Navnesh Reddy
8 January, 2021, 6:06 am
Pallets of humanitarian aid bound for Fiji are loaded on to Royal Australian Air Force No. 36 Squadron C-17A Globemaster III aircraft at RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland. Picture: AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE
FORCE
A Royal Australian Air Force C-17 aircraft brought in relief supplies on Monday for families impacted by STC Yasa.
The supplies included medical items, sleeping mats, kitchen kits, shelter tool kits and electrical materials.
Acting High Commissioner to Fiji Anna Dorney said the relief items would help a lot of families living in the North.
“The Australian government, through the Australian Defence Force (ADF), is pleased to deliver a third batch of relief supplies for our Fijian vuvale this week,” she said.
Felix Chaudhary
Fijians leaving for work to Australia under the Pacific Labour Scheme. Picture: SUPPLIED
One hundred and eighty-two Fijians, the single largest cohort from any Pacific country until now, departed for work in Australia yesterday under the Pacific Labour Scheme (PLS).
According to a statement from the Australian High Commission in Suva, the workers would take up positions in the agricultural industry across New South Wales.
The Australian government said the PLS “helped address workforce shortages in rural and regional Australia, while providing opportunities for Fijian workers to gain experience, earn an income and send remittances home to support their families and communities”.
HMAS Adelaide to take school supplies to the North
HMAS Adelaide to take school supplies to the North
[image: Supplied]
The Australian Government will be providing essential building materials and school supplies to restore impacted schools in the North.
The building materials will support the repair and re-opening of 15 priority schools, whilst the school supplies will be distributed to 45 primary schools in Bua and Macuata.
The supplies include essential building materials, 800 desks and chairs, 45 water tanks, 12 diesel generator sets with fuel and building materials and stationery supplies to affected students.
These will be loaded onto the Australian Defence Force’s HMAS Adelaide tomorrow morning.
All HMAS Adelaide crew test negative for COVID-19 on Day 12 testing
All HMAS Adelaide crew test negative for COVID-19 on Day 12 testing
[Image: Supplied]
All 618 personnel onboard HMAS Adelaide have tested negative for COVID-19 after their compulsory Day 12 tests and they have also completed their mandatory 14-day quarantine period.
They can now disembark their ship under the agreed COVID safe measures to support the Fijian Government’s TC Yasa response efforts without risking COVID-19 exposure for Fijians.
Permanent Secretary for Health, Dr James Fong says all ADF members who have been deployed on HMAS Adelaide have complied with Fiji’s rigorous COVID-19 and quarantine requirements.
182 Fijian workers depart for Australia
182 Fijian workers depart for Australia
These workers will take up positions in the agriculture industry across New South Wales.
Sakio Nacani of Waisali Village in Savusavu says this is his first trip overseas and he will use this opportunity to support his family.
Nacani says he was working in Suva but lost his job because of COVID-19.
He says he returned to his village to work on his farm.
Tragedy struck again for Nacani when Tropical Cyclone Yasa damaged his crops.
Nacani adds he is fortunate to be selected to work in Australia.
Acting Australian High Commissioner to Fiji, Anna Dorney, says the Fijian workers’ efforts will be highly valued both in Fiji and in Australia and wishes the workers all the best. The group that left today are in addition to the 172 Fijian PLS workers who departed on 25 November 2020.