First South Pacific Games Gold Medal

The inaugural South Pacific Games in Suva in 1963 saw a small team from the competing. The team won one silver medal in the Men’s Pole Vault. Jack Waewo jumped 3.50m, the same as the winner, Alipate Latu from Tonga, but lost the gold on a count-back.

The 2nd SPG were held in Nouméa in 1966 where New Hebrides won two bronze medals. The first was to the Rugby Union Team (captained by Sokomanu) and the second to Football (led by Korman), where New Hebrides defeated PNG 5-2 in the bronze medal play-off.

Maxime Carlot Korman made a name for himself in Football early on, but later entered politics. He became the first Speaker of Parliament after Independence. He was prime minister of on two occasions from 1991-1995 and again in 1996. He was one of the leading lights of the Football sport in the country, and in 1995 was made Patron of the Vanuatu Football Federation. He was PM when Vanuatu first held the Mini Games in 1993, and the main stadium is named in his honour.

Ati George Sokomanu learned his Rugby skills at Lelean Memorial School in Fiji. Many members of the bronze medal winning team had lived in Fiji, or were Fijians living and working in the New Hebrides at that time. He later went on to become the first President of the Independent Republic of Vanuatu, a post that he held until 1984. Lelean has produced an extremely large number of Fiji Rugby legends, including the Sevens “Maestro” Waisale Serevi.

A question often asked during the colonial period, was why had the New Hebrides people taken so wholeheartedly to the sports introduced by the French and British colonists? One prominent sports’ star from that era explained, with a wry grin. “Simply because if we could beat them in their sport, we could beat them too in our fight for Independence”. Good reasoning - and a correct outcome.

On the track, the new recruits to Athletics were going through a good apprenticeship with Jean Bai Tranut, Yves Rolland and Joseph Jacobe making their presence felt in the preliminary rounds of the 100m. Their time would come three years later.

By the time of the 3rd SPG, held in Port Moresby (1969), the New Hebrides’ sprinters were much more assured, and were stronger and faster. Charles Godden won the silver medal in the 100m (11.0), and also in the 200m (22.1). Two additional medals went to Team New Hebrides in the Athletics with Saria Kaluat winning silver in the 200m (25.9) and the Women’s 4 x 100m Relay Team (Leisdale Mangawai, Lois Hafu, Merilyn-Rose Leo & Saria Kaluat) adding a 4th silver for the team (54.7). The respected Pacific Islands Monthly (published from 1930-2000) commented on the quality of the New Hebrides sprinters.

This significant improvement in standard, was to lead to the Condominium’s first ever gold medal with the Men’s 4 x 100m Team winning in the time of 42.5 seconds. The quartet of Jean Bai Tranut, Yves Rolland, Seru Korikalo and Charles Godden go down in the nation’s sporting history as achieving this special milestone. Many gold medals have been won since, but they were the first.

Saria Kaluat (200m and 4 x 100m Relay) also achieved sporting history by being the first NH woman to win a South Pacific Games medal – in fact getting two of them.

Charles Godden also successfully stood for elections and entered parliament.

Bronze medals went to Boxers L. Sen in the Lightweight Division and to E. Tasso in the Light-Welterweight Division. The Men’s Golf Team also came third in their competition. Members of the golf team were J. Trainor and K. Carpenter. Golf was introduced for the first time at the 1969 Games. Golf was played in Lae, and while it was the dry season in Port Moresby, it was the wet season in Lae, and the conditions were extremely difficult.

In their best medal haul to date, New Hebrides won one gold, four silver and three bronze medals.

(A suggestion – try and track down Jean Bai Tranut and any of the others who are still with us. It should be easy to track down Jean Bai, and I am sure that VASANOC will have a contact for him. Adding interviews and memories from the early Games is a good way to make the article more real and relevant. I know nothing about Saria Saluat. As your first woman medal winner, she is significant. Does Mary- Estelle know anything about her?

Try to find out the first names for those only given an initial

Lelean Memorial School in Fiji is one of the famous Rugby Union schools and has produced a large number of Fiji Rugby stars – 15’s and 7’s. I taught at the school in 1976-77 and helped to coach their Athletics Team. Old memories. I revisited the school in 2017).