PM Unveils Stallions Monument in Sigatoka
From now on, people approaching Sigatoka Town will be greeted by a marvellous stallion statue, located near the Melrose Bridge. This monument is to honour Fiji’s first World Cup win in sevens rugby.
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama yesterday unveiled the monument, symbolising Sigatoka’s celebration of 50 years of Fijian independence.
In his address, Mr Bainimarama said the monument would stand as a symbol of the town and its surrounding area. He said it would invite travellers to explore what Sigatoka had to offer.
“It will remind them that Fiji punches above its weight, not just in rugby, but in everything we set out to do. On the world stage, in the South Pacific, in sports and in the struggle to make this world a better place, Fiji counts. It is something we can be enormously proud of,” he said.
The monument is a 12-foot stallion holding a six-foot tall rugby ball beneath its hoof.
“Though we may have to make room for a soccer ball under those
hooves as well, given Nadroga’s rising star on the football pitch –– and I congratulate the Stallions on their recent Senior Division title,” the PM added.
“We had earned our rightful recognition as a formidable rugby nation, a force to be reckoned with in international sport, and it was fitting that the bridge that leads people to and from Sigatoka Town carries that name.”
He added that Sigatoka — and more broadly, Nadroga — had pro
duced some of Fiji’s finest rugby players, including several players on our gold-medallist team from the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. “The perennial powerhouse Nadroga rugby team is the stallions, and it came by that name, firstly, because of the horse-breeding tradition here,” Mr Bainimarama said.
“Second, well, because rugby in Nadroga is a sport of stallions. It is a sport for athletes who are fast, strong and agile. It requires stamina, will and determination. And I might add, now that the Fijian women are claiming their rightful place in our rugby tradition, you will have to come up with an equally appropriate nickname for them.”
This project was funded through a grant from the Ministry of Local Government, Community Development and Housing and contribution from the Tappoo Group of Companies.