A 24-year-old Kadavu native praised the foundation laid by his grandfather through hard work and toil after receiving his licence to practice law.

Eroni Matavesi Navuda said he was not ashamed of his grandfather, a yaqona farmer whose hard work paved a foundation for him to strive to achieve.

“Growing up, he has always been my role model,” Mr Navuda said.

“I was never ashamed to say that I am a grandson of a yaqona farmer.

“His values, his attributes, how hard working he was has always been something that really inspired me.”

His father is a yaqona farmer in Kadavu who reached Class Four.

“My father now holds a masters (degree) and it was due to his hard work that me and my father were able to accomplish so much in our education,” Mr Navuda said.

“Unfortunately he was not able to come to the ceremony but he came all the way from Kadavu to see me,” he said.

Mr Navuda hails from Vacalea, Nakasaleka in Kadavu. He was admitted to the bar on Friday.

“This was a long journey, five years of studying Bachelors of Law and Commerce at the University of the South Pacific,” he said.

He has also completed his Professional Diploma in Legal Practice at the University of the South Pacific.

“I studied law because I wanted to make a change with my family by assisting in making a better change for them and the society,” he said.

Mr Navuda has four brothers and he is the second youngest.

Like most students, missing meals and late nights were part of his daily routine.

Edited by Rusiate Mataika

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