Aisea Nasili appears to be an assuming man.
At 73 years old, he has finally lived a dream.
It had been a long time coming, but in the end, it was worth the wait, he reckons.
The years had been spent tending to his yaqona farm at Nacavanadi Village on Gau Island.
He had been planting yaqona for more than 50 years.
He lived the village lifestyle and lapped it up to the brim.
There was always a yearning though to explore beyond his little island, and even beyond Fiji.
Like thousands of Fijians, Nasili grew up with the Hong Kong rugby 7s tournament.
It was the epitome of everything good about the sport.
From the days of old, listening to live coverage via radio from the Happy Valley, to watching it live on television, Nasili hoped to one day live his dream to be there.
So he began to live his childhood dream, jumping on a fibreglass boat headed for the mainland.
He then headed to Nadi to catch the flight to Hong Kong.
The grandfather of eight children finally had the opportunity to join groups of Fijian fans who travelled to Hong Kong to watch the tournament.
He had made his plans last year.
Part of his earnings from his yaqona sale this year was set aside for his trip of a lifetime.
The trip to Suva on the fibreglass boat last month was done in two hours.
Then preparations started for his first overseas trip.
“Ever since I started watching the Fiji team on TV, I’ve always wanted to go and watch them live in Hong Kong,” he said.
“Last year, I finally decided that this year I will go to Hong Kong.
“When I was at the stadium, it was a different experience to watch our Fiji 7s team live. There was a feeling of pride and it was an eye-opener for me. I am a yaqona farmer in the village and now I watched the Fiji 7s team live in Hong Kong.
“It was also my first trip overseas and it was worth all the money spent.”
Nasili is testimony of the special place Hong Kong has on the minds and hearts of Fijian rugby sevens fans around the world.
It’s probably part of the catalyst that ignites the Fijian side every time it runs on to the field at So Kon Po.
Nasili epitomises the spirit of the Fijian fan, touching on the very essence of patriotism.
Members of the national side should know about die-hard fans like Nasili and use that to motivate them in the lead-up to the Singapore 7s this weekend.
Fijian fans can be very vocal and patriotic.
If they can, they will move mountains, or in the case of Nasili, travel across the sea and in the air to cheer on the national side.
Go Fiji, go.
