Tribewanted: Vorovoro

A few months ago a tribe member came back to the island who had been here last year. Clinton Ross, a.k.a Kele, returned to the island for another month in paradise. At the end of his time he passed on some money with the express purpose that it be used to build a new ping pong table. Well it’s been a busy few months since then, and the project was put on hold…….until now! This was going to be a perfect project for Pupu. Chuck and I approached Pupu and told him that we had been donated money to build a ping pong table, Pupu’s eye lit up and that great smile appeared on his face. The cogs were clearly working in his head, images of how he would build it flashing before his eyes, no doubt. He gave us a list of bits and pieces that he would need. We had a lot of wood left over from the Pontoon project so just the plywood surface was needed, and some nails, paint and hinges. We headed to town on the town trip. Api and myself went over to Hussains hardware at the end of the main street in Labasa, near the internet cafe. We had to buy two 8ft x 4ft sheets of ply which were 9mm thick……“how we gonna get this back to the boat?“?? i asked Api. ??”They can deliver it to the market for us"?? he said. We then spoke to the assistant who told us ??“sorry, the delivery van is busy all day” ??It’s a funny sight seeing two guys walking down the main street in Labasa with two 8ft x 4ft plywood sheets balancing on their heads, well im guessing it’s a funny sight because we were surely being laughed at! Api was showing off, no hands required, perfectly balancing the wood on his head….me on the other hand, i was struggling, looking back i’m pretty sure it was me that was being laughed at!

We got the wood and bits and pieces back to Vorovoro and passed them over to Pupu. Before the afternoon tea bell had rung, Pupu was working. He and Poasa started measuring and cutting. Cups of tea and coffee along with some delicious cakes were taken over to them on a regular basis. In no time the ping pong table started to take shape.

I sat at the dinner table, my attention set on watching and listening to them decide measurements. After Pupu had cut and fit the surface together, i checked on the official sizes of a ping pong table…….he was just 6 inches out! amazing….the width was right….the height was right, it was just the length out, and only because the wood was too short! how does this guy do it!!? i sat in awe and smiled.

a few different ways of making the legs for the table were tried, and then he decided on a fixed base. we set the surface on top and and secured it. all done and looking good….all it needed now was a coat of green paint. The tribe members were heading over to Mali island for the afternoon, Pupu said it would be painted with two coats and dry before we got back……and he kept to his word. we arrived back from our trip and there it was, a beautiful new ping pong table, with Pupu in the background, sat at the dinner table rolling his cigarette. He looked up and smiled at us. “All done” he said proudly.

Another monument sits on Vorovoro all thanks to its master builder….Pupu Epeli.

The tribe members and team fiji are enjoying the new attraction, we have still yet to get Pupu to play. Maybe one day :)

Pupu’s projects are great to watch AND use. He completed the pontoon, he’s done the ping pong table……now he’s started on a boat! We are blessed to have this man on island.

Pupu ROCKS!!!!!!!