest, official brand ambassador.
The charismatic Englishman arrived in Fiji in 2013 to
coach the Vodafone Fiji 7s
team, and has quickly become one of Fijis most popular sporting personalities after
coaching his team to success
at the 2014-2015 HSBC Sevens
World Series.
As well as leading Fiji to
success on the rugby field,
Ryan dedicates much of his
spare time to community projects, something which he will
continue in his new role with
Fiji Airways.
As a Fiji Airways Ambassador, Ben will work alongside

the Fijian carrier on a series of
initiatives to raise the profile of
the airline and its association
with Fiji Rugby.
Fiji Airways Managing Director and CEO, Andre Viljoen
says: As one of the worlds
leading Sevens rugby coaches, Ben has the respect and
admiration of rugby fans everywhere, especially here at
home. His achievements on

and off the field with the Fiji
team are outstanding. Moreover, the values he shares
with his team are similar to
our own. He is a brilliant fit
with our organisation.
Ryan says hes happy to
officially join Fiji Airways as
an Ambassador, in a country
which is now his home away
from home.
Im honoured, really. My
line of work means travelling everywhere and my trips

begin, and end, with Fiji Airways, says Ryan. Its a wonderful airline, and one that is
extremely important to the
Fijian people.
I am looking forward to
working with the team at Fiji
Airways particularly on all
their projects that involve the
community.
Ryan has already featured
in a popular promotional video for the airline released in

May 2015 titled Seven Tips on
How to Fly Like a Fijian after
Fiji won the 2014-2015 HSBC
World Rugby Sevens Series.
Fiji Airways is the official
airline of Fiji Rugby.
Fiji 7s coach and new Fiji Airways brand ambassador Ben

Ryan. Photo: SUPPLIED.
The Warwick Fiji awarded highest honours by Trip Advisor

The Warwick Fiji has won
two awards in the 2016 Trip
Advisor Travellers Choice
Awards for hotels.
This
was
announced
through a statement by the
hotel recently as the hotel
ranked in both Top 10 Hotels
in Fiji and Top 10 Luxury Hotels in Fiji.
The Trip Advisors Travellers Choice Awards according
to the hotel are based on reviews and opinions collected
in a single year from travelers
around the globe and are the
highest honours given by Trip
Advisor.
Warwick Fijis general
manager Brad Downtown acknowledged the work of the

staff at the hotel.
The team at The Warwick
Fiji have been working tirelessly over the last 12 months
to surpass our guest expectations and to be recognised by
our travelling community is
exceptional Mr Downtown
said.
General Manager of The
Warwick Fiji Brad Downton
said the awards were the
highest accolade for the team
for their outstanding efforts in
customer service delivery.
The professional work
ethic, the teams engaging
personalities and commitment to continuously improve
has been part of the instru-
mental driving force behind

the success in achieving this
incredible milestone Mr
Downton added.
The resort has won three
other Trip Advisor awards in
the last two years, featured
in the Holidays with Kids Top
10 Awards 2015, and won the
2014 Excellence in Business
Award at the Fiji Business Excellence Awards night.
The awards are given out
on the merits of remarkable
service, quality and value.
Warwick Fiji is located on
the famed Coral Coast and
boasts of 247 tastefully decorated rooms and suites.
It has also been regarded
as one of Fijis premiere holiday destinations.
Rear view of The Warwick Fiji resort. Photo: SUPPLIED.
GET A FREE DOMAIN

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15
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17
LOCAL NEWS / ADVERTISEMENTS
No Government decision yet on Nadi boundary extension Tappoo, Airports Fiji LimBy CHARLES CHAMBERS
Prime Minister Voreqe
Bainimarama said he could
not prejudge Governments
decision on Nadis proposal
for the town to be declared a
city by 2017.
He made the comment
during the dedication of the
Voivoi Community Kindergarten in Legalega, Nadi on January 27.
The Nadi Town Council
was looking to extending the
town boundaries to include
Naisoso, Legalega and the
wider Votualevu area in the
coming months.
I do know that a city is
a living, growing thing, Mr
Bainimarama said.
A city changes over time.
It needs room to grow. It often

needs to absorb fast-growing
adjacent areas in order to provide services efficiently and
ensure that development is
coherent.
Nadi is growing. As you
know, the Nadi Town Council
has submitted plans to extend
the town boundaries to Naisoso, here in Legalega and the
Votualevu area in the coming months, putting Nadi on a
fast-track to become the third
city of Fiji.
He said Legalega was a
part of that growth.
You are next to the Nadi
International Airport, which
is the gateway to Fiji, and of
course, to our tourism industry, which has driven growth
in Nadi.
He said a growing city was
one that offered a lot of opportunity, like Nadi did and

this usually attracted young
families.
People want to lay down
roots here and build their careers and their lives here and
of course, that almost always
means children.
New subdivisions are
springing up and new subdivisions dont exist on their
own.
They bring with them a
demand for shopping, wider
roads, traffic control, sanitation, medical care, and of
course schools, the Prime
Minister said.
Nadi Town Council Chief
Executive Robin Ali earlier
said what the Prime Minister
had reiterated and that was
the logic behind the extension
of the town boundaries was to

fast-track Nadis status as Fijis
third city.
Extending the boundaries meant the Council would
have to bolster its resources
and manpower to ensure that
the needs of its people were
well taken care off.
Ali said the support from
the private sector had been
immense and the hope was to
double the towns population
of twelve thousand in order to
qualify as a city.
Meanwhile the Nadi River
widening project carried out
by the Japanese International
Cooperation Agency (JICA) is
expected to start sometime
soon.
Digicel to Provide Best Internet Connectivity at Tourism Expo

By CHARLES CHAMBERS
Participants attending this
years Fiji Tourism Expo will
have access to free Wi-Fi.
This was announced by
mobile phone giants Digicel
while signing up as a gold
sponsor for the awards which
will be held from May 3 5.
The high-speed free Wi-Fi
will be available to international delegates, media, and
the Fiji tourism industry operators for the entire duration
of the three-day Expo so that
everyone stays connected to
their business.
In addition, Digicel will also
sponsor the media room at
FTE 2016.
Since the inaugural FTE
in 2014, Digicel has been the
preferred technology sponsor
for.
it was easy to pick Digicel as our partner of choice

to manage FTEs connectivity
needs, Tourism Fijis Director
of Events, Sally Cooper said.
We thank Digicel for the
support they have provided
to the Fijian Tourism Expo
since 2014 and we are confident that they have the best
product to meet the demands
of our customers during the
event in May, Ms Cooper
adds.
As an added bonus to international delegates attending the Expo, Digicel will be at
the FTE 2016 meet-and-greet
lounge with Tourist Transport
Fiji at the Nadi International
Airport issuing local SIM cards.
Digicel Business Head of
ICT Operations, Mr Ravisa
Daunivuka(pictured)
said
Digicel Fiji was proud to part-
ner with Tourism Fiji for this

event for the third year running.
The FTE attracts international buyers who have multiple devices and are heavily
dependent on top class internet connectivity, Mr Daunivuka said.
Digicel is committed to
providing all attendees access to Fijis fastest data network, ensuring they remain
connected to their businesses
while attending the Expo.
We are thankful to have
the opportunity to showcase
our unique solutions that are
tailored for those attending,
Mr Daunivuka said.
ited Commit to ANZ Fiji

Excellence in Tourism
Awards as Gold Sponsors
TOURISM FIJI
The Board of Trustees &
Organising Committee of the
19th ANZ Fiji Excellence in
Tourism Awards (FETA) are
delighted to announce that
long term awards supporters, Tappoo & Airports Fiji Ltd
(AFL), have both signed up to
be Gold Sponsors of the event
for the next three years.
In making the announcement Chair of the Board of
Trustees, James Sowane said
Tappoo and AFL need to be
commended for their longterm commitment toward
making the Excellence in
Tourism Awards possible.
Tappoo have been committed sponsors for the past
6 years and were thrilled to
formalise their level of sponsorship commitment having
contributed very generously
previously, particularly in
showcasing some of their premium brands.
Tappoo Executive Director, Kaushal Tappoo said, We
acknowledge that the tourism
industry is at the forefront of
the Fijian economy, and the
Excellence in Tourism Awards
night is about recognising
those people who make a difference to the Tourism Industry.
The event itself is about
networking, socialising, and
building strong partnerships
so that we can together make
a difference to the Tourism Industry.
We are very proud of our
association and support of the

dynamic tourism industry in
Fiji and we look forward to
building our strong partnership with the Fiji Excellence
in Tourism Awards for many
years to come, concluded Mr
Tappoo.
The Second Gold Sponsor,
AFL has been involved with
supporting the awards since
2009 when they signed up as
Silver Sponsors, they enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to become a Gold Sponsor when approached by ANZ
FETA last year.
Acknowledging
excellences in the Fijian tourism industry is a great endeavour by
FETA and all of its sponsors,
AFL Executive Chairman, Faiz
Khan stated.
Around 98% of tourists
arrive and leave Fiji through
the Nadi International Airport. Nadis terminal is going
through a major upgrade to
make the experience of our
tourists friendlier, more comfortable and world-class. The
upgrade is scheduled to be
completed by 2016. We simply want to see more smiles
and happiness on the faces of
our guests, Mr Khan added.
Tappoo & AFL sponsorship
commitment brings them into
line with the new naming right
sponsors ANZs commitment
to the next three years, adding to the stability and sustainability of the event which will
enable the Fiji Excellence in
Tourism Awards to continue
to grow in prestige.
NEWS
Lautoka woman
moves up in the world
By CHARLES CHAMBERS
A Lautoka born human
rights activist has been elected to the board of the Association of Womens Rights in
Development.
AWID is an influential global organisation with over 30
years experience in development, sustainability, gender
equality and womens rights.
The Fiji Womens Rights
Movement and the Emerging
Leaders Forum Alumni (ELFA)
were the first to congratulate
Betty Barkha on her recent
election,
Ms Barkha, who is originally from Saru in Lautoka, is
a human rights advocate with
extensive experience in gender equality, peace & security,
youth inclusion and climate
change.
She is currently based in
Thailand with the Asia Pacific
Forum on Women, Law and
Development.
Ms Barkha is also involved
with the FRIDA Young Feminist Fund, Women Deliver
Young Leaders Program and
the Asia Pacific Alliance on
Women Peace and Security.
We are thrilled to have a
young woman leader from Fiji
on the AWID Board, to represent the concerns of Pacific
women. Betty is a strategic
leader, committed to the principles of feminism and human
rights, and an outstanding
graduate of our young womens leadership programme,
VACANCY
SALES REPRESENTATIVE
An energetic, devoted and dynamic person is
required to supplement our Sales Team.
Must have at least 2 years of sales experience,
computer literate, some knowledge of the signage
industry will be an added advantage.
Betty Barkha.
FWRMs Executive Director
Tara Chetty said.
She graduated from
FWRMs Emerging Leaders
Forum in 2012. ELFA is a yearlong leadership-training programme for young women in
Fiji, which began in 2002 and
now has an Alumni of over
100 young women leaders.
ELFA Co-ordinator Funmike Lilo echoed similar
sentiments expressed by Ms
Chetty.
The Alumni is ecstatic
about Bettys appointment to
the AWID Board. She has dedicated herself to doing amazing work and this can only be
one more step towards that
and being a proud voice for
young Pacific women, she
said
Betty is currently involved
in research under the Australian National Universitys Pacific Research Colloquium to
understand climate change
resilience initiatives undertaken by Pacific grassroots
and indigenous women using
traditional knowledge.
I am extremely keen on
becoming involved with AWID
and the team and being a representative voice from the Pacific, Ms Barkha said.
Its been an empowering
journey and I hope to continuously contribute towards Pacific development.
ADMIN ASST. (Trainee)

We immediately require a highly energetic and
motivated staff who can provide customer support
to new and existing clients in our Nadi office.
Having previous experience in a marketing related
position would be an advantage. Must be fluent in
written & oral English. Ready for challenges in a
highly paced office environment.
Apply in person or email to: jobs@media.com.fj

or call us on 6707075
Prime Ministers remarks at the dedication Of the

Voivoi Community Kindergarten, Legalega Nadi
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Ni sa bula vinaka and good
morning to you all.
Nadi is growing. As you
know, the Nadi Town Council
has submitted plans to extend
the town boundaries to Naisoso, here in Legalega and the
Votualevu area in the coming months, putting Nadi on a
fast-track to become the third
city of Fiji.
I cannot prejudge Governments decision on Nadis proposal, but I do know that a city
is a living, growing thing. A city
changes over time. It needs
room to grow. It often needs
to absorb fast-growing adjacent areas in order to provide
services efficiently and ensure
that development is coherent.
Legalega is a part of that
growth. You are next to the
Nadi International Airport,
which is the gateway to Fiji,
and of course, to our tourism
industry, which has driven
growth in Nadi.
Of course, a growing city
one that offers a lot of opportunity, like Nadi doesusually attracts young families.
People want to lay down roots
here and build their careers
and their lives here. And of
course, that almost always
means children.
New
subdivisions
are
springing up, and new subdivisions dont exist on their
own. They bring with them a
demand for shopping, wider
roads, traffic control, sanitation, medical care, andof
courseschools.
The Voivoi Kindergarten
will be an important community resource, and I am very
proud that the assistance provided by Governmentjust
under $64,000 to complete the
kindergarten and provide furniturehas relieved the community of the burden of trying
to finance the construction
to its completion. The Small
Grant Scheme, which funded
this project, is intended to

solve exactly these kinds of
problems, to use small grants
for a big result. You first told
me of this two years ago, and I
am happy to see it completed
today.
Five-year olds should not
have to travel long distances
to attend kindergarten. They
need a kindergarten in their
communities. In fact, the kindergarten should be an extension of the community, a place
where parents and teachers
meet socially and share in the
upbringing and development
of all their children.
Kindergarten is important
in a childs development. It
helps them learn to make
friendships. It teaches them
some of the early basic skills
they will need to succeed in
school. It teaches them to
play cooperatively, to respect
others, to share, and to be
comfortable away from their
parents. It is the first step in a
long process of breaking away
and becoming independent.
In fact, early childhood education is so important that it
is guaranteed in our Constitution as part of every persons
right to education. I am not
aware of another nation that
has enshrined early childhood
education in this way, so that
it cannot be taken away.
We parents can thank God
for these years of learning and
wonder, when our children
bring us joy every day, and
where they first learn the joys
of formal learning. These are

precious days, and parents,
I can tell you that when your
children are adults, you will
still be able to hear in your
minds ear their five-year old
voices. And you will never let
go of them. You will never tire
of hearing them.
I speak a lot about education. Our Constitution sets
down every Fijians right to
education in some detail, and
I have said that I want to be
known as the prime minister
who finally made education
free, who ended the practice
of schools constantly pursuing parents for fees. This, of
course, made education more
available to the people who
could pay for it. Once, those
who could not were forced to
either sacrifice food or clothing or other necessities to pay
for school or condemn their
children to an inferior education. No more.
I believe that education is
not just the parents responsibility; it is the communitys.
We all benefit when we educate all our children.
But I dont want to be remembered only as the prime
minister who made education more available. I want to
be remembered as the prime
minister who put this country
on an uncompromising quest
to give our children the best
education we can. And that
starts with early childhood.
We are investing in our
school facilities throughout
the country. We are striving

over time to have the best possible teachers, the best facilities, and the best equipment
and materials for our children.
We wont do it overnight, but
we have started down this
long road, and we will keep
on. Of course, there is no end
to this road: We will always
need to do more, we will always need to improve. The
road will always stretch out
before us. The reward is that
along the way we will watch
our children getting stronger
and smarter, our young adults
getting more capable, and our
leaders getting wiserall because we cared to invest in
education.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I cannot talk about our future without raising a subject
that is very important to me.
Fiji is not the same sleepy
country that emerged from
colonial rule more than 45
years ago. We are a dynamic
country, and we are demanding our rightful place in the region and in the world.
There is a new spirit in Fiji,
and we believe we can accomplish anything we commit ourselves to doing. And
that is why I am asking the
people of Fiji to help us adopt
a new flag.
I have known our flag
all my adult life, and I have
served under it with pride as a
military officer and your prime
minister. But I would like us to
have a flag that takes us into
the futureto where we are

going rather than from where
we have been. So I think we
need to let the old flag go,
with our love and admiration.
The new flagalways with
our beloved Fiji bluecan
stand for the kind of people
we are, the kind of nation we
aspire to be, and the kind of
country we will leave to these
children.
We have established a
transparent process to select
a new flag, and I ask you all
to participate. We are accepting design submissions until
29 February, and then we will
select five designs to put before the people. There will be
a national consultation during
which time you will be able to
tell us which design you like
best.
Whichever design we
choose, it will signify the
dawn of a new day. It will tell
the world that Fiji is on the
move. It will be our banner.
We will have created it.
I believe we will love
whichever design we choose
because we love our Fiji.
I believe that all of our students gathered here today will
make the best possible use of
these new facilities. Together
lets build a Fiji we can be
proud to pass on to this generation. A Fiji that stands unified, independent and prosperous.
Thank you. Vinaka vakalevu
19
BUSINESS NOTICE BOARD
ADVERTISEMENT
21
Lelean wins Secondary

Schools title
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
It was a day of celebrations
for Lelean Memorial School as
they lifted the schools title during the 2016 Bayleys Fiji Coral
Coast Sevens at Lawaqa Park in
Sigatoka.
The Davuilevu-based side
defeated Tuva 17-14 to clinch
the title.
Lelean walked away with
the winning trophy and the prize
money of $4000.
Nailati Ukelele of the winning Lelean team was awarded
the Lote Tuqiri Medal for the
Player of the Tournament with
his classy performance throughout the competition.
There was great excitement
in the crowd and among the
players as the guest of honour

Lote Tuqiri made the presentations.
He was joined by James
Pridgeon, the General Manager
of the Uprising Resort who is
the main sponsor of the competition.
School principal Ledua Colati said he was grateful for their
achievements despite not having proper training with all the
players.
I take my hat off to them as
there was no organised training,
they did well, at times slowed
down because the heat was
too much for us, but they did
it in the end, Colati told Times
Sport.
He said the prizemoney
would be used to help start the
schools rugby team for tournaments ahead.
BAYLEYS CORAL COAST 7S SUPPLEMENT
Tuqiri joins Walk of Fame

By ANUSHIL KUMAR
Dual international Lote Tuqiri was added to the Rugbytown

Walk of Fame in Sigatoka during
the Bayleys Coral Coast 7s.
The 36-year-old, who grew
up in the nearby village of Namatakula, said it is an honour to
be added to the Walk of Fame
alongside greatest rugby legends.
Being asked to join several legends of the game on the
Walk of Fame is a real honour,
said Tuqiri who played at the
highest level for more than 15
years.
Waisale
Serevi,
David
Campese, Jonah Lomu, Ben
Womens champion TFL Fijiana Makosoi players (with medals) with USA Serevi Selects at
Lawaqa Park, Sigatoka. Photo: MARGARET NAQIRI.
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Gollings, Viliame Satala and Karl

Te Nana are the other names on
the Walk of Fame on the main
street of Sigatoka.
We are thrilled to add one
of the Coral Coasts famous
sons to the Walk of Fame, said
Jay Whyte, Founding Chairman
of the Bayleys Fiji Coral Coast
Sevens.
Lote has achieved so much
in his career in both rugby union
and rugby league and is an inspiration to the youngsters of
his village and in fact to all the
people of Fiji.
Lote Tuqiri with wife and kids

in front of the newly added
Walk of Fame in the streets of
Sigatoka Town. Photo: SUPPLIED.
Mystic Knights player runs for a try against Central Chiefs during the Rainbow Cool Tech
Womens Bowl final. Photo: MARGARET NAQIRI.
LOCAL SPORTS
Olympians tour Spain

By ANUSHIL KUMAR
The national under 23 side
departed for Spain with a mission.
This is the first ever football
team from Fiji to tour a country
which is third in the FIFA world
rankings.
And results are not important
for the Frank Farina-coached
Olympians.
This is the first team from
Fiji to travel to Spain and it is our
first step in terms of preparation
for the Rio Olympics, Farina
said.
We are playing against good
teams so for me, the results are
irrelevant.
It will be a great experience
for the players to travel to a Eu-
ropean country.
It will be different culture
and different playing style. So
for them to experience that early on will be great.
According to Farina, they are
moulding this team into a new
style as few changes have been
made from their previous system.
As this is the first step for the
road to Rio so it is more about
how we play and how the players react to the playing style, the
playing structure and system.
If the results come then
thats great. But the results are
not important for me.
Rewa goalkeeper Simione
Tamanisau, Ba defender Alvin Singh, Ba utility Abbu
Zaid,Lautoka defender Samuela
Kautoga and Nadi midfielder
Munit Krishna are some of the

seniors players in the squad.
The Fiji U23 side played its
first match against Lavante United on Tuesday 19, unfortunately
went down 0-2 before playing to
a 1-all draw against Hercules CF
the following day. Both teams
are the second divisions in the
Spanish football league from
Segunda Division.
The Alvin Singh-captained
side also held CF Cracks to a 2-2
draw in their third match of the
tour.
The side lost 0-3 to Villareal
Youths before facing a 1-4 defeated to Castellon FC.
And they ended their tour
on a high after beating Shanfi Shenua, a Chinese Super
League team, 1-0 via Rusiate
Matarereqa goal.
The national under 23 players and officials with team Hercules CF in Spain. Photo: FIJI FA
MEDIA / AVIKASH CHAND.
Local Promoter to stage

boxing event in New Zealand
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
Westwood Boxing Promotions is now looking forward to
its first ever program overseas
following the approval given to
stage a boxing event in Auckland, New Zealand.
This was confirmed by the
President of the New Zealand
National Boxing Federation
(NZNBF) Mr David Craig and
board member MrFaiyaz Khan.
And for the boxing promoter
and matchmaker Praneel Dass,
staging a program outside Fiji is
indeed a milestone.
Dass has also created history
for Fiji boxing further by obtaining approval from the New Zealand National Boxing Federation
Board (NZNBF) to stage this
event.
I am very excited at being
given this opportunity to stage a
boxing event in New Zealand,
Dass said.
This is a big step for Fiji
boxing and will also give our local boxers exposure and much
needed overseas experience.
I can confirm that a few Fiji
boxers will be fighting in my
New Zealand program and I will
announce those names in the
next few weeks.
Westwood Boxing promoter and matchmaker Praneel Dass

(right) on interview in Radio Tarana studios in New Zealand.
Dass and his team is currently working to stage its first ever
boxing program overseastagged as the Kiwi Boxing Rumble. Photo: PRANEEL DASS / FACEBOOK.
He said his team is currently
in advanced negotiations with
New Zealand boxers and their
respective managers who will
be fighting in the program.
NZNBF oversees over 25 to
30 boxing programs a year and
most of the professional boxing
in these programs are inter gym

and overseas title fights.
The program, scheduled for
March 19, will be held at the
ABA Stadium which has hosted
many boxing events over the
years.
CVC
Shelvin wins billiard
Volunteers unite to assist Fiji 7s
rescheduled
championship
on Fijis Road to Gold Campaign
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
By MARGARET NAQIRI
FRU MEDIA
The Olympic Games in
Rio de Janiero, Brazil is literally months away and our Fiji 7s
rugby men and womens teams
are no doubt our best hopes in
winning the countrys first ever
gold medal at the world event.
To help make this dream become a reality, a unique Volunteer Fundraising Group is being
launched today to assist the Fiji
Rugby Union in raising funds for
its Road to Rio campaign.
Driven by ardent Fiji Rugby
supporters, this fundraising
Committee consists of volunteers who are executives in their
respective fields aimed at using
their expertise to maximise raising funds for our national players.
Co-Chaired by Fiji Sports
Council CEO, Litiana Loabuka
and Tamarisi Digitaki, COO of
VT Solutions, this talented group
of individuals includes the likes
of Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd National Sales Manager Lawrence
Tikaram, R C Manubhai CEO
Bharvesh Patel and Seamech
Limiteds Financial Controller
Torika Brodie amongst several
other individuals who have
stepped forward to answer
FRUs SOS.
Several individuals in this
Committee have earned vast
experience in the sporting fraternity whether it be through national representation or as key
administrators in major sporting
events in Fiji over the years
proving a promising make-up to
getting our men and women to
the OIympics.
Loabuka says while still in
its infant stages, the Committee
already has a list of fundraising
drives to initiate.
One of the major phases
from these group of Volunteers
will actually be fabricated by Kriz
Signs says Managing Director
and fellow Road to Gold Committee member Nilesh Chetty.
This perspecs large sized Rugby
Ball Shaped Money Box will be
positioned at the airport departure lounge for departing passengers to rid of coins or even
to simply put forward donations
to Fiji Rugby. We are grateful to

AFL CEO Faiz Khan for his support in this cause.
The Committee has adopted
a give back to the sport programme type concept which
will involve a series of fundraising events leading up to the
Games in August.
Fiji Rugby Union Acting CEO,
Dr Berlin Kafoa says such an
initiative from Fiji rugby fans
would serve as the ultimate
support the national men and
womens teams need to prepare for their first ever Olympic
Games outing.
We all have that one, same
dream to hear our National Anthem being played whilst our
players stand on that podium
and to have individuals who
want to help in making that
dream a reality is great for Rugby in Fiji.
Rather than being the usual
Couch Coach Critics we would
like to encourage everyone to
pitch in, dig deep and support
Fiji 7s and Fijiana coaches Ben
Ryan and Chris Cracknell by
taking a more constructive approach.
Becoming a volunteer with
the best intentions to help raise
funds to get the team to Rio is
a gold medal won, that we all
know we played a vital role in
achieving too.
I commend the individuals and the corporates behind
these volunteers for doing this
rather than just sitting back adn
waiting for Government handouts they are taking the initiative
to drive this and get the whole
community involved to give

back to their Country and support our Men and Womens 7s
team this way.
Exciting times are ahead for
Fiji athletes preparing for these
games and knowing extra support is coming from this Road
to Gold Committee of volunteers, it can only serve as a national motivator on Fijis Road
to Rio campaign.
If you may be interested or
would like to know more information about this Committee or
what Fundraising plans that are
in place, please contact: Litiana
Loabuka on 9905323 or email
Litiana@fijisportscouncil.com.fj
or Tamarisi Sharma on 7779209
or email Tam@VT-solutions.
com
The Rio Olympics will take
place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
from August 5 21, 2016.
Brothers Billiard and Grog

Center that is situated on main
street Nadi held its third Bula
Brothers Championship on Jaunary 2, 2016.
Sanu Shelvin (pictured), a
Chef at Sofitel Fiji Resort and
Spa won $75 and a trophy while
Ashik Narayan who is a Corporate Freight agent received prize
money of $35 out of the 31 participants who took part in the
championship.
The Director of Brothers
Billiard and Grog Center Uday
Singh has organized the billiard
championship so that his customers can do something fun
and interesting and in return get
something out of it.
We started this championship small and as it is becoming popular with my customers
I plan to make this bigger and
better in the future,says Singh.
The customers visit Brothers
after a hard days work to relax,
unwind and talk about their day,
also to catch up with friends.
This is a game where it encourages people to take part in,

before they use to just come
and play for fun and now Im
giving them back something to
help them and make the game
more interesting, the money
they win they can take back to
their family, he added.
Next Bula Brothers Championship will be held on Easter
Saturday with $5 entry fee and
the winning prize money of
$100, a gold medal and a trophy,
$40 and silver medal for runner
up and bronze medal for the
two semifinalists.
The 2016 Champion versus

Champion series has been rescheduled.
This was after Suva wrote
to the Fiji Football Association
seeking postponement due to
seven of their key players being
part of the Fiji u23s Spain tour.
The players include JaleDreloa, Antonio Tuivuna, Rusiate
Matarerega, Filipe Baravilala,
Sakaraia Naisua, Nickel Chand
and TevitaKoroi.
Fiji FA chief executive Bob
Kumar confirmed the first leg of
the series will now be played on
February 5, 7pm at ANZ Stadium
and not as per the initial fixture
which was January 31.
However, the second leg
remains unchanged as Nadi
will host the Capital City side
on February 7 at Prince Charles
Park.
Nadi and Suva will battle for
the first time in the champion
versus champion series and neither has ever won the title having played Ba previously.
Fiji wins bronze
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
The National u17 side settled
for the bronze medal at the 2016
OFC U-17 Womens Championship beating New Caledonia 3-2
in the 3/4 play-off.
Being the tournament newcomers, the Fijians went beyond the expectations of many
by qualifying through to the
semi-finals.
The 11-0 thrashing by New
Zealand did not deter the national side by finishing third in
Rarotonga.
Coach Yogendra Dutt (pictured)

was
overwhelmed
with the third place finish and
praised the girls for their gallant
performance.
I am so happy for this
group, we came over here for
a top-four finish and the bronze
medal is a bonus for us, Dutttold OFC Media.
This will be a huge plus
for womens football in Fiji. I
was very happy with what we
achieved out there, the girls
played with honour and made
everyone very proud.
Against New Caledonia we
played like we were tired, we

made some errors and werent
perfect by any means, but we
did enough to score more than
them and hold on for a really
good victory.
New Caledonia coach Matthieu Delcroixcongratulated Fiji
for the win and tagged them as
the superior team on the day.
Meanwhile, New Zealand
booked their ticket to the FIFA
U17 Womens World Cup Jordan 2016 after a convincing 8-0
victory over Papua New Guinea
in the final.
The Fiji u17 Womens Football side after their arrival at the Nadi International Airport.
Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.
23
Page 22
Coral
Coast 7s
Supplement
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2016. ISSUE 79
Page 23
Road to Rio
campaign
Champions again
Champions Police celebrate after winning the Bayleys Coral Coast 7s title for the second consecutive year at Lawaqa Park in Sigatoka. INSET: Maestro Waisale Serevi and dual international Lote Tuqiri with the Campese-Serevi Medal for player of the tournament awardee Sevanaia Nadruku. Photos: MARGARET NAQIRI.
By
ANUSHIL
KUMAR
Bayleys Fiji Coral Coast Sevens reigning
champion Poilce has made history in the
sixth edition of the i-wau final.
The EtoniaNaba-coached lawmen came
from behind to beat Wardens 26-10 becoming the first team to win a back-to-back title
at Lawaqa Park.
Police reached the Cup final with an excellent defensive display in their semi-final
against Tabadamu, winning 15-5, while War-
dens margin was even closer as they beat

Coastal RatuFilise 7-5.
Despite Sevuloni Tawakes early try for Wardens in the decider, the more experienced Police team soon dominated the encounter with
four unanswered tries.
Kini Douglas, Kepeni Paul, MeliKurisaru and
Timoci Ratulolo crossed the try-line for the
boys in blue, and despite losing ManueliLagai
with a red card, they held Wardens to one further consolation try.
TFL FijianaMokosoi defeated USA Serevi Selects 36-10 to win the Crest Na Iri Trophy for
women.
Both champions walked away $20,000 richer.
Police captain Livai Ikanikoda said they
were delighted with the result.
We sacrificed during the festive season,
we trained hard and that helped us go back to
back, said the former national sevens rep.

We followed what our coach, Etonia Naba,
told us and it was great to have Sevanaia Nadruku, the player of the tournament, in our
squad.
We hope Ben Ryan will pick some players
from the Police after this result.
Ryan, the national coach, was sideline
amongst a crowd of over 5,000 diehard fans in
glorious Sigatoka weather.
Sevanaia Nadruku was awarded the
Campese-Serevi Medal for player of the tournament by the Maestro WaisaleSerevi himself and TFL Fijiana speedster LaveniaTinai
won the Jonah Lomu Medal for being the top
tryscorer with seven.
Guest of honour LoteTuqiri, the former Wallaby, presented the latter prize.
BLK First Landing, Yamacia, Red Rock,
Striders and the Central Chiefs were winners
of the minor trophies.

The dates of the next Coral Coast Sevens
will be finalised later this month.
RESULTS FROM SHANGRI LA SATURDAY
at the BAYLEYS FIJI CORAL COAST SEVENS
I-wau
Police 26 Wardens 10
Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort Plate
BLK First Landing 33 Aussie Thunderbolts
17
Tourism Fiji Bowl
Yamacia 19 Suva Stallions 5
Coastal Shield
Hideaway 12 Red Rock 7
Crest Na Iri Trophy
TFL Fijiana Mokosoi 36 Serevi Selects 10
TFL Womens Plate
Striders 17 NZ Raiders 12
Rainbow Cool Tech Womens Bowl
Mystic Knights 26 Central Chiefs II 0

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Inside

Alana wins Supermodel

Coconut Crab Wonderz to Olympians tour Spain

Mum strives for sons

Treasure Island guarant- Fiji u17 women wins

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2016. ISSUE 79

FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

TappooCity Takes Shape

Tappoos complex modernises Lautokas sky line

booths similar to stadiums overseas

Life Cinemas who currently operates

metics, jewellery, watches, sports

Fiji - the way the world should be

FROM THE DESK

to school is putting a tremendous strain on parents finances

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

Nadi Airport opens new rental car booths

We hope the people of Fiji

cars, Bula Car Rentals, Hertz

University fees are VAT-free

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

tional institutions that is profit

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

West also have Dengue Cases FNPF warns

Major urban centers in the

The cases are not serious

the mosquito breeding places and the local council will

Doctors fees go down

ing these services and keep in

Villager dies after boat hits Beacon

The three were travelling in

near the village.

mission or FRCA, the CEO

Yaro Village on Malolo Island. Photos: GOOGLE.

The public has been

cations from these members.

If we dont succeed we run

I owe a lot to my parents.

If it werent for electricity

Whenever I watch TV and

I used to work at McDonalds making minimum wage.

Facts are stupid things.

Ive been noticing gravity

New Nurses to be Posted Soon

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Australias Alana Carter wins

el on an all-expenses paid for

Pacific Islands attend APTC Classes

the Pacific region.

session, Mr Todd said.

ceive from trainers and tutors,

pageant in South Africa gets a

Fiji Airways maintains

meeting our monthly objective of an above 80% OTP.

Fiji Airways A330-300 at the Nadi International

President of Fiji H.E Jioji Konrote with family in front of the

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

LOCAL NEWS / ADVERTISEMENT

USP Interns join

A lifeline has been given by

back of house departments

to learn and accumulate as

TOWARDS EXCELLENCE IN LEARNING AND KNOWLEDGE CREATION

New nurses to be posted soon