The Jet Volume 6 Number 7

DECEMBER 1-15, 2014.
ISSUE 58
www.thejetnewspaper.com
50 CENTS
Lets meditate
New Universal Meditation Centre to promote unity in diversity
Religious leaders and Ramakrishna mission officials and supporters in front of the newly built Universal Meditation Centre.
Photo: SALOTE QALUBAU. More coverage on Page 13.
By SALOTE QALUBAU
The new Universal Meditation
Centre was officially opened on
Wednesday, November 27, at Swami
Vivekananda College in Nadi. Maisuria Designs Limited, a local firm
of architects, was responsible for the
ground work in terms of designing
while construction works were carried out by Jacks of Fiji.
Being the first ever of its type to
be built in Fiji, the core focus of this
initiative is to promote unity and serenity as the building itself is open to
all religions mainly Hinduism, Islam
and Christianity .
We want to lead mankind to the
place where there is neither the Vedas, nor the Bible, nor the Koran; yet
this has to be done by harmonizing
the Vedas,Bible and Koran. Mankind
ought to be taught that religions are
but the varied expressions of the
religion which is oneness, and pursuing chosen paths, said Swami
Tadananda.
The 2.1 million dollar project,
which was crafted and designed using Indian architectural techniques
of vastushastras, is meant to create a
peaceful and welcoming atmosphere
which is evident when one enters as
there are portraits of Shri Ramakrish-
na, Swami Vivekanda, Holy mother

Sarada Devi, Lord Jesus Christ and
also a representation of Islam which
is a calligraphic text in Arabic reading Al Haq which means the truth.
This is the only place that encompasses all the traditions here in
Fiji, all students in this school can go
in the meditation centre regardless
of religion as their place of worship,
and it does not exclude anybody and
thats the remarkable thing about this
bulding, said project architect Alan
Croker.
Mr Croker added being the only
representative from his Sydney
based architectural firm has indeed
found great pleasure in working with
the people of Fiji in designing such a

prestigious building that will accommodate all religions.
The unveiling of the portraits
took place on Thursday, November
27 and present at this event were
Rasheed Degia from the Fiji Muslim
league and Archbishop Peter Loy
Chong from the Catholic Church of
Fiji as well as executives of the Ramakrishna Mission, thus embodying
the concept of diversity.
There should be room for respect
and diversity but also allow room for
dialogue, thats the way all religions
can contribute their faiths and truths
to a nation, said Archbishop Peter
Loy Chong.
www.epapergallery.com/thejet
Fiji - the way the world should be
PICK OF THE MONTH
Police reminds of safety

during festive season
Police Commissioner Major

General Ben Groenewald.
As we encounter the festive

season, the Fiji Police Force
is pleading with all road users
to be mindful of their role in
keeping our roads safe.
While there seems to be an

increase in our drowning
toll, the numbers of accidents
and fatalities seem to be increasing also. Usually, this
is the trend when we are in
the festive season as there is
increased mobility which is
why we are once again pleading with the general public to
practice safety and adhere to
warnings at all times.
We wish to end deaths on our
roads and waters and this can
only be possible if people adhere to safety warnings at all
times.
FIJI POLICE FORCE
THE JET is Fijis first community newspaper published bi-monthly

by YOURSPACE LIMITED from Nadi - the tourism capital of Fiji.
PUBLISHER
EDITOR
DEPUTY EDITOR
PRODUCTION
NEWS
ADVERTISING
OFFICE PHONES
EMAIL
WEBSITE
: SAMUEL SHANKAR
: SHALENDRA PRASAD
: ANUSHIL KUMAR
: MUNAUWAR KHAN
: SALOTE QALUBAU
: MARGARET NAQIRI
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: 6707075 / 6750443
: thejetnewspaper@gmail.com
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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
Chinese President pleased

By SALOTE QALUBAU
news@thejetnewspaper.com
The Chinese community

proudly watched with a sense
of patriotism as the President
of the Peoples Republic of
China His Excellency Xi Jinping was traditionally welcomed by the chiefly Nakorotubu clan of Ra at the Sheraton
Hotel Convention Centre in
Nadi on Friday, November 21.
Whilst giving his official
welcoming address, Prime
Minister Rear admiral Voreqe
Bainimarama
highlighted
Fijis diplomatic relations that
had indeed been dated back
to 1975 and over the seven
years the support from China
through infrastructure development and technical assistance has helped boost Fijis
confidence, thus becoming a
vocal member of the global
community.
China has been a true
friend to Fiji, China was there
in our time of need when others in the region had turned
their backs on us because they
did not understand our vision
for Fiji and what we are try-
Chinese President His Excellecy Xi Jinping delivering his welcome address

at the Sheraton Hotel Convention Centre in Nadi. Photo: SAMUEL SHANKAR.
ing to accomplish, said Mr
Bainimarama.
Mr Bainimarama added the
visitation of the two most populous nations on earth is a testament to Fijis new standing
in the region and in the world.
A total of ten Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU) was
signed between China and
regional heads of Vanuatu,
Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Samoa, Papua New
Guinea, Cook Islands, Tonga
and Niue.
When we set foot on the
soil of Fiji, we were welcomed
not only by your picturesque
tropical island landscape but

also the warm smiles of the
Fijian people which is a great
reminder of the profound
friendship towards the Chinese people. Hereby I would
like to express our sincere
gratitude for the government
and people of Fiji for their
warm hospitality, said His
Excellency Xi Jinping.
Honourable Jinping added
despite the geographical distance, Fijis bilateral relationship and friendship with
China continues to go from
strength to strength and has
paved the way to sustainabili-
ty and prosperity of the Pacific

Island region.
Out of the ten MOUs
signed, five were between
Fiji and China as well as letters of exchange for the Vunidawa sports complex. The five
memorandums were for Visa
exemption mainly for travels between Fiji and China,
establishment of a Chinese
cultural heritage centre in
Fiji, the national security defence corporation, provison of
goods for addressing climate
change and the fifth being
economic and technical corporation.
OBITUARY
Pratap bids farewell
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By ANUSHIL KUMAR &

SHALENDRA PRASAD
in Sydney
A sea of mourners united
in grief to bid farewell to
late Mr Dewendra Pratap at
Pinegrove Memorial Park in
Sydney on Wednesday, November 26.
Born on April 4, 1945, Mr
Pratap spent most of his days
at Narewa in Nadi before settling with his family in Sydney, Australia some years
ago.
Mr Pratap was a very wellknown personality in Fiji
and it did not take him long
to make many new friends in
Australia. He was man of the
people and his ability to share
jokes with friends and family
has left an everlasting impression on thousands of people.
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
Mr Prataps friendly nature

was something people grieved
for during his funeral rituals.
While speaking on his fathers life, son Amendra Pratap said, many remembered
his father for the hundreds of
jokes and words of wisdom he
shared with friends and family
during his entire life.
My father was a master
storyteller. He gave us humour the best gift ever, and

could make people laugh in
any situation, Pratap junior
said.
Master Pratap was a
staunch NFP Politician in
Fiji and also the secretary for
Fiji Sanatan Sabha where he
served with great passion during his days in Fiji.
He was also a great teacher

and headed many primary
schools in Nadi.
The normal Hindu rituals
was followed for the 13-days
of Geeta recital with the religious songs (bhajans and
kirtans) as people came in
numbers to attend the prayer
ceremony which lasted till
Monday, December 8.
ADVERTISEMENT
UNIVERSITY OF FIJI 8TH GRADUATION
University of Fiji students celebrate hard earned success

By ANUSHIL KUMAR &
SALOTE QALUBAU
The University of Fiji held
its eighth graduation ceremony with the President of Fiji
His Excellency Honourable
Ratu Epeli Nailatikau and the
First Lady, Adi Koila Mara
Nailatikau as the chief guest
on Friday, November 5 at
Saweni in Lautoka.
University
chancellor
Honourable Nailatikau was
pleased to be the chief guest
and commended the institution for the increasing number
of graduands each year.
It is heartening to note
that the University of Fiji has
been increasing the number of
graduands every year, not just
the number of enrolments.
A clear measure of success for UniFiji and any university is seeing enrolled
student right through to graduation ensuring that they com-
plete their qualifications on

time and leave the university
ready to join the workforce,
said Honourable Ratu Epeli
Nailatikau.
Mr Nailatikau added that
UniFiji has continued to grow
at the annual rate of thirty percent and in addition the number of students attending the
prestigious institution is now
estimated to be around 2000.
From this growth both in
enrolments and importantly in
graduates, it is then clear that
UniFiji has created its own
place amongst the three universities in the country, and its
formula of providing quality
yet affordable higher education to all students is proving
popular.
Vice chancellor Professor Richard Kevin Coll also
acknowledged the immense
assistance provided to the
students by the Government
in terms of generous sponsorship of the friends of the University of Fiji, particularly the
The University of Fiji graduands pose for a group photo after their graduation ceremony at the
Saweni campus on Friday, December 5. Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.
Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji.
Celebrate your hard
earned success, it is well deserved, but I would like you to
take the time to acknowledge

and thank all those that contributed to your success; your
friends, family, and teachers,
said Mr Coll during his address.

The greatest thanks you
can give to your University
teachers and the management

of the University is to share
your success with us. he concluded.
Alveena makes family proud

By SALOTE QALUBAU
Graduating with the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor
of Surgery, Alveena Prasad
was ecstatic as she scooped
the most outstanding student
award.
Im very excited about
my achievements today and
six years was a long journey
but Im really happy I went
through those six years with
my colleagues, my family and
lecturers have been supportive
and the university as well as
the government for providing
scholarships to the students,
Alveena expressed.
Ive always wanted to do
medicine; I was close to going

to USP and doing a bachelor
in science, physics and maths
but then I didnt really want
to do that so I changed to my
MBBS, said Miss Prasad.
It was equally an emotional moment for her parents Maya Wati Prasad and
Prakash Prasad as they could
not hold back their tears while
witnessing their daughter
receiving her hard-earned
achievements.
I really feel proud of her
as she is the first doctor in my
family. We have supported her
throughout her six years of
study, said Mr Prasad.
I must thank the university and government for pro-
viding scholarships for her

and also for the help of all the
lecturers.
Alveena says she hopes
to further her studies in the
future, however for the timebeing she has set her sights
on looking for employment
within the government department.
From left: Asishna Prasad

(sister), Prakash Prasad (father), Alveena Prasad (Gold
medalist), Maya Wati Prasad
(mother) and sister Avleena
Prasad. Photo: ANUSHIL
KUMAR.
20 new doctors to boost

medical services
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
The Umanand Prasad
School of Medicine held its
second graduation ceremony
at the University of Fijis
Saweni campus in Lautoka on
Friday, December 5.
A total of 20 scholars
graduated with the Bachelor
of Medicine and Bachelor of
Surgery (MBBS) degree together with the 48 graduands
from other school of studies.
While revealing the Universitys great achievements,
Vice Chancellor Professor

Richard Kevin Coll gave
heartfelt congratulations to all
the graduands emphasizing
the importance of celebrating
an auspicious event of their
life.
Whilst it is good to reflect
on the Universitys success,
and for me to let you know a
little about our future plans, I
would now like to make a special welcome and acknowledgement to our graduands.
This is truly YOUR day, a
day of great celebration. expressed Mr Coll.
Nineteen out of the 20 Umanand Prasad School of Medicine graduands after the
graduation ceremony. Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.
He also mentioned the new

level of study introduced at
the Umanand Prasad School
of Medicine.
In the Umanand Prasad
School of Medicine we have
introduced a Master of Nursing, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Family Medicine.
We also have two exciting
new proposals currently under
review by the Fiji Higher Education Commission (FHEC)
Committee for the accreditation of University Qualifications.
Shanil strives for success
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
It was an emotional yet
joyous moment for the Siberia, Labasa scholar Shanil
Deo Sharma as he graduated
with the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery
(MBBS) degree at the Univeristy of Fijis eighth graduation ceremony in Saweni,
Lautoka.
Speaking to The Jet after
the ceremony, Shanil could
not hold back his tears of joy
as he started describing his
six-year journey.
The six year journey
was very hard for me. A very
heartful thanks to Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji as they
helped me a lot in terms of
studies.
First year was really a
hard-fought battle for me as I
faced a lot of difficulties with
studies together with background hardship. But then I

again would like to mention
Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji
as they provided me with every needed material from head
to toe.
And then I took off as the
years went by, it could be said
that I tried tooth and nail to
reach to the top of the valley
and then it became easy for
me to see things from up the
valley.
The newly graduated doctor also advised all his peers
to be optimistic and never to
lose hope.
My message to all my
peers is never to give up; face
the battle to succeed. Work
hard to serve our own country. he concluded.
Shanil Deo Sharma (standing 4th from left) with the President Honourable Ratu Epeli Nailatikau
and all other successors who helped him in his six-year journey. Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.
ADVERTISEMENT
PRIME MINISTERS EXPORTER OF THE YEAR AWARD
PM congratulates Exporters
By MARGARET NAQIRI
List of winners
The 2014 Westpac Prime

Ministers Exporter of the
Year Awards, held at the Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa on
November 22, was a great
accomplishment for big and
small organisations all around
Fiji.
Prime Minister Voreqe
Bainimarama said the business confidence in Fiji has
never been stronger.
We are at the beginning
of a new era of confidence
and trade and as leaders of our
Pacific Island community, we
are respected for the contributions we make in the world, at
the United Nations, in our region, and in the peacekeeping
operations in the worlds trouble spots which has earned us
a place at the table, said Mr
Bainimarama.
The Government is urging
all organisations to embrace
and respond to changes to
achieve great results as times
are changing.
As Prime Minister of this
great and beautiful country, I
want to encourage you to use
the awards as a standard to
push yourselves to be better,
to sell more and to take your
products and services to new
places, he added.
Honourable Bainimarama
also commended the Youth
Entrepreneurs for their contributions towards the Fijian
economy and wished them off
to a great start.
He concluded by congratulating every exporter who
had been recognised for their
achievement,
commitment
and hard work and urged them
to share their success stories
with others to encourage them
to begin the same journey.
2014 Westpac Prime Ministers Exporter of the Year

Award - Mark One Apparel
General Award Category

Bank of Baroda Small Exporter of the Year Award - Nelesh
Kamal Company
Life Insurance Corporation of
India (LICI) Medium Export-
er of the Year Award - Ram

Sami & Sons Ltd
Home Finance Company Ltd
(HFC) Large Exporter of the
Year Award - Tropik Wood Industries Limited
Special Award Category
Technix Pacific Ltd Emerging
Exporter of the Year Award Pinto Industries Ltd
Bank South Pacific (BSP)
Import Substitution Award -
Standard Concrete Industries

Ltd
Ministry of Youth & Sports
Youth Entrepreneur Award Devesh and Bharos Farms
Sector Based Award Category
Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF)
Agriculture Exporter of the
Year Award - Bens Trading
Ltd
Hangton Pacific Company Ltd
Moments from the Awards night.

Photos: MARGARET NAQIRI.
Fisheries Exporter of the Year

Award - J Hunter Pearls Fiji
Golden Manufacturers Ltd
Manufacturing Exporter of
the Year Award - FMF Foods
Ltd
Tropik Wood Industries Limited Forestry Exporter of the
Year Award - Dayals Sawmillers Ltd
Telecom (Fiji) Ltd Information Communications Tech-
nology (ICT) Services Award

- ANZ Pacific Operations
Limited
Recognition Awards
Rosie Holidays
Pacific Fishing Company
Limited (PAFCO)
Ba Industries Ltd
United Apparel (Fiji) Ltd
Pacific Cement Limited
LOCAL NEWS
Hardwork reaps reward for Shayal

By ANUSHIL KUMAR
It was a moment of joy

for the parents Bal Krishna
Naidu and Anuradha Naidu
as daughter Shayal Naidu was
named as the Dux of the year
2014 during the Mulomulo
Secondary School annual
awards ceremony on Friday,
November 21.
Hardwork and sacrifices
were all that mattered the
most when it came to studies
and shouldering many responsibilities failed to deter Headgirl Shayal from claiming the
most prestigious award.
I was not really surprised
when my name was called up
because I knew I never left
any stone unturned when I
was preparing for my exams.
All I believed was that
hardwork pays at the end and

I would like to thank my parents, friends and well-wisher
for the motivation towards my
studies. Naidu said.
She was also awarded the
overall highest scorer of Fiji
School Leaving Certificate
Examination 2013, highest
score in Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and English in
FSLC, highest marks in English, Computer, Biology and
Chemistry in Annual examination, first place getter and
credit in Fiji Mathematics and
Chemistry quiz competition.
Chief Guest Rina Kumar, Fiji National University
Campus Coordinator Nadi,
congratulated the awardees
for the hard work towards
the academic year 2014 and
commended the Parents and
Teachers for the overwhelm-
ing support.
Congratulations to the
parents and guardians, and
not forgetting the teachers for
your overwhelming support
through this process, making
an enormous impact towards
ending another important
phase of the students academic life, getting them ready to
take up the next phase in the
coming year, said Ms Kumar.
Remember, this ends just
one of the many phases of
students life, and opening
the other, moving forward to
the next stage and the process
goes on.
Principal Sera Lockington
thanked the students for the
challenging year and wished
them well for the upcoming
academic year.
Dux of the year Shayal Naidu shows her awards with her Parents and Brother during the
Mulomulo Secondary School annual awards function. Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.
Hotel staff
undergo training
By SALOTE QALUBAU
Raffles Gateway Hotel
staff underwent a two day
in-house training regarding
personal grooming which was
conducted by the Fiji National
University National Training
and Productivity Centre Department of Travel and Aviation Senior Training Officer
Seema Agarwal on November
26 and 27 respectively.
The training was mainly
for the hotel supervisors and
managers as the core focus
was to improve service delivery to customers.
I would like all service
industry people to go through
this training and make it mandatory for each and every staff
to achieve an international
standard of service provision.
I had previously conducted a similar training initiative
for the staff of Vodafone Lautoka branch at the Tanoa waterfront hotel and got a good
response as most of them had
never had an interactive ses-
sion. said Mrs Agarwal.

Mrs Agarwal added most
people often think that personal grooming refers to
the outside appearance only
which is what she had addressed on day one of the inhouse training, however on
day two, she highlighted that
personal grooming also applied to the inner appearance
personality wise.
She further mentioned a
newly strategized program is
set to be conducted in February next year, however the
duration of this training will
take two and a half months as
participants will be familiarized with the basic knowledge
of the tourism industry such
as cutlery arrangement , distinction of wine glasses and
communication skills in terms
of eliminating the common
mother tongue accent that often causes mispronunciation
of words when hotel staff address customers.
Staff of Raffles Gateway Hotel pose with Fiji National

University Senior Training officer Seema Agarwal for the Department of Travel and Aviation after the two day in-house
training. Photo: SUPPLIED.
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LOCAL NEWS
Nadi school receives handsome donation

By SALOTE QALUBAU
Togo Bhartiya Primary

School management board
received a donation of $5,000
from Air New Zealand Cargo
sales manager Pradip Singh
on Tuesday, November 25,
which was mainly for the
construction of the schools
Kamal Kishore Kindergarten
block.
Kamal Kishore Kindergarten was coined by members of the Kamal Kishore
Womens Club in which my
late mother Mrs Kamala Wati
Singh was also a member.
Whilst some members
of this club have passed on,
most are still living in Fiji
and abroad. I salute those who
were behind the formation of
this pre-school and the vision
they had back then, said Mr
Singh.
In addition to the $5,000

grant, Mr Singh also donated
two motor-mowers to keep the
institution clean and environmentally appealing and tidy at
all times.
He thanked his acquaintance Sashi Prakash of San
Francisco (USA) who aided
the project by purchasing the
mowers and providing shipment to Fiji on Mr Singhs
request.
Mr Singh concluded his address to members of the Togo
Bhartiya Primary School body
by stressing the importance of
education and for the school
management board to continue to strive in molding and
nurturing the best scholars as
this would pave the way for
great future leaders.
Mr Pradip Singh hands over $5,000 cheque to the staff of Togo Bhartiya Primary School. Photo: SUPPLIED
Remember to think big;

Kumar advises students
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
Your dream should not be
based on what is, but seriously
on what might be, said the
Fiji National University Campus Coordinator Nadi Miss
Rina Kumar (pictured) while
addressing the students during the Mulomulo Secondary
School annual awards function on Friday, November 21.
Kumar emphasized on the
era of teachnology as networking has a vast impact on
peoples life.
Wherever you go, there is
network, and your dream must
be using your intelligence to
further advance this network.
You will definitely have
amazing networking opportunities in years to come as you
meet with new people with
different cultural background,
values, attitude and knowledge. Rip the benefit of this
opportunity.
She also reminded the
graduating students that education is never ending as it is a
life-long process.
To those students who are
graduating and leaving this
institution, I must remind you
that education never ends. It
is a life-long process heading

towards continued development, positive engagement
with the community, developing leadership skills; qualities
that will positively impact
your communities, country
and the world at large.
You are fortunate to be
students of Mulomulo Secondary School, which offers
education not only up to 7th
form level, but also vocational training, an integral part
of life, where skills in various areas are taught, trained,
groomed into a product ready
to serve and earn a living in
todays world.
You, as a skilled person,
are full of demand in the society and towards the countrys
future development.
Proud parents celebrate

sons achievement
By SALOTE QALUBAU
Students of Swami Vivekananda College collectively
commemorated their auspicious annual awards day on
Friday, November 28. .
It was an emotional moment for proud mother Yashoda Reddy as she witnessed
her son scoop the coveted title
of 2014 Swami Vivekananda
College dux .
We are very supportive
and we always encourage him
to shape his future through
hard work and persistence,
said Mrs Reddy.
Mrs Reddy was overjoyed
and indeed delighted with her
sons achievements.
18-year-old Bal Reddy
was equally thankful for his
achievements and credited his
success to his strong support
system that consisted of his

parents and his friends.
For me personally I want
to be a doctor and do my
MBBS, then branch out and
be a specialist and a heart operating surgeon, said SVC
Dux about his future plans.
Students were further encouraged to hold true what
shaped their past, acknowledge and appreciate what they
were presently and aim to be
all that they could be tomorrow.
Chief guest Ministry of
Education Deputy Secretary
Professional Kelera Taloga
reminded students of their
individual duty to uphold the
reputation of the school and
also the vital role of living
up to the expectations of their
parents and teachers.
Proud parents Bal Sundran Reddy and Yashoda Reddy pose

with their high achiever Bal Reddy. Photo: SALOTE QALUBAU.
LOCAL NEWS
Miss Fiji pays visit to

Nadi Airport School
By SALOTE QALUBAU
Miss Fiji contestant Charlene Tafunai graced Nadi Airport School with her presence
on Friday, November 14.
Miss Tafunai, former Nadi
Airport School student, emphasized during her address
the importance of taking the
first step to empowerment by
grasping every opportunity
available in order to fully discover their hidden potentials.
The days events consisted
of special items performed
by various grades as a sign
of appreciation from the Nadi
Airport students collectively as well as a donation of
$500 from the school to Miss
Tafunais charity drive.
We have a parents friends
and old scholars association,
they are the schools fundraising arm because the Ministry
of Education does not allow
fundraising to be done in the
schools, this is an association
formed by a group of mothers.
We previously had a
walk-a-thon last week Saturday (November 8) where
we were able to raise funds
and $500 of that was given to
Charlene,said Nadi Airport
School administrator Milika
Kotoisuva.
Miss Tafunai said she will
be looking forward to spending some quality time with
her family before travelling
to London for the 2014 Miss
World pageant which will last
for three weeks.
My parents have been so
supportive and helped plan
this meeting in school. Im just
so humbled and blessed to
have parents and family who
are so supportive and friends
as well who have been by my
side and supported me all the
way, said Miss Tafunai.
The Miss World pageant
will commence on Sunday,
December 14 at the Excel
London where Miss Tafunai
will join 129 other contestants
competing for the crown and
coveted title of Miss World.
Senior Citizens Association of Nadi during the Diwali mela that was held at Koroivolu Park frm 16 18 October 2014.
Photo: SAMUEL SHANKAR.
Senior Citizens calls for unity in Nadi

By MARGARET NAQIRI
The President and Founder
of Senior Citizens Association Mr Palpana Nand is requesting all the seniors in
Nadi to join the group as he
has a dream and a plan to
have a Seniors Recreation
Centre point.
This is where seniors can
socialize, access services,
participate in fun and recreational activities, volunteer
and stay generally engaged
with their peers and the broader community.

We want to raise this
awareness to all the senior
citizens of Nadi to come under one umbrella and become
a member of this association
and to give them privileges to
help them out, Mr Nand said.
The main course of this
association is to bring in several voices to make one bigger
voice so that we can be heard
as we would like to have a
space where we can go to and
feel at home with no barriers.

We are at an age where we
want to socialize with our own
peers and chat about the past
and have lots of laugh. We
want to be in a place where we
can be happy and away from
isolation and depression and
tension.
The group, which has the
minimum age of 55-years,
is currently based at Jenas
Fastfood Restaurant, opposite
Prince Charles Park.
We have spoken to the
Minister for Lands, Mereseini

Vuniwaqa about our concerns
and requests and and she told
us that we were doing a very
marvelous job.
Also we will be having a
visit from Minister for Women and poverty alleviation
Rosy Akbar who will be vising the senior citizens association later this month.
The Senior Citizens Association in Nadi was formed in
May this year and has gained
over 70 members.
Land trustees undergo two-day joint workshop

By SALOTE QALUBAU
Miss Tafunai with students of Nadi Airport school.

Photo: SALOTE QALUBAU.
Land owners and trustee

members gathered at the
Hexagon hotel in Nadi for the
two day workshop on November 20 and 21 respectively.
Land use unit Public relations officer Mr Venasio
highlighted the importance of
trustees to build a solid and
genuinely honest partnership
with the Mataqali or landowners.
10 THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
Basically the idea behind

this workshop was actually to
bring together trustees of the
land owners and also to help
them familiarize themselves
with their roles and responsibilities, said Land use unit
Director, Samuela Naicegucegu.
Mr Naicegucegu added
there were cases in the past
where trustees were not
transparent with the Mataqali
which is the reason for the
initial decision to hold a joint

trustee training and notify
trustees of their paramount
responsibility to land owners.
Our evaluation division
has actually emphasized on
the calculation of the rent and
premiums that need to be paid
to landowners and this are all
part and parcel of the awareness programs.
For every investment in
the land bank trustees have
to come up with a financial
report annually and those are

submitted to us and the auditor general. Mr Naicegucegu
said.
Trustees were reminded
of the cruciality in keeping
record of all transactions and
expenditures as well as to
avoid withholding such vital information from the land
owners as this was a platform
to assist the Mataqali in preserving the heritage of the future iTaukei generation.
ADVERTISEMENT
11
TRAVEL AND TOURISM
InterContinental Fiji rolls out exciting menu at Toba Bar & Grill
InterContinental Fiji Golf
Resort & Spa is delighted to
roll out a contemporary menu
at poolside restaurant, Toba
Bar & Grill.
The new menu features local ingredients prepared with
a unique American and Italian
twist in a relaxed setting overlooking the crystal waters of
Natadola Bay.
The menu is a share concept, encouraging guests to
interact more while enjoying
a meal in a relaxed atmosphere, ideal for the ultimate
casual dining experience. The
choice to reflect American and
Italian cuisine is because they
are approachable and suits
guests of all ages.
Our exciting and delicious
menu not only features fresh
produce at its best, inspired by
heartwarming, American/Italian cuisine, but also includes

some amazing new dishes to
keep our talented chefs well
and truly challenged, says
Nicolas de Visch, Executive
Chef at the InterContinental
Fiji.
Eight of our chefs recently competed in the national
Moffat Culinaire Competition
and cemented our status as
one of the best culinary offerings in Fiji.
Discover exciting signature dishes such as our meatball spaghetti which has an
element of surprise.
Other signature items on
the menu include our chicken
parmigiano, which has a balance of flavours where the
acidity of the parmesan cheese
melting inside the chicken
breast enhances the flavor of

the meat to a whole new level;
and our calzone bianca pizza
a unique traditional folded
pizza thats bursting with flavours.
No menu is complete
without dessert! Were introducing new cheesecakes
to the menu. My favourite is
the mango key lime cheesecake the tartness with the
smooth texture of cream
cheese just melts heavenly in
your mouth.
The new menu elevates
our dining experiences at the
resort with Toba as the only
restaurant offering quality
American/Italian cuisine. We
also still offer local favourites such as kokoda and our
vakalolo hotpot at our other
dining outlets, said Akira
Danny and Nicolas at Natadola Bay. Photo: SUPPLIED.
Tanaka, InterContinental Fijis Director of Dining & Entertainment.

Whats unique for Toba
is the larger portions and the
share concept from which

guests can share and indulge
in what we have to offer.
The Toba Bar & Grill features a wide range of casual
dining options including pizzas, sandwiches, decadent

desserts and signature cocktails.
PRESS RELEASE
Treasure Island Resort Fiji welcomes new

Director of Sales & Marketing
Charmaine Tale.
Treasure Island Resort, Fiji
is proud to announce the appointment of Charmaine Tale
as the new Director of Sales &
Marketing.
Charmaine joins the team
after working in tourism sales

and marketing positions in
Australia & Fiji, and will be
based in Treasure Islands
mainland office in Nadi.
Charmaine has a long association with Fiji and brings
to the role her knowledge and
experience of Fiji Tourism,
the Fijian Islands culture and
people.
She is excited about her
new role as Director of Sales
& Marketing for Treasure Island and feels positive about
the future of the new look
Treasure Island Resort which
boasts recently renovated
bures, a three-swimming pool
complex, and a highly acclaimed kids club; making
Treasure an ideal family resort
that also caters for weddings
and honeymooners.
Treasure has proven to be
very popular which reflects in

their high number of returnees she said.
It was an easy decision
to accept this role with Treasure Island, being very familiar with the property, having
sold it many times to satisfied
guests.
Treasure Island is one of
Fijis most established and
iconic resorts with so much to
offer and Im looking forward
to hitting the ground running.
Treasure Island Resorts
General Manager, Robert
Wade, has welcomed Charmaine to the team and looks
forward to working with her
to get the Treasure message
out around the world with the
company committing significant funds to global marketing.
PRESS RELEASE
New CEO for Tourism Fiji

Tourism Fiji confirmed
its Regional Director Wayne
Deed as Acting Chief Executive .The appointment will be
effective from December 26,
2014. Tourism Fijis Marketing Manager Michelle Sinnott has also been confirmed
as Acting Director of Global
Marketing on the same date.
Both Mr Deed and Ms Sinnott will be based in Nadi for
the duration of their appointments.
Wayne has been part of
Tourism Fiji as Head of our
New Zealand operations and
has the necessary experience
required in managing the
functions of Tourism Fiji until such time as a substantive

CEO is appointed. He will be
supported by a team of professionals in our head office
in Nadi, said Tourism Fiji
Chairman Stefan Pitchler.
Deed had been part of the
Tourism Fijis team since
2013 and possesses over thirty
years of industry experience.
Mr Pitchler added the 2015
budget allocation has allowed
the Tourism Fiji board to establish our strategic direction
and the global scope of work
for the next year already and
with the current dynamic team
in place, Wayne and Michelle
will ensure that Tourism Fiji

will deliver accordingly during their tenures as Acting
CEO and Acting Director
Global Marketing, so as to
facilitate a smooth handover
when the new Chief Executive comes on board in the
new year.
The Tourism Fiji board has
highlighted how confident
they are in their abilities to
tide the organization through
the new transition phase they
are currently undergoing and
will be providing their full
support to Mr Deed and Ms
Sinnott.
PRESS RELEASE
UNIVERSAL MEDITATION CENTRE
Build Body and Mind
By SHAYAL DEVI
of Fiji Times
Recognising the need for
young people to be nurtured
ethically and spiritually the
Ramakrishna Mission invested heavily in the building of a
$2 million Universal Meditation Centre in Nadi.

The centre was officially
inaugurated on November 27
by leaders of the Christian,
Hindu and Muslim faiths and
will serve as a meditation
centre spot for people of all
faiths. Ramakrishna Mission
secretary Swami Tadananda

Maharaj said the planning for
the centre started in August
2012 and it has taken about
two years and three months to
complete the project, he said.
According
to
Swami
Tadananda, 95 percent of
high schools in Fiji were run
by NGOs who have much to

contribute to the education beyond the subject matter in the
school curriculum.
There is corrosion and
erosion of values in the society. A good education system
should nurture all aspects of
the human personality - phys-
ical, intellectual, emotional,

ethical, aesthetic and spiritual. He said the meditation
centre would help students
learn about core values needed to make themselves better
people.
All things are in the mind.
If the mind is trained well
with a good power of concentration, strong willpower,

good judgment with critical
thinking, it becomes a powerful tool for the good of the
individual as well as the society.
Photos: ARON GOUNDAR and SALOTE QALUBAU. Story on Page 1.
13
LOCAL NEWS
Fiji Airways launches second

Christchurch-Nadi service
Fiji Airways, Fijis National Airline, has announced
a permanent second service
in its schedule from Christchurch to Nadi, effective from
Tuesday, June 23, 2015, to offer South Islanders more opportunity to fly direct to Fiji
for leisure and business.
The airline presently operates a weekly Saturday service, and the additional flights
will be scheduled for Tuesday morning departures. The
twice weekly flights offer convenient one-stop service from
Christchurch to Loa Angeles
via Nadi.
Stefan Pichler, Fiji Airways Managing Director &
CEO says The additional
service will be a real benefit to
South Island travellers planning to rest and relax in Fiji,
as well as those using Nadi as
Soroptimist
rewards women
The Soroptimist Interna-
Shady Cool Enterprises, of
nization for their leadership
tional of Fiji held their An-
SI Ba and Best Practice to SI
and hard work.
nual Awards Night at the Fun
Lautoka.
Gratitude is a virtue we
The Honourable Minister
have to practice in all aspects
said there is no greater reward
of our daily lives and it is just
Minister for Women, Chil-
than to see the joy in the faces
proper that we show this to
dren and Poverty Alleviation
of people who received the
people who have voluntarily
Hon. Rosy Sofia Akbar was
services and the difference it
given themselves in service to
the chief guest with the Per-
made to their lives.
others. she said.
World Plaza Hotel in Nadi on

Saturday, November 29.
manent Secretary for Women,
Dr. Doton, who is the
Dr Josefa Koroivueta being
President of Soroptimist In-
the other guest of Honour at
ternational Fiji, also conferred
the function.
certificates of appreciation to
The best Project went to
all the executives of the orgaSUPPLIED
a transit point to Los Angeles

and other North American cities.
The new service will offer an extra 328 seats between
Christchurch and Nadi and leisure travellers will have more
options when booking flights.
Our convenient flight timings
will also appeal to local travellers and those travelling between regional airports.
South Island holidaygoers will now also be able to
choose to go to Fiji for a quick
three or four night escape or
stay for 10 days or more!
As the only airline to offer child discounted airfares
as well as offering a Business
Class travel option directly
from Christchurch to Fiji, we
believe Fiji Airways is well
positioned in the South Island
market and will prove popular
amongst travellers, says Mr

Pichler.
Christchurch Airport CEO
Malcolm Johns says the permanent additional Fiji Airways flights will offer new
opportunities for South Island
travellers visiting Fiji and further afield.
We have seen increased
interest in South Island travellers visiting Fiji and Northern
America, and the additional
Fiji Airways service reflects
the appetite Cantabrians and
the greater South Island market have for international travel, Mr Johns said.
Fiji Airways has been operating a year-round service
to Christchurch since 1997,
making 2015 the 18th year
since operations began.
FIJI AIRWAYS
LOCAL NEWS
Warwick Fiji continues

tradition of Christmas
tree lighting ceremony
Tree lighting ceremony

commenced centuries ago
dating back to the 16th Century and The Warwick Fiji has
continued this tradition every
year.
As commonly known
throughout the world, Christmas tree lighting marks the
beginning of the Christmas
season where everyone gets
into the festive mood; it highlights the importance of the
Christmas tree as decades ago
people symbolized the tree as
hope for new beginning after
the cold winter days.
Resort Manager, Brad
Downton said he was delighted and honoured to be part of
the event as The Warwick Fiji

is one of the few resorts that
have held the Christmas Tree
lighting event every year.
We at The Warwick Fiji
have continued the good trend
to mark the importance of
Christmas in our communities.
This also allows us to relate to the people around us
and show our gratitude towards the Christian culture in
Fiji.
It is of high significance
to us as it is an event that
joins the Warwick Family as
a whole with our many loyal
guests.
This year is special as
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we plan to re-launch our new

brand in the market. We also
won the Achievement in Business Excellence Award last
month which shows our commitment in delivering beyond
guest expectations whilst
holding true to its value for
culture, the environment and
its people.
The Warwick Fiji owner
and the management wished
all their guests, business partners, staff and the local community a Merry Christmas
and a Prosperous 2015.
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Christmas tree lighting ceremony. Photo: SUPPLIED.
The AON Fiji Excellence in Tourism

2014 awards Finalist shortlist
The Trustees and Organizing Committee of the AON
Fiji Excellence in Tourism
Awards are pleased to announce the short list of finalists for the 18th AON Fiji Excellence in Tourism Awards
Season.
The 2014 Awards season
has again received a record
number of impressive applications, and following on from
the 2013 precedent, where
initial scoring has been very
close, there have been more
than the traditional three applicants short-listed for site
visits. The continuation of
this approach again ensures
the Awards assessments are as
thorough, fair and transparent
as logistically possible.
The Trustees are pleased
to welcome some first-time
AON Awards entrants to the
shortlist, as well as previous
years winners and entrants,
and confirm the following applicants will now receive site
visits by the judges:
Bebe Spa Outrigger on the

Lagoon
Heavenly Spa Westin Resort
& Spa
Pure Fiji
Rainforest Spa - Koro Sun
Resort
FETA 2014 Finalist Shortlist

Category 1. Frontliner
Kini Saukuru - Musket Cove
Eunice Molia - South Sea
Cruises
Lingo Reece Castaway Island Resort
Eddie Tuicumu - South Sea
Cruises
Category 8. Restaurants:
Quality & Affordability
Lali Sand Bar and Grill - Castaway
Boatshed - Vuda Marina
Governors
Taste Fiji
Mai Kana - First Landing
Category 2. Back of House

Lance Seeto - Castaway
Maria Penjueli - South Sea
Cruises
Mohammed Shahmeem - Rasison Blu
Mere Watisoni Navavulevu Manta Ray
Category 3. Transport
Pacific Destinationz
Rosie Tours
Heli Tours Fiji
Pacific Island Air
Tourist Transport Fiji
Category 4. Spa & Wellnes
Category 5. Service and support

Explore Fiji Magazine
Pure Fiji
Vuda Marina
Category 6. Fiji Experience
Captain Cook Cruises - Reef
Endeavour
South Seas Cruises - Seaspray
Whitetip Marine Adventures
Category 7. Sustainability
Matava - Fiji Untouched
J Hunter Pearls
Shangri Las Fijian Resort
Category 8. Restaurants:
Fine Dining
V - Sofitel
IVI - Outrigger
Flying Fish - Sheraton
Category 9. Accom. Budget

Tanoa Rakiraki
Tanoa Skylodge
Manta Ray
Category 10. Accom. Quality
Tanoa Plaza
Volivoli
Hidaway
Blue Lagoon Beach
Malolo
Category 11 Accom. Deluxe
Castaway
Radisson Blu
Sheraton Villas
Category 12. Accom. Luxury
Royal Davui
Likuliku
Westin
Paradise Cove
The Awards has always aspired to be as relevant to the
industry as possible, and on
receipt of the applications in
2014, it was found that entrants to the Accommodation
Unique category needed to
be provided with more information to fulfil the criteria.
Finalists for this category will
be announced at a later date.
Per 2012, there were a substantial number of entrants to
the Restaurants category of
a very high standard. As such,
the Trustees have decided to
spilt this category into two
to provide opportunity to a
greater range of service providers.
The Trustees are pleased to
confirm the Awards ceremony
will be held on the evening
on Friday, February 20, 2014,
and the event will be held at
the Sheraton Fiji on Denarau
Island in Nadi. The ceremony
will also include the trophy
presentation to Governments
Fijian Host of the year for
2014. Tickets will be available early in the New Year.
The Awards could not happen without the support of our
generous sponsors, Particularly AON Risk, our Platinum
sponsor. Our sincere thanks to
our Gold Sponsor, ANZ for
their ongoing support. Our
Silver Sponsors Fiji Airways
and AFL continue to be longterm supporters of the Awards,
as does Bronze Sponsor Crest
Chicken. We again welcome
our Awards night Event Sponsors; premier Event Sponsor
Tappoo who will this year be
providing all beverages for
the event including hosting
a premium cocktail bar, Fiji
Water, Pure Fiji, Five Star
Foods and our Media Partner,
the Fiji Sun.
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15
ADVERTISEMENT
BUSINESS NEWS
Fiji Airways recognized as the Best Airline In The

South Pacific for second consecutive year
Fiji Airways is proud to announce
that it has been honoured by Global
Travelers GT Tested Awards as the
Best Airline in the South Pacific
for the second consecutive year.
This prestigious win is a testament to the Fiji Airways brand and
product. The airlines new fleet of
premium Airbus A330-200 aircraft
flawlessly connects the world to the

islands of Fiji and beyond. The Best
Airline in the South Pacific award
highlights the commitment Fiji Airways has to providing a warm and
welcoming environment on board
these flights.
It also coincides with the launch
of the airlines new brand campaign,
Welcome to Our Home, which

captures the unique Fijian experience
travelers have aboard Fiji Airways,
and by extension, in Fiji. That is, a
very personal, human experience offering the familiarity of home, where
visitors are treated as extended family, not tourists.
The voting process for the 11th
By MARGARET NAQIRI &

ANUSHIL KUMAR
rant meant a lot for him.

I opened this restaurant because I
wanted to do something for myself
and also for the locals too.
It was not a planned move on opening this restaurant but it has always
been my dream to open my own restaurant, and I plan on extending my
restaurant to other busy parts of Nadi
like Namaka.
He said his main objective is to provide meals at an affordable price to
keep the customers happy.
Very reasonable prices and the quality and the taste of the food makes
us different from other restaurants in

town.
Looking at the local customers and
visitors, they like healthy food and
it is also cheap for the customers to
come and have a good meal.
Cheap Eats Restaurant is located at
the Mestry Shopping Plaza, Naitavo
Lane behind Nadi Handicraft and the
ANZ Bank in Nadi Town.
Tempting taste in town
A new restaurant started its operation following the official opening in

Nadi on Friday, December 5.
Cheap eats fastfood and takeaway
has brought smiles to the people of
Nadi being the cheapest eatery in
town as all the meals are priced below five dollars.
Director Amitesh Nair, a 12-year experienced chef, said he had an idea
in mind of having a business of his
own and the opening of his restau-
annual GT Tested Awards took place

over a span of eight months. Those
that were chosen as top brands in the
travel industry will be announced
in the prominent December issue of
Global Traveler.
Global Traveler is a monthly
magazine written exclusively for
frequent business and luxury trav-
elers. Its GT Tested Awards have

been considered an industry standard
for over a decade, with well-versed
readers personally voting for the best
in travel.
FIJI AIRWAYS
Family and friends during the official opening of the Cheap eats
fastfood and takeaway restaurant in Nadi Town.
Photo: MARGARET NAQIRI.
Ambassador Despoja addresses Women in Business Conference

By SALOTE QALUBAU
The Women in Business conference held its western division visit
with prominent female stake holders
gathering at the Sheraton Hotel in
Nadi for the address of the Australian
women and girls ambassador Natasha Stott Despoja on Wednesday,
November 26.
The Australian Government,
through its Pacific Women Shaping Development (Pacific Women)
initiative, has provided significant
financial support towards the event
with Westpac Pacific as the official
private sector gold sponsor.
If we invest in women, if we al-
low women to participate in the work

force we will grow our economies.
Were looking at a decision by the
G20 economies to increase womens
work force participation and this will
mean something like a trillion dollars to economies over the coming
decades, said ambassador Natasha
Stott Despoja.
Prominent business women, senior government officials, community representatives as well as women
from faith based organizations were
invited to be part of the women in
business conference which was indeed a medium of empowerment and
encouragement for female entrepreneurs whether rural or urban based.
We are looking at the experiences of resilient business women

in terms of what they can share to
other participants as well as rural entrepreneurs and building coalitions
and were looking at business linkages .There are key industries where
women are working in isolation but
we need to connect with them, as I
have mentioned like in tourism, agriculture that we will be visiting key
sites at grassroot level and will be
having parallel workshops that really touch on issues faced by women
in the pacific, said Pacific Islands
Private Sector Organisation(PIPSO)
Chief executive officer Mereia
Volavola.
Parallel session topics were based

on the topic Growing your business and as such were further dissected into three categories which
were product development, marketing and branding, as well as growth
strategies.
Speakers for the Nadi women in
business conference were managing director of the Gift Hutt Sukia
Tumalealii Go, managing director
of Senikai Spas Limited Fiji Debra
Sadranu, Solomon Islands community leader and business woman Esther Tali Suti as well as social entrepreneur and co-owner of Tapuanga
coffee (Tonga), key founder of Affirming Works Limited and Commu-
nity Cafe Auckland Emeline Afeaki

Mafileo.
There are some simple basic issues that women still face and confront, things like opening a bank account having access to small loans
so some of the initiatives that will
be discussed today will be on how to
access microfinance for women and
girls, how to open a bank account.
Financial literacy and training is absolutely important thats why were
glad to support and invest in those
areas, said the ambassador.
She further commended Pacific
women who have remained persistent and in her opinion have indeed
great success stories.
17
Korois magical hands

By MARGARET NAQIRI
Tattoos are becoming more
in demand and the crave that
people have for body art with
the unique and meaningful
designs has people from all
walks of life heading into a
tattoo parlour.
Popular tattooist Adrian
Koroi of Tristan Tattoos Fiji
that is based on Main Street
in Nadi Town has a passion
and love for tattoos and has
been in the business for more
than eight years now and still
enjoys every bit of it. He says
that the best part of his job is
to see a big fat smile on the
customers face when the art
is done.
If you are wanting to
get your body inked be sure
to have the right intentions.
Tattoos arent for fun as it is
something that will be there
for life, said Koroi.
Dont get random tattoos just because your friends
got one. Get something that
means something to you. For
example, myself, Ive got an
angel and its wing is hugging
a tomb stone with my mums

name on it tattooed on my
forearm. Its something to
remember my mum with Get
something that would not only
look great but inspires you,
he added.
Tattoos last a life time and
when planning to get a tattoo,
go to someone you trust.
When I first started out
as a tattooist my family and
friends did not quite approve
it at first because it wasnt at
all a job, theyd say. But as
time went by, they then realized it wasnt a bad job after
all as I was making a living
away from home and was able
to pay bills, pay my rent and
raise a family on my own. I
would also wish to own my
very own tattoo studio, to expand my business and have
other tattooist work for me.
For those wishing to take
up this profession and make
a career out of tattooing requires dedication, a lot of patience, a very creative mind
and great artistic skills. Dont
do it for the money but for the
passion of skin art.
BUSINESS NEWS
Salon 21 opens its doors in Nadi

By SALOTE QALUBAU
Salon 21 started its business running following the
official opening ceremony on
Saturday, November 29 in
Martintar, Nadi.
Proprietor Neelam Singh
stressed the key areas the
business hopes to tap into in
terms of customer service
namely wedding market, tanning and all hair and beauty
services as they had started
getting a lot of enquiries for
weddings locally as well as
internationally.
The first Salon 21 shop is
in Pacific House, Level 1, Butt

St, Suva. We opened a branch
in Nadi to have better access
to the tourism market, said
Miss Singh.
She added Salon 21s core
focus is to provide first-class
customer service to the public
and in doing, she has visited
Salon Melbourne and had attended the Sydney International Spa & Beauty Expo.
Miss Singh will be hiring
qualified and trained staff to
offer an international standard
customer service.
Director of Salon 21, Neelma Singh (left) with Tyco

general manager Mike Jamieson at their new outlet
in Martintar, Nadi. Photo: SUPPLIED.
Signing of MOU boosts rice production in Fiji agriculture

A boost to the Rice Revitalization Programme in Fiji
was earmarked with a recent
signing of a memorandum
of understanding (MOU) between the Republic of the
Government of China and the
Fijian Government.
The China Shandong International Economic and
Technical Cooperation Group
Limited (CSI) in technical
partnership with world known
hybrid rice seeds company,
Yuan Longping High Tech
Agriculture Company Limited will work together with
the Ministry of Agriculture in
producing more rice locally.
Ministry of Agriculture
permanent secretary, Ropate
Ligairi said the event was a
milestone achievement to a
vast project targeting the rice

production in Fiji.
Mr Ligairi said the Fijian
Government is currently importing $40million of rice
annually and this agreement
is an opportunity for Fiji to
reduce the import bill, Mr
Ligairi said.
Mr Ligairi said that the rice
commodity was chosen because it is an area which needs
assistance in order to improve
the livelihood of communities
and help reduce the import of
rice.
He said that there were
some parts of Fiji which are
rice prone areas and are located in the economic depressed
zones which are far from the
markets.
There is a need to develop
those zones and convert them

into production and commercial areas in order to increase
our local rice production.
This commodity he said
can be kept for long after harvest and with the help of the
new machineries and technologies, all activities concerning
rice cultivation will be effective and efficient.
Deputy manager for CSI,
Wang Zenghe said within the
agreement they will bring
their machines, experts to
train local farmers and staff as
well as introducing new rice
technology and high yield varieties.
We would like to see that
rice production in Fiji is taken
to another level. Currently, the
average rice yield in Fiji is 2.5
tonnes per hectare. Through

this project, they will demonstrate and train farmers and
officers on the technologies to
achieve higher yields from 5.0
to 8.0 tonnes per hectare or
even more, Mr Zenghe said.
The approved $10million
rice project commences from
January 2015 until December
2016. The project identified
operation areas are Dreketi
Irrigation Project for 200 ha
of rice land for extension and
one [1] ha at Koronivia Research Station for rice seeds
experiment and research.
The Prime Ministers Office and the Ministry of Agriculture are both spearheading
the project.
DEPTFO
ADVERTISEMENT
19
BUSINESS NOTICE BOARD
ADVERTISEMENT
21
LOCAL SPORTS
Tikaram: man of many sportsmanship trades

By SALOTE QALUBAU
Upon a first encounter
with Bobby Tikaram, most
are welcomed with a warm
personality and genuine smile
that further encourages us to
be engrossed in conversation
with him never realizing that
we are indeed in the presence
of one of Nadi towns sports
pioneers.
Mr Tikaram began building
his empire of achievements at
an early age by captaining the
Mahatma Gandhi Memorial
(MGM) school soccer team.
Originally from Lami
town, he moved to the Jet
Set town of Nadi for work
purpose and became a founding member of the Nadi Airport Soccer Club in 1964, his
dream to represent the Nadi
district was short-lived as he
had broken his collar bone.
This however did not
dampen his spirit as he
worked hard and was elected
the Assistant Secretary of the
Nadi Association thus playing

a pivotal role in reviving the
association which led to Nadi
scooping the Inter-District
Championship and some other
major titles of the year.
Some of the soccer players I introduced on club level
(Airport Soccer Club) went
on to play for Nadi and Fiji.
And some of these famous
names are Emosi Koroi Barcadi, Amani Pele Rokoderea ,
Samu Vucago, Akariva Rasumo, Stan Morrell, Peter Dean,
Henry Dyer, John Satish Nath
and Marika Ravula. They all
went on to represent Fiji,
said Mr Tikaram.
Mr Tikaram has set a
benchmark as a jack of all
sportsmanship trades by taking up playing tennis in 1964
while assisting the Nadi Airport Tennis club by managing
the tennis team to the Davis
cup in Jordan and the Federated cup in Thailand in 1999.
He managed four tennis
teams that in addition were
able to compete in the South
Pacific games and Mini games

in 2003 and was appointed
Vice President of the Fiji
Lawn Tennis Association before retiring in 2004, however
this is not the end of the list
of Mr Tikarams sports legacy.
His consistent involvement in trying to shape Nadis
sports sector saw him being
awarded with the Jaycees
most outstanding young person of the year award by the
late Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara
and later being appointed to
the Fiji Sports Council Board
from 1981 till 1982.
In that short span of time,
Mr Tikaram became the vibrant voice of the western
division and was later reappointed in 2000 due to his
constant aim to maintain a
standard of excellence in
terms of performance.
Bobby was awarded with
the Fiji Association of Sports
and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC) 50th Anniversary award in 2006 for
his many years of dedicated
Bobby Tikaram (first row, first from right) with other Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC) awardees. Photo: SUPPLIED.
service to improving sports

in Fiji and being awarded the
FASANOC 2014 Olympic order award was the icing on the
cake of his numerous achieve-
ments.
His appeal has indeed cut
across all boundaries be it in
sports, ethnic groups or age
and has established an epit-
ome of the Olympic vales of

excellence, comradeship and
respect.
Stage set for Fijis biggest 5-a-side soccer

By ANUSHIL KUMAR
The stage for the inaugural

Island Pacific Apparel 5-aside soccer is all set following
its official launching ceremony on Monday, December 8.
Tagged as the biggest fivea-side soccer tournament ever
organised in Fiji, coordinator
Nadeem Mohammed said he
was extremely proud of the
quick responses of the team
as he mentioned a total of 40
teams from around the country showed their interest for
the tournament.
The teams quick responses before the pool draws were
very appreciative and the
amount of interest this tournament has generated not only in
Nadi but amongst teams from
around the country.
It is really encouraging to
realise suddenly that December 14th will assemble 40 very
well prepared sides at Nadi
Muslim College Grounds
and the competition level is
already intensifying in the atmosphere.
The tournament received
a timely boost of $1500 from
sponsors Island Pacific Apparel and coordinator Mohammed applauded them for
their great support.
I must thank Mr Govind
Goundar the Managing Director and Mr. Sunil Chand, the
Sales and Marketing Manager
of Island Pacific Apparel, for
making this event happen at
such a high profile. Compa-
Tournament sponsor Mr Govind Goundar (4th from left) of Island Pacific Apparel with the officials during
launching ceremony and handing over of sponsorship cheque. Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.
nies like this should be recognized for helping in the

growth of sports in the country as this tournament would
certainly expose many un-
tapped talents. Mr Nadeem

mentioned.
Island Pacific Apparel marketing manager Sunil Chand
announced the tournament
will now become an annual

event and will be organised
on a bigger scale, however the
officials would decide on the
competition to be played dur-
ing the mid year.

The winning team would
walkaway $750 richer with
the tournament cup donated
by Bashir Ahmed and Fam-
ily of Canada, Runner up will

grab $200 cash while the losing semi-finalists will be rewarded with $100 each.
NZ All Stars wins

Pacific Cup
By ANUSHIL KUMAR in
Sydney
New Zealand Fiji Football

Inc (NZFFI) All Stars is the
2014 Pacific Cup champions
after defeating host Australia Fiji Football Association
(AFFA) All Stars 4-3 in a nailbiting final with a scotching
heat of 37C at the Sydney
United Football Stadium on
Sunday, November 30.
The
Josaia
Bukalidi
coached side fired-up in the
second half to snatch the cup
as they were down by three
goals 15 minutes prior to the
final whistle.
Former Ba marksman Malakai Tiwa got the opener for
the host side a minute before
the half time, however James
Hoyt equalized for the NZ All
Stars side early in the second
half.
The host side took advantage of the blunders made by

the NZ All Stars and scored
two quick goals within 10
minutes as they had a commanding 3-1 lead sending the
fans into jubilation.
Another former Ba striker
Abbu Zahid pulled one back
for the visitors before Keegan
Linderboom equalized with
his pile-driving shot just a
minute before the full time.
It was then the most painful moment for the home fans
and officials as Linderboom
proved himself as the hero for
the NZ All Stars after nailing
the winning goal in the added
time to take the cup back to
New Zealand as it was with
Nadi for the past two years.
Keegan Linderboom was
later awarded as the best player of the tournament.
SPORTS
The victorious New Zealand Fiji Football Inc (NZFFI) All Stars during the 2014 Pacific Cup at the
Sydney United Football Stadium in Australia. Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.
Rohit wins Tatasclub NSW Fiji Open

Rohit Prasad won the Tatasclub NSW Fiji Open nailing a total score of 67 at the
Macquarie Links International Golf Club in Sydney on
Tatasclub, a non-profit social club, hosted its 8th annual
competition and is believed to
be the final event in the clubs
golfing calendar.
The key goals and objective of the club is to raise and
donate funds to give back to
the people and families that
is less fortunate and needs assistance
Tournament winner and
committee member Rohit
Prasad said this year the club
joined hands with Camp
Quality and donated $3500
towards this organisation.
Camp Quality has been
supporting children living

with cancer and their families
since 1983.
We have in years committed and provided for the
following causes donation
to Liverpool Hospital- neonatel care, Victorian Bush fire
appeal, Westmead Childrens
Hospital, Fiji Flood relief appeal.
Sydney Tatasclub was formulated in 2000 by eight close
friends residing in Sydney
from Fijian heritage to have
a common goal of playing social golf and the club took a
more structured approach in
2004 by formulating a constitution and electing office
bearers to run the club.
Today Tatasclub holds a
strong member base of sixty
members from all communities in Sydney. The club
organizes golf games for its
members around most of the
courses in Sydney region.
Beyond this we organize

tournaments such as the IDC,
charity day, club championship, league and match plays.
The club also hosts a web
site where people can visit
www.tatasclub.com for more
information on the club activities.
Prasad won himself a return airline ticket to Fiji while
Praneel Singh, who finished
the tournament as the gross
winner, won a 42 inch LED
LCD TV set.
Meanwhile, the Oceania
Golf School in Nadi is planning to host an international
junior golf tournament next
year.
The school held the inaugural Fiji Junior Open Championship at the Denarau Golf
and Racquet Club in Nadi on
Sunday, December 7 as Fiji
Airways gave $5000 for the
tournament.
Fiji have triumphed over

Samoa in their final match at
Oakes Oval in Lismore, which
sees them advance as the next
team from the East-Asia Pacific region to World Cricket
League Division 6.
Threatening storm clouds
did not delay the start of play,
with Fiji captain, Joe Rika,
winning the toss, and interestingly sending the Samoans
into bat.
The situation was dire early
for Samoa with Fred Sapatu
departing in the second over

after getting an edge from
Imran Khan. Their woes continued, with Samoan captain,
Ben Mailata, opening danger
man, Sean Cotter, and toporder bat, Pritchard departing
in successive overs, to leave
Samoa in a desperate situation
at 4-9 after just 5 over.
Faasao Mulivai provided
some much-needed resistance
with the bat, and on top of
some dropped catches in the
field, steadied the innings for
Samoa.
However when he was dismissed via Viliame Manakitogas second caught and
bowled for the day, the end
of the innings was signaled,
with Riyad Khan taking the final two wickets in successive
balls, to dismiss Samoa for 73
runs in 23.5 overs.
It looked as if it would just
be a matter of time before Fiji
hit the winnings runs, until
some big hitting from Fijian
opener, Makutu Seru, came
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
Club President Ravind Gounder with the 2014 NSW Fiji Open winner Rohit Prasad
Photo: SUPPLIED.
Fiji win through to World Cricket League 6

undone, and he was dismissed
in the third over. This didnt
seem to phase Rika however,
who, when joined at the crease
by Giles Smith, notched up
his second half-century in as
many days, to lead his team to
a nine-wicket victory in just
9.5 overs.
After the game, Rika said
he was incredibly proud of his
team and all the sacrifices they
had made to get to Lismore.
Weve worked hard for
this. Its been a long 16 weeks
for the boys and a lot of hard

work put into it, and a lot of
sacrifices made, not just the
boys here, but the ones back
home as well. Weve started
from scratch with our squad,
and weve built the team into
something special, and leading into the future we know
cricket is in good hands in
Fiji.
Fiji coach, Shane Jurgensen, echoed Rikas comments, after his first major
tournament as head coach of
Fiji.
Im very proud of the
boys. Weve prepared for a
long time and worked really
hard, but at the same time
youve still got to turn up
and do it on the day, and they
did. I didnt really have to say
much this morning; they just
went out there and did it themselves.
CRICKET FIJI
23
Page 22
P
Page 23
TIKARAM:
MAN OF MANY
SPORTSMANSHIP TRADES
PACIFIC CUP
COVERAGE
DECEMBER 1-15, 2014. ISSUE 58
50 CENTS
NAMASKARAM!
Hosts Nadi wins Andhra Convention

By ANUSHIL KUMAR
The Txtile Tubes sponsored Nadi
side won the Annual Andhra Sangam Mini Convention beating a starstudded Lautoka 3-2 in the final at
the Nadi Sangam School ground on
Laced with district reps like Alvin
Avinesh and Salesh Sami Bula, the
Blues toiled hard to get the victory,
however the Narain Naidu led host
side displayed a powerful performance in a nail-biting showdown.
Goalkeeper Sanjoy Kumar, who
was later named the best player of
the tournament, proved to be the
high-flying hero for the Nadi side
as he stopped a penalty in the dieing
stages of the final and denied Alvins
long-range attempts keeping the Jetsetters hopes alive.
Karunesh Krishna broke the
hearts of Lautoka players and officials as his header in the extra spell
hit the back of the net giving Nadi
the much awaited victory.
Team manager Nilesh Naidu said
the players really worked hard and
played their hearts out to get the victory infront of their home crowd.
The boys did a lot of hardwork
to prepare for this tournament and I
think the victory speaks itself, an
excited Naidu said.
We did not believe in individual
play, we built a strong character of
teamwork that led to our success and
I would like to thank all the players,
team officials, our sponsor Txtile
The victorious Nadi team during the Annual Andhra Sangam Mini Convention
at Nadi Sangam School. INSET: Best Player of the tournament Sanjoy Kumar.
Photos: SUPPLIED.
Tubes and all others who somehow

contributed towards teams victory.
Tournament Organising Secretary
Ravinesh Kumar tagged the tournament as a great success.
The two-day convention was a
great success and we hope to make it
bigger and better next year.
The tournament was very good

as it went smoothly and we thank all
the teams that took part in this years
competition.
Meanwhile, the National Executive Board general secretary Kamal
Shasaiya Mani commended its
Nadi and Qeleloa branches for host-
ing this years mini convention in a

grand way.
The event which is an annual
one, is organized by our youth wings
as the culmination of their year
round activities of youth development, community services, sports
etc. This one day mini convention

brought the Andhra Sangam family
together to socialize and celebrate
their achievements for the year
through sports and cultural activities
and also to plan for next year when
we will be celebrating our Diamond
Jubilee.
PGA tournament to boost corporate incentive markets

Grounded on the success of this
years Fiji Internation PGA tournament, Tourism Fiji is dedicated to
ensuring that the international golf
tournament, that will be held from
the October 15-18, 2015 at Natadola
Bay, will supersede the outcomes of
the inaugural tournament.
In announcing the confirmed
dates for the international golf
tournament with the PGA of Australia and the Fiji Government at the
Holiday Inn in Suva on Wednesday,
December 3, Acting CEO Ken Freer
enunciated Tourism Fijis enthusiasm at the huge potential for tapping
into new markets through the media
coverage generated from event.
The tournament this year was

broadcast to over 400 million homes
globally with 46% of it being live,
generating a media QI value of approximately twenty-million Fijian
dollars, a reach which would have
cost us virtually the entire Tourism
Fiji marketing budget for the year,
explained Freer.
The tournament next year is
definitely going to benefit from the
global exposure it received in international markets, as well as Fijis
experience with hosting an international event which directly employed more than 750 locals over a
two month period.
Tourism Fiji Director of Events,
Sally Cooper shared insights into the

potential this event has for boosting
specific markets within the tourism
industry.
A notable aspect of the 2015
PGA tournament is the opportunities
it will create for the corporate incentive markets, said Cooper.
An event of this international
caliber becomes an enticing reward
for corporations offshore looking to
run incentive programmes, where
VIP club access, dinners with the
players and behind the ropes as part
of these incentives give corporate
visitors the type of experience thats
truly rewarding.
The event next year is anticipated
to engage more sponsors and local

suppliers who benefitted from the
first-hand encounter with an event
of this magnitude a sentiment which
was clearly expressed by those attending the launch of the tournament

in Suva.
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DECEMBER 1-15, 2014.

New Universal Meditation Centre to promote unity in diversity

na, Swami Vivekanda, Holy mother

the people of Fiji in designing such a

Fiji - the way the world should be

PICK OF THE MONTH

Police reminds of safety

Police Commissioner Major

As we encounter the festive

While there seems to be an

THE JET is Fijis first community newspaper published bi-monthly

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

Chinese President pleased

The Chinese community

Chinese President His Excellecy Xi Jinping delivering his welcome address

tropical island landscape but

ty and prosperity of the Pacific

Pratap bids farewell

By ANUSHIL KUMAR &

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Mr Prataps friendly nature

storyteller. He gave us humour the best gift ever, and

He was also a great teacher

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

UNIVERSITY OF FIJI 8TH GRADUATION

University of Fiji students celebrate hard earned success

plete their qualifications on

take the time to acknowledge

said Mr Coll during his address.

teachers and the management

Alveena makes family proud

medicine; I was close to going

viding scholarships for her

From left: Asishna Prasad

20 new doctors to boost

Vice Chancellor Professor

He also mentioned the new

Shanil strives for success

studies together with background hardship. But then I

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

PRIME MINISTERS EXPORTER OF THE YEAR AWARD

The 2014 Westpac Prime

2014 Westpac Prime Ministers Exporter of the Year

General Award Category

er of the Year Award - Ram

Standard Concrete Industries

Moments from the Awards night.

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Fisheries Exporter of the Year

nology (ICT) Services Award

Hardwork reaps reward for Shayal

It was a moment of joy

hardwork pays at the end and

sion. said Mrs Agarwal.

Staff of Raffles Gateway Hotel pose with Fiji National

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Nadi school receives handsome donation

Togo Bhartiya Primary

In addition to the $5,000

Remember to think big;

is a life-long process heading

Proud parents celebrate