St Bede's welcomes back Tongan Prime Minister [1]
Saturday, May 16, 2009 - 18:45. Updated on Saturday, April 12, 2014 - 22:06.
It was a walk down memory lane for Tonga's Prime Minister, Hon. Dr Feleti Sevele when he revisited his old school St Bede's College in Christchurch, on May 15 during a week long tour of New Zealand.
Dr Sevele spent only one year at St Bede's but they remembered him as a popular student. He was in the First XV rugby team and nine of the members of that team were there to meet him on Friday. Dr Sevele spoke at the school assembly and presented the school's weekly achievement awards. Students put on a performance of a Samoan dance and a Maori Haka. There are about four or five Tongan students at the school of 800. The Tongan delegation had lunch at the school, and were farewelled with a haka.
Dr Sevele was in Christchurch to present the annual 'Pacific Cooperation Foundation Annual Pacific Address" at Canterbury University on Thursday evening.
On Friday he also visited the university campus, and was met by the Vice Chancellor Dr Rod Carr. At the Geography Department he met with Dr Malakai Koloamatangi and Professor Martin Holland.
They also visited Rochester and Rutherford Halls and met with Tongan students at Canterbury.