PUBLICISING ACHIEVEMENT !
The I-Kiribati community at Long Island on Majuro fulfilled their promise of accommodation and help when we arrived back on Monday night (Dec. 17th.) They met us at the airport and enabled us tro relax after the return "Island-Hopper" trip on Continental. Eating and drinking, singing and chatting, then a little sleep, saw us through Monday night.
Early Tuesday we were off to Majuro airport. A clash of timing with the scheduled Continental flight from Honolulu meant that we had to wait until it departed. Then we found that the extra luggage caused the plane to be overweight. Thus some luggage was off-loaded, to catch up with us later this week (when the national President is visiting Majuro !)
Off at about 1.00 pm. then a smooth flight at about 10,000 ft. brought us home to Tarawa about 3.20 pm. Swiftly through friendly Customs and onto family and other transport and HOME !
Having written out the results, I spent the morning circulating them to some of the KAA Committee and to the media. One target was the current session of Parliament, so a set and summary of results were delivered to the House of Parliament in the hope that the relevant Minister would find time to announce them !
THANKS TO ....
Our sincere thanks are due to Yvonne Mullins and Oceania AA for the funding, to Air Kiribati for supplying the link plane, to the US Embassy in Majuro for facilitating the issue of visas, to the Local Organisers (especially Bea and Frank plus all their volunteer officials and helpers) in Guam, to Marsh and Josephine and Robin as the mainstay officials, to the Leo Palace Resort for providing excellent accommodation and facilities in Guam, to the staff at Majuro airport who helped us in and out, to my colleague Rianimarewe Betero for being the excellent coach and advisor to the athletes, and finally to the six athletes who once more made me proud to be associated with Athletics in Kiribati ! (Mention has been made elsewhere of the valuable support given by the I-Kiribati community on Majuro, especially Fui Sualau and his family, and later at the airport from Beteru's grandfather "Kim". We appreciated all their typical hospitality !)
Also to be thanked for his assistance in preparing particularly the sprinters is Tierata Taukaban. He had to observe the results from Brisbane where he and Eneree Tataio were doing the first Oceania CECS Level 2 course and completing it successfully !! Thus, when we all meet up, there is at least DOUBLE cause for celebration !
PHOTOS.
The photos show the Continental Island-Hopper, the High Jump presentation to Buraieta and Beteru (and Deamo of Nauru !), and the athletes entertaining at the house of Fui Sualau in Majuro on our last night.
Last Modified on 19/12/2007 18:33