Twin sisters who received the most outstanding offic­ers’ award at the St Thomas High School annual cadet pass­ing-out parade have paid tribute to their father for being an inspi­ration to them.

Vani and Makalesi Ranitu, who are Year 13 students at the school, also welcomed the cadet pro­gramme as a means to instil disci­pline in students.

They said discipline and hard work were paramount for some­one to be successful in life.

“It helps us to be a good per­son and prepares us for the real world,” Vani said.

They said it was important to maintain discipline all the time because they were leaders who were setting examples for their team.

Their message to every young mind is to continue working hard despite the challenges one faces. They stressed the importance of discipline as an element of change in life. The sisters said developing leadership skills at such a young age shaped their life journey.

They said their father was an important factor in their develop­ment.

“He always tells us to work hard for a bright future,” said Vani.

They did not expect to win the award and were surprised to be named. The prize was shared by their parents.

“Our parents are here and they are very happy,” said Makalesi.

They described the challenges they went through during the pro­gramme.

Vani had 99 cadets to look after while Makalesi was responsible for 48.

“We had to be very active in or­ganising cadet training,” she said.

Edited by Epineri Vula

yogesh.chandra@fijisun.com.fj