Lavenia Ratabua, the wife of rugby legend Joeli Vidiri, described the former All Blacks and Fiji winger as “my humble giant” who had full of love and care for people.
Vidiri, a former Queen Victoria School student from Mosi Village in the Nausori Highlands of Nadroga-Navosa, died on the evening of February 23 in the arms of his wife in the US.
Speaking from the US exclusively to Times Sport, Ratabua confirmed she had given her consent for her late husband’s body to be buried in New Zealand.
Ratabua said while it was not an easy decision to let her husband be buried more than 6000 miles away, it was New Zealand where Vidiri had found his fame.
“Even with the COVID at its highest peak here in California last year, he still chose to come and marry me. He was really in love with me.
He left New Zealand and everything behind just come and marry me,” she said.
Vidiri will be laid to rest next week, His body arrives in Auckland on Monday.
