In the week leading up to our 2024 Jacquie Shannon Memorial Bowl, the club saw 6 staff and players as part of the Kaiviti Silktails Community Youth Program – alongside 2022 Kaiviti Silktails Player of the Year and Sydney Roosters contracted player Meli Nasau, visit Yasawa High School.
Meli Nasau is a former student of Yasawa High, alongside Caretaker Coach Timoci Duve and current player Akuila Qoro. The team, led by Silktails Executive Director Stephen Driscoll as part of the ‘Brains and Brawn’ Initiative, completed a gym equipment donation and installation by Silktails staff and players with students of the school.
As part of the biggest week on the calendar for the Kaiviti Silktails RLFC celebrating the life of former Football Manager Jacquie Shannon, the ‘Brains and Brawn’ Initiative has now seen 10 gym installations completed in Fiji and in Sydney at their PCYC Eastern Suburbs training base.
“Every year our club picks a player or staff member that has been successful either on or off the field and we reward them by putting this gym back into their former school to help drive attendance” said Driscoll.
“For Meli to go back to a school as remote as what his was in the Yasawa’s wearing his Roosters Polo gives hope to the students in these outer Islands that anything in life is possible. The gyms we have set up in the regions all around Fiji have left such a positive impact on those communities, but most importantly the ‘no school, no gym’ policy has lifted school attendance which is the part we want to make the biggest impact on.”
For 22 year old Nasau, this was his first trip back to the Yasawa’s in 5 years and to go back to lead such a special initiative is something he is so grateful for.
“I’d like to thank the Kaiviti Silktails and its Community Youth Program for bringing me home and putting this gym donation together for my old school.” said Nasau.
“This week is a big week for the Silktails celebrating the life of our former manager Aunty Jacquie, and I know that she would be so happy that we have been able to come back and give an opportunity to the people in the Yasawa’s with what we have done at the school here.”
After the gym installation, the following day, we returned to the school to deliver a Field and Gym workshop utilising the new field equipment and gym facilities donated to the school.
Over 40 students participated, with current Silktails Caretaker Coach and former Student Timoci Duve and Meli Nasau leading the skills drills – and Executive Director Stephen Driscoll and Rusi Ratukana leading the S&C workshop on the field and in the school’s new gym.
