5 hours Ago By Fiji Sun News
Christmas came early for the students of Sigatoka Methodist School, thanks to one of Fiji’s corporate giant owners – the Tappoo family. The family’s deep roots in Sigatoka and close association with the school continue to strengthen each year. The Tappoo Group, through its Tappoo Foundation, recently supported the school’s water supply need by building support infrastructure to house two 10,000 litre water tanks to the newly located Sigatoka Methodist College in Kulukulu, Sigatoka.
During the inauguration ceremony at the school on Wednesday; Tappoo Group chairperson Kanti Tappoo, a former student, shared stories of his younger days growing up in Sigatoka with his six brothers and two sisters. He reflected on how, not only his siblings, but the two generations of the Tapoo family also attended the school. Even his two grandchildren, Ravi and Brinda attended the primary and secondary schools there.
He recalled attending Sunday school classes every Sunday and learning about Christianity and church hymns from church ministers. “My parents use to encourage us to attend Sunday School classes, and we used to sing hymns. I pay tribute especially to the late Reverend Edward Caleb who was instrumental in imparting values education to us in those early years of our schooling.
Everyone in my family has a very close association with the school,” he said. Recently; a part of Sigatoka Methodist School was relocated from Laselase near Sigatoka Town to Kulukulu, on a 10-acre property bought purchased by the Methodist Church. However, inconsistent water supply was its biggest challenge.
School manager Jacob Pau’u said the new school has two Year 12 and two Year 13 streams with the remainder of the school still in Laselase. There are plans for new buildings to be built depending on the availability of funds before the complete relocation of the school. “We had a lot of water problems, but that has been solved by the kind gesture of the Tappoo family;” Mr Pau’u said.
“At least when we don’t have regular supply; the tanks will sustain the needs of the school and the students. We try to do what we can in any way to help the school which has played a very important part of our upbringing as a family;” Mr Tappoo said. Tappoo Group Tappoo Group of Companies was founded by the late Tappoo Kanji on August 23, 1941.
Mr Kanti said the family celebrated each anniversary by assisting in some way beneficiaries which the Tappoo family had strong links with, including the villages of Laselase and Nayawa, the Sigatoka Methodist School and Kavanagasau Sanatan Dharm School. Feedback: inoke.rabonu@fijisun.
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