Former Adi Cakobau School’s Coca-Cola Games winning head coach, Komera Tuicakau has passed away.

Yesterday, members of the ACS fraternity were coming to terms with her death as she is regarded as one of the school’s sporting icons.

A former PEMAC teacher and old scholar Tuicakau has left behind her mark in the hearts of her former students, teachers and friends at ACS.

She coached the school to their historic 12-year reign in the Fiji Secondary Schools annual Coca-Cola Games.

Former ACS principal Rokobua Naiyaga said yesterday, Tuicakau had set a standard that would be hard for any other school coach to beat.

“I returned to Adi Cakobau School as principal in the year 2000 and the last time ACS won the Coca-Cola trophy was in 1993,” she recalled.

“In 2001 the school won back the Coca-Cola Games after seven years and continued for the next 12 consecutive years. Komera was the main driving force behind the school’s athletics success in those years and ACS is grateful to her for this outstanding achievement.”

Naiyaga says, “Komera is an ACS old scholar and she understood how important that trophy was to the school and the old scholars. She was a humble and confident teacher who worked quietly behind the scene. Her dedication and commitment in keeping things under low profile led to the school’s triumph in public.

“I would like to pay tribute to Komera for her great contribution to the development of athletics and sports in ACS.  She was an outstanding coach, an exceptional old scholar, a loyal colleague and I was privileged to have worked with her.”

The ACS old girls took to social media to pay their respects and share memories of the woman they looked up to as a coach, teacher, mentor and mother figure. She is survived by her husband Waisake.

Funeral details are still to be finalised.

Edited by Leone Cabenatabua

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