The Jet Volume 8 Number 2

Inside
TOP STORIES
BLK adds Class to New

Shilpas Heart is at Sea
Mall
Page 3
Page 7
Taveuni Resort Savours Win

Page 9
Nadi in Pictures
Fiji Maintains Top Spot

Page 23
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016. ISSUE 80
Tokoriki is Best for

Page 10 Romance
Page 8
www.thejetnewspaper.com
50 CENTS
Tourism Wedding
EXPO to boost
Fijis tourist market
FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
The King Is In Town
Burger King Gives More than $10,000 to Special Children - Pg 12

By SERELISONI
MOCEICA
The first domestic Burger King is

now open for business in Martintar,
Nadi.
The outlet was opened last
Wednesday, February 17 by students of the Nadi Centre for Special
Education.
Boasting of the famous Whopper burgers and other delightfully
deliciously assembled burgers and
their fillings, the $6.5 million investment is the beginning of a hallmark
of events as the town prepares to
become the third city of the country.
With Nadi being the tourism
gateway for Fiji, it was fitting that
the worlds fastest growing Quick
Service Restaurant Burger King is
opened to serve the tourists and the
locals with the world famous Whoppers, said Burger King chairman
and also chairman of the Motibhai
Group, Kirit Patel.
Burger King is the second largest fast food hamburger chain in
the world and the Motibhai Group
has confirmed that more outlets will
be opening soon in both Nadi and
Suva.
According to Mr Patel, total investment to date has reached $8.3
million with the inclusion of the airport outlet.
He said plans included three
more outlets in Suva and the second
airport outlet at the farewellers hall
at Nadi International Airport by the
end of the year.
General Manager Akash Narsey
said the event spelt exciting times
for the outlet and the Motibhai
Group as a whole.
Unveiling the plaque at Burger King. Photo: SAMUEL SHANKAR

This will allow us to give value
and do more than expected for our
guests.
Burger King will be a point of difference to its guests in terms of quality, value and service, Mr Narsey
added.
The GM said staff of the outlets
have been trained to ensure that the
best guest service is provided.
The Motibhai Group plans to open
between seven to ten Burger King
outlets in the country.

Burger King was founded in 1954
and operates from close to 14,000
outlets in more than 100 countries
globally.
More than 80 students from the
school tucked in to the free burgers

handed out to them.
For most of these students, that
would be the talk around their
homes for a few days.
Burger King is now open to the
public.
The Jet team sympathises with those affected from the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Winston. Staff members are contributing in
their own ways in terms of donations and prayers towards the well being of our affected neighbours. We stand with the rest of Fiji in
resilience and pray that the country quickly recovers from this ordeal. God Bless Fiji.
www.scribd.com/thejetnewspaper
Fiji - the way the world should be

FROM THE DESK
Where is society heading to?

What is wrong with our moral values as Fiji presently witnesses an unprecedented rise
in rape cases?
Rapes are being reported almost every week now infants
still a few months old, young
girls and boys, adults and even
grandmothers are now being
sexually abused.
The latest victim, a seven
month old baby, allegedly raped
by her father is perhaps one of
the worst in Fijis history as the
rape began from when the child
was two months old.
The worst part of it is many
of the rapists are either the
grandfather, father, uncle or
some relative.
Rape is a devastating crime.
Some victims, especially women are badly injured. Some,
including young innocent girls
become pregnant and even
contract HIV or other STDs during that horrifying ordeal.
Those who are raped have
nightmares,
panic
attacks,
waves of self-doubt, an overwhelming sense of distrust but
the emotional trauma is worse
than any physical injury.
The lives of those who are
raped are forever changed with
some victims saying they will
never be the same and that its
like dying.
Dr. Ron Sanchez is a supervising psychologist at the Utah

State Prison in the United States
who works with sex offenders
said from his experience, there
was a wide variety of reasons
that sex offenders chose victims.
He said offenders ranged
in age from very young to old.
There may perhaps be a focus
on a particular eye color or hair
color or body type. But there is
certainly no one female profile
they would go after.
It seems family values, in
some homes have eroded away
and replaced with lust and disregard for the other person, be
it a wife, daughter, son, grandchild, relative, neighbor or just
someone trying to get home
from school or work.
The main focus now should
be on parents and the education of moral and family values
to their children including strict
control over internet usage.
Unless a more stringent
program of moral education is
endorsed and actively pursued,
our family values will continue
to deplete to a stage where animals will morally be better off
than those who rape.
CHARLES CHAMBERS
THE JET is Fijis first community newspaper published bi-monthly by

YOURSPACE LIMITED from Nadi - the tourism capital of Fiji.
PUBLISHER
: SAMUEL SHANKAR
Cell: 9966115
EDITOR/ NEWS
: CHARLES CHAMBERS
Cell: 9973290
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: ANUSHIL KUMAR
Cell: 9203847
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Cell: 9675939
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COMPLAINTS: The Jet Newspaper continues to strive for excellence in its publications. With this in mind
we welcome all complaints and suggestions from our readers. All such comments could be sent to
feedbacks@media.com.fj We thank our readers for your valued support towards The Jet Newspaper.
PRINTED BY MAX MARKETING - LAYOUT BY WILSON GOUNDER
SPORTS LAYOUT By ANUSHIL KUMAR
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
Prefects to Lead by Example - President Konrote

By CHARLES CHAMBERS
School prefects have been
urged to lead by example.
President Jioji Konrote
said those who had been chosen as prefects had proven
themselves, hence your calling to lead
Mr Konrote made the comments as chief guest during
the induction of prefects at Ba
Santan College last Wednesday.
When you become a
leader, you are required to
lead by example. Followers
emulate what leaders do and
not what leaders say but do
not do.
To lead is to serve, so a
good leader is not someone
who throws his or her weight
around and have very little to
show for.
Mr Konrote said good
leaders led from the front and
showed others the way and
how things were to be done.
They set the examples so
that others may follow. Leadership is about serving. As
leaders you and I must have a
positive attitude to serve and
not expect to be served, Mr
Konrote said.
As prefects, you are also
the assistants to the teachers,
therefore you are required to
be responsible and reliable.

You have an obligation
and a very important role
to play in the nurturing and
development of your young
peers who will be assuming
the same responsibilities in
future.
Your theme of Preach
what you believe and practise
what you preach is absolutely appropriate in this regard,
Mr Konrote said.
For those of you who will
be receiving awards for your
achievements, you have proven yourself through your hard
work, perseverance, sacrifices, and time management.
Your pursuit of academic excellence has paid off and you
deserve our congratulations
to be firstly rewarded. Well
done!
He also referred to other
students, reaffirmed and assured them that they were
champions and winners in
your own right.
Mr Konrote said the fact
that they were still being in
school said a lot about them
and especially their desire to
achieve something great in
life.My advice to you is, continue to persevere, remain focussed and do not lose hope.
The future now looks very
bright for you.
I commend you and your
Cash in ATM Scam to Increase

By CHARLES CHAMBERS
The amount of money
withdrawn in the recent ATM
card scam is expected to increase.
Six Chinese nationals are
presently in custody charged
with the withdrawal of more
than $25,000 in Lautoka.
It has been revealed by
Divisional Prosecuting Officer
West Anil Prasad that more
withdrawals were done in
Suva.
He said this was evident
from statements being recorded by police.
When arrested, the men
had in their possession over

$20,000 in cash and 384 ATM
cards.
At the hotel where they
were staying, a police raid
uncovered another 104 ATM
cards, a card making machine
and a laptop.
These items were found
hidden inside a sofa.
The men face 10 counts of
theft, 10 counts of dishonestly
obtaining or dealing with personal finances information.
The men recently created
a scene at the Lautoka Magistrates Court when they resisted being taken back into
custody.
The men threw themselves
on the floor resulting in the

police officers having to forcibly take them away.
Local police are currently
working with their Chinese
counterparts as investigations
continue to widen.
Police are still ascertaining
as to which funds the money
had been withdrawn from.
The scam comes in the
midst of increased awareness
and security measures being
implemented by banks and financial institutions to combat
such crimes.
A customer withdrawing at an
ATM machine. Photo: GOOGLE
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
parents for the effort that you

make to be in school and to
be part of the national effort to
develop our beloved Fiji into a
knowledge-based society.
Mr Konrote said Government had made, and continued to make, every effort
to help every student realise
their dreams.
He reiterated Government
had provided free education
from pre-school or kindergarten, through to primary and
secondary school and right up
to tertiary level.
At tertiary level, you can
either secure a TOPPERS
scholarship under which you
will be sponsored to study in
specifically selected fields, or
President Jioji Konrote

Photo: GOOGLE
you could secure a scholarship for any field of study of

your choice.
The free education initiative is not only limited to tuition fees, but it also includes
free bus-fare for those who
are eligible and free textbooks
for all students.
Importantly, Government
continues to review our education curriculum to ensure
that Fiji achieves a high standard of education that will
better prepare our young
people to do well in life either
to excel in the workforce or
to be self-employed and successful.
Youth and CSO representatives

at the Anti-Corruption Workshop for Pacific Civil Society Organisations.
Photo: SUPPLIED.
BLK adds Class to New Mall

BLK General Manager:
Josefa Matau
The new FNPF mall in 3D image.

Photo: SUPPLIED
By CHARLES CHAMBERS
BLK, the world renowned
sports apparel is opening its
new outlet in Suva soon and is
sure to be the hit of the capital
city.
BLKs general manager Fiji,
Josefa Matau said the opening
of the new outlet would bring
quality and service to the people of Suva.

The new shop is part of the
new Fiji National Provident
Fund-owned mall at Greig
Street.
The lease agreement was
signed last month and is a
relocation from their present
shop at Victoria Parade (next
to Singhs Curry House).

In addition to this new outlet, Mr Matau said they would
also be opening a shop in
Kinoya soon.
The space in the new mall
is much bigger and this gives
us the opportunity to display a
wider range of products, Mr
Matau said.
The current shop is small

and we noticed this as the
place is congested during our
sale, he said.
Mr Matau said the new
shop would display a new
range of bags, training equipment, different uniform attire
replicas from the different
teams around the world and
other apparels.
With its cutting edge apparel and creative designs,
BLK was the apparel sponsor
for a majority of the worlds
top teams in the 2015 Rugby
World Cup.
FNPF said BLKs new retail
shop with a larger floor space
than their existing Suva shop
will offer a larger, exciting
range to Suvas sporting shoppers.
In Australia, BLK is synonymous with champion teams
across all codes of contact
football
including
Rugby
Unions Queensland Reds,
Western Force and Melbourne
Rebels; NRLs Melbourne
Storm, Gold Coast Titans;

AFLs Brisbane Lions, Richmond Tigers and the Western
Bulldogs.
In Fiji, everyone can associate with the brand BLK being the offcial sponsors of the
Fiji Rugby competition wear.
FNPF said it was proud
to be part of BLKs journey
to change the experience of
sports enthusiasts, young athletes and to promote BLKs Fiji
Made sports merchandise.
Fijis leading supermarket
chain NEWWORLD IGA was
signed on late last year as the
anchor tenant for the new
mall, FNPF Chief Operating
Officer, Jaoji Koroi said.
These are two leading
brands and Suva shoppers
can look forward to more
quality names to add to the list
of retailers for the new mall.
The interest shown in the
new development is very encouraging and we are still talking to new tenants interested
in taking space. Construction
is on schedule, Mr Koroi said
ADVERTISEMENTS
Once Upon A Time
On her way to work Buddy

sits next to a 60 something
year old man who asks her
for the time. She turns to him
and says, Its 8am. He again
asks her if she is on her way to
work and she confirms. Why
dont you take the day off? he
asks. Do you want an extra
$100? Buddy just smiled and
politely declines. Im going
to get my lease money today,
maybe you want to tag along?
And Ill give you $100 in return. It was still two bus stops
away from her stop but Buddy
did not hesitate to ring the bell
and scrambled out of the bus.
Family members must have
been waiting for the lease
money whilst Grandpa chats
up women in the bus. Talk
about living your life to the
fullest.
Buddy has been following comments made on the

father who raped his seven
month old daughter. On social networking sites, news
blogs, locals and those living overseas as well are disgusted with the so-called
rapist with one comment saying does not deserve to be
called a father. People are
angry and swears have been
thrown around easily against
the father. Around the tanoa,
talks have been had on what
we can do to help decrease
crimes of such nature. Buddy
thinks that the mother should
be taken to account too for
not reporting the first incident
in the first place. What a sad
beginning in life for the little
princess.
Buddy stands in line waiting at the bank. Two youths
standing behind her are arguing about the recent nay
nay in Paliament between
the PM and Ro Kepa. Youth
One argues that Parliament
has become a joke what with
MPs throwing all sorts of nasty
comments about each other.

They should just do a movie
up there and call it The Parliament...that would rake in
money for all the developments government is trying
to foot. Hmmm ..food for
thought. What say PM?
Now we all remember high
school right? The drama, the
little romances and of course
yes, academia. One such conversation with a teenager in
town left Buddy dumbfounded and thinking that maybe
todays high schoolers have it
tougher. I know Im not that
pretty but hey, I offer more
than all these pretty young
things put together. Buddy
thinks that maybe we need
to put a little more effort into
reminding these teenagers
that it is school, not a beauty
contest. Aaaahh...to be young
again.
Tour Operators Encouraged

Tourism Fiji is encouraging all tourism operators to take advantage
of the upcoming Victoria Wines Food and Wine Festival at the Fijian
Tourism Expo opening night in May. TF is now calling for Expressions
of Interest from operators who wish to be part of the Expo.
AFL Recruits 20 Trainee Air Traffic Controllers

By CHARLES CHAMBERS
Fijis air traffic control was
boosted recently with the recruiting of 20 trainees.
Airports Fiji Limited recently recruited 20 trainee Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) to undergo a demanding yet rewarding
six month Basic ATC course.
The in-house training of the
recruits at the AFL Aviation
Academy began on Monday.
AFL Executive Chairman
Faiz Khan welcomed the new
cadets who had landed an opportunity to become Fijis future air traffic controllers.
This is a lucrative yet challenging career path for the 20
young trainees, Khan said.
There are no universities
that offer air traffic training in
Fiji.
This is a specialised area
so we train young minds inhouse to become responsible
future air traffic controllers.
The basic ATC course
will go for six months before
the trainees get assessed on
their capabilities. The cadets
get paid by AFL whilst going through the training and
all who pass the Basic ATC
course get employment with
AFL, Mr Khan said.
Mr Khan further emphasized to the cadets the importance of AFLs culture of continual capacity building and
growth and team work.
He said that AFL placed
great emphasis on its recruitment procedures to attract the
best minds in Fiji.
This group of 20 was se-
lected from more than 300 applications.

The first three months of
the training will be theory
work with simulators in the
classrooms followed by on
the job training in the final
three months.
The 20 trainee Air Traffic
Controllers are: Dennis Naidu, Grace Tueli, Iosefo Taliu,
Katalaini Kalougata, Koini
Koroi, Litea Marama, Nalisheelta Premadish, Maika Seru,
Maria Vakadranu, Nathanael
Ross, Ratu Alipate Bolabasaga, Ronesh Chand, Rusila
Lagimatailevu, Sashil Kumar,
Senitiki Tuiwai, Sereima Culai, Shania Shina, Tessi Kaisila,
Vilive Wilikibau and Watisoni
Gonedua.
Mr Faiz Khan pictured with the 20 recruits at AFL Headquarters. Photo: SUPPLIED
Chinese Tourists Increase
By SERELISONI MOCEICA
Fiji is a beautiful country

and a promising one as well.
This was the statement
made by the Representative
of the Chinese Trade Mission,
Chuan-chin Jeffrey Kau after
the landing of the inaugural
flight from Taipei recently.
Rosie Holidays is the
ground handling company
that brought a total of 217 passengers from the Asian country in time for the celebrations
of the Chinese New Year.
Ez Travel chartered the thir-
teen hour flight.

This is a promising country in terms of tourism, investment, economic development, trade and also this
is a chance for our people to
come and see how beautiful
Fiji is and encourage more
visitors from China to the
country, Mr Kau said.
Rosie Holidays General
Manager, Eroni Puamau said
the companys chartered
flights from China began last
year and the company hoped
to engineer more opportunities like such.
The response from the

tours was very positive so
we are thinking of continuing
to charter more flights, its a
win-win for everyone really,
and these tours also initiate
investment into the country,
Mr Puamau said.
The general manager said
the Asian market was the
next big thing and an investment opportunity that the
company was excited to tap
into in the long run.
According to Mr Puamau,
there are six chartered flights
in total, two each from Bei-
jing, Shanghai and Taipei with

the first having arrived from
Beijing days before.
Mr Kau acknowledged the
work of all stakeholders for
helping to bring in more Chinese visitors to the country,
particularly on this low season.
Numbers from Toursim
Fijis statistics recently stated
Chinas tourists accounted for
5.3 percent of the total number of tourists that visited Fiji
in 2015, a number that Mr Kau
said the country hoped to improve this year.
Chinese tourists from Taipei flight welcomed at Nadi Airport.

Photo:SERELISONI MOCEICA
LOCAL NEWS
Church Prays For Fiji
Tourism Fiji Encourages

Tour
Operators Participation at Annual Event
By CHARLES CHAMBERS
Fiji looks to be heading
for good times with Baptist
leaders having prayed for the
country.
A group of leaders from the
Asia-Pacific Baptist Federation
Churches visited His Excellency the President MajorGeneral (Retd) Jioji Konrote
recently and prayed for Fiji.
The five-member delegation included Reverend Dr.
Ross Clifford of Australia
-President of the Asia-Pacific
Baptist Federation Churches,
Reverend Bonny Resu of India - General Secretary, Dr.
Veryl Henderson of Hawaii
- Head of the Hawaii Pacific
Baptist Convention, Ms. Precy
Caronongan of the Philippines
- Baptist Womens President,
and Mr. Peni Dolavale - President of the Fiji Baptist Convention.
The Minister for Foreign
Affairs, Hon. Ratu Inoke
Kubuabola accompanied the
delegation on the visit to the
President.
The delegation prayed that
Fiji would be successful with
its national plans, and that it
would overcome whatever
challenges that confronted
the country.
Women go about their fishing. Hopefully their catch may get bigger Photo: SUPPLIED
Theseincluding
those
caused by climate change
and natural disasters.
They prayed for Fijis leaders at the national and community levels andalso the
people of Fiji.
The delegation is in the
country to attend a three-day
international Forum that starts

at the Novotel Convention
Center at Lami last week.
Over 150 delegates from
the Asia-Pacific region attened
and these included participants from Australia, Hawaii,
Hong Kong, India, Indonesia,
Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New
Zealand, Papua New Guinea,

Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka,
United States of America, Vanuatu and Fiji.
Fiji Roads a Matter of Urgency

By CHARLES CHAMBERS
People living in rural areas
can expect an upgrade on
their bumpy roads soon.
This follows the signing of
the MOU between Government and the Fiji Roads Authority.
The MOU sees Government now putting into action
its promise of making the
nations roads a matter of urgency.
Those involved in the signing of the MOU were the Ministry of Rural and Maritime De-
velopment, Ministry of Lands,

Ministry of Environment and
FRA.
FRA chairman Dinesh Patel said that the MOA sought to
improve the profile of the rural road network and ensured
that FRA and the stakeholders
involved agreed on delivering the listed rural roads upgrading projects within the
resources and capability available.
FRA will put more emphasis to bringing the rural
roads network to an appropriate level of development and
improvement, Mr Patel said.
Untarsealed gravell road in Fiji. Photo: SUPPLIED
FRA is rolling out an investment of $50million in new

and upgraded roads, bridges
and jetties on the rural network.
Mr Patel said since 2013,
FRA has been spending over
$100m annually in building
and maintaining rural roads
across Fiji.
The Minister for Rural Development, Inia Seruiratu said
the construction of roads in
the rural sector would contribute to the Fijian economy.
This is to empower our
rural dwellers, roads contribute to investment and the de-
Tourism Fiji is encouraging

all tourism operators to take
advantage of the upcoming
Victoria Wines Food and Wine
Festival at the Fijian Tourism
Expo opening night in May.
TF is now calling for Expressions of Interest from operators who wish to be part of
the expo.
In a statement sent, buyers
from both short and long haul
markets have registered for
FTE 2016 and includes Australia, New Zealand, Europe,
United Kingdom, North America and Fiji as well.
The Victoria Wines Food
& Wine Festival is one of the
popular attractions that adds
global flavour to FTE and gives
our overseas guests a taste of
the broad range of food and
wine on offer in Fiji, Tourism
Fijis Director of Events, Ms
Sally Cooper says.
The group said the festival
was a key component of FTE
and attracted international
buyers and the media as well
who attended the event to

experience the diverse range
of food and wine that Fijis
tourism industry has to offer.
We are making this open
call for expressions so that we
give all our tourism operators,
who pride themselves in this
particular area, a fair chance
at showcasing what they have
to offer to buyers at the FTE.
We encourage the industry to
take advantage of this premier
opportunity, she adds.
Tourism Fiji has provided
its email address events@
tourismfiji.com.fj for tourism
operators interested in participating in the premier event
and also confirmed that registrations were still open.
The three day event will
showcase the best of the
tourism industry to the global
travel market and a uniquely
Fijian tourism experience for
international buyers.
Victoria Wines is a major
sponsor for the Expo and was
committed to strengthen the
Fiji Brand and even more
so the development of wine
knowledge in the country.
velopment of infrastructure is
critical and we look forward
to working with stakeholders, Minister Seruiratu said.
Sharing similar sentiments, Minister for Lands,
Mereseini Vuniwaqa said her
ministrys role was to ensure
that gravel extraction licences
were issued to contractors
while works are done to clear
road.
Government has allocated
$50m for the maintenance of
rural roads this year.
Fiji SurfCo at a previous tourism expo .

Photo: SUPPLIED.
ADVERTISEMENT
POND PRODUCTS
LOCAL NEWS
Livestock Development on the Cards

By CHARLES CHAMBERS
Livestock development in
Fiji was one of the areas being
targeted by the South Pacific
Community in a seminar in
Nadi last week.
Close to 50 key stakeholders involved in Fijis livestock
industry, including government representatives, donors
and partners met at the Tanoa
International Hotel in Nadi
from February 17-19 to review
and validate a draft livestock
sector strategy for Fiji.
The three-day meeting
was hosted by SPCs Land
Resources Division with support from the European Union
funded Pacific Agriculture
Policy Project implemented
by SPC.
The meeting was a joint
collaboration with the Fiji
Ministry of Agriculture and the
Fiji Livestock Sector Strategy
Working Group.
The proposed strategy
will develop a clear plan for
livestock development in the
country, given the challenges
the sector faces including
Fijis continued import imbalance for livestock products,
the demands from the growing tourism industry, and a renewed national government
push for the agriculture sector.
The draft document draws
on discussions and issues
highlighted at a national livestock stakeholder consultation organised by SPC, the
Fiji Ministry of Agriculture and
the Fiji Crop and Livestock
Council in May, 2015, to raise
awareness on the changing
landscape of livestock development in Fiji and develop a
strategy to address the needs
of the sector.
Livestock Development in new proposal soon. Photo: SUPPLIED
Shilpas Heart is at Sea

By CHARLES CHAMBERS
For people in Fiji, seeing a

Fijian girl of Indian origin set
her career on working on the
ocean is unheard of.
It is not that they can not
work at sea, it is that finding
an Indo Fijian girl checking
our oceans is something new.
Shilpa Lal has taken that
step.
A Masters student of The
University of the South Pacific,
Ms Lal was selected by the
Institute of Research Development (IRD) in Noumea, New
Caledonia to participate in an
oceanographic cruise from
March 8-22 March 2016.
The purpose of the cruise
is to collect oceanographic
data to better understand the
water properties on the East
Coast of New Caledonia.
Ms Lal will be assisting in
data collection and analysis
during the cruise and at the
same time, acquire necessary skills from the training
provided to conduct her own
research.
Ms Lal is looking forward
to the cruise on board the vessel CALIOPE 3.
Ms Lal said she was incredibly honoured because she
would be representing USP
and Fiji, and privileged as she
would learn from scientists
who are experts in their field.
It will be an honour working alongside other researchers, using state-of-the-art facilities in the laboratories on
Intercontinental Fiji Welcomes New General Manager

By CHARLES CHAMBERS
Following his debut interview with the Fiji TV Breakfast
Show on February 2nd 2016,
InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa is delighted to announce their Area General
Manager South Pacific, Andrew Davidson. Mr. Davidson
will be based at the luxury
award-winning Resort at Natadola Bay. Mr. Davidson featured on the show to highlight
the InterContinental Fiji Golf
Resort & Spa as this was the
chosen feature property by
the TV stations to showcase
to their viewers within Fiji
and the greater South Pacific
region.
With outstanding expertise in hotel development and
management in a competitive
market, Mr. Davidson joins the
award-winning InterContinental Fiji with over 20 years of invaluable experience. Having
started his career as a management trainee, Mr. Davidson worked his way through
the Hotel industry in all areas
of Food & Beverage, banqueting, hotel management, openings and finally to General
Manager.
A welcome addition to the
team, Andrew brings with him
a strong strategic leadership
background and passion for
hotel management. In his new
role, he will take on the position of General Manager at
InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa, as well as the Area
General Manager responsible
for the Holiday Inn Suva and
the Holiday Inn Resorts Vanuatu.
Having previously held
the role as General Manager
InterContinental OR Tambo
Airport Hotel in South Africa,
Shilpa standing next to a rosette to collect water samples and get data about the physical
parameters (salinity, temperature, fluorescence, dissolved oxygen) in the ocean during her
first cruise in 2015. Photo: SUPPLIED
board a research vessel and
on land at IRD in Noumea,
Ms Lal said.
I am very excited about
this opportunity and I would
like to thank the Pacific Centre
for Environment and Sustainable Development (PACE-SD)
for the ongoing collaboration
with IRD, and providing opportunities like this for students and researchers to be
able to exchange and share
ideas, resources and training,
she added.
Ms Lal became interested
in oceanography, hydrology
and ocean-atmosphere and
climate studies during her undergraduate studies in Marine
Science at USP and during her
post graduate studies in Climate Change, a
Fiji as many other Pacific
island countries are surrounded by the ocean and yet there
are only a few specialising in
oceanography, she said.
experiences in hotels to continue to drive InterContinental Fiji as the no 1 premium

luxury Resort in Fiji, said Mr.
Davidson.
Mr. Davidson is a past recipient of the IHG Torchbearer Awards for the Africa,
Middle East and Asia Region.
This is the highest accolade
for any Franchise Hotel in the
IHG family and is recognition
for excellent and continuous performance across the
IHG Brilliant Basics and Winning Metrics measurement
throughout the year.
InterContinental Fiji Golf
Resort & Spa is part of the
Intercontinental Hotel Group
(IHG). With over 4,900 hotels
in over 110 countries and territories there is literally a world
of opportunity for IHG employees who aspire to grow and
develop their careers.
Andrew Davidson - Area General Manager South Pacific.

Photo: INTERCONTINENTAL FIJI
learning new laboratory experiments and getting trained

in optical data collection.
After the cruise, I will be
helping the scientists to preprocess the various bio-optical and bio-geochemical data
sets at IRD in Noumea, using
their state-of-the-art instrumentation at the laboratory
and I am very excited about
this learning opportunity, she
quipped.
Her supervisor and senior lecturer at PACE-SD, Dr
Awnesh Singh said the region
is desperately lacking trained
oceanographers and this is an
opportune time for Shilpa to
fill in this gap.
With training provided
by leading scientists, I believe that it would not be long
when the Pacific region has a
large pool of oceanographers
to serve the region, Dr Singh
said.
Fiji to be Home of Worldwide Sporting Apparel

By CHARLES CHAMBERS
Mr. Davidson is no stranger

to IHG brand standards and
is highly experienced in hotel
operations resulting in maximum guest comfort and experience. Mr. Davidson will
provide a vital support and
exemplary leadership for the
resort leadership team to ensure that there are operational
efficiencies and deliver the
unique guest experiences that
is synonymous with the InterContinental brand.
Fijis developing economy, growing tourism industry
and of course the opportunity to join the wonderful and
friendly team at InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa
drew me to this role. I am
delighted to be in Fiji and
very much looking forward to
contributing to the success of
the Resort on an international
scale by developing a worldclass Resort and using my
Her first oceanographic

cruise was in July 2015 on
board the French Research
Vessel, LAtalante, where
they studied surface to depth
ocean currents and properties, ocean turbulence, biology and geochemistry in the
Western Pacific equatorial
waters and the Solomon and
Bismarck seas.
It was a very exciting moment because it was the first
time for me to be at sea on a
research vessel for 5 weeks.
It was a great learning journey. I was able to learn a lot
about oceanography from the
scientists and by participating
in sample collection and performing the very tricky task
of oxygen sampling, Ms Lal
added.
She is looking forward to
collecting more water samples and chemistry data and
assisting other researchers in
water sampling and filtration,
Renowned sports apparel

manufacturers BLK Sports is
targeting to make Fiji the capital of rugby attire manufacturing in the world.
Already renowned for their
unique and exquisite designs,
BLK sporting apparel is fast
becoming a global phenomenon.
National teams and top
clubs across the different
sporting codes have chosen
the BLK brand of sporting uniforms above names such as
Adidas, Nike and Canterbury
to name a few.
The rise of BLKs ever
growing fame shows in the
continuous output of their finished products, keeping the
300 plus workers striving to
meet the demand.
BLKs General Manager
Fiji Josefa Matau said with
the large volume of sporting
attires being made, one thing
is paramount the maintaining of the high quality of each
uniform made is assured.

We do not compromise
quality, he said.
National teams that sport
BLK uniforms are the New
Zealand Silver Ferns, Australian Diamonds and the recently signed England side in netball, New Zealand, England
and Scotland in rugby league,
Fiji, USA, Romania and Samoa
in sevens rugby and 15s.
In the Super 15 rugby
union
competition,
Melbourne
Rebels,
Western
Force, Queensland Reds, Natal Sharks and the recently
co-opted team in the competition, the Kings of South Africa
all wear BLK.
In the National Rugby
League in Australia two top
sides, Melbourne Storm and
North Queensland Cowboys
don BLK products.
The brand is getting very
popular internationally, Mr
Matau said.
BLK, or Beyond Limits
Known, is continuously reevaluating the uniforms being
supplied to teams, be it national or club.
We go beyond the limits,
Mr Matau.
He said this was evident
in the fact that the company
spent a large amount of money annually designing and
creating new images with no
boundaries.
A lot of money is spent
on research and design in an
effort to keep improving our
product, Mr Matau said.
So whatever a team
wears in 2016, we make it
even better the following year
and the old uniform becomes
outdated.
That is why our research
and development go beyond
the limits boundary, he said.
If a player is wearing a jersey this year, come next year
the design is changed and this
is done to enhance the performance of that particular person, Mr Matau said.
Blk General Manager Josefa Matau (middle). Photo: GOOGLE
LOCAL NEWS
Bainimarama Proud of Young Entrepreneurs

By CHARLES CHAMBERS
Prime Minister Voreqe
Bainimarama said he was
filled with pride after seeing Devesh Nath who was
barely out of school, and who
through wise management,
sound planning and strong
knowledge of the market,
build a successful business.
The PM made the comments when he visited Devesh and Bharos Nursery in
Votualevu in Nadi last month.
How many other Fijians
are putting a vision to the
test?, Mr Bainimarama asked.
How many other Fijians
have small businesses today
that will make people stand
up and take notice tomorrow?
It is a joy for me to be
here and see this splendid
business, which is the result
of one mans vision and one
mans sweat and sacrifice.
He said this was a fine example of the ingenuity and
drive that Fijians have and
was an example for all Fijians
to follow.
This flourishing Devesh
and Bharos Nursery proves
that there is opportunity in
Fiji, and that the Fijian people
know how to seize that opportunity.
Mr Bainimarama said it
was governments job to do
three basic things - establish
economic policies that encouraged investment and reward good ideas, clear away
unnecessary obstacles to
entrepreneurship and investment and develop programs
that could provide targeted
support to propel small businesses to the next level.
A government grant of a
little more than $19,000 funded materials for the seedling
bench, water tank, pressure
pump and borehole at the
nursery.
But really, we are here to
bear witness to how one energetic and intelligent young
man has built a thriving business, and how government
and non-governmental organisations have had the wisdom
to invest in him.
If a person has good ideas,
a good plan and good character, then that persons project
will be a good investment.
Mr Nath, who founded this
business, and is only 28 years
old has a diploma in computing and economics.
However he was drawn
to agriculture and started his
nursery business in 2008 with
the idea of supplying veg-
etable and fruit seedlings to

farmers.
Mr Nath set up a small
nursery beside his house but
through bank loans and help
from family members, bought
a new piece of land and was
able to extend the nursery and
erect proper structures.
His business grew steadily,
and in 2013, he was named
Young Farmer of the Year at
the 2013 Crest Agricultural
Show in Lautoka.
Today, just six years after
he took the risk to expand his
business, this nursery has the
capacity to produce 240,000
potted seedlings and 450,000
seedlings in trays at one time,
Mr Bainimarama said.
Some 400 to 500 farmers
get seedlings from this nursery, so Mr. Devesh already has
a huge impact on Fijian agriculture.
Mr. Devesh also has a 38acre farm where he uses
about eight acres to produce
vegetables for the export market.
Each week, he supplies
vegetables to Tropiko and
Green Valley exports.
He employs 10 permanent
employees and five casual labourers.
Breast Feeding Is Best Option

Mothers are being encouraged to breastfeed
infants and babies in the
current emergency situation following the Tropical
Cyclone Winston.
The Ministry of Health
and Medical Services, National Disaster Management
Office, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF signed a memorandum
of understanding (MOU) in
Suva recently.
The MOU called for support

for appropriate infant and young
child feeding in Fiji during disasters and emergencies.
According to the Minister for
Health and Medical Services,
Jone Usamate, breastfeeding is
critical now as it provides critical protection from infection in
environments without safe water supply and sanitation.
Minister Usamate also cautioned about unnecessary and
potential harmful donations and
use of breast milk substitutes in
the current emergency situation
across the country.
In a government statement,
the health ministry, UNICEF,
WHO and other stakeholders
involved in infant feeding in
emergencies will support the
training of staff on individual assessment of the best options for
feeding infants, as well as education and support of caregivers
on best feeding methods.
A monitoring system to ensure the appropriate targeting,
distribution and use of food and
food products for infants and
young children should be established, Mr Usamate said.
Mulomulo Picks School Leaders

Now is the time to not be
afraid to make mistakes.
These were words of wisdom quoted by the newly
appointed Head Girl of Mulomulo Secondary School on
the outskirts of Nadi.
Adi Qatiya said she was
honoured to have been
picked as one of the Head Prefects of the school and would
represent the school with her
utmost ability.
The school recently held
its Prefects Induction Services
with famed local avid letter
writer, Allen Lockington as its
chief guest.
Mr Lockington reminded
the prefects of their roles as
the eyes and ears of the teachers to the students and vice
versa.
You are now leaders,
you will need to start acting
like leaders, you will need to
lead your fellow classmates,
people will look up to you Mr
Mulomulo Secondary School head prefects with chief guest,

Allen Lockington. Photo ANUSHIL KUMAR.
Lockington said.
The Marist Old Boy encouraged the prefects to prove
to the school why they were
chosen as heads of the students.
The principal, Serah Lockington reminded the school
leaders of their duties and
also outlined the progress of

the school so far.
The induction was held
with parents and family members present who also prepared snacks for the prefects
afterwards.
Tokoriki is Best for Romance

Devesh and Bharos Nursery Photo: SUPPLIED.
ANZ To Recruit Locals Through NEC

Fijian employees will now
be recurited from the National
Employment Centre by the
ANZ Bank.
This was after a Memorandum of Understanding was
signed by the Ministry of Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations recently.
This according to a government statement, will enable
the bank to use the ministrys
database to recruit interested
locals.
The ministrys minister,
Semi Koroilavesau said this
was good news for eager Fijian youths looking for employment.
The ANZ will work with
NEC in the recruitment of
their workers, Mr Koroilaves-
au said.
The ANZ Bank has two sectors - one is the main bank itself which employs about 300
people and the other is the
call centre services, which
employs about 400 people,
he added.
The MOU was signed by
the minister and the banks
chief executive officer, Vishnu
Mohan.
Mr Mohan said this was a
valuable opportunity for unemployed youths to join ANZ
Bank for gainful employment
which already employs about
Hopefuls at a recent recruitment drive. Photo: SUPPLIED
New Garbage Trucks for Town

Nadi town will be getting two new
garbage trucks from government
soon. This was after Prime Minister
Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama
handed over a total of seven garbage trucks recently to three municipal councils, Lautoka, Nasinu
and Nadi. He said a clean city with a
public that treats rubbish responsibly is a proud and safe city.
8
700 people in the country.

Our call centre serves 34
countries in the Pacific region
and soon we will be expanding our services to Asian region as well.
We are eager to employ
young, well qualified and skilful Fijians and help contribute
to the Fijian economy as good
corporate citizens, Mr Mohan
said.
Mr Koroilavesau said the
MOU was reflective of governments commitment towards
helping Fijians with access to
employment opportunities.
Tokoriki Island Resort has

scooped the award for the
2016 Number One Hotel for
Romance in the country by
Trip Advisor.
This adds to the accolodes
of awards that the resort has
won so far.
Tokoriki was also named
the Number One Hotel in Fiji
and the South Pacific and also
in the Top 16 list in the world.
According to the Resort the
Awards are given to the top
one percent of all hotels on
Trip Advisor based on reviews

and opnions by millions of
travellers.
We strive to ensure our
guest experience at Tokoriki
Island Resort is truly romantic
and it is such a pleasure to receive these awards especially
from our guests who enjoy
and share the Tokoriki essence with future travellers
says General Manager Mr.
Robert Ring.
The Resort has also completed its refurbishments
with an addition of a jetty
with a helicopter pad over the
ocean, an oceanfront lounge

deck with a cocktail bar with
local designs and timbers and
also a state of the art kitchen.
The annual Trip Advisor
Awards now in its 15th year
honours the worlds best hotels.
Tokoriki Island Resort is located in the Mamanuca Group
of Islands and accesses by
South Sea Cruises from Nadis
Port Denarau.
Couple at the Tokoriki Island Resort. Photo: SUPPLIED.
Hazelman wants to see it to

the finish
SOFITEL invites locals to try

out new SPA
Five Star Foods Limited signs

up for Tourism Awards
Brittany Hazelman is adamant to

see her project to the finish. The
countrys representative to the
2015 Miss World pageant said she
would ensure that funds raised
were geared towards the project she was working for. She said
whenever contestants came, projects undertaken went on the back
burner but she intended on staying
on to the end.
One hour body massages in your

own bure, soft music in the background with beautiful Fijian artwork to soothe the mind, senses
and the body. This is what is on offer at discounted prices for locals
who visit the SoSPA at Nadis Sofitel
Fiji Resort and Spa. Spa Manager
Sonia Prasad encouraged locals to
try out the new SPA facilities.
Five Star Foods Limited has signed

up as silver sponsor for the 19th
ANZ Fiji Excellence in Tourism
Awards (FETA) for the next three
years. The announcement was
made in a statement sent by FETAs
Board of Trustees and Organising
Committee recently. Olivia Mavoa
said the involvement of Five Star
Foods exemplified the quality and
excellence.
LOCAL NEWS
Taveuni Resort Savors Win
By CHARLES CHAMBERS
Taveuni Palms Resort
has scooped the award for
Worlds Leading Luxury
Boutique Island Resort
at the 22nd annual World
Travel Awards held in Hong
Kong recently.
The red-carpet event,
which is usually dubbed as
the Oscars of the tourism
industry and this accolade,
voted by travel and tourism
professionals
worldwide,
recognised the commitment
to excellence which Taveuni
Palms had demonstrated
over the last twelve months.
The team at Taveuni
Palms is very excited and extremely proud to have won
this prestigious award. Colleen ONeill, Owner, Taveuni
Palms Resort, Fiji said.
We have worked extremely hard to create a private and opulent paradise
for guests where the primary
focus is on exquisite cuisine,
personal service, and genuine Fijian hospitality.
To have this recognised
on a worldwide level is an
amazing achievement. Ms
ONeill said.
Winning
accolades
around the world, Taveuni
Palms Resort has become
one of the most sought after
resorts for total exclusivity.
Consistently winning TripAdvisor Peoples Choice
awards, Taveuni Palms Resort has also previously won
Three Year Sponsorship by

Five Star for Tourism Awards
Five Star Foods Limited has

signed up as silver sponsor for
the 19th ANZ Fiji Excellence
in Tourism Awards (FETA) for
the next three years.
The announcement was
made in a statement sent by
FETAs Board of Trustees and
Organising Committee recently.
Trustee and Chair Organising Committee Olivia Mavoa
said the involvement of Five
Star Foods exemplified the
quality and excellence that
the tourism industry in the
country strived towards.
Five Star Foods are renowned for their ability to
source both exclusive & high
quality produce for the tourism sector, she said and added the Board was delighted
and grateful for the support.

The companys Managing Director, Bob Penn said
the sponsorship was a way
of showing its appreciation to
the industry which remained
the core of the companys client base.
We are proud of our product base and always delighted
to have the opportunity to
showcase our range, especially at an event as prestigious
as the Excellence in Tourism
Awards, Mr Penn said.
The sponsorship would
also bring the company into
line with the new naming
right sponsors, ANZ who have
committed to the next three
years.
The FETA Board said it also
added to the stability and sustainability of the event which
will further the prestige of the
Awards in the future.
The beautiful Taveuni Palms Resort. Photo: GOOGLE

the World Travel Awards in
the categories of Fijis Leading Resort 2014, 2013 and
2011 Worlds Leading Boutique Island Resort 2012,
Worlds Leading Island Villas 2012, Australasias Leading Boutique Island Resort
2012, 2011 and 2010, Australasias Leading Villa Resort
2012 and Fijis Leading Resort 2012.
The five stars Taveuni
Palms Resort, situated on
Taveuni Island, Fiji is the ultimate in boutique luxury.
Set amongst swaying coconut trees, on the edge of
a golden sandy beach and
surrounded by Fijis tur-
quoise waters, the resort is a

private hideaway perfect for
honeymooners, weddings
or that vacation of a lifetime.
Taveuni Palms has three
luxury villas, the Beach Villa,
Horizon Spa Villa and the
Grand Villa. Each villa is on
its own private acre of absolute beachfront and boasts
its own private pool, beach
and personal staff of seven.
All spacious villas feature
two bedrooms, two bathrooms, are air-conditioned
and
include super king
beds, Pure Fiji toiletries,
bathrobes, outdoor honeymoon showers, full entertainment centre (TV, DVD,
stereo and iPod loaded

with 1000 songs), library of
DVDs, CDs, books, board
games, large outdoor furnished deck, daybed sofas
and hammocks.
Dining at the resort is
an experience in itself with
each villa boasting five special private dining locations.
Villas come with a personal
chef who designs guests
breakfast, lunch and four
course dinner menus based
on their likes and dislikes.
Whatever the menu, the
resort boasts that guests
would be taken on a mouthwatering culinary journey
through the South Pacific.
Accomodation Deluxe 2016 winner Outrigger Fiji Resort.

Photo: MARGARET NAQIRI
One of the Five Star Foods imports- the smoked salmon. PicSupplied
NADI IN PICTURES
NADI IN PICTURES
10 THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
LOCAL NEWS
Age Care Homes Image to Improve
By CHARLES CHAMBERS
By CHARLES CHAMBERS
Fijis elderly population,
who has been left in age care
homes, will see an improvement in their living standards.
Initially, three age care
homes in Fiji would see the
establishment of Minimum
Standards Operating Procedures as of this year.
This was revealed during the first meeting for the
National Council for Older
Persons (NCOP) Institutional
Forum organised by the Ministry of Women, Children and
Poverty Alleviation.
The forum held recently at
the Tanoa Plaza in Suva was
attended by representatives
of the major age care homes
(Samabula Senior Citizens
Home, Babasiga Ashram
and Golden Age Home) and
including those from the Father Law Home, Fiji Council
of Social Services, Saint Vincent DePaul, Chanel Home of
Compassion and Suva Relief
Trust Fund-Pearce Home.
The meeting chaired by
Minister for Women Hon.
Rosy Akbar provided an opportunity for representatives
of the age care institutions to
express their views and share
ideas on the best way forward
to promote the rights and interests of senior citizens in Fiji.
One of the top agenda
for todays meeting will address the Draft National Minimum Standards for Aged Care
Homes in Fiji. The National
Minimum Standards for Care
Homes for Older People focuses on achievable outcomes for residents under
Pacific Countries Work

To Improve Education
Minister Rosy Akbar in an earlier picture with residents of the Golden Age Home in Lautoka.
Photo: DEPTFO
quality care and the holistic
management of the aged care
homes.
The practice within the
homes should lead to a friendly, caring and stimulating
atmosphere where the residents are listened to and feel
valued, their rights are upheld,
their cultural and religious beliefs are respected, and living
in the home is a positive and
beneficial experience, Ms
Akbar said.
In order to achieve this,
managers and staff at the age
care homes must at all times
have the values firmly embedded in their practice, Minister
Akbar reiterated.
She stressed on the need
for a collaborative approach
to create inclusive and supportive societies for senior
citizens.
Fijis Constitution provides
equal rights and opportunities
to everyone, including our senior citizens.
Matters concerning the
welfare of senior citizens are
treated with urgency and as

such the Ministry will continue to increase its reach out to
ageing population.
The Fiji First Government
has the heart to serve with
sincerity and compassion for
those that have been unrecognised for one reason or the
other.
Knowing that it is a challenge, we still try to make an
effort to restore the peace and
happiness in the lives of these
senior citizens.
The Minister the Governments role was to reach out
to such individuals to hear
them out and look at ways we
can improve their lives, fulfill
their aspirations.
We agree that, we cant
do this alone; we need the
support of the NGOs, the families and the communities,
Minister Akbar said.
Meanwhile, the age care
institutions have welcomed
the Ministrys move to set the
Minimum Standard Operating
Procedures.
Mrs Ruci Kava, representative of Suva Relief Trust FundPearce Home has commended the Ministry for the new
initiatives to improve age care
services in Fiji.
We acknowledge the efforts of the Fijian government
for taking this step forward to
improve the standard of services in age care institutions.
Before we didnt have any
standards, but now it will require us to comply with these
standards and through NCOP
we are also able to have continued dialogue with the Ministry on the ways we can address the challenges we face.
Since the establishment
of the Pearce home in 1940s,
for the very first time, our efforts have been recognized,
like many age care institutions
in Fiji, the Pearce Home had
a received grant of $20,000
by the Ministry. This has significantly uplifted the level of
care for the senior citizens in
at the Pearce home, Ms Kava
explained.
A five day workshop which

ended in Nadi on Friday
mapped out ways to strengthen the educational policy
analysis and development in
Samoa, Solomon Islands and
Papua New Guinea.
The seminar, which was
held at the Novotel Hotel in
Nadi was of the view that
other countries in the Pacific
would also benefit from the
project.
The Institutional Policy Capacity Workshop was organised by the Pacific Communitys (SPC) Educational Quality
and Assessment Programme.
Working with SPC and
education sector representatives from the three countries
was Dr Darryl Hunter from the
Department of Educational
Policy at the University of Alberta, Canada.
The workshop enabled
participants to indicate their
countrys capacity to develop
educational policies.
The
training
encompassed their understanding
of the United Nations capacity framework, competency to
enact the public will in educa-
tion, preparing for the collection of capacity information

in the three pilot countries
Samoa, Solomon Islands
and Papua New Guinea - and
developing skills in appraising
policy capacity in a consistent
and accurate manner.
The knowledge of how to
develop educational policies
within a country was essential to effectively respond to
evidence that had been generated so far through activities conducted as part of the
Pacific Benchmarking for Educational Results (PaBER) project, such as specific policy
gaps identified in the areas of
curriculum and assessment.
The PaBER project, which
has been operating since
June 2012, uses evidence to
drive system changes to improve educational outcomes
for children in the Pacific.
This project was presently
being implemented in Samoa,
Solomon Islands and Papua
New Guinea with the intention that other countries could
also benefit by adapting the
processes used.
The workshop concluded
on Friday 19 February.
Educational policies to be strengthened in Pacific countries.

Photo: SUPPLIED
Shankara Launches New Skin Care Line

Fiji welcomes Shankara Skin
Care Line with advanced product concepts and support of human values globally.
Shankara, consciousness
in a bottle, is a distinctive skin
care line which combines advanced western anti-age science with traditional eastern
Ayurveda to create a natural,
result-oriented product.
The integrity of the product
is a match for the integrity of
Shankaras spirit and intent to
uplift humanity through service,
education and donation of 100%
of company profits to global humanitarian projects.
Thanks to original and holistic approach, pairing western anti-aging breakthroughs
with the eastern science of
Ayurveda, the ancient Science
of Life, Shankaras products
balance the skin as well as the
mind and emotions.
Shankara delivers an unparalleled experience of nutrition,
oxygenation, hydration, and
protection.
The ingredients in the products quickly penetrate surface
layers to catalyze real change.
Key to the success of Shankaras products is an unrivaled
energized regenerating nutrient
complex trademarked, Regenesis-Energen BioComplex.
Exclusively developed in
Shankaras laboratory, it includes ATP, natures cell energizer, and monoatomic elements found in a rare deposit on
Californias Mount. Shasta.
The alchemy of the formulas peak with the molecular
structuring (proprietary) and
lowering of surface tension for
increased cell permeability of
active skin nutrients.
The synergistic impact of
ingredients produces a visible
quantum effect in natural skin
renewal and age prevention.
All products are free of paraben, alcohol and chemicals.
They are pH balanced and
PETA Approved cruelty-free
with no animal testing.

Shankara was created to be
more than a skincare line.
Its depth is increased with
its Sanskrit meaning - Pure
Beauty With Fully Blossomed
Consciousness.
A more literal translation
is, Shan meaning peace and
good, and Kara meaning one
who does that, That which
gives peace and does so much
good.
Shankaras quality of beauty
and consciousness is expressed
in the companys spirit of intent
and manifested through the
individuals who comprise the
Shankara team.
The team is a unified network of individuals dedicated to
serving humanity, from producing the finest, most energetic
products possible to the donation of 100% of the net profits to
global humanitarian work.
Shankara is committed to
support the International Association For Human Values
(IAHV) and the Art of Living
Foundation (AOLF).
Projects, supported by Shankara include: literacy and education programs, microfinance
ventures for women and youth,
disaster relief and rehabilitation
projects.
The Art of Living Foundation
(AOLF) is an international nonprofit, non-religious educational
and humanitarian organization,
works in special consultative
status with the United Nations
and affiliated with the World
Health Organization and UNICEF.
Founded in 1981 by Sri Sri
Ravi Shankar, the organisation
now operates in 152 countries
and has touched the lives of
over 370 million people from all
walks of life, background and
culture.
The AOLF is engaged in
stress-management, prisoner
rehabilitation, drug deaddiction,
disaster relief, environment sustainability, women empower-
ment and many other service

initiatives globally.
All programs and initiatives
are guided by Sri Sri Ravi Shankars philosophy of peace Unless we have a stress-free mind
and a violence-free society, we
cannot achieve world peace.
IAHV is an international
NGO, founded in Geneva in
1997 by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar as
a global platform for humanitarian initiatives that solve problems by uplifting human values.
IAHV promotes global human
values through education, communications and outreach programs with the belief that the
incorporation of human values
(i.e. understanding, respect,
caring loving-kindness, friendliness) into all aspects of life will
ultimately lead to the development of a more peaceful, just
and sustainable world.
Along with the finest skin
care products Shankara brings
to Fiji valuable knowledge of
healthy life style.
Shankara will be hosting
Health in Beauty Seminars,
which are two hour free events,
during which specially trained
presenters from Shankara Skin
Care introduce in a very light
and attractive manner knowledge of Ayurveda (ancient science of health), science of skin,
5 Steps to radiant beauty andmuch more.
In addition, seminar participants can get free Ayurvedic individual skin mapping, analysis
and recommendations.
Press Release
Tourism Targets India
Fiji tourism continued on
its quest to gather in more
markets with the latest being
some of Indias bigger cities.
Tourism Fiji commenced
its annual Roadshow on Friday 5th February 2016 in the
city of Chennai, India.
11
BURGER KING SUPPLIMENT
King Gives More than $10,000 to Special Children

The truest measure of any
society is how it treats those
who are most vulnerable.
The comment was made
by Burger King Chairman Kirit
Patel as the outlet donated a
total of more than $10,000 to
St Minas Childrens Home,
Treasure House Christian Childrens Home, Loloma Home
and Care and the Nadi Centre
for Special Education.
The donations were made
as part of the occasion of the
opening of its Martintar outlet
on Wednesday.
If you never see the deed
again at least you will have
made the world a better
place.
And after all isnt this what
life is all about? Mr Patel added.
The Burger King outlet was
opened by students of the
Nadi Centre for Special Education and the outlet is determined to be a place where
people will be able to meet
and interact with one another
in a friendly environment.
Mr Patel said the Motibhai Group who acquired the
Burger King Master Franchise
for Fiji said the the donations
were part of the companys
efforts towards its Corporate
Social Responsibility.
Burger King presents the cheque to Nadi Centre for Special School Education. Photo: SAMUEL SHANKAR.
We strongly believe the
good deed you do today may
benefit you or someone you
love at the least expected
time.
Nadi Centre for Special
Educations head teacher

Shiromani Felix said the donations made would be able
to help the school purchase
much needed equipment for
its students.
Mr Felix acknowledged the

donation made and said the
outlet made history by inviting vulnerable members of
the society to open their new
outlet.
Mr Felix was on hand to receive the $2501.00 cheque for

the school.
Akash
Narsey,
Burger
Kings General Manager said
despite being a global brand,
the company prioritized the

inclusion of the local community in its activities.
Special Students Open Martintar Burger King

To be kings for a day.
This was the opening statement of the head teacher of
the Nadi Centre for Special
Education, Shiromani Felix as
his students became the first
ever customers of Motibhai
Groups newly opened $6.5
million Burger King in Martintar, Nadi.
The schools head teacher
Shiromani Felix said the students were ecstatic and acknowledged the directors of
the Motibhai Group for the invite to be part of the occasion.
Never before has anybody
thought of inviting these vulnerable children for special
needs to be part of the opening of such a multi-million dollar enterprise today, the head
teacher said.
Mr Felix said it was important that the special needs
students be integrated into the
towns community as it helps
them feel involved in the society they live in.
The flagship restaurant

was opened by the special
needs students and directors of the Motibhai Group on
Wednesday.
Burger King Chairman and
Motibhai Group Chief Executive Officer Kirit Patel said the
opening of the Martintar fast
food branch was a hallmark of
events and said it was priority
that children be given a sense
of inclusion.
This applies especially
to those among us living with
restricted capabilities and the
daily challenges you face that
the rest of us can only imagine.
Motibhai Group being one
of the business community
always believes in making a
difference in peoples lives,
he added.
Motibhai Staff Members
(right) help children from
Nadi Centre for Special Education cut the ribbon to open
Burger Kings Martintar outlet.
Photo: SAMUEL SHANKAR
NOW OPEN
@ Corner of Queens Highway &
Northern Press Road, Martintar, Nadi.
#bkfiji
BURGING KING SUPPLIMENT
Our WHOPPER is a savory ame-grilled beef topped with juicy tomatoes,

fresh lettuce, creamy mayonnaise, ketchup, crunchy pickles, and sliced white
onions on a soft sesame seed bun.
AVAILABLE ONLY AT
YOUR WAY
CORNER OF QUEENS HIGHWAY
& NORTHERN PRESS ROAD, MARTINTAR, NADI
13
TOURISM
Tourism Fiji Briefs Industry Partners on Wedding Show

By CHARLES CHAMBERS
The hype over the upcoming Tourism Fiji Weddings
Expo was evident during a recent briefing in Nadi.
More than 60 industry representatives packed to the Fiji
Tourism boardroom in Nadi to
get updated on the expo that
is scheduled to take place on
March 19-20 at the ShangriLas Fijian Resort Resort and
Spa.
For many operators, it will
be the first time they will be attending an event such as FWE
that will showcase more than
50 products and services specialising in weddings in Fiji.
Tourism Fijis Events Coordinator, Mr Chad Eastgate
conducted the briefing and
was very pleased with the response and enthusiasm from
the industry participants.
It is fantastic to see such
a diverse range of services
on offer, bridal parties will be
able to get details for their
entire wedding from hair
and makeup, photographers,
flower bouquets and cakes all
at the one event. It is an opportunity to meet face to face
in air conditioned comfort
with more suppliers than you
would otherwise be able to
see in a day, Mr Eastgate said.
The expo at the ShangriLas Fijian Resort and Spa is
open to the public with no
door charge and will not only
targeting international bridal
groups but Fiji based bridal
parties as well.
Due to an increase in demand for participation, we
have increased the number

of booths available at the Fiji
Wedding Expo taking the
total number of booths up to
53. With the inclusion of additional booths, we still can
accommodate those that may
still be interested in showcasing their products but space is
limited, Tourism Fijis Director of Events, Ms Sally Cooper
said.
From photographers, hair
& make-up specialists and
resorts, the FWE is an opportunity to meet all wedding
suppliers under one roof, over
one weekend.
The event will include Q&A
sessions with the Fiji Registrar of Marriage Office, live
demonstrations from Tadra
Flowers and Weddings, Hair
& Make-up specialist, Stanley
Morell as well as hens & bucks
party specialist, Events Fiji.
Also on showcase will be
the wonderful talent of Glass
blowing by Alice Hill from Hot
Glass Fiji. Not only will you get
an amazing visual experience
but engage in the opportunity
try the craft of glass blowing,
Ms Cooper says.
A special cocktail function
on 19 March will be held for
those who register in advance
to attend the expo as a buyer.
This is hosted by the Shangri-Las Fijian Resort & Spa
in conjunction with Lawhill
Wines & Spirits. Lawhill
Wines & Spirits have always
been and will continue to be
a strategic partner of Tourism
Fiji, she adds.
In addition, the FWEwill
feature a well-established
young Fijian designer and
Bilibili-Wedding-Warwick-Fiji
A wedding taking place at one of Fijis tourist destination. Photo: GOOGLE

Winner of the 2015 Fiji Fashion Week designer of the year
award, Mr Anton Wye, at the
cocktail function.
Weddings are a growing
market in Fiji and are one of
the highest yielding niche
tourism markets.
The money from weddings
has a much broader reach in
to the community as different
services are engaged.
The briefing was well received by the industry rep-
resentatives and this is what

some of them had to say
about being part of the FWE:
This will be a great opportunity to connect with brides
directly as well as network
with other within our industry. Totoka means beautiful
in Fijian and this is what we
aim to make every bride look
and feel like on their big day.
Our talented team of specialist stylists will ensure you look
amazing and work with you
to create magic, Totoka Hair

and Make Up Director Leanne
Goff said.
It is an amazing opportunity to meet potential clients
and service providers, and to
bring our business in the limelight and create awareness.
We are qualified professionals and do our best to provide
what our clients want. Happy
clients is our motto, Salon 21
owner Neelma Singh said.
We at the South Seas
Cruises & Blue Lagoon Cruises applaud Tourism Fiji to

introduce Fijis firstWedding
Expo as it provides us with the
opportunity to showcase our
wonderful products that are
tailor made specifically to this
market, South Seas Cruises
and Blue Lagoon Cruises Sales
Manager Lailanie Burnes said
Radisson Blu a Winner Tourism Targets India

By CHARLES CHAMBERS
Another major resort on
Denarau Island has added a
feather to its cap after being
declared winner of a travellers choice award.
Radisson Blu Resort Fiji has
been recognized as a winner
in the TOP 10 Fiji Hotels Luxury Category of the 2016 TripAdvisor Travellers Choice
awards for Hotels.
For the 14th year, TripAdvisor has highlighted the
worlds top properties based
on the millions of reviews and
opinions collected in a single
year from travellers around
the globe.
It is the highest honor given
by TripAdvisor.
Winners were identified in
the categories of Top Hotels,
Bargain, B&Bs and Inns, Luxury, Service and Small Hotels.
The hallmarks of Travellers Choice winners are remarkable service, quality and
value.
The resort was proud to
have been awarded for the
6th year in a row and to have
received the Hall of Fame
Award which is only accredited to resorts that receive the
Tripadvisor Excellence Award
5 years in a row.
With 3176 honest reviews
from our valued guests,
Radissons General Manage
Gerard Knight said.
It is the highest number of

reviews received by any hotel
in Fiji.
I would like to thank our
amazing team for their passion and dedication for delivering excellent customer service every day.
The team reflects the
wonderful Yes I Can spirit
and service philosophy that
the brand worldwide is proud
of, Mr Knight said.
He said the hotel staff
worked hard to maintain
Radissons high levels of service and it was rewarding to
be recognized by our valued
guests in this way.
Radisson Blu Hotel on Denarau Island. Photo: GOOGLE
By CHARLES CHAMBERS
Fiji tourism continued on
its quest to gather in more
markets with the latest being
some of Indias bigger cities.
Led by Tourism Minister
Faiyaz Koya, Tourism Fiji commenced its annual Roadshow
on Friday 5th February 2016 in
the city of Chennai, India.
This year the emphasis is
on creating awareness on the
Singapore launch of direct
flights to commence on Tuesday 5th April 2016.
The Roadshow will conclude on Saturday 13 February and will include the six (6)
cities of Chennai, Bangalore,
Mumbai, Ahmedabad, New
Delhi and Kolkata.
The tourism group travelling with Mr Koya included
government officials, Tourism
Fiji, Fiji Airways, Rosie Holidays, Tour Managers, Pacific
Destinations, The Pearl South
Pacific Resort, Mana Island
Resort & Spa, and Sofitel Fiji
Resort and Spa.
The core role of the Roadshows is to educate our travel
partners on destination Fiji.
In opening the Roadshow,
Minister Koya emphasized the
importance of India to Tourism Fijis long-term strategy to
boost visitor arrivals.
Also, India is central to
Fijis plan to expand into
non-traditional markets as it
has been identified as having
great growth potential which

will further be realized with
the newly introduced Fiji Airways direct flight to Singapore
in April.
This seemed to be the biggest impediment to developing the Indian tourism market
after previous roadshows.
Mr Koya said there was
great potential for growth in
the Indian market as Fiji was
able to provide unique experiential products available in Fiji
for every type of visitor.
Past year activities in the
market have contributed significantly to the increased
visitor arrivals this year which
will growth further with more
investment in branding activities and the combined efforts
of its trade partners.
Therefore in exploring
the Indian market, the Fiji
delegation during the course
of the next few days, via the
Roadshow, will promote our
diverse range of products that
make Fiji unique and THE
destination every Indian tourist should visit, Mr Koya said.
The year will see the inclusion of two new cities namely
Ahmedabad and Bangalore.
Minister Koya attributed
the Fijian people as the key
element for Fiji apart from the
pristine environment, beautiful sandy beaches and diverse
culture.
He stated that the Fijian
people were what sets them
apart as Fijians still main-
tained their distinct culture in

dress, language and culinary
habits.
Our genuine hospitality
and infectious nature spreads
the happiness bug and promotes our tagline of Fiji
Where Happiness Finds You,
Mr Koya said..
Last year, the Roadshow
saw the participation of over
450 travel and tourism stakeholders, which was an increase from previous years
and a positive indication of
the allure that destination Fiji
holds for the Indian traveller.
This first day has also
shown an incredible increase
with around 100 participants
visiting the roadshow in Chennai alone and with such a
great start record numbers are
sure to soar.
Tourism Minister Faiyaz Koya.

Photo: SUPPLIED
LOCAL NEWS / ADVERTISEMENT
Professional Dive Masters Join Wananavu

By CHARLES CHAMBERS
Fijis pristine reefs around

Rakiraki will have more exposure now with two highly
qualified divers joining Wananavu Beach Resort.
New Dive Managers for
Dive Wananavu are James Begeman and Mindy Huston.
Begeman, is a PADI Master
Scuba Diver Trainer while Ms
Huston is a PADI Open Water
Scuba Instructor.
The new mangers joined
Dive Wananavu from the
Kona Aggressor II in Hawaii,
where they met.
Prior to that, they worked at
dive resorts and live-aboard
on Kauai, South Carolina, the
Florida Keys, the Solomon
Islands, Roatan, St. Maarten,
St. Croix, Puerto Rico, and the
Bahamas.
With more than 5,000
dives between them, Begeman and Huston have instructor ratings for all core courses
up to Dive master, as well as
EFR Primary and Secondary
Care, Deep, Wreck, Night,
Boat, Underwater Digital Photography, Project Aware Shark
Conservation, Enriched Air Ni-
trox, Underwater Navigation,

and Underwater Naturalist
Specialties.
They will lead a team of
knowledgeable local Fijian
instructors, dive guides, and
a captain to show divers the
best reefs that Fiji has to offer.
Dive Wananavus underwater visits include the famous Bligh Waters of Fiji and
divers travel there aboard its
two custom built dive boats,
the Nami and the Nami Lailai.
Dive Wananavu is a PADI 5
Star Dive Resort and operates
out of the award winning Wananavu Beach Resort on the
beautiful Sun Coast of Fiji.
With full equipment rental,
and a state of the art Nitrox
membrane system, Dive Wananavu is equipped for a wide
variety of services, from individual PADI courses for beginners to large dive groups of
experienced divers.
Wananavu Beach Resort
is located on the Sun Coast
overlooking the Sailstone
Reef and the Nananui Islands
in Rakiraki.
Wananavu is an idyllic four
star resort with thirty four deluxe bures and was voted as
one of Fijis top 10 resorts by
Trip Advisor in 2014, 2015 and
2016.
The serene setting at Wananvu Beach Resort. Photo: GOOGLE
Sofitel Encourages More Local Visitors to Its Facilities.

One hour body massages
in your own bure, soft music
in the background with beautiful Fijian artwork to soothe
the mind, senses and the
body.
This is what is on offer at
discounted prices for locals
who visit the SoSPA at Nadis
Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa.
Spa Manager Sonia Prasad
encouraged locals to try out
the new SPA facilities that
recently opened at the hotel
with a one-hour massage for
just eighty dollars.
We want to encourage
more locals to come and try
out our offers at the SPA and
of course what we have available at other sectors of the Resort as well, she said.
The offers on discount are
available until the last week
of March and local identifica-
tion cards must be presented

for members of the general
public.
We are trying to let the
public know that the services
are not only for visitors, they
are for us, the locals as well,
Mrs Prasad said.
Each treatment bure has
a well-appointed air conditioned massage pavilion complete with imported massage
tables and open-air outdoor
showers.
Visitors can expect impeccable service provided by the
attendants with private treatments in the bure for individuals and couples alike.
Mrs Prasad said the skilled
therapists delivered and were
committed to each guests
wellbeing and encouraged
locals not to miss out on the
offers available.
Sofitels SoSpa Manager Sonia Prasad (middle) with Spa therapists. Photo SERELISONI MOCEICA
Hazelman Wants Project Done

Brittany Hazelman is adamant to see her project to the
finish.
The countrys representative to the 2015 Miss World
pageant said she would ensure that funds raised were
geared towards the project
she was working for.
I know that whenever we
come back from the World
pageant, the project we undertake seem to go on the
back burner but this time I intend on staying on to see it to
the end, Ms Hazelman said.
Ms Hazelman said she was
working towards getting a
playroom up at the Colonial
War Memorial Hospital and

said funds were still being
raised towards the project.
And not only this, I hope
that we get more projects up
and going for our representatives to the Miss World pageant, she said.
The twenty five year old
encouraged more young
women to develop an interest
in participating in such beauty
pageants where they are exposed to issues and ideas
from around the world.
The trip was an educational one, I learnt so many things
about the problems faced
by other nations and met so
many interesting people and
this is what young women
should do, they should put
themselves out there where

they are exposed to the real
issues, she said.
Ms Hazelman however
said she was looking forward
to carrying on with her normal work at the Secretariat of
the Pacific Community.
Ive been on leave for
quite a while now and I am
raring to get some work
done, she said.
Ms Hazelman also wished
would-be contestants for the
Fiji Miss World pageant the
best of luck
The Suva born and raised
beauty queen was part of the
welcoming party for the inaugural flight from Taipei at Nadi
Airport recently.
Miss Fiji Brittany Hazelman (middle) with Fiji Airways crew members.
Photo: SERELISONI MOCEICA
15
TC WINSTON
Tappoo Pledges Full Support Government DelivBy CHARLES CHAMBERS

Help towards Cyclone Winston victims continue to pour
in with local companies pitching in .
One of Fijis biggest companies,
Tappoo Group of
Companies has donated 2
trucks full of relief supplies to
the government relief effort
and has pledged a continuous
supply of essentials throughout the early recovery period.
The Group pledges its full
support for the immediate
relief effort to the communities that have suffered from
Tropical Cyclone Winston,
said chief executive Madhu

Tappoo.
The pictures of our own
Fijians suffering this unfortunate fate are hard to bear.
We are deeply saddened
at the loss of loved ones and
the widespread devastation
caused by Cyclone Winston
and we pledge that Tappoo
will do our best to help the relief efforts.
The Tappoo relief supplies
donated to the Commissioner
Westerns Office included
bottled water and beverage
packages.
These initial packages are
to help meet the immediate
basic needs of our affected

communities, said Mr. Tappoo.
He commended the Government, civil society groups,
the corporate sector, and international communities for
the sterling effort in coordinating and distributing the muchneeded help.
All Fiji citizens who have
reached out in whatever way,
small or large, to help our
men, women and children affected must be commended
for their show of true patriotism, he said.
It is heart-wrenching to
learn that we have lost 42 lives
already, and even more devastating to hear reports that

the toll could rise.
He said aside from more
donations of food supplies,
they would also put together
additional recovery support
and this would include cash
donations.
We sincerely hope our efforts will bring some solace
to those who have lost their
houses, savings, and a lot
more, said Mr. Tappoo.
We wish our people a
speedy recovery and we, our
management and staff, reassure that we are committed to
offering a helping hand.
TC Winston devastation in pictures

Photos by: DEPTFO
ers Assistance to
Tailevu and Ra
By CHARLES CHAMBERS
The Governments machinery has already swung
into gear with villages in Tailevu and Ra being provided
with relief supplies.
The Government team, led
by the Minister for Women,
Children and Poverty Alleviation, Rosy Akbar, led the official visit to Nailega Village
in Tailevu and the Bucalevu
Village in Ra to deliver relief
assistance to affected Fijians.
This marked the first official ministerial visit to the
Nailega village and an important step in the Fijian Governments recovery efforts in the
aftermath of Tropical Cyclone
Winston.
The relief assistance to
Nailega Village contained
basic food items including rice, dhal, flour, biscuits
and canned food, along with
clothing for Nailega villagers.
Additionally, Minister Akbar arranged for 26,000 litres
of water to refill village water
tanks to provide adequate,
safe drinking water.
The Minister also extended
her visit to the Bucalevu Village in Ra to distribute food
rations.
Speaking on behalf of the
Nailega villagers Turaga-nikoro (village headman) Mr.
Laitia Segati acknowledged
the Fijian Government for the
immediate assistance for affected families.
We are thankful to Minister Akbar for this timely visit;
the villagers now have clean
water and food items, Mr Se-
gati said.
It is very encouraging to
see the government officials
respond so fast to assist us
and we will work together
with the government to rebuild the lives of our people,
he said.
There are 145 people in
this community and 33 houses, 28 of which have sustained
some damages.
Some of the families are
currently residing at the village
hall and the nearby school.
All our plantations have
been destroyed and we are
currently surviving on the left
over crops. This has been one
of the most destructive cyclones but we are determined
to work together to recover
the losses, Mr Segati said.
Mrs. Ilisapeci Nakoro, a retired school teacher, said the
villagers described such visits
as a great opportunity to share
their grievances with the relevant authorities.
This cyclone has been a
frightening experience for the
villagers, particularly for the
women and children. However, the experience has not
dampened our spirit to care
for each other at a challenging
time like this The visit by Minister Akbar has brought smiles
and hope to the villagers. We
thank the government for its
commitment to reach out to
us, Mrs Nakoro said.
Minister Rosy Akbar encouraged the communities to
stay strong and assured them
that the Ministry will capitalize
on its partnerships to support
the recovery and rehabilitation process.
ADVERTISEMENT
More Fijians for

Seasonal Work
LAUTOKA CAMPUS
OHS MODULES 1 & 2 TRAINING

Acquire knowledge and skills in identifying hazards, assessing and controlling risk and in contributing to
occupational health and safety management in your organisation. It is mandatory in Fiji under Legal Notice
169 section 7(1) that OHS special training should be provided to Health & Safety representatives and
committee members in every work place. Safety at work is everyones concern.
Learning outcomes
Training content
At the successful completion of the training

participants will be able to:
1. Explain the roles & functions of OHS
representatives and the committee;
2. Demonstrate the use of workplace
arrangements to resolve workplace health &
safety issues;
3. Describe methods used to identify workplace
hazards & assess their risk factors;
4. Apply OHS technology & communication
skills; and
5. Identify the relevant OHS regulations &
codes of practice.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
OHS Act 1996 application

Workplace arrangements
Establishment of OHS reps & Committees
Functions of the OHS committee
Managing OHS The 6 steps approach
Current OHS regulations
SMART audit
Accident investigation & reporting
Hazard identification & risk assessment &
Controls
10. Hazardous substances
Target Group
This training is open for all interested individuals. It is also available for in-house training delivery.
Training will also be delivered in other districts of the Western Division on demand. Interested persons
are requested to liaise with your networks and collect expressions of interest. You can then contact the
undersigned for scheduling of training and other logistics.
Dates, Days & Time
Applications Due Date
Venue
Fee
Thursday & Friday

10 & 11 March
17 & 18 March
31/3& 1 April
Time: 5pm-8pm
4 March 2016
USP Lautoka Campus
$320 per person
To obtain enrolment form and for further information, contact: Rajendra Singh, tel: 6666800;
fax: 6667133 or email: rajendra.singh@usp.ac.fj or Babita Sharma, email: babita.sharma@usp.ac.fj or
enquire at the USP Lautoka Campus, Western House, corner of Vidilo Street, Lautoka or visit our website:
www.usp.ac.fj/lautoka
By CHARLES CHAMBERS
More Fijians are to be recruited under the Seasonal
Worker Programme to work
in Australia.
This followed the signing
of an updated Memorandum of Understanding for
the Seasonal Worker Programme by Australian High
Commissioner to Fiji, Margaret Twomey, and Minister
for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations,
Hon Semi Koroilavesau.
The Australian and Fijian
Governments signed the
original MOU in Suva on 2
April 2015 and days later,
the first set of Fijian workers were recruited by an approved employer.
The Seasonal Worker
Programme is a mutually
beneficial initiative, providing valuable opportunities
for Fijians to secure shortterm employment in Australia, and helping Australian
employers to fill gaps in the
labour force.
The program is consistent
with Australia and Fijis focus on creating jobs, boosting incomes and economic
development.
Since the original MoU
was signed, the Australian
Government has announced
an expansion of the Seasonal Worker Programme,
including removing the annual limit on the number of

workers who can participate
in the Programme.
It has also expanded the
Programme to the agriculture industry, and to the accommodation industry in
selected locations.
Recently, the Australian
Government announced the
inclusion of cattle, sheep,
grain and mixed farming
in the Programme, providing Australian employers in
these industries the opportunity to become approved
employers and recruit seasonal workers, including
workers from Fiji.
This is another example
of Australias commitment
to labour mobility, productive employment, and economic growth in Fiji, Ms
Twomey said.
We expect Fiji, with its
strong tourism and agricultural industries, will be well
placed to make the most of
the opportunities under the
expanded Seasonal Worker
Programme.
The commitment and
understanding of the Australian Government towards
labour mobility is highly appreciated and the Fijian Government will take advantage
of this work opportunity and
will prioritise the participation of isolated Fijian com-
munities for fairness and equity, said Mr Koroilavesau.

This will enable the isolated rural communities to
participate, earn income,
gain new skills and knowledge and return to add-value to their lives and communities, he said.
Seasonal workers can
undertake a range of work
in the agriculture sector and
accommodation sector (in
select locations), including: bar attendants, baristas,
food and beverage attendants/waiters, caf workers,
garden labourers, housekeepers, kitchen hands and
public area cleaners.
Horticulture,
aquaculture, cane and cotton sectors across Australia can
access the programme and
the broader agricultural sector including cattle, sheep,
grain and mixed farming
is now also part of the Programme.
To date, over 130 Fijian
workers have been employed in Australia under
the Seasonal Worker Programme on grape, sweet
potato, almond, tomato,
lime and orange farms, doing a variety of work including pruning, harvesting and
packing duties..
TOWARDS EXCELLENCE IN LEARNING AND KNOWLEDGE CREATION
LAUTOKA CAMPUS
CERTIFICATE IV IN WORKPLACE
LEADERSHIP TRAINING
Do you want to be a highly effective leader? Do you want to develop the self-confidence,
vision, wisdom, motivational impact and delivery skills that the most effective leaders have?
And do you want to be the person to whom, quite naturally, other people turn for direction?
This Course Helps You Become Exceptional Leaders

Outcomes
Understand and apply a framework of
Workplace Leadership to guide your personal
development, as well as the development of
your teams and organisation;
Determine how to enhance learning process in
order to meet day to day operation;
Create a persona; agenda for self-improvement

and set goals to productivity throughout the
organisation;
Acquire new tools and technique and able to
foster innovation;
Develop capacity building and skills transfer.
Component 1 Staff Welfare &

Safety
Component 2 Human
Resource Management Skills
Component 3 Leadership &

Management Skills
Understanding Diversity at Work
Change Management Skills
Coaching: A leadership Skills
Workplace Ethics
Conducting Effective
Performance Review
Professional Supervisor
Safety at the Workplace
Performance Management
Team Building Initiatives in

the workplace
Dealing with Workplace

Harassment
HR Training for Non HR

Managers
Motivating your workforce
Dealing with Workplace Violence
New Staff Orientation
Employee dispute resolution
Fijis Employment Relations Bill to be studied also and Cross Credit of Leadership & Management Module from
Certificate II in Professional Development Programme
Target Group: Emerging, aspiring and current workplace Leaders.
Delivery Details
Venue
Dates
Time
Application closing dates
USP Lautoka Campus
23 February to 31 March
5pm to 8pm
17 February 2016
Fees: $450 per component & $1350 for whole programme. Payment: Cash, Cheque, Installments and FNPF.
To obtain enrolment form and for further information, contact Rajendra Singh, tel: 6666800; fax: 6667133
or email: rajendra.singh@usp.ac.fj or Babita Sharma, email: babita.sharma@usp.ac.fj or enquire at the USP
Lautoka Campus, Western House, corner of Vidilo Street, Lautoka or visit our website: www.usp.ac.fj/lautoka
TOWARDS EXCELLENCE IN LEARNING AND KNOWLEDGE CREATION
Australian High Commissioner to Fiji, Margaret Twomey and Minister Semi

Koroilavesau shake hands after signing the MOU. Photo: SUPPLIED
University Alumni on Tour

By CHARLES CHAMBERS
Fiji National Universitys
Alumni Association have embarked on bringing past students closer to those presently
undergoing their tertiary education.
The Association has organised its first official national
tour that will provide an ideal
opportunity for its members
to interact with graduates and
current students of the University.
The tour which, scheduled
from February 22 26 will
see the association executive committee members and
alumni office staff visit all FNU
Campuses nationwide to promote the initiatives of the association.
The five-day tour followed
the successful launch of
the alumni network and the
alumni recognition Awards in
August last year.
The first ever alumni association was established in November following a successful
election.
Six talented and determined alumni were elected
to serve as the inaugural
committee of the association
spearheaded by the Association President and former Minister for Education, Mr Netani
Sukanaivalu.
It is essential that we
reach out to our alumni and
students around the country
to promote the good work of
the association, the numerous benefits members can
enjoy once they sign up, Mr
Sukanaivalu said.
Given the long and proud
history of all the institutions
that merged to form the Fiji
National University, Mr Sukanaivalu said it was vital
that a common platform be
established to enable alumni
to reconnect, reflect and offer positive influence towards
growth of FNU.
Senior Alumni Officer, Arti
Nair said the association will

be the voice of the alumni to
the University management to
ensure equal consideration is
given to the need of current
students and graduates.
The Association embodies the ground to look after
the interests of graduates and
maintain a network of professionals as well as establish
social connections in pursuit
of the Universitys vision, Ms
Nair said.
The national tour will commence with the delegation
visiting the Central Division
before travelling to the West
and North.
Kiribati Students perform during the launch of the FNU Alumni

Network and Awards last year. Photo: FNU Alumni
17
ADVERTISEMENTS
National Airline Flies

Direct to Singapore
Rugby fans can now fly direct to Singapore to support
our sevens team.
This after the Fiji Airways
was announced as the official airline of the HSBC World
Rugby Singapore Sevens beginning this April for a period
of three years.
Starting from early April,
Fiji rugby fans can now fly direct from Nadi International
Airport to Singapore and this
is definitely a boost for sports
tourism, said the Chairman
of Rugby Singapore Pte Ltd,
Low Teo Ping.
He said Fiji was still the

defending champions of the
last Singapore Sevens in 2006
and was sure that fans would
be out in full force to support
the boys.
Fiji Airways Managing Director and chief executive
officer Andre Viljoen said the
airline was looking forward to
transporting rugby lovers out
to Singapore.
Theres really no better
way to say Bula Singapore
than through rugby sevens,
Mr Viljoen said.
The Minister for Civil Aviation Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum
said the sponsorship was the

beginning of a fruitful partnership between the two countries.
Rugby is one avenue
where Fiji Airways can increase awareness of its direct
flights and all the trade and
investment opportunities now
possible between Fiji and Singapore, Mr Sayed-Khaiyum
said.
Singapore is the only
Southeast Asian country to
host a stop on the global rugby circuit on April 16 and 17
which is also the eighth leg of
the HSBC Sevens Series.
Raffles Launches Corporate Statements

BySERELISONI MOCEICA
Staff of the three hotels
of Lomani Island Resort, Fiji
Gateway Hotel and the Plantation lsand Resort receently celebrated the first ever launch of
their corporate statements.
The event was held at
the Plantation Island Resort
amidst a pompous affair with
entertainment provided by
representatives from the hotels.
The Momo na Tui Lawa,
Ratu Sevanaia Lalabalavu was
chief guest on the day and applauded the effort put together by the staff and managers
of the three hotels.
As chief of the landowning units for the Malolo island
community, I am exteremely
pleased to see resort management and staff working together for sustainable growth
in an orderly step by step process, the Tui Lawa said.
The Momo na Tui Lawa
said the milestone event was
a cause for celebration for the
hotels and also represented a
united front of the hotel staff,
management and also the
vanua Malolo.
I see a very important linkage in my association with the
Raffles Hotels and Resorts that
will provide and promote the
relationship we share as we
move into the future, Ratu
Lalabalavu said.
The corporate statements
were put together by employees of the three hotels through
workshops organised by the
human resources manage-
ment team and the chief executive officer of the Raffles

Resorts, Bradley Robinson
applauded the staff s contributions.
Mr Robinson said the involvement of staff in the devlopment of an organisations
mission statements is of vital
importance.
Organisations are made
up of people, just like this one,
and its the people that will
decide where we are in the
future, the CEO said.
One person can achieve
a days work but many many
people can achieve a lifetimes work, he added.
Hotel staff present at the
launch celebrated with dances, cakes and live entertainment by the Plantation Island
Resor band.
Tui Lawa Ratu Sevanaia Lalabalavu with Raffels Resorts CEO Bradley Robinson at the
launch. Photo: SERELISONI MOCEICA
USP To Host Dance Festival

By CHARLES CHAMBERS
The University of the South
Pacific will play host to a
dance festival scheduled this
month.
USPs Oceania Centre
for Arts, Culture and Pacific
Studies (OCACPS) will host
the Epeli Hauofa Memorial
Dance Festival II from 21-26
March, 2016.
Artistic Director, Peter
Rockford Espiritu said there
would be two full days of art,
music, education, culture and
heritage focused on Oceania.

The festival is spearheaded
by the Oceania Dance Theatre, together with Pasifika
Voices, the Visual Arts Department, Pacific Studies, and the
Pacific Cultural Heritage Hub.
This year our feast of
movement will focus on the
very heart and soul of Oceania. Its people, their past,
their present and their future!
We return to our roots and
invest in the multiculturalism
that connects us all as Oceanians, Mr Espiritu said.
Performance from the
first Epeli Hauofa Memorial

Dance Festival at USPs, Laucala campus in the year 2014.
Two years ago, the premiere festival boasted guest
dancers from Japan, Germany, Taiwan, and the United
States of America.
There were also three USP
Student Cultural Groups representing Melanesia, Micronesia, & Polynesia, including
local dance groups such as
VOU, Rako, Conservatorium
of Music, The Shobna Channel Dancers and USPs Oceania Dance Theatre.
OCACPS came into being

in February 1997 in seemingly
inauspicious circumstances
with only 3 staff members.
Under the leadership of its
founder and Director, the late
Professor Epeli Hauofa, the
Oceania Centre has grown
into the regions leading institute for original creativity in
visual and performing arts.
Professor Hauofa once
said, Oceania is vast, Oceania is expanding, Oceania
is hospitable and generous,
Oceania is humanity rising
from the depths of brine and
Performance from the first Epeli Hauofa Memorial Dance

Festival at USPs, Laucala campus in the year 2014.
Photo: SUPPLIED.
regions of fire deeper still,
Oceania is us. We are the
sea, we are the ocean.
His vision was to create A

Home for the Arts An Oceanic Space.
ADVERTISEMENT
19
BUSINESS NOTICE BOARD
TC WINSTON
Australia donates AUD$5 million Fiji Airways assists
By CHARLES CHAMBERS
Australia has provided an
initial AUD$5 million package
of assistance and a range of
logistical support.
The Australian Government said they were working closely with the National
Disaster Management Office
(NDMO) and partners to ensure those who were most in
need were assisrted.
The Australian Government said their assistance
was supporting the Red Cross
(AUD$1 million), UNICEF
(AUD$0.5 million) and NGO

partners (AUD$1.5 million)
with immediate relief efforts
on the ground.
This was for lifesaving supplies to people in evacuation
centres and those recovering
from the devastation.
This included clean water
and hygiene kits, access to
emergency health services
and shelter.
Two Australian Civilian
Corps specialists continue to
work in the NDMO (they have
been working with the NDMO
since October).
Stores delivered from Aus-
tralia and handed over to the

NDMO and UNICEF for distribution included 1,584 hygiene
kits containing basic personal
items for families, 160,000
water purification tablets, 288
shelter tool kits to help people
start to repair their home and
576 tarpaulins.
These stores will provide
urgent assistance to an additional 9,000 people.
It is understood that Fijian authorities plan to deliver
some of these stores from 24
February in northern Viti Levu.
The Australian Defence
Force (ADF) has deploying
four helicopters to assist the

NDMO.
Two helicopters (MRH90)
have arrived and will be operational shortly.
Two more were expected
while two P3 Orion aircraft
arrived last week in Nausori
and Nadi to assist with surveillance.
They will be tasked by the
NDMO to photograph priority areas to assess the condition of roads, houses, schools,
churches and other infrastructure.
TC Winston devastation in pictures

Photos by: DEPTFO
cyclone appeal
By CHARLES CHAMBERS
The Prime Ministers National Disaster Relief and Rehabilitation Fund has received
an added boost with the national airline lending a helping
hand.
Fiji Airways Managing Director and CEO, Andre Viljoen
presented a cheque to Fijian
Prime Minister JosaiaVoreqe
Bainimarama.
Apart from the cash donation, the airline also announced free carriage of relief
supplies domestically and inbound from other countries
coordinated through the National Disaster Management
Office (NDMO).
We share the pain of our
fellow Fijians at this time and
will assist in any way we can
to help rebuild our nation, Mr
Viljoen said.
The donation will assist the
NDMO teams get much needed resources and personnel to
areas of critical need.
In addition, Fiji Link flights
this week will carry as much
water and dry goods as possible on all flights going to
Labasa, Savusavu, Taveuni,
Koro, Vanuabalavu, Cicia, Kadavu, and Lakeba.
Fiji Airways, under the
direction of the NDMO, will
freight in relief supplies on
our inbound flights. While we
are heartened to see so many
Fijians and our friends abroad
offering assistance, we encourage everyone wanting to
help to please work through

the NDMO.
The donation was warmly
welcomed on behalf of the
Government by the Attorney
General and Minister for Civil
Aviation,
AiyazSayed-Khaiyum.
All Fijians will appreciate
this generous gesture by Fiji
Airways, which reflects not
only its commitment to the
welfare of our nation but its
sound financial management
that has made the donation
possible, Mr Khaiyum said.
The Government will be
working closely the our national airline throughout this
crisis, not only making sure
that relief supplies get to those
who most need it but assisting
the tourism industry to get
back on its feet.
The AG said the Government, through Tourism Fiji, is
working with Fiji Airways and
industry stakeholders on a
comprehensive plan to maintain the health of the industry
in the wake of Cyclone Winston.
We need to get the message out to our key markets
that most Fijian resorts are
open and functioning, he
said.
The best way for Australians and New Zealanders,
in particular, to support Fiji
through this crisis is to keep
visiting us.
There is no need for intending holidaymakers to cancel or postpone their visits,
the AG said.
Motibhai Group
pledges $50k
By CHARLES CHAMBERS
One of Fijis leading companies, Motibhai, had donated basic food and household
items worth $50,000 towards
the cyclone relief.
The group pledged its support for relief efforts to assist thousands of Fijians who
were in dire need of basic
items following the devastating effects of tropical cyclone
Winston.
Group Chairman Kirit Patel
said the company was duty
bound to step in and assist
fellow Fijians who had faced
the full wrath of the monster
category five cyclone.
Given the critical situation
our fellow Fijians are currently
experiencing, Motibhai Group
humbly pledges its support
with basic food and household items worth $50,000, Mr
Patel confirmed.
He said in times of such national crisis, Motibhai Group
had a responsibility to assist
fellow Fijians get their lives

back to normal.
My heart goes out to all
those who have lost their
homes and valuables while
not forgetting the families of
those who have even lost their
precious lives.
Many of our fellow Fijians
have lost their lives while trying to save that of others. We
are deeply saddened and also
moved by their acts of bravery.
While we as humans
have no control over such
natural disasters, we have a
social responsibility to assist
our fellow Fijians during such
trying times.
Being a very resilient
community, we Fijians are
well-known to rise from such
disasters and I wish everyone
a quick recovery as life slowly
returns to normality in our beloved country, Mr Patel said.
The items were handed
over to the National Disaster
Management Office (NDMO)
in Suva last Friday.
Hygiene paramount
By CHARLES CHAMBERS
The health of everyone
was paramount as shown by
the kind gestures of Australia
and UNICEF.
This follows the distribution of hygiene kits and water
purification tablets.
Representatives from the
Australian High Commission
and UNICEF Pacific met with
the Commissioner Central in
Nausori on Thursday before
departing to distribute relief
packages including hygiene
kits and water purification
tablets to those affected by TC
Winston in Tailevu.
The relief packages were
provided by the Australian
Government and flown in to
Nausori Airport on Tuesday
evening by an Australian Defence Force C-17 Aircraft.
A total of 160,000 water
purification tablets and 1,584
hygiene kits were handed
over to UNICEF Pacific who
is liaising with the Fijian Government to identify areas for
distribution of the assistance.
Following the meeting
with Commissioner Central, a
delegation will depart to distribute the relief packages to
communities in Tailevu.
21
LOCAL SPORTS
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23
LOCAL SPORTS

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Inside

BLK adds Class to New

Taveuni Resort Savours Win

Fiji Maintains Top Spot

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016. ISSUE 80

Tokoriki is Best for

FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

The King Is In Town

Burger King Gives More than $10,000 to Special Children - Pg 12

The first domestic Burger King is

Unveiling the plaque at Burger King. Photo: SAMUEL SHANKAR

outlets in the country.

school tucked in to the free burgers

Fiji - the way the world should be

Where is society heading to?

Dr. Ron Sanchez is a supervising psychologist at the Utah

THE JET is Fijis first community newspaper published bi-monthly by

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

Prefects to Lead by Example - President Konrote

be responsible and reliable.

Cash in ATM Scam to Increase

had in their possession over

on the floor resulting in the

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

parents for the effort that you

President Jioji Konrote

you could secure a scholarship for any field of study of

Youth and CSO representatives

BLK adds Class to New Mall

The new FNPF mall in 3D image.

quality and service to the people of Suva.

to Singhs Curry House).

The current shop is small

Storm, Gold Coast Titans;

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Once Upon A Time

On her way to work Buddy

Buddy has been following comments made on the

comments about each other.

Tour Operators Encouraged

AFL Recruits 20 Trainee Air Traffic Controllers

lected from more than 300 applications.

Chinese Tourists Increase

Fiji is a beautiful country

teen hour flight.

The response from the

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

jing, Shanghai and Taipei with

Chinese tourists from Taipei flight welcomed at Nadi Airport.

Church Prays For Fiji

Tourism Fiji Encourages

international Forum that starts

Zealand, Papua New Guinea,

Fiji Roads a Matter of Urgency

velopment, Ministry of Lands,

Untarsealed gravell road in Fiji. Photo: SUPPLIED

FRA is rolling out an investment of $50million in new

Tourism Fiji is encouraging

who attended the event to

Fiji SurfCo at a previous tourism expo .

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Livestock Development on the Cards

Livestock Development in new proposal soon. Photo: SUPPLIED