THERE’S no place like home for Swire Shipping Fijian Drua loose forward and Vagadaci, Ovalau native Joseva Tamani, who was part of the six players travelling with the club on their community blitz of the island this week.
This newspaper observed Tamani being called by passers-by in Levuka Town for photo opportunities throughout his time on the island this week, even when he disembarked from the inter-island ferry that took him and his teammates across from the Natovi Jetty on Tuesday afternoon.
When this newspaper caught up with him at Nasau Park in Levuka for the final community blitz yesterday, he shared his sentiments on returning to his island home.
“It’s an awesome feeling,” Tamani began, making occasional glances at the gathering of students seated with Drua flags in the distance.
“This is where I started, it’s a good feeling trying to get back to the community, especially for the kids.”
Coming back to Ovalau with his teammates was also a full-circle moment for him too.
On Wednesday morning, they visited the offices and factory of the Pacific Fishing Company (PAFCO) where he once worked as a casual worker.
The significance of leaving as a casual worker and returning as a Fijian Drua player was not lost on him, as he shared what the visit meant to him in that capacity.
“It brings back memories of when I used to be a casual worker, offloading fish with some of the boys back in the village,” he recalled.
“I think that they are not in the village anymore, but it just humbles me (to think) of how I started when I was a kid but I didn’t think and I didn’t expect to be in the Fijian Drua.”
Meanwhile, the community blitz which began on Tuesday, ended yesterday.
