Moce mada Vilikesa
Moce mada Vilikesa
The Fijian rugby community mourns the loss of former FRU Operations Manager Vilikesa Rinavuaka. Vilikesa of Natavea, Lomaivuna, Naitasitri, passed away at 10.00am on Sunday 1 March at the CWM hospital in Suva.
He joined FRU as a media officer in 2003, transferred to the Operations Unit in 2006 and was then appointed Operations Manager a year after (in 2007). He retired from the FRU in December 2013 due to health reasons.
Former FRU Marketing Manager Charlie Charters who hired Rinavuaka to assist him with the media said he was one of the very few who was actually prepared to walk the walk and take up a job at Rugby House, to put shoulder on the wheel and try to drive the game forward.
“That shows immense courage and integrity – because there are easier jobs out there, that pay more, for which you don’t give up your whole life and face endless, witless criticism from armchair experts,” Charters said.
“Vili wanted to make a difference to Fiji rugby, and he did. And how many people can truly say that?” Charters added.
Before joining the FRU, Rinavuaka spent five years with the Fiji Police Force as a Statistics Officer. In 1995 he joined Fiji Television as a technician before becoming a television journalist and then Sports producer, editor and television anchor. In 1996 Vilikesa was awarded the “Fiji Media Sports Journalist of the Year”. He retired from Fiji Television that same year.
In 1999 Vilikesa set up a production company that produced two sports programs, ‘Strike on Fiji’ and ‘Capital Rakavi’ which aired weekly on Fiji Television. In 2001 he was employed by the University of the South Pacific as a freelance editor, cameraman, director and producer. Two years later he joined the FRU as media officer.
Vilikesa was educated at Shebbear College in North Devon, England then attended the College of Further Education at Plymouth where he obtained a BTEC (certificate) in Marine Engineering.
Not only was he a rugby administrator, he also played rugby for Saltash Rugby Club in the Devon and Cornwell league and also for the Plymouth Albion in the English First Division competition in 1989. In 2004 he played tight head prop for his local Kasavu Rugby Club. Rinavuaka had also represented Fiji in cricket to the 1991 South Pacific Games.
He is survived by his wife Laisa and their seven children. The funeral gathering will be held at his residence at Kasavu village in Nausori and Vilikesa will finally be laid to rest on Saturday 7 March at his village in Natavea, Lomaivuna.
The FRU board, management and staff offer their deepest condolences to Mrs Laisa Rinavuaka, their seven children and his family.
May he rest in Peace.