Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Suva (Fides Service) - Sport taught in schools is a valuable means of educating to values, discipline, friendship and team work. Thanks to a generous donation from an ‘old boy’ pupils at Catholic schools in Fiji will now be able to practice sport more seriously. Former pupil at a Salesian school in Melbourne Peter Cole collected a container full of the latest sports equipment (worth 120,000 dollars) and had it shipped to the port of Suva capital of Fiji. Mr Cole had the idea after visiting several schools in Fiji in the last five years and noting the scarcity of sports equipment.
Peter and Don Bosco House campus in Nakasi now serve as a point of distribution. The Fiji government, the Australian High Commissioner and the Catholic authorities in Suva smoothed importation proceedings and helped to ensure an equal distribution among the schools.
The Republic of Fiji contains two large islands, Vanua Levu and Viti Levu, and over 800 (100 inhabited) small ones for an area of 18,270 sq. km. and Suva is the capital. They were British between 1874 and 1970.
Marist missionaries began work in 1844 after Methodists had been firmly established. A prefecture apostolic was organised in 1863. The hierarchy was established in 1966. Today there are 70 Catholic schools spread over the islands some of which are reached after a several days of sailing. Salesian volunteers are seeing to its destination the equipment anxiously awaited by the school pupils who look forward to practising the sports they have so far only seen on television. (Agenzia Fides 25/03/2006 Righe: 23 Parole: 238)
