My grandpa Sefanaia Aholelei

My grandpa was born on the 1st of July, 1948 Niua Fo’u in Tonga.

In 1972 he moved to New Zealand where he firstly worked at Lion Brewries and lived at Grafton with his family. He had 8 children and my mum is the oldest and has 21 grandchildren.

He attended Liahona High school in Tonga. In 1963 he lived on campus as a dorm student. My grandfather and the dorm boys made a stand against the school. They felt the girls were unfairly treated to work at the plantation like the boys.

In protest they snuck out before dawn. The only evidence of their disappearance were the footprints they left in the mist the next morning. They had walked to a nearby beach and hid in a cave underground. Their protest was supported by some teachers and locals who dropped them food and water for the duration of their stay. They all were stood down, but that was the turning point for voices to be heard. What they learnt was the care the older boys had for them, and trying to take the fall so they wouldn’t be punished. That was the first ever non violent protest by students in Tonga.

I will never forget how my grandad helped my family. My mum and I will always be grateful for all his hard work and dedication to our family.

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