Yvonne Nalewabau of Adi Cakobau School who won gold after a jump of 11.00 metres
Yvonne Nalewabau of Adi Cakobau School who won gold after a jump of 11.00 metres in the Senior Girls Triple Jump, says her parents came all the way from Lautoka to watch her at the HFC Bank Stadium today.
Nalewabau says the challenges faced during her preparation for the Coke Games was her academic performance and training.
She adds it was tough as she had to wake up early in the morning to train.
Nalewabau dedicates her win to God, her parents, coaches, teachers, parents and all the students that supported her.
The silver medal went to Holy Cross College student Imakula Leqeua, while Laisani Kuridua of Sigatoka Methodist High School won the bronze.
Vane Dulukorewa Nawalowalo with her family in her younger days. =
In the remote village of Drekeniwai, nestled in the famed Natewa Bay, young Vane Dulukorewa Nawalowalo’s life took shape in a world she neither chose nor resented.
Her parents were civil servants and they were posted to Vaturova in Cakaudrove, where she attended Korotasere District School.
It was at this school, where she attended class one to six, that her journey toward an illustrious career began.
“Growing up in a school like that and then attending ACS was a great advantage because I had learned a lot of things about living independently,” she reminisced, the memories of her early years in the village still vivid in her mind.
“There is a lot of things girls in town don’t do like cooking with firewood outside – vakatoka ti. It’s a good upbringing when you are raised in the village, and I was fortunate to be brought up in one.”
Because of the school’s distance from home young Nawalowalo did not enjoy going o the village during the school holidays.
“We stayed in school because our parents were in Vanua Levu,” she said.
Her father was a teacher and her mother a nurse.
Their dedication to their professions meant that their young daughter’s education would be spent away from the comfort of the home.
It was a lesson in resilience that would serve her well in the years to come.
After completing her education at Adi Cakobau School (ACS), Nawalowalo transitioned directly into the workforce, beginning her career in 1968.
“We were prepared from school towards the end of the year,” she said, with the sound of youthful determination in her voice.
“We sat exams, and I was lucky to go to ACS.”
At work, she enjoyed the support of her school mates who also grew up in the village and were also former pupils of ACS.
“Ulamila Toroki and Ulamila Laisa made it easier for those of us who just joined,” she said.
The transition from the rural tranquility of Vanua Levu to the bustling world of Sawani was indeed a leap, but Nawalowalo’s village upbringing had prepared her well for the challenges of city life.
As a commercial studies student, she was part of a group that was eventually absorbed into the workforce straight after school.
Their journey into the civil service marked the beginning of remarkable careers.
“With family already serving the country, it was natural for me to join the government,” Nawalowalo said.
“It was safer for us girls at the time to join government because there were rules established, and coming from boarding school into a government department — for me, I would rather make that my career choice than the private sector.”
Her first job was working as a typist in the Department of Social Welfare, where she worked under the guidance of an expatriate deputy director.
It was a humble beginning for a young woman determined to make her mark in the world.
“Initially, I wanted to work as a social welfare officer,” she said.
“I loved the idea of going to serve the people and going to see the needy. But my career panned out differently. I was to be a typist, so my work experience began.”
At this stage, she was still single and faced the rigours of a demanding job.
“When I started work, sometimes I would cry,” she admitted.
Her boss, an expatriate, had high expectations of those under him, and young Nawalowalo had to adapt to the demands of her role quickly.
“I had to go through that, and I was determined to get through all the hardships in my work. I had to concentrate and do things better.”
Born in 1949, she said she was probably just 18 or 19 years old when she embarked on her career.
The challenges were many but they only fueled her determination to succeed.
Over the years, Nawalowalo’s career took her through various government departments.
She worked in the Public Service Commission, the Cabinet Office, and eventually became the Prime Minister’s Secretary.
“I was mostly working for the Secretary to Cabinet because he was the most senior of all permanent secretaries,” she explained.
As she rose through the ranks, her work encompassed more than just typing.
She progressed to typing of legal documents which required a deep understanding of the intricacies of the law.
“My job taught me so much more than what I learned in the classroom.
“I had to work hard in all the positions I was assigned.”
Her days often stretched late into the night. But she took pride in her ability to deliver work promptly.
“My regular day would end at 9pm,” she said.
“The day’s work should be finished on the day it is given.”
In 1971, Nawalowalo got married, and her husband worked in the private sector.
The demands of her career, which often included late-night work and 24/7 availability, posed challenges to her personal life.
“Family life was difficult then,” she said, “but you had to have some sort of rhythm, especially when you are newly married.
“You have to stay together; you have to be good to him, and all would be okay. And then, you go and do your job.”
The couple also looked after other children, extending their nurturing care beyond their own family.
Despite the demands of her work, Nawalowalo flourished.
She balanced her career and family life with remarkable grace.
“I had to concentrate and do things better,” she said.
“I suppose that’s how I balanced my career. I got help from my parents, and his (husband’s) parents were also helpful – I used to take my children to them when I needed their help.”
In 2017 and 2018, after a career spanning 38 years, Nawalowalo retired from the civil service, a welldeserved respite after a lifetime of service to the country.
Throughout her career, Nawalowalo served under a number of prime ministers, including Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, Sitiveni Rabuka, and Laisenia Qarase.
Her roles ranged from working in Parliament and the Prime Minister’s Office to regional development.
She recalled her time in the Fiji Intelligence Service, where she underwent training to become an intelligence officer, driven by a desire to better understand human behaviour.
“I wanted to work hard and do what I wanted to do when people needed me,” she said.
In her illustrious career, Nawalowalo embodied dedication, resilience, and the spirit of service.
She learned to understand and adapt to the personalities of her various bosses, emphasising the importance of respecting their needs and requirements.
“You have to work out what your boss is all about.
“You have to know what he wants, you have to study what kind of person he is. Whatever he wants, it must be done, and in a quicker time.”
Now in retirement, Mrs Nawalowalo reflects on a lifetime of challenges and triumphs, and how she overcame adversity to leave an indelible mark on Fiji’s civil service.
Her story serves as a testament to the power of determination, resilience, and unwavering dedication to one’s career and responsibilities.
It is a tale that persists in igniting inspiration for future generations, a lasting legacy of service that will forever be engraved in the pages of Fiji’s history.
Taufa Vakatale was, first to achieve many, starting with being a pioneer student of Adi Cakobau School and doing the same in education, government & politics.
She is probably the most notable of ACSOG leaders having been the first iTaukei woman to be principal of Adi Cakobau School and later she became the first woman deputy Prime Minister.
She is now 75 years old but she says she thinks like a 40-year-old. Ms Vakatale travels extensively. She recently returned from a trip to the United States of America visiting family members.
Her first taste of politics came in 1992 after retiring from the civil service in 1990. The 1992 elections were the first election held after the two coups in 1987. Ms Vakatale stood in her province of Lomaiviti under the Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei (SVT) ticket.
“I saw myself as a minister and I told my constituency that I was ministerial material. I was very confident from the start that I would win.”
She won convincingly. In 1994 she stood in the same constituency and again won by a large margin. Her running mate was Joeli Kalou who polled in second.
The 1999 elections, however, became a different ball game.
Ms Vakatale said: “By that time SVT was a dirty name because the iTaukei thought that we had sold out the Fijian cause. Similar sentiments were directed towards the National Federation Party whom they had teamed up with.
“I stood alongside James Raghwan Raman from the NFP. We were top people at the time, Mr Raman was a good debater but we both lost. “
The pair stood in the Samabula Tamavua Open constituency.
In recent times, Ms Vakatale was part of the Fiji Constitutional Commission led by Professor Yash Ghai.
Here are the thoughts of a small yet courageous and gifted lady who has stamped her mark in Fiji’s educational and political history.
Progress to September 2014
“I am looking forward to the elections not because I’m going to take part but just to see people particularly the young people now that it’s the first time for most of them to vote. I’m just excited to see their reactions.
“But politics is politics, it won’t really change much. There’ll be good politicians and bad politicians.
“I’m looking forward to getting the constitution accepted, good or bad. It will be the first democratically established government after so many years.
“If they are people of integrity, no matter what kind of politics is in place they will always do what they think is right,” Ms Vakatale said.
Women politicians
“I don’t think that there should be a reserved percentage of women in Parliament or in a political party. It would mean forcing the issue on the population.
“Maybe recommend that each political party have at least two or three women in their party to stand. It should not be reserved,” she said.
Ms Vakatale added that in the general population women control at least 50 per cent of the voting public and sometimes it’s the women themselves who don’t help.
In 1994 the former Minister for Education said: “Women clamour for equality with men and will lobby for their rights and fight instances of discrimination against women. Yet when the crunch comes and women are required to take up active political roles, very few have the courage to offer themselves.”
Lead with integrity
Ms Vakatale recalls her dismissal as Minister because of what she believed was right.
“I was dismissed and became a backbencher because I marched against my party for what I believed was wrong – the nuclear testing on Murorua Atoll in French Polynesia.
“For me, my survival was not important, the survival of the people of the Pacific was more important to me. So you’ve got to have integrity. It doesn’t really matter if the person sitting next to you has a different view and is calling you a ‘liumuri.’ Simply do what you believe is right,” she said.
Working with Government
“When I’m asked by the current government to do things, I do it. If I don’t believe in what they are doing, then I don’t.
“I respect them too for respecting my wishes.”
But often her friends, those she considers highly intelligent people who tend to think that she has sold out to the Government.
“But what matter are the people who are really important to me they know that I am not.”
iTaukei supremacy
“I don’t believe in Fijian (iTaukei)supremacy, even though I had attended a Fijian school I was against the emphasis on Fijian rights and Fijians this and that.”
She acknowledged that the SVT party strongly advocated such issues and she had reservations for most of their policies.
Ms Vakatale said Sitiveni Rabuka was a good leader.
“He wasn’t like all my colleagues with SVT. All were out for indigenous Fijian paramouncy and they were all out for that. I didn’t think that was right. People now are more accepting.”
She added that this attitudinal change has been brought about by a government who doesn’t allow much debate.
“I agree with the changes like calling everyone Fijian, but not so much the way it was brought about. But I suppose it was the only way to go about it.”
Former civil servants in SODELPA
Ms Vakatale said their involvement reestablishes SODELPA as an iTaukei party.
“These senior civil servants were top people. People forget they were the government of Alliance, SVT and SDL. You change politicians but you don’t change senior civil servants.
“As senior civil servants they had a lot of power and had the ability to influence their ministers
“They have ability to delay things if they want. Governments come and go but they go on.”
Ms Vakatale pointed out Anare Jale, Isireli Koyamaibole and Pio Tabaiwalu as hard workers and helpful.
“They will strengthen SODELPA in leadership and caliber of people. But for the country as a whole, I would have liked marrying of the races.”
Chiefly influence
“They still have a way in Fijian politics. It’s ingrained in us to support our chiefs. As a people I think it’s a good thing that we don’t let our heritage down.
“Chiefs hold more political power than what we have in politics. In politics you go for one, two terms and come out. Chiefs stay and they go on. That’s important and the need to be identified with our chiefs, especially those in leadership,” Ms Vakatale said.
“Major chiefs like the Roko Tui Dreketi, I think a lot of people still hold allegiance to her as an institution, and when she speaks out, she is fighting for her people and that I think is commendable.
“But from our consultations around the country people prefer to have their chiefs with no political affiliations.”
Proposed party led by PM
“I think the Prime Minister should form his party soon. He seems to be leaving it very late but he is probably very confident that he is going to get the support.
“If they get in, at least they have continuity and have the opportunity to hear the views of those who in opposition – so it might be a good thing. I just hope that if they don’t win, we won’t have another one….”
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mereia Taufa Vakatale, O.F. (born 1938) is a Fijian former educator and politician. She served in the Cabinet of Fiji under the Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei (SVT) during 1993–1995 and 1997–1999. In 1997, she became Fiji’s first female Deputy Prime Minister.
Taufa Vakatale was born in 1938 on Batiki in the Lomaiviti Islands. Her parents were Alanieta Naucukidi and Mosese Vakatale, a Methodist minister. She attended primary school on Gau Island before enrolling in the first cohort of students at Adi Cakobau School, a government boarding school for girls on Fiji’s main island, Viti Levu, in 1948. She received the New Zealand School Certificate in 1954. Three years later, she became the first indigenous Fijian girl to pass the New Zealand University Entrance examination and upon graduating from the University of Auckland in 1963, the first Fijian woman to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Vakatale returned to her boarding school, Adi Cakobau, as a teacher. She was the school principal from 1973 from 1979, making her the first indigenous Fijian woman to serve as a secondary school principal. She left the school to become a diplomat in 1980 and became the first indigenous Fijian woman appointed as a deputy high commissioner. She held various positions in the civil service, particularly in the field of education, and became Chief Education Officer in 1983.
Vakatale left the civil service in 1990. She ran for election in 1992 under the Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei (SVT) party ticket; she was elected and won a bid for re-election in 1994. Her win in 1992 made her the first Fijian woman elected as a cabinet minister. She was Minister of Education, Science and Technology from 1993 to 1995, but she was dismissed from her cabinet post in 1995 because, in contrast to the SVT’s policies, she opposed French nuclear weapons testing in Moruroa Atoll in French Polynesia.
In 1997, she was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Technology and in 1999 she became the first female president of the SVT. Vakatale resigned from the SVT in 2000 in opposition to the coup d’état by i-Taukei nationalists which had removed then-Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry from power.
After retiring from politics, Vakatale worked in the private education sector. She was made an Officer of the Order of Fiji in 1996 and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree by the University of St Andrews in 2009. In 2012, she was selected as a member of the Constitutional Commissionheaded by Yash Ghai.
The Adi Cakobau School Old Girls Association launched its 65th anniversary celebrations at their headquarters in Suva.
The Adi Cakobau School Old Girls Association launched its 65th anniversary celebrations with kind support of BSP Life, Home Finance Company and Vodafone at their headquarters in Suva yesterday.
ACS Old Girls Association Adi Litia Qionibaravi said this was a historic moment for the association and members.
“Former students of ACS can come together and celebrate the week-long event from September 28 to October 5,” Mrs Qionibaravi said.
She said their main focus during the week’s events would be the official opening of their new headquarters on Tuesday, October 1.
“We will have a celebration march which will begin from Ratu Sukuna Park to our Knolly Street property.
“We also have various activities planned which will continue through the day and also throughout the week,” she said.
Ms Qionibaravi said it was only 2010 when the ex- scholars resolved to get into a serious commitment and invest in real estate.
“We have now achieved a tangible realisation which speaks volume of our historical bond as a sorority.
Ms Qionibaravi said Adi Cakobau School had produced many distinguished women in Fijian society over the past 65 years, all of whom have achieved status in academia, politics, education, health, business, banking, sports, civil society, government and various other fields.
“A few notable products of this all-girls indigenous school include Dr Esther Williams, the deputy vice- chancellor of the University of the South Pacific, Dr Akanisi Keydrayale, dean of School of Arts and Law, Dr Adi Kesaia Seniloli acting dean of School of Business and Economics, Dr Adi Salanieta Bakalevu acting head of School of Education, Dr Laisa Naivalulevu the first Fijian female physician, Taufa Vakatale former Government Minister and politician, Anaseini Qionibaravi the first Fijian woman senator and Dr Adi Eci Nabalarua Dean of College of Education and Humanities at the Fiji National University.”
ACS project committee chairperson Viniana Kunabuli said this was a milestone achievement for all of them.
“We have about 2500 members,” Mrs Kunabuli said.
She said the association would continue to drive its mission to guide the ACS Old Girls contribution to the preservation of inherent indigenous values.
“We will continue to preserve the universal values in nurturing of women leaders at all levels of the Fiji’s societies.”
NewNet sales executive Paul Konou said people who wanted to know what was happening in the ACS Old Girls Association can now subscribe just by text messaging “sub ACSOG” to 777 to get all the latest updates.
“Each text costs 20 cents from which 20 per cent will go back to the association every month.
Mr Konou said this was a brilliant idea to constantly keep in touch and get all the important information of what was happening in the association.
