NEWSPAGE 10 December
2010

(Photos: Alex Wallace)

(Photos: International Rugby Board)

SAMOA: Samoa and Boks make changes for SA Sevens
Source: International Rugby Board Press Release

Reigning World Series champions Samoa and tournament hosts South Africa have both been forced to make changes ahead of the second leg of the 2010/11 HSBC Sevens World Series in George, South Africa.

All 16 teams have declared their final squads for the tournament, which will take place at the Outeniqua Park Stadium in George on 10-11 December.

Dubai champions England are one of the eight squads that are unchanged from Dubai - Argentina, Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Portugal, Scotland and Zimbabwe are the others - as the sides gear up for another weekend of action.

Samoa coach Stephen Betham lost experienced captain Lolo Lui and seasoned playmaker Reupena Levasa to injury in Dubai last weekend and has drafted in the experienced Alatasi Tupou and Sani Niue, who is set to play his first World Series event.

"I thought we did well in Dubai. It's disappointing to lose in a final but it's a learning curve and we still have lots to learn. There are still seven tournaments to go and we've got to grab as many points as we can before the end of the year," said Betham, whose side faces an intriguing pool tie against Fiji, whom they beat in the Dubai semi finals.

"The island rivalry is always there, it's like older brother against younger brother, there's no love lost and it's always physical. It won't be any different this weekend, but the boys are used to playing hard games week-in and week-out and that's what it's all about, putting in a consistent performance every time you step out onto the field."

South Africa Sevens coach Paul Treu will give a World Series debut to Jacques Engelbrecht, who replaces Lubabalo Mtembu. Experienced half back Paul Delport also comes into the side as a replacement for Renfred Dazel, who is still recovering from a blow to the head, and Steven Hunt takes the place of MJ Mentz.

Neighbouring Namibia arrive in George to play their first event of the new HSBC Sevens World Series, having replaced Arabian Gulf from the Dubai draw, the only change from last weekend. The Namibians name no less than nine players new to the World Series - Melrick Africa and Deon Mouton their most experienced players with seven caps under their belt.

France, Kenya, USA and Wales each make one change. France have flown in Zambelli Thibaut for his World Series debut as a replacement for Steve Barry; Innocent Simiyu will play his 31st World Series tournament for Kenya in place of Peter Ocholla; P J Komongnan comes in for Jason Pye in the USA squad and Wales coach Paul John has drafted in Will Jones in place of Owen Williams.

Russia name three changes - Eduard Filatov and Kirill Gubin both taking their first bows at this level and replacing Nikolay Shugay and Alexey Shcherban. Ivan Kotov also comes in for his fourth event, replacing Sergey Trishin.

The final Samoan squad is as follows;
 

Photo Caption: Injured captain Lolo Lui is a big loss for Samoa in George.
 

(Photo: Australia-Pacific Technical College)

AUSTRALIA: APTC graduates win overseas scholarships
Source: Australia-Pacific Technical College

Two graduates of the Australia-Pacific Technical College (APTC) have been awarded scholarships to study overseas for their Bachelor in Mechanics degrees.

Sene Tupa'i will study at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia through an AusAID Scholarship, while Tiitii Fagaiava was awarded an NZAid Scholarship to do his studies at the Manukau University of Auckland in New Zealand.

Mr Tupa'i and Mr Fagaiava graduated in Samoa earlier this year from the New Industry Entrant (NIE) Automotive course with Certificate III in Automotive Mechanical Technology.

Both graduates paid tribute to APTC for providing the essential qualifications that contributed to their successful scholarship applications.

The two graduates also lauded their Automotive trainer, Mr Haydn Durnell, thanking him for his hard work and encouragement.

Upon completion of their four-year degree studies, the two men will return to Samoa to meet their two-year scholarship bond requirements.

Photo Caption: APTC trainer Haydn Durnell (far right) and APTC tutor Simon Fruean (2nd from right) congratulate Sene Tupa'i (far left) and Tiitii Fagaiava (2nd from left) on their well-deserved achievements.
 

(Photo: Patrick Verel)

HAWAII: Flora and fauna expert describes preservation challenges in Hawaii
Source: Fordham University

David Burney, Ph.D., a former Fordham biology professor, returned to Fordham University on Dec. 2 to discuss conservation efforts in Hawaii and his work to restore its ancient ecosystem.

Although the state is generally considered a paradise, he called it the extinction capital of the United States. It occupies 1/500th of the nation’s land area, but is home to 319 endangered plants—almost half of the total list.

“Hawaii is the front line for conservation in so many ways,” said Burney, who is now the director of conservation at the National Tropical Garden there. “If you can succeed in conservation in Hawaii, you can succeed anywhere in the world.”

Burney explained how a collapsed limestone cave on Kaua’i—the oldest of the main Hawaiian islands—revealed evidence of cultures and creatures from thousands of years ago. He called the cave, which is one of the few not formed by volcanic activity, a “low-tech time machine.”

“It works really great for understanding the past, because everything that ever fell in there, essentially, is still there, and is still preserved,” he said.

“It’s a poor man’s Jurassic Park, in the sense that we’re trying to reconstruct the prehistoric landscape,” he said. “There aren’t any plants that are going to eat you, but it does help people visualize what we’ve lost in Hawaii.”

Burney, an adjunct professor at the University of Hawai`i-Mānoa and the Université d’Antananarivo (Madagascar), chronicled his discoveries in the book Back to the Future in the Caves of Kaua’i: A Scientist’s Adventures in the Dark (Yale University Press, 2010).

Key to his work is upending the premise that some species can thrive only in specific climates. The palila, a finch that lives at a particular elevation on the side of Hawaiian volcanoes, is a good example, he said, because fossils discovered in the cave prove that the birds’ range once was much wider.

“This bird has survived because its natural enemies, like rats and pigs, fire and so forth, simply haven’t reached them there. It turns out that their present location is one of the places they’ve managed to hang on.

“This is important because it implies that a lot of rare species are not necessarily growing in their optimal habitats,” he said. “Maybe they’re growing on cliffs, so people assume, ‘Well, this is a cliff-dwelling plant.’ In fact, it’s growing on cliffs because it’s the only place that the goats couldn’t reach it. “

In the course of his excavations, Burney has discovered fossils of numerous insects and flightless birds, including a duck whose eyes were so tiny it may as well have been blind. All told, the site has yielded the fossils of 107 birds that inhabited the Hawaiian Islands before Captain James Cook arrived in 1778. Of those, 31 remain, and only 11 are not endangered.

In 2001, he began planting native plants around the cave site, in the hope of reintroducing them into the larger ecosystem. Today there are more than 5,000 such plants on the site, representing 100 species. Most of them were found in fossilized form in the cave.

The project that began at the entrance to the cave has expanded, in large part to the work of volunteers.

“You might say it’s climbed the fence, and now it’s all over—not only in the Hawaiian Islands,” he said. “We’re involved in projects from Puerto Rico to Northern Japan—getting the public interested in archaeology and history, and then moving into forest restoration and wildlife habitat.”

Photo Caption: David Burney, Ph.D., who delivered “Paleontology Reshapes the Future in the Hawaiian Archipelago” on the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses of Fordham University.
 

(Photo: Matangi Tonga)

TONGA: Many hands making Christmas clean up for Sopu and Hofoa 
Source: Matangi Tonga

Student volunteers are attacking Tongatapu's chronic roadside rubbish problem in a pick-up campaign that aims to clean up roadsides around their school area before Christmas.

The rubbish pick-up organised every Tuesday for a month is part of a community outreach working with the local staff of DHL Express.

"This is part of our volunteer day program and we're working in conjunction with the high school students and teachers of Ocean of Light schools and Waste Authority Ltd.," said Sam Vea, DHL General Manager.

They started the clean up on Tuesday November 23 with a team of volunteers in bright yellow t-shirts cleaning up the roadside from Sopu through to Hofoa.

"We filled up 20 huge DHL bags in one hour. We had one group starting from the Sopu waterfront, working up to Hofoa and the other group from the end of Hofoa towards the waterfront. We transported the bags of rubbish to the school and Waste Authority picked them up to Tapuhia. There were approximately 50 volunteers, including children who lived around the area and decided to join us," said Sam.

"The next one will be next Tuesday 14 December at 2pm with the primary school. We will be doing it locally around the school and roadside."

"This DHL volunteer day event will be an annual event where we'll come together to give our time for a worthy cause to make a difference in the community that we work and live in," said Sam.

Photo Caption: DHL volunteer day program 2010; many hands make light work.
 

(Photos: Office of Congressman Faleomavaega)

WORLDWIDE: SSG Loleni Gandy’s life celebrated in Washington, DC
Source: Office of Congressman Faleomavaega Press Release

Congressman Faleomavaega recently announced that he and his wife Hina and the Samoan community in Washington, DC joined with the family of SSG Loleni W. Gandy to mourn the loss and celebrate the life of a beloved Toa o Samoa.

The first service or sauniga with the family of SSG Gandy, led by Reverend Dr. Tapaautasi Erika Puni of the Samoan Congregation was held on Sunday morning at Fort Meyer. On Sunday evening, a special family service and viewing was held at the same place, the Old Post Chapel at Fort Meyer, Virginia, where the local Samoan community and military personnel joined with Gandy’s wife Faauta; their four sons: Amadeus, Alexander, Tyler, and Lawrence; mother Uti; siblings and extended family.

The special family service was led by Reverend Calvin Samuelu of Satauro o le Manumalo (CCCAS) church of Anchorage, Alaska, where SSG Gandy and Faauta served as deacons before they changed duty stations. During the service, Rev. Samuelu was assisted by Rev. Dr. Tapaautasi who offered the pastoral prayer and a special message from the scriptures for the family. SFC Sene Polu, another Toa Samoa who is recovering from serious injuries resulting from an IED explosion in Iraq and Assistant Pastor in the Samoan Congregation at Fort Myer, read the scriptures in Samoan. The Samoan Congregation prepared hymns and music for the service and Congressman Faleomavaega offered special remarks and condolences on behalf of the people of American Samoa to the family.

SSG Gandy’s Commanding General, Brigadier General Mark Corson of the 103rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, also spoke and shared a quote from one of SSG Gandy’s young comrades in Iraq who described him as a “father figure who applied his love of family to his soldiers.”

Faauta and her children shared their heartfelt testimonies of a devoted husband and father. Their eldest son, Amadeus, shared one of his last email correspondences with his father on Veterans Day in which his father told him how proud he was of his decision to follow in his footsteps to join the army. Faauta shared how her husband who would call home from Iraq almost every day to ensure that she and the children were doing well. Their sons then presented a slideshow with pictures of their father played to the tune, “God Bless the U.S.A.”

The service ended with special presentations to the family by Congressman Faleomavaega and Rev. Dr. Tapaautasi. Faleomavaega, on behalf of himself and the people of American Samoa presented Faauta and the family a small love gift and a U.S. flag that was flown over the U.S. Capitol in honor of SSG Gandy’s service. On behalf of the Samoan Congregation, Rev. Tapaautasi presented the family with a love gift and a wreath and invited everyone to a reception prepared by the Samoan Congregation following the conclusion of the service.

At the reception, held at Ft. Meyer Memorial Chapel Fellowship Hall, Herman Faataualofa, brother of Mrs. Faauta Faataualofa-Maae Gandy, shared words of gratitude on behalf of the families to the local Samoan community and military personnel, noting also that SSG Gandy would have been honored to have such high-ranking military leaders paying their respects to him. He gave special thanks and acknowledgements to The Honorable Congressman Faleomavaega, Rev. Samuelu, Rev. Tapaautasi, the Samoan Congregation and choir, The Honorable BG Mark Corson and other military personnel in attendance.

On Monday afternoon, Brigadier General Corson presented SSG Gandy’s Bronze Star Medal to Faauta in a ceremony just prior to SSG Gandy’s burial. With the wind chill factor in sub-freezing levels, SSG Loleni Gandy was laid to rest at Arlington National Ceremony with full military rites and honors, including an honor guard, the firing of three volleys each by a seven service member team, and the playing of taps.

Following the folding of the flag, Brigadier General Gracus Dunn presented Faauta, her four sons and Loleni’s mother, Uti, each with a special U.S. flag in honor of SSG Gandy. Also attending to pay their respects to the fallen Toa o Samoa was the Honorable John McHugh, Secretary of the Army, Deborah Mullen, wife of the Honorable Admiral Michael Mullen who is Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Patrick Hallinan, Superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery. They each took turns in kneeling on one knee in front of Faauta and her children and mother - Uti offering their condolences and thanking them for Loleni’s service to the country.

Following the burial services, Congressman Faleomavaega welcomed Faauta, Uti, and the whole family to his office on Capitol Hill for refreshments and a personal tour of the Capitol. The Congressman took them to the Floor of the House Chamber where they sat in the front rows that are usually reserved for the President’s Cabinet and the Justices of the Supreme Court during a State of the Union address. The tour ended with a photo op on the steps of the Capitol.

“I would like to thank Faauta, the boys, and the family for allowing our Samoan community in Washington, DC and my office the honor of being a part of celebrating the life of their beloved husband, father, son, and brother - our Toa o Samoa, SSG Loleni Gandy. He was a shining example of a real Toa or warrior of Samoa who was deeply committed to the defense of our nation,” Faleomavaega stated.

“Loleni was a truly humble man who wanted nothing but the best for his family and fellow soldiers. And it is clear that his love of his dear wife, Faauta, and their four sons, and his love for his dear parents, Larry and Uti Gandy, family and friends, was also a part of his service in the military and relationships with his comrades in the Army. We shall miss this Toa o Samoa.”

“I would also like to thank those who helped to serve the Gandy family in their time of mourning. I would like to thank the Department of the Army for granting the family’s wish to permit the use of the Fort Meyer chapel for SSG Gandy’s family service on Sunday evening. I thank and acknowledge the support of the Fort Meyer Installation Chaplain (COL) Woodbery and his staff. And, I also thank Rev. Dr. Tapaautasi Puni and our Samoan Congregation at Fort Myer for the warm welcome and wonderful service and reception.” Faleomavaega continued.

“Today we weep with the Gandy family. Yet we also rejoice in the life SSG Gandy lived and the example he shared with us all. We also rejoice knowing that he is with his heavenly father and that the Lord will comfort you during this difficult time,” Faleomavaega concluded.

SSG, at the age of 36, died on November 19th in Balad, Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn. He served for seventeen years in the Army with his last duty station at the 103rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, Des Moines, Iowa. He is survived by his wife Faauta; their four sons: Amadeus, Alexander, Tyler, and Lawrence; his parents Lawrence and Uti Gandy; and siblings Lina Ann and Dale.

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - Faleomavaega presenting Faauta and her sons the U.S. flag that was flown over the U.S. Capitol specially in honour of SSG Loleni Gandy’s service.

Photo 2 - Opening of the family service at Old Post Chapel, Fort Myer.