Nunia Kawa was one of nine women recruited by the National Fire Authority in its 2023 April firefighter’s intake.
She stood tall among her fellow female graduates and the other 73 male graduates after being awarded the best drill recipient.
Ms Kawa said as the second youngest of seven siblings, her brother and sisters had been her rock throughout the 13 weeks of training.
“It was a real challenge for me personally, being away from home and the activities we had to do during the training like waking up at 3am it was tough,” she said.
The 28-year-old said she had only one week to prepare herself for the training and with the support of her family she was able to purchase the necessary equipment she needed before the start of the training.
“My family really helped me a lot with my preparation, given the short time we had to organise my stuff they managed to pull it off and I will always be grateful to them.”
She said being one of nine girls during the training was not easy as they had to look out for each other and stick together to see it through.
“We knew this is a male-dominated field, so I was scared at first, but we managed to overcome the gender barrier.
“I am also the oldest female in this batch, so they looked up to me to direct them, but it was a team effort, we all had to be there for each other.”
The Bua native said scooping the Best Drill Award was something she never expected and she was grateful that her dedication and hard work was recognised.
“I am not the best when it comes to paperwork, therefore, I try to do my best during drill.
“I always made sure I was in the front listening and paying attention to the instructors and that has paid off today.”
As she awaits her assigned station, Ms Kawa said she was eager to do her best to serve the people of Fiji.
