Toni Remembers Sister When Receiving Award
As he got up to receive the top academic prize, the only thing on Ulaisi Toni Musuka’s mind was his late sister. Salote would have been 21-yearsold now, probably sitting next to his mother and brothers smiling; watching him as went up to receive the award. But the Dux for Gau Secondary School saw his dear mother, brothers and behind him, his father. And that moment of sadness turned into joy, and a sense of gratitude. He couldn’t be more grateful of his achievements, which he attributed to family and his late sister, who died after a short illness in 2014, as well as for his village.
Toni said: “I felt happy and over the moon. This is a great achievement for me including my village, Levuka-I Gau. “My main message to all the youths out there is to work hard and never ever give up. There is nothing impossible if the heart is willing.” Like other schools in the maritime islands and the interior, Toni said it was trying times during studies. “There were a few obstacles and challenges I faced. One of them was the availability of resources here in school. We are not that fortunate like in the urban schools.
“This is in terms of electricity. Here in school we use a generator. Internet connections is very poor when we do our research.” But he and 15 other Year 13 students made it through.
“I would like to also thank the school principal, Mohammed Feroz, including the teachers of
Gau Secondary School.
“I’d also like thank the Almighty God for his love and knowledge that enabled me to achieve this and not forgetting my parents and my two brothers.” Toni scored an impressive 333/400 in the final examinations. He has already been accepted into the University of the South Pacific where he hopes to pursue a degree in Geography and History. He aspires to become a teacher, so that one day he can pass on the same knowledge to his students just as his teachers have done for him. Gau Secondary School has a school roll of 171.
The students are from the 16 villages around Gau Island and the neighbouring islands of Nairai and Batiki. Edited by Naisa Koroi