The Jet Volume 6 Number 1

FEBRUARY, 2014. ISSUE 52 www.thejetnewspaper.com 50 CENTS

THETHEJJETET

Moce RajuBy SHALENDRA PRASAD

There is no shortage of good and hardworking people in our be-loved country.

One such person is Anand Raju who has been a very familiar face at the Nadi market for more than two decades.

And after serving the Nadi

Town Council for 23-years, Anand Raju has decided to move on with his life. Starting his career as a ju-nior staff, Raju climbed up the lad-der of success and was holding the position of manager markets until his last day of work.

To honour his hard work and dedication, staff members of the Nadi Town Council organized a farewell function for Raju at the

council chambers on Friday, Janu-ary 31.

While addressing fellow col-leagues, Raju spoke of his long ser-vice at the council and said it was time to move on.

“During my twenty-three-years of service, I had learnt that honesty and hard work are the two main keys of success in life,” Mr Raju said.

Co-worker Premila Chandra said Raju is leaving the council with good memories and he has been a role model for other staff members.

NTC special administrator Rob-in Ali said it was a great pleasure working with a person of such in-tegrity and caliber and wished Raju every success for his future endea-vours.

Anand Raju, seated second from left, with management and staff of the Nadi Town Council during his farewell function. INSET: Special Administrator Robin Ali hands over a token of appreciation to Raju for his long service. Photos: MARGARET NAQIRI.

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THE JET - FIJI’S FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER2

PICK OF THE MONTH

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

“Fiji - the way the world should be”“ Being the hub of the Pacifi c, Fiji has everything that a spectacular tropical paradise has to offer - from private island resort accommodations, top class restaurants to white sandy beaches, inbound tours, jet boat rides, hot air balloon rides, mountain trekking, inland tours, eco tourism, sky diving, helicopter rides, cruise trips, scuba diving, massage and beauty parlours, vibrant night life and a lot more than any other

destination in the world offers ”

COMMUNITY NOTICE BOARDEMPOWER PACIFIC (Formerly PCSS) provides private, confi dential counsel-ling on depression, family/marital, stress, grief, abuse, suicidal thoughts, STI’s, drugs, alcohol & be-havior lifestyle changes. Opens 8am – 3pm, Monday – Friday. Call us on 6708169 Located at Nadi old hospital road.

ROTARY CLUB OF NADI is on a membership drive to increase members who repre-sent all sections of the com-munity. Nadi Rotarians meet every Wednesday at Sitar Restaurant in Martintar at 6.30pm. Interested people can call club president Hemant Kumar on 9990677

SOROPTIMIST INTER-NATIONAL is a vibrant, dynamic organisation for to-day’s professional and busi-nesswomen, working through projects to promote equality, development and peace. We are seeking members to join our club. Interested ladies can call SI Nadi president Zeaba Rahiman on 9977058

FIJIAN WRITERS ASSO-CIATION which has been established to form the fi rst ever formal body represent-ing writers, poets, journal-ists and everyone who has a passion for writing is seek-ing new members. Interested people can contact Professor Subramani via email:- [email protected]

THE JET is Fiji’s fi rst community newspaper published by SHAMBU ADVERTISING from Nadi - the tourism capital of Fiji.

PUBLISHER : SHALENDRA PRASAD Cell: 9232073ADVERTISING : MARGARET NAQIRI Cell: 9360047PHONE OFFICE : (679) 7767574/ 6708188 FAX : (679) 6708188EMAIL : [email protected]

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PRINTED BY MAX MARKETING AND PUBLISHING LIMITED, VATUWAQA, SUVA. Phone: (679) 3375041.

LAYOUT BY SHALENDRA PRASAD & MUNAUWAR KHAN

Projects Abroad Fiji vol-unteers were thrilled to visit the Navakai Hart in Nadi as part of their Community day recently.

A total of 20 families are living in the Hart paying low rent for their residence. The families comprise of elderly people, single parents and children. While some do have jobs, the rest resort to making handicrafts and selling root crops to sustain themselves.

Projects Abroad Coordi-nator Maika Rasilasila said it was a boost for these hart resi-dents during a time of need.

“We gave hampers of food, school books for the children and other necessities to help them especially at a time like this where there is much needed assistance particularly for the children.”

Community Day at Navakai HartBy TAGIMEUCIA KOROIVUKI

By SHALENDRA PRASAD

“The volunteers had also purchased handicrafts and Fi-jian fans from the women who were absolutely grateful for the support,” he added.

Mr. Rasilasila feels that the Hart is a great initiative by the Fiji Council of Churches.

“The Fiji Council of churches had formed this particular hart to assist the very low income earners in their housing and so far it has helped enormously in their daily living,” he remarked.

After the giveaways the

volunteers were taken on a tour around the village and were entertained with a meke (dance) by the women. The volunteers do feel it was an eye-opener for them to real-ize how people are struggling across the globe.

Timely tank for rural school

From left are Ross Mc-Donald, Jagdish Mangal, Manikam Goundar, Kamla Prasad, Don Bruce and Har-ish Chand during the han-dover. Photo: MARGARET NAQIRI.

More than 600 children of A.D Patel Memorial School in Malolo outside Nadi will get access to clean water at all times – thanks to the timely donation of a 5,200 litre water tank donated by Lodge of Fiji commonly known as Freema-sons.

While handing over the tank to the school manage-ment on Tuesday, February 11, treasurer Ross McDonald said the organization has been in Fiji since 1870 and they

currently have a small number of very active members.

He said over the past ten-years, they have made dona-tions worth almost $100,000. A total of ten water tanks will be given out by the organiza-tion to various needy institu-tions.

The newest permanent Voter Registration Centre is now open at Nadi International Airport.

The acting permanent secretary responsible for elections, Mohammed Saneem, says the centre will provide Fijians travel-ling into and out of the country a convenient location to register to vote in the 2014 General Election.

"While the Elections Offi ce continues to travel around the world registering potential voters living overseas, the Nadi Air-port Centre will give Fijians who missed the chance to register when the Elections Offi ce visited their country the opportunity to do so as they pass through Fiji. It will also give Fijians living in countries that will not be visited by the Elections Offi ce the ability to register when they come home," Mr Saneem said.

The new Registration Center is located in the Nadi Airport concourse near the international check-in area and is open from Monday to Sunday between the hours of 6.00am and 9.00pm.

Mr Saneem says Fijians who are already registered can also check that their personal voter details are correct, make changes to their entry, or replace lost voter identifi cation cards.

Voter Registration Centres are also currently open in Suva, Nausori, Lautoka, Labasa and Rakiraki.

New voter registration centre opens at Nadi Airport

Fulton University College opens in Nadi

MINFO

SHALENDRA PRASAD

Opening of the $20 million Fulton University College com-plex at Sabeto heralds a new beginning for the development of Nadi.

Managed by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, the institu-tions move from Tailevu to Nadi is a blessing in disguise for students who will fi nd easier access to various facilities.

Education minister Filipe Bole while offi cially opening the new facilities commended the management of the institution for making such a huge impact on the lives of thousands of stu-dents.

He said Fulton University College has been fully accredited by the Fiji Higher Education Commission.

The new site includes residential blocks to accommodate 240 students, a dining room for 420 people and a library with seating facilities for 200.

Fulton offers degrees and diplomas in theology, education and business and also trains teachers from pacifi c island coun-tries.


THE JET - FIJI’S FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER 3

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LOCAL NEWS

The Nadi Hospital Board of Visitors Trust is leading by ex-ample after offi cially handing over a four-wheel drive twin cab Toyota Hilux to the Ministry of Health at Nadi Hospital last month.

Chief Guest and Minister of Health, Dr Neil Sharma, was pleased with the hospital’s Board of Visitors for facilitating the donation and boosting the health services.

“I am very grateful to the Nadi team, the board of visitors for the support provided in regards to the equipments and transport which is very effective and at the same time will uplift the medi-cal services,” said Dr Sharma.

Dr Sharma also thanked the team of Dr Zen Low and Dr Ram Raju for providing support to the government system dur-ing peak hours over the days.

The Chairman of Nadi Hospital Board of Visitors, Israr Khan, highlighted on the major projects that was carried out and called for sponsorship in order to materialize the planned projects.

“I encourage corporate bodies and individuals and business communities to take advantage of this opportunity and come on board to fi nance a project individually or in partnership,” said Mr Khan.

Meanwhile, the board, together with some donors, has fi -nanced various ventures and two projects which are in progress includes a new canteen being constructed at a cost of $40,000 and fencing of front access to the wards on either side of the buildings for security reasons at a cost of $15,000.

New Hilux for hospital

By ANUSHIL KUMAR

Nadi Hospital board chairman Israr Khan, left, hands over the brand new Toyota Hilux to health minister Dr Neil Sharma. Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.

The $80 million Nadi In-ternational Airport upgrade is slowly taking shape with works gaining momentum says Airports Fiji Limited (AFL) Board chairman Faiz Khan.

With special emphasis on new and improved passenger facilities such as retail shop-ping and dining, Mr Khan says there could be a delay in the completion of works be-cause AFL wanted works to be done to the best standards.

While works are projected to complete by mid-April next year, Khan says the magni-tude of these works may delay the completion dates.

“Well work is slowly pick-ing up momentum and things are shaping up well so we are still on schedule but we would not rush it,” he said.

Many of the changes would be integrated into a new, larger departure lounge extending out to the edge of the passenger walkways that provide access to and from departing or arriving aircraft

Airport upgrade slowly taking shape

which will substantially give more space to redesign the entire area and introduce a di-versifi ed shopping experience with a range of food outlets selling food freshly prepared on the premises.

He said the changes would also improve passenger facili-tation by creating more space for passengers to be comfort-ably processed when arriving or departing from Nadi.

Mr Khan stressed a signifi -cant and progressively major source of income for AFL was through its commercial activi-ties at the airport.

“They are vital to the fi -nancial health of the company and, in turn, bolster AFL’s broader activities to support developments at Nausori Air-port and the 13 outer island airports AFL manages on be-half of the Government,” he said.

Once complete, Nadi Air-port will be on par with inter-national airports around the world.

MINFO

MINFO

New military camp coming up well in Votualevu

In a recent tour of the Western Division on Thursday, Janu-ary 23, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama assessed the con-struction works taking place for the new Black Rock Army Camp in Nadi.

Government has allocated $1.7 million for the relocation of the 4FIR base camp from Namaka to Black Rock in Votualevu, Nadi.

Black Rock Camp is earmarked as a centre for peacekeeping training for Fijian soldiers.

“This will assist greatly in ensuring that our personnel have everything they need in Black Rock and we need to speed up work,” he told senior offi cers at Black Rock.

Prime Minister Bainimarama stresses a point during his visit.



LOCAL NEWS

By ANUSHIL KUMAR

By FAMIZA FAREEN

MINFO

Cancer awareness for studentsSoroptimist International

(SI) - Nadi Branch is continu-ing its community outreach programs and organized a workshop on Cervical Cancer at Andrews Primary School on Thursday, February 6.

The one hour workshop was conducted by Dr. Swaran

Naidu and her team of doctors from Sathya Sai Medical Cen-tre at Viseisei in Lautoka.

This workshop was at-tended by class eight girls and their parents. As the class eight girls would soon be get-ting their fi rst dose of vaccine to safeguard them against Cervical Cancer, the school thought that it was important to create an awareness of this vaccine amongst the parents

and students. SI Nadi, a voluntary or-

ganisation which always aims at improving the lives of girls and women, was approached by the school to organize a workshop for this deadly dis-ease.

The one hour session by Dr. Swaran Naidu was very helpful and educational for the students and parents of Andrews Primary School.

Parents of these class eight girls were very appreciative of the initiative taken by SI Nadi in promoting healthy and safe lives of their girls.

Mr. Anasa Vateitei, the Head Teacher of Andrews Pri-mary School, thanked SI Nadi for their support and help shown towards the students and urged them to continue with their much needed com-munity service.

Leaders reminded of responsibility

Mulomulo Secondary School marked a paramount occasion for 2014 as they con-ducted their prefect induction ceremony at the school hall on Friday, February 7.

Teachers applauded the student leaders as they take up a vital role in the Mulo-mulo family and also become a helping-hand for them this competitive year.

School Principal, Mrs Sera May Lockington, mentioned that prefects were elected by the teachers after a lot of dis-cussions.

“I have every confi dence that they will not betray the teachers trust on them,” said Mrs Lockington.

Vice Principal, Mr Mo-hammed Alim encouraged the new leaders to perform at their level best.

“Honesty is the corner stone of all success without which confi dence and ability to perform shall cease to ex-ist,” said Mr Alim.

“I pray to God Almighty that you perform your duties honestly,” he added.

Speaking to The Jet, school head boy, Ashneel Chand, said that it was a dream come true for him.

“I always dreamt of taking the heads responsibility and now that I am given the job, I am confi dent that I will be able to do my best,” he said.

While on the other hand, it would be challenging for the head girl, Shayal Naidu, as she prepares herself for the fi nal year as well as working with the team student council.

“I feel blessed for my role as it would enhance my leadership qualities and at the same time dealing with situations and focusing on my studies would be a vast chal-lenge for me this year,” said the optimistic head girl. “I am ready to take the challenge.”

Ashneel Chand and Shayal Naidu are the heads of 2014 while Kaushal Chand and

Ashtika Chand take up the role of deputies.

Acting Senior Education

Offi cer (Lautoka, Nadi, Yasa-wa), Mr Emoni Labaivalu was the chief guest at the function.

Leaders takes the oath during the prefect induction ceremony at Mulomulo Secondary School. Photo: NILESH CHAND.

Deepak with FRCA CEO Jitoko Tikolevu.

Deepak Kumar wins Fijian Host awardAttorney-General and

Minister for Tourism Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum recently presented the 2013 FIJIAN HOST of the Year award to Fiji Revenue and Customs of-fi cer Deepak Kumar.

The Attorney-General said

that Mr. Kumar was selected for this honour for his superb customer service at Nadi In-ternational Airport.

"A person's experience at the airport can set the tone for their entire visit to Fiji, and so we expect them to receive

the very best levels of service from the moment they step off the plane. Mr. Kumar's per-formance sets a benchmark of excellence at Nadi Airport for all frontline staff, “he said.

Mr. Kumar - previously the FIJIAN HOST of the Month

recipient for October - wins a trip for two to Sydney as a guest of Fiji Airways, includ-ing accommodation for two at the Sydney Sheraton on the Park courtesy of Starwood Resorts Fiji.

Mr. Kumar will also re-

ceive a trophy from the Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainima-rama, at the AON Fiji Excel-lence in Tourism Awards at the Sofi tel Fiji Resort and Spa on 21 February.



LOCAL NEWS

The Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama, com-mended the swift response by authorities, including civil servants, to the recent fl oods in the Western Division.

The Head of Government toured areas affected by the recent heavy rainfall.

Prime Minister Bainima-rama thanked all civil servants and those from non – govern-mental organizations for the support and work during the recent fl ood in the western di-vision.

“Thank you for the hard work and please thank your families too in allowing you to carry out your duties as public servants,” he said as he visited evacuation centres in the divi-sion.

“This operation was very well executed and coordinated which has been one of the ma-jor success stories during the fl oods.”

PM impressed with response

MINFO Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and District Offi cer Nadi Jiuta Waqavonovono seen visiting evacuation centres in Nadi.

Action from the fi rst Zumba class in Suva. Western women are now being invited to be part of the event as well. Photo: SUPPLIED.

Women of the New Meth-odist church are stepping up for health once more after a successful turnout of 76 wom-en was recorded at the previ-ously held Women’s Warriors Walk which had taken place on Saturday, February 1 in Suva.

With the theme of the Zumba training being “PRAY IT, STRIDE IT AND LOSE IT”, the event has provided an opportunity for women to channel fi tness strategies into an activity that encourages women of all ages to partici-

Pray it, stride it and lose it!By SALOTE QALUBAU pate.

“Zumba Training will be held every Saturday at the MY SUVA Park at 4.30am and will be led by Doctor Ada Moadsiri from the World Health Organization (WHO),” event media coordinator Seru-waia Kailoma informed.

She said the purpose of this article is to attract women from the western division as well.

“Our sisters from any de-nomination in the western division are most welcome to join in and people can call me on phone 9279109 for more information.”

STREET POLLAre you looking forward to the 2014 election

By MARGARET NAQIRI AND SALOTE QALUBAU

Harry Smith, Suva“Right now we don’t even know as there are only a few parties”

Anasa Rauqe, Naiserelagi, Ra“I think it will be good because everything will go back to nor-mal”

Binesh Singh, Sonaisali, Nadi“I think what Bainimarama is doing is good and of course he should win because he’s done a lot”.



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J. KEVI GROUP FEATURE

New range of golf cartsBy SHALENDRA PRASAD

J. Kevi Group chairman Mr Narendra Reddy with his wife Mrs Prema Reddy and son Mr Kevi Reddy who is also the com-pany CEO. On the right are company staff posing for a group photo with directors during the launching. Photos: ANUSHIL KUMAR.

Chief guest and Starwood Group managing director Fiji, Mr Shane Cunning, centre, is fl anked by his wife Laura and Mr Nar-endra Reddy during the launching of the new range of golf carts and course maintenance equipment at the Denarau Golf and Racquet Club on Tuesday, January 28. INSET: Mr Reddy shows a customer some of the features of the new carts.

From a humble beginning as an air-conditioning and re-frigeration company back in 1981, J. Kevi Group has today become a leading and diver-sifi ed business enterprise not only in Fiji but in the pacifi c region as well.

In 1995 founder Narendra Reddy entered the golfi ng market with the introduction of golf carts in the country and there was no looking back thereafter.

Mr Reddy took a huge challenge head-on when he decided to go into the golf market and over the years has supplied quality golf carts and other related equipment throughout the country and pacifi c region.

J. Kevi Group is also the authorized sales and service agents for world renowned E-Z-GO Carts. The company launched its new range of carts on Tuesday, January 28 and also unveiled a new deal-ership with Jacobsen – a re-nowned brand for golf course maintenance.

Chief guest Shane Cun-ning, managing director Fiji of the Starwood Group com-mended J. Kevi Group for their high quality products and superb after-sales service.

He said the level of ser-vice and the quality of prod-ucts which J. Kevi Group deals with is unmatched in the country.

For more details on J. Kevi Group products and services, refer to their advertisement below.



LOCAL NEWS

Jet-set boys dance to fameBy SHONAL KUMAR

The desire to prove themselves as the fi nest and the best dancer is cre-ating intense competition between the competitors of Fiji’s fi rst ever grand dancing show - Fiji’s Danc-ing Superstar. Participants Fiji-wide continue to put in their best efforts for their success and to bring pride to their home town.

In the list of participants are Nadi’s two very energetic, power-packed performers Vuniani Saukuru Kalega and Prashant Kumar.

Vuniani, 16, of Nawaka Village, who is currently a scholar at Swami Vivekananda College, says that he recognised his talent at the age of 14 when he really became inspired by the VOU dancing group.

Vuniani’s parents Joshua Kalega and Mere Kalega say they are very proud of their son.

“Fiji’s dancing superstar has giv-en him good opportunity to show-case his talents and I am very proud of what he is doing,” mother, Mere Kalega said.

Vuniani has taken part in some dance shows including Women’s Crib dance competition, Diwali Mela

dance competition and Prime Minis-ter’s Exporter of the year award held at the Fijian Resort.

Prashant Kumar also hails from Nawaka and is currently a DJ with Narayans DJ Entertainment also

known as ANS .The 18-year-old youngster has

achieved certifi cates in dancing com-petitions and trophies from dance battles and wishes to learn more of dancing in future.

Rajen Kumar, Prashant’s father who runs a construction business, says, “it’s a good opportunity for my child to pursue his talent and achieve success in life.”

Prashant’s mother, Saras Wati also exclaimed her happiness about her son’s success so far.

The young lad has taken part in dancing competitions including Di-wali Mela dance competition and All Star dance competition.

The two Nawaka boys are all set to give a tough time to all competi-tors in the show.

The show is telecasted on Mon-days from 6.30pm only on FBC TV.

Ramakrishna Mission, Fiji, was conferred the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award by the Honourable President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee on January 9, 2014.

The Awards were presented during the Valedictory Session of the 12th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), the annual convention of non-resident Indians (NRIs) and persons of Indian origin (PIOs), held in New Delhi from 7 to 9 January 2014. The theme of the PBD was “Engag-ing Diaspora : Connecting Across Generation”.

Ramkrishna Mission, serving in Fiji since 1937, was honoured for community service and philanthropic activities and enhancing India's prestige abroad. The Award was received by Swami Tadananda, Secre-tary of the Mission.

Apart from charitable and humanitarian activities in Fiji, the Ramak-rishna Mission is playing an active role in the area of education in Fiji. The Mission runs Schools and Colleges in Fiji. During fl oods and natural calamities in Fiji, the Ramakrishna Mission has actively participated in relief and rehabilitation efforts. The work of the Ramakrishna Mission has contributed to promoting human values and harmony, peace and non-violence.

Ramakrishna Mission Fiji recognised for community service

PRESS RELEASE

Indian President Shri Pranab Mukherjee presents the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award to Swami Tadananda at the Valedictory Session of the 12th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in New Delhi. The Union Minister for Over-seas Indian Affairs, Shri Vayalar Ravi and the Secretary, Ministry of Over-seas Indian Affairs, Shri Prem Narain are also seen.

Sanatan convention set for NadiBy SHALENDRA PRASADNadi will be a hive of activity dur-

ing the Easter weekend as the 55th annual Sanatan Conven-tion is all set to take place at Prince Charles Park.

Sanatan offi cial Sushila Ramesh said preparations are well un-derway and a large number of people from all over Fiji and overseas branches are also ex-pected to grace the occasion.

“We will be having sporting and cultural activities throughout the weekend and everyone is invited to be part of the conven-tion celebrations,” Mrs Ramesh said.

“Participants will be offered three meals a day for the entire four-days. Full details will be re-leased as we go along.”



KHUDDAMUL AHMADIYYA MUSLIM JAMAAT



PACIFIC DESTINATIONZ FEATURE

Fifteen years of quality serviceBy SHONAL KUMAR

RENOWNED Nadi based Transport and Travel Man-agement Company; Pacifi c Destinationz celebrated their 15 years of service at the Wes-tin Denarau Island Resort and Spa on Thursday, January 9.

Starting up the Fiji opera-tions in 1999 with four staff, the company now employs 104 Fijians to provide their best service to the internation-al visitors and tour wholesaler partners.

To mark the important occasion, the company also launched two new deluxe tourist transport coaches and held a cocktail party in appre-ciation of their fi fteen years of service.

The coaches were offi -cially launched by the Hon-orable Prime Minister, Com-modore Ratu Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama. Also present at the launch was the Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khai-yum who is also the minister responsible for tourism.

While addressing the VIP guests, staff and management, Prime Minister Bainimarama

said that the company is a joint venture between New Zealand based and Fijian owners and has moved from rather humble origins to a shining example of a success-ful local enterprise.

“For 15-years, Pacifi c Des-tinationz has helped strength-en our tourism industry by promoting Fiji in some of our most important markets over-seas and they have helped en-sure that visitors to our coun-try receive the best possible experience from their very fi rst moments here,” he said.

“To support these efforts, my Government decided to completely overhaul and re-brand Tourism Fiji so that it better promotes the efforts of individual companies, local businesses, and ordinary Fiji-ans to innovate, to grow and to prosper together – to con-tinue to raise the bar to make Fiji one of the most popular tourism destinations in the world.”

The Nadi based company specializes in professional inbound travel and transport services and operates a large number of quality vehicles for the best service.

Pacifi c Destinationz, a Nadi based Inbound Travel and Transport Management company celebrates 15 years of their business in providing professional Inbound Travel and Transport management services in Fiji to over 73,000 international visitors that they service each year.

From their humble begin-nings in 1999 with four staff, the company now employs 104 Fijians who consistently

Pacifi c Destinationz makes positive impact on tourism industrydeliver quality inbound travel and transport management services to international visi-tors and tour wholesaler part-ners, seven days of the week-24 hours a day.

Managing Director Fiji, James Sowane stated that “we are always proud of our young dynamic team who continue to thrive on the challenges and opportunities that are a daily constant in our business.”

“We have a clear strategic

plan for 2014 and beyond and this year we will be recruiting more talented Fijians to join us in our journey of commit-ment and investment in Fiji,” Sowane added.

Sowane also attributes their continued growth to the support of their tourism in-dustry supplier partners and to Government authorities whom their business deals with on a regular basis.

In 2005 the company start-

ed investing in its own fl eet of quality vehicles to maintain the consistency of their qual-ity service standards to inter-national visitors that they ser-vice during their Fiji holiday.

“We have invested over $4million since 2005 in our current quality fl eet of 47 vehicles and we are proud to introduce our two brand new BLK 49 seat deluxe tourist coaches that will service our growing groups market,” said

Lala Sowane, the company’s Director of Finance and Op-erations.

The two coaches are built to the strict Australian Design Rule (ADR) standard by Bon-luck buses in China which fo-cuses primarily on passenger safety and comfort features.

In addition to their contin-ued investment in their fl eet, Pacifi c Destinationz has since developed their own day tours that services tourists visiting

Nadi, Coral Coast and Pacifi c Harbour which consequently contribute to the spreading of tourism’s benefi ts to the wider community.

With a strong workforce of 104 local staff, the company operates a large fl eet of qual-ity vehicles, specialising in the servicing of tour operators from Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, United King-dom, Continental Europe, In-dia and South America.

Pacifi c Destinationz, a leading Inbound Travel & Transport Management Op-erator has for the fourth year in a row invested heavily in training its Professional Driv-ers to upgrade their skills and knowledge to review their drivers performance in 2013 and to prepare for the 2014 tourism season.

The Trainer & Consul-tant, Mr David Kinnaird – an accomplished Professional Driver Trainer from New Zea-land, has been conducting the training programme for Pa-cifi c Destinationz since 2011 focussing on areas such as:

• Providing transfers

Safety and training a priority

using an advanced level of Safe and Fuel Effi cient Driv-ing techniques (SAFED)

• Advanced Defen-sive Driving skills

• Acquire knowledge in the onset and effects of Fa-tigue

• Understand the Management and effects of Alcohol, Yaqona and Drugs as a professional driver

• Be skilled with clear start-up and shut down vehi-cle procedures,

• Receive feedback and assessments driving skills levels (pre & post-training status)

• Provide the Drivers

with appropriate Customer Service skills

The Land Transport Au-thority (LTA) has supported this training programme and endorsed to send their Of-fi cers to attend the training since 2011 and in 2014 they have sent 10 of their offi cers from the Western and Eastern division to attend the training with Pacifi c Destinationz pro-fessional drivers.

The LTA Offi cers have found the training to be of high standard and have also endorsed to accredit the Train-ing certifi cates being issued to the Drivers and LTA Offi cers upon completion of the train-

ing.James Sowane, Managing

Director of Pacifi c Destina-tionz Fiji stated He further added that “in 2013, we ser-

viced over 73,000 internation-al visitors. This is a lot of pre-cious lives to be responsible for and it is our commitment to ensure that our professional

drivers and transport team are up-skilled and trained to New Zealand standards to take on this responsibility.”

Mr David Kinnaird, Pro-fessional Driver Trainer also commented and said, “It is a pleasure and priviledge to be invited each year to provide the most up to date Profession-al and Advanced Driver Train-ing available in New Zealand to the team here at Pacifi c Destinationz Fiji. Then to see the upgraded skills learnt applied, which ensures a safe and professional experience to the visiting tourists and the local community (other road users).”

PRESS RELEASES(Top and Bottom Articles)

Executive chairman Graeme Badland and Prime Minister Bainimarama cut the commemorative cake to mark the Executive chairman Graeme Badland and Prime Minister Bainimarama cut the commemorative cake to mark the 15th anniversary. INSET: PM takes a tour of one of the two new coaches. Photos: ANUSHIL KUMAR.15th anniversary. INSET: PM takes a tour of one of the two new coaches. Photos: ANUSHIL KUMAR.

Staff members in front of the new coach. Photo: SUPPLIED.



PACIFIC DESTINATIONZ FEATURE

Vinaka Vakalevu to All our Industry

Colleagues, Government

Authorities and our

hardworking and

committed Staff

for all their support

for the past

15 years.

Quality & Quality & ExcellenceExcellenceCommitted to

Inbound Travel & Transport Management Serviceswww.pacificdestinationz.co.nz



LOCAL NEWS

Tutti fruitti is Italian for all fruits. Its presence in popu-lar culture is immortalised in Little Richard’s 1955 smash hit single of the same name. So when 35 year-old Sand-eep Singh decided to go into the food business in the jet set town, what better name than Tuttie Fruity to capture the ideal of what he envisioned his enterprise as.

“Tuttie Fruitty is an inter-national brand name for fruit products and the name means the blending of the fruits. I have used the same name as it is a well-known brand name for fruit lovers international-ly,” the former United Nations employee said.

“I started this business with the focus of using locally grown products to promote a

Healthy living with Tuttie FruityBy LOTE RABOILA

By SALOTE QALUBAU

healthier lifestyle. This way I could also help our local fruit and vegetable farmers.”

Sandeep’s business model paid off as it has won him the 2013 FDB Small Business Award for Tourism which was presented in Suva on 14 No-vember. A popular haunt for tourists in Nadi, Tuttie Fruity specialises in freshly blended fruits drinks, smoothies and cold coffees amongst others.

Sandeep is well-travelled. After completing high school in Lautoka, he pursued a de-gree in public administration at the University of Technol-ogy in Sydney in 1997 before going on to work for the UN in Singapore and the Philip-pines in between 2001 and 2009 at which time he also took the opportunity to com-plete his Masters in public ad-ministration before returning home in 2011.

“I decided it was time to come back home and invest but when I came back in 2011 there were two fl oods that hap-pened in January and March. I saw how the farmers were af-fected struggled to recover so when we started in August last year, I made a point of ensur-ing that we always buy direct-ly from farmers.”

The business concept for Tutti Fruity was shaped by Sandeep’s travels to more than 30 countries during his time with the UN.

“In countries like Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singa-pore fruits are highly valued as a food item. When you walk through the streets you can buy freshly squeezed fruit juice instead of canned and bottled soft drinks which are unhealthy. This has always stuck with me and I thought it was a good idea to bring

that here as well because we have an abundance of lo-cal fruits that can be blended into a healthier substitute for carbonated drinks,” Sandeep said.

Sandeep’s relationship with the Fiji Development Bank is a recent one. This year we have helped him re-fi nance one loan as well as provided working capital to purchase equipment for the restaurant such as a coffee maker and a sealing machine. The sealing machine helps contain spill-age common with many take-away drink containers.

All items on the restaurant menu are fresh and made in front of customers particular-ly the beverages. In addition, Tutti Fruity also provides light meals such as pizzas but with fresh vegetable toppings as well as sandwiches.

“A lot of pizza places have

thick toppings of canned fruits but we do everything fresh and we also make our own pastes with fresh fruits for the pizzas,” Sandeep said. He also ensures that all the meat they use is halal however they only serve chicken, lamb and seafood.

As his patronage grows,

Sandeep knows that to main-tain his competitive edge, he has to be accommodating to what his customers want. Ul-timately, he plans to open an outlet in all of the major mu-nicipalities in his effort to pro-mote a healthier lifestyle. His second shop is due to open in Suva soon.

Sandeep Singh inside his famous restaurant Tuttie Fruity in Sandeep Singh inside his famous restaurant Tuttie Fruity in Nadi. Photo: SUPPLIED.Nadi. Photo: SUPPLIED.

Medical boost for islanders

Dentist Dave Urich and hygienist Katrina Fleming attend to a patient at Namotu Island village hall. Photos: SALOTE QALUBAU.

FDMF board members Dr Gregory Herd, Denise Silva and Mark Brown.

After successfully treating and screening 1400 patients last year, members of the Fiji Dental and Medical Founda-tion are back in action with the mobile clinic at Namotu Island.

Team leader Doctor Grego-ry John Herd says that setting up the clinic was no easy task as experienced people were needed in the pushing through of this initiative. Key stake-holders of the initiative are Mark Brown, Denise Silva, Scott O’Connor and team leader Doctor Gregory John Herd.

“We have treated approxi-mately 400 patients and at this

moment we have performed up to twelve hundred to fi f-teen hundred procedures,” says Doctor Herd.

According to Doctor Herd with the introduction of the medical sector of the clinic, the most common cases that have been sighted amongst the villagers are high blood pressure, diabetes and skin diseases which has brought

about the need for dermatolo-gists, the dental sector how-ever has sighted tooth decay and dental infections as com-monly sighted cases.

“Since we are dentists we thought if we could give back to some of the locals here it would be a good thing to do and it has been a heartwarm-ing experience as Fijian peo-ple are such lovely people,

“says Doctor Gregory Moeg-ling

The eight days medical and dental treatments for this year

began on Thursday, February 6.



BUSINESS NEWS

Anchor milk lucky for ZubedaBy ANUSHIL KUMAR

An elderly woman is on cloud nine as she was an-nounced the lucky winner of “Win with Anchor & Ches-dale” promotion’s brand new Suzuki Alto at Ocean Soaps Limited in Navutu Lautoka on Wednesday, January 29.

Zubeda Ibrahim Khanda of Suva could not believe her ears when Punjas Group Mar-keting Manager, Gopal Jadhav gave her a call to congratulate and inform of her win.

“I am very happy and feel-ing excited after getting the message that I have won a brand new car,” Zubeda said to eagerly awaiting journalists who were listening to her on the speaker phone.

“At the moment we do not have a transport but I feel proud that now I have a new car for my daily transporta-tion,” she added.

The 70-year-old domestic worker told The Jet that she used to participate in competi-tions but never won any major prize in her life.

“I participated in many promotional competitions but ended up winning consola-tion prizes and this is the fi rst time ever that I won a weighty prize,” she concluded.

Punjas in association with Fonterra had a competition where customers buying prod-ucts having trademark of “An-chor and Chesdale” dropped the barcode with their name, address and phone number to take part in the competition.

Chief Guest and Commis-sioner Western, Commander Joeli Cawaki praised the prod-ucts of Punjas as he consid-ered it healthy for everyone.

“Consuming these dairy products is very good which is part of a healthy diet,” said Mr Cawaki.

“I commend Punjas and Fonterra for running this healthy competition and en-couraging everyone to con-sume these healthy products,” he added.

Over ten thousand entries were received from all over Fiji with the major prize of a brand new Suzuki Alto and consolation prizes of eight Samsung Galaxy S4 smart-phones, eight Samsung 40” Smart TV’s and ten Samsung Galaxy notebooks.

Punjas chairman Kanti Punja picks up a winning entry Punjas chairman Kanti Punja picks up a winning entry while Punjas group marketing manager Gopal Jadhav, while Punjas group marketing manager Gopal Jadhav, group advertising manager Peter Narayan and com-group advertising manager Peter Narayan and com-missioner western Commander Joeli Cawaki look on. missioner western Commander Joeli Cawaki look on. Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR. Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.

The new apartment at Kennedy Avenue. Photo: MARGARET NAQIRI.

Sharmas Apartments in Nadi have added another edition to their growing company following the completion of a ten stu-dio apartment featuring semi-furnished and fully furnished fl ats situated at Kennedy Avenue in Nadi.

“Four of my apartments have already been taken and it is on a long term basis. The place is ideal for professionals, business people and tourists as well,” offered Mr Jagdish Sharma, man-aging director of Sharmas Apartments.

“The apartments are fully fenced for privacy from the passer -bys and there’s a huge parking space,” Mr Sharma said.

“The fully furnished rooms are equipped with everything from fridge, bed, bed sheets, wardrobe, gas stove, gas cylinder, washing machine, T.V and DVD. You just need to bring your clothes and food.

“The unfurnished rooms have a gas stove, gas cylinder and a wardrobe,” Mr Sharma concluded.

Sharmas does it againBy MARGARET NAQIRI

By SALOTE QALUBAU

Graduates ready for health and beauty industry

Fiji National University’s Director of the National Training and Productivity Centre, Kamlesh Prakash congratulated students of the Pivot Point Fiji Institute of Hair and Beauty for their persever-ance and decision in choosing a fi eld that is a part of the rapid grow-ing health and beauty industry.

“To date 174 students have graduated in both beauty and hair-dressing from the Suva and Lautoka centers, this is indeed a com-mendable contribution to the industry in Fiji,” said Mr. Prakash.

With professional training being offered by the institute, it is hopeful that the decreasing number of trained beauty therapists will be catered for.

According to Mr. Prakash the job training knowledge is usually gained from friends and family members however, there is a need for quality Spa education and training in order to promote and fur-ther the standards and span of this industry.

Students were reminded of their roles as contributors to soci-ety in terms of channeling their creativity by further evolving their training skills and grasping more training opportunities in this in-dustry.

Mr Prakash was speaking as chief guest during the 2014 Pivot Point graduation ceremony held at FNU Namaka Campus on Fri-day, February 7.

The Jet Volume 6 Number 1

Documents

Transcript of The Jet Volume 6 Number 1