Saturday Briefing

By Una Murray
Clean-Up Campaign
The Outrigger on the Lagoon – Fiji (FOR) vuvale (family) recently participated in a clean-up campaign organized by the Sigatoka Town Council and Coral Coast Carnival Committee. The goals of the campaign are to create a cleaner Sigatoka and to inspire grass roots support to rid Fiji of what has become a national problem—litter! The organizers hope this event will lead community members to gain a long-term sense of ownership and pride in their community.

Over 200 hundred students from three local schools and staff from the Naviti Resort joined the FOR vuvale in picking up roadside trash from the Outrigger on the Lagoon – Fiji junction to Korotogo, right through to Cuvu Hill. Led by Jacob Pau’u, Charlotte Steele, and Kini Sarai, the FOR vuvale worked for over three hours beautifying their community.

The organizers hope this event will not only instill a sense of pride and ownership in members of the community, but help people realize the environment is everyone’s responsibility, and we all need to do our part to ensure it is protected for future generations.

Food & Beverage Team’s Bula Spirit
More than 800 students at the Sigatoka Methodist Mission School can now enjoy going to their school library, thanks to the Bula Spirit of the Outrigger on the Lagoon – Fiji’s Food & Beverage Team.

The library, which suffered severe water damage during the January floods, was cleaned and treated to a new coat of paint on the walls, ceiling, and bookshelves.

More than 20 Food & Beverage team members, many who attended the school, spent their Saturday breathing new life into the library. The team chose the library as its Community Spirit Project because it is a vital element of the local community.

Head Teacher Mr. Sovita Nagatagata passed on the gratitude of teachers, parents, and students, adding that the renovation project was timely. He said “…we would like to extend our sincere gratitude for your generosity. The renovation of our library is indeed timely as we celebrate Library Week in the coming days.”

Digicel Coral Coast Festival
The FOR is proud to announce that Moreen Sharma will be vying for the title of Miss Digicel Coral Coast at the 2009 Digicel Coral Coast Festival being held on 17 to 24 October. Moreen said she is honoured to be given the opportunity to participate in the contest, and although her ultimate dream is to win, she is well aware of the strong competition she faces.

As a Talia (Butler) Service Coordinator at the FOR, Moreen is responsible for organizing activities for the property’s signature Talia Service. Moreen, a strong believer in education, has a Bachelor of Arts in Tourism Studies and Management and Public Administration. Contestants are required to raise funds for charitable projects prior to the event, and Moreen chose the Nadroga School as her project.

The funds raised by the festival also go to local charities, and Moreen’s “mission” at this year’s festival is to assist Sigatoka Methodist and Sigatoka District Schools. If (when) Moreen wins, she would like the schools to use the funds to upgrade their programs and to purchase new furniture!

Good luck, Moreen!