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| Around and About |  |
Fiji's Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama launches Marist Old Boys MOBilise 2010 Forum
 Picture Courtesy of Andrew Houng Lee. Fiji's PM is seen with the spiritual founder of the Marist order, St Marcellin Champagnat. The Mobilise 2010 Forum was launched at the Marist Brothers High School on Friday night. (extract from the Fiji Sun 28/8/2010) The forum is organised by the Marist Old Boys. Chief guest Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, who is also an ex-scholar, said the teachings of St Marcellin Champagnat (founder of the Marist Brothers Order) was based on the philosophy that education was achieved through respect, tolerance and kindness. The event will bring together Marist old boys from throughout Fiji and internationally. It will be held in Suva from the 23rd -31st October. Air Pacific marketing and promotions manager Jo Rayawa said: "Air Pacific is a proud supporter of the MOBilise Event (official airline of the event) and is delighted that MOB Organisers have ensured that this event is planned in October – a trough period in our tourism calendar. "We recognise the importance of special events and its ability to draw traffic to Fiji around these low periods and this is one of the key reasons why Air Pacific is behind such special events." "This also meant that before a person can teach, he or she must first be endeared towards his student," he said. Commodore Bainimarama said, based on the benchmark of the Marist education system, the Flagstaff, Suva school has done extraordinarily well. He said the ideology and virtues of Christianity intertwined with the philosophical ideals of humanism of the Marist Brothers created a school environment that was based on equality, integrity, transparency, respect and fairness. "This scene helped us to nurture our skills and knowledge to excel in sports and education alike," Commodore Bainimarama added. He said Marist was known as a liberal institution.The Marist old boys consist of a wide range of individuals who have excelled in their different vocations to become good citizens of Fiji and other countries. Commodore Bainimarama said it was the whole reason why a very strong bond exists between the Marist old boys. The Mobilise Forum 2010 will be the third such international event organised by the Fiji based association. Commodore Bainimarama said the forum would focus on good strong governance as a means of institutional structuring. He said it would also give an opportunity for strong discussions on many key contemporary issues pertaining not only to the school but to the nation of Fiji. "You don't have to be a prime minister, a minister, judge, lawyer or a manager to contribute," he said. "You simply have to believe and practice the Marist philosophy.” President of the Marist Old Boys Association Ben Salacakau said the forum would allow the rebuilding of old relationships and the building of new ones in the process. He said so many changes were needed in the school and the forum would be an opportunity to discuss the changes.  St Marcellin Champagnat Feast Day celebration mass at Hunters Hill 27th June 2010   The Sydney Fiji Marist Old Boys celebrated the feast day of St Marcellin Champagnat with members of the various chapters of the Fiji Catholic community in Sydney. The church of Villa Maria at Hunters Hill was filled for the afternoon service which was celebrated by Fr Terry Bell, of the Fairfield
Parish, assisted by Fr Brian Wilson of Hunters Hill. Both these priests have long affiliations with the Fiji community in Sydney, having spent some time in the islands. The mass was a memorable occasion with Marist old boys making up the choir under the guidance of choirmaster Epeli Qimaqima. Following mass, the old boys and their families served dinner to the 150 guests who attended. The highlight of the evening was the
cutting of the St Marcellin Champagnat cake by the Provincial for Oceania, Fr Paul Donohue SM and Fr Terry Bell. We would like to thank Fr Paul Donohue, Fr Terry Bell and Fr Brian Wilson for being part of our celebration and for their commitment
to the people of Oceania. We also thank the Fiji Catholic community of Sydney for allowing us to share this special mass together. We thank Epeli Qimaqima for generously giving his time and expertise to mould an awesome MOB choir. Many thanks to all the MOB families who assisted in providing the food, helping in the kitchen and cleaning up at the end. A special thank you to Jenny, Ben Houng and Family for donating the St Marcellin Champagnat cake. Click here for more photos.
Visiting Priests from Fiji celebrate mass with Fiji Community at Fairfield 13th June 2010   Today we were honoured with a special mass for the Fiji community celebrated by five visiting priests from Fiji. The mass was held at Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in Fairfield. The local Fiji Catholic community that attended were well represented by a lot of MOBs and their families. We were also honoured to have Marist Brother, Br Jone Seduadua in attendance as well. He is presently based in Sydney undergoing further training. The five priests are in Sydney to attend a special vocational directors course and will be returning to Fiji next week. It was a great opportunity for the local community to catch up with Fr Simione Tuisiga, Fr Iosefo Rokomatu, Fr Petero Sanele, Fr Ioane Manasa and Fr Mateo. Following the traditional welcome ceremony and the presentation of yaqona, the congregation were treated to a meal prepared by the mothers. Following dinner Wane, JJ, Simon Lavulo and James Mataitini brought out the guitars and provided entertainment for the evening. We thanks our Fiji priests for sharing this special day with us and wish them a safe trip back home. Vinaka vakalevu. Click here to view slideshow. Happy founder's feast day to all ! Saint Marcellin Champagnat 20/5/1789 - 6/6/1840.  Today we commemorate the passing of our founder, St Marcellin Champagnat on the 6th of June 1840. St Marcellin Champagnat did not leave books of spiritual reflection to his Brothers. Instead he left them a particular living spirit.
Champagnat was not an other-world theorist; he was immersed in real life. The Brothers were encouraged to come close to God in and through life – personal life, community life and apostolic life based on simplicity, sincerity, directness, frankness. Champagnat was not the retiring type, self-acceptance with no pretense, no assumption of airs. Mutual acceptance, tolerance and good humour were part and parcel of the family spirit. Champagnat gave his Brothers the liberty to be themselves; there was no suppression of individual personality. Champagnat himself was a lively character, well endowed with the spirit of fun. In fact, on one occasion Fr Colin thought fit to deliver a mild reprimand to Champagnat, chiding him about jokes which evidently did not measure up to Colin’s standards of due religious decorum! A willingness to work was regarded as a requirement for admission to the institute: “to love work and to detest idleness” He insisted on manual work and wanted a garden at every Brother’s house (something that Brothers’ continue till this day) providing their own vegetables the brothers helped minimise the cost of their annual support in the parish and community. Having examined the spirituality of Champagnat we can readily understand how devotion to Mary became part of the Marist spirit. From Calvary’s cross Jesus gave us Mary: ‘Son behold your mother’ or in our parlance ‘Son, take Mary into your home.’ Champagnat encouraged his Brothers to heed these words. The apostolate of the school was the centre of Marcellin’s work and he was always attracted by the Mission lands. He volunteered for service overseas, but had to settle for sending his Brothers to Oceania. Enthusiasm for the apostolate of the Missions is a legacy from Champagnat. We celebrate his life by following in his footsteps, inspiring our young people to find their place in this world, through love and understanding. "Let me say once again: may it be said of the Marist Brothers and of all who work and learn in our schools: see how they love one another. That is my greatest wish for you in the last days of my life". - St Marcellin Champagnat Happy founder's day to all! The following message from Superior General, Br Emili Turu.. Message for the feast of St Marcellin Champagnat  The Fiji Marist Old Boys in Sydney invite you all to attend St Marcellin Champagnat's commemorative mass on Sunday June 27th at the Holy Name of Mary Parish (Villa Maria), Mary Street, Hunters Hill. The mass will be at 4pm and will be celebrated with the rest of the Fiji Catholic community living in Sydney. Following mass, a special dinner has been organised by the Marist Old Boys at the hall adjacent to the church. See you all there.    His Grace the Archbishop of Fiji, Petero Mataca celebrated mass today at Gymea's St Catherine Laboure Parish, attended by many from the Fiji Catholic Community in Sydney. Click here for pictures. Fiji's link to St Catherines Laboure Parish go back a few years - our retiring archbishop is no stranger to this parish having elected to be accomodated here on a number of occassions in the past. The parish has a long tradition of helping the Fiji community locally and back home - approximately 50 containers of aid and donated material for the needy have been sent to Fiji in the last few years. The parishioners have developed a close affilinity with our country. They hosted our youth in 2007 during WYD and are actively involved in ongoing charitable works in Fiji. His Grace thanked the parishioners for their generosity and support. Following mass, the traditional ceremony of welcome, Yaqona Vakaturaga was performed by the Fiji Catholic Youth and a tabua was presented to the Archbishop to mark this special event. His Grace later addressed the community before sharing a meal with them. Our Marist Old Boys Association in Sydney was represented by Lunik Liu, Peter Chan, Adella Chan, Jenny Houng, Niko Bulai, James Mataitinii, Luke Veidre and Epeli Nauqe. We wish His Grace all the best for the future in his retirement. Meeting at Prestons with Br Jone Seduadua and John Konrote 9th April 2010   The first MOB meeting for 2010 kicked off at the home of Keith and Frances Vale at Prestons. We had a few special guests in attendance in Br Jone Seduadua who is in Sydney doing a course for 6 months and the FMETB Administrator John Konrote with his lovely wife Marina. Also in attendance were the following old boys and their wives, Ben Houng, Jenny Houng, Simon Lavulo, Beth Lavulo, Keith Vale, Frances Vale, Lunik Liu, Grace Liu, Peter Chan, Adella Chan, Lawrence Foon, Marie Foon, Polly Whippy, Niko Bulai, Amendra Singh, Apenisa Rokobaro, Luke Veidre, James Mataitini, Epeli Nauge, and Anania Cara. John Konrote spoke of the function of the FMETB and its relationship with the various stakeholders in Fiji. He also gave updates of the MOB in Fiji and the progress of MOBilise committments to date. Items also covered in this meeting included the planning and allocation of responsibilities for the major Marist Social event on October 9th in Sydney, the MOBilise 2010 Conference in Suva, unfulfilled MOBilise projects to date, MOB merchandising, and widening the MOB network to be more diverse in its representation. The evening concluded with the customary spread of fantastic food and some excellent music provided by Lawrence, Ben and Simon. Vinaka vakalevu to Keith and Frances for their hospitality, our special guests Br Jone Seduadua and John Konrote for their contribution, and our MOB members for making the meeting a very productive one. Bishop Julian Porteous celebrates Palm Sunday Mass with Fiji Community.
  The Sydney Fiji Catholic community were blessed on Palm Sunday when Bishop Julian Porteous celebrated holy mass with them as a community. It was the first time that a Bishop had celebrated mass for the Fiji community in Sydney. The faithful from various sectors throughout Sydney gathered at Holy Name of Mary Church (Villa Maria) at Hunters Hill, the taditional home of the Marist Fathers on a glorious Sunday afternoon. His Lordship celebrated mass with Father Brian Wilson, who has been involved with the Fiji Catholic community for many years. Following mass, His Lordship spent some time with the Fiji youth, inspiring them with his Easter message before joining the rest of the congregation at the nearby hall for a traditional Fijian wecome ceremony. He was presented with a tabua on behalf of the community and was entertained with a meke by the youth of the various parishes. The evening was rounded off with a feast of fantastic island food prepared by the various families. It was a memorable occassion for all those present. Macceine Smith Celebrates her 50th Birthday   Macceine Smith, wife of MOB Sonny Smith, celebrated her 50th Birthday among family and friends a few weeks back. It was an awesome party held in her
backyard at Horningsea Park on a rainy Saturday afternoon. But that did not deter the revellers who were determined to make this day a memorable one come rain, hail or cyclone. Thankfully the heavy duty tent put up by George Zoing, Keli Vera and the boys held up in the strong winds and kept everyone
dry. Guests travelled great distances to be there, including Macceine's sisters Jean and Jennifer who flew in from NZ. Friends from her St Josephs school days, Grammar and Marist all pitched in to make the delicious food and desserts. As usual the women were looking absolutely fantastic, displaying the vibrant colours of our proud island heritage. The party went on to the early hours of the next day with the die hards looking worse for wear the next day. MOBS gather at Lunik's Warehouse   We had the pleasure of Billy Mar and new board administrator John Konrote attend our recent MOB meeting at Lunik's warehouse. Our special guests gave us a brief account of what transpired at MOBilise 2009 in Auckland and how they will assist by ensuring the projects assigned at the conference will be followed through in Fiji. We also had reports from Ben Houng, Kini Koroi and Simon Lavulo all of whom also attended MOBilise 2009. They all agreed it was very successful, with all participants going back home fully pumped with new found enthusiasm. Everyone is looking forward to MOBilise 2010 to be held in Suva in late October 2010. For us it was also a celebration for one of our valued members - Anania "Doc" Cara turned 50 years on the day. He shared his special day among long time friends and family, taking his customary spot close to the tanoa. we had an awesome feast of tender steaks chicken fruit and sweets. The guitars came out and soon we were all harmonising to songs from the sixties seventies and eighties. It was a memorable night, rather morning as everyone left at the crack of dawn...fully doped of course... Bollywood Divas perform at Ben Houng's 50th Birthday Bash   At Ben Houng's 50th Birthday party earlier this year at the Mytilenian Hall the beautiful wives of the MOB Committee members performed a Bollywood number for the 350 guests who attended. The girls looked absolutely fantastic in their colourful sarees, as they took centre stage. The dance was a big hit with the crowd. Thanks to Amreeta Paligaru who choreographed the moves for the girls. GO THE MOGs! Kava warriors gather in Sydney 22nd August 2009
  On a cold Sydney evening a group of die-hard kava warriors gathered at Lawrence Foon's residence to watch the Bledisloe Rugby Test
between Australia and NZ. Present on this occassion were MOB committee members, Simon Lavulo, Kini Koroi, Lawrence Foon, Ben Houng, Anania Cara, Tui Cama, and a few close mates. A special guest on the night was Atunaisa Nayago who was visiting Sydney from Fiji. He hails from the same era as these guys, many of whom have not seen him since school days. It was a walk down memory lane with a lot of catching up to do and many bilos to be drunk.. John and Emma Grey visit Sydney 20th May 2009   Marist old boy, John Grey visited Sydney with his lovely wife Emma for the Couples for Christ Conference held in Blacktown over the 16th and 17th of May. It was an inspiring two days of listening to speakers from various institutions and countries talk on matters of faith, relationships and God. But is was also time out for this young romantic couple who needed the opportunity to recharge their batteries and of course catch up with some family and friends whilst here. As always, our local old boy network found the excuse for a get together to share dinner and of course, the customary “baby” mix. John and his family played an instrumental role in the recent combined MOB project for the victims of the Fiji floods, where the education costs for over 200 underprivileged school kids in Nadi and Sigatoka were taken care of for one year. The venue was the residence of Simon Lavulo the president of the Marist Old Boys (Sydney) Association. It was a cold, rainy night but there was great warmth and humour among those who gathered in Simon’s garage to enjoy a sumptuous dinner of hot curry lamb, roast chicken, BBQ steaks, dalo, salads and fruit. Present on the night were Simon and Beth Lavulo, John and Emma Grey, Davina Grey, Craig Grey, Emily Grey, Suli Billings, Sili Pickering, Maria Raikoso, Kini Koroi, Lawrence Foon, Ben Houng, Lunik Liu, Herbert Pickering. Dinner at Mehra Masala - Friday 30th April   After many stressful weeks planning the Harbour Cruise, the members of the Sydney MOB, their families and friends took time out to relax and celebrate the birthdays of Ben, Lawrence and Ralph’s nephew.
The venue was the Mehra Masala Restaurant, Northmead. Ralph and Amreeta arranged the night and chose the menu
which included mouth watering Indian delicacies - tandoori chicken, butter chicken, vegetable curry, dhal, spicy lamb
patties, naan and rice and gulab jamun. It was a very enjoyable night and for once members did not have to do any cooking!
Our treasurer Ben Houng presented a financial report on the cruise, which was our most successful fund-raising
undertaking to date. Our President, Simon Lavulo formally thanked all committee members their families and friends for
a wonderful team effort.
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Planning for the Harbour Cruise – April 19th 2008.   Planning for a major function is no easy feat, especially when rthe greater part of your guests are from the local Fiji community, whose expectation of a great night out involves a sumptious banquet of traditional lovo food, assorted
curries, home cooked chow mein, and quality seafood. Not to mention plenty of booze, sensational entertainment,
and music to dance to all night long. – from local talents like Ofa Ali, Kabani to Bob Marley and other die hard
bands from the 70s and 80s.
When the MOB Sydney took on the initiative of organizing the Sydney Harbour Cruise for the benefit of MBHS six months ago, we knew what we were in for – we needed the event to be financially successful and we had to ensure
the expectations of our loyal supporters had to be satisfied in order to bank on their future support. Nothing was to
be left to chance. Everything had to be meticulously planned, brainstormed , agreed and acted upon. Tasks were
assigned according to each member's area of expertise. .Countless hours of meetings each at various members
residences, combined with hundreds of emails ensured that no stone was to be left unturned. .
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Some of our meetings involved travelling long distances at great personal risk – one member was known to have
commented that travelling to a certain member’s residence was like organizing an expedition into the heart of
Lomaivuna, where one had to contend with harsh terrain, unfriendly locals and roads that lead to nowhere.
However when rescued it came as no surprise that this particular individual did not have a street directory and
had been driving in the same roundabout for 20 miinutes!
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Behind the Scenes |
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