Sport before money

Papa William Heather Snr of Arorangi believes that the Aitutaki Sharks rugby league team should not be in the club competition.

It’s not that he’s not a supporter of Aitutaki or the Sharks club but he points out the local league competition is a Rarotonga club’s competition.

“Aitutaki is not a club and the league season is for Rarotonga clubs,” he says.

In saying that, Papa Heather also believes that Aitutaki has its own role to play just like it did when the island was the first ‘overseas’ port visited by a Rarotonga rugby team back in 1929.

“The competition on Rarotonga is for clubs here and 40 thousand is a lot of money to pay,” he says.

While he believes the Sharks shouldn’t be part of the Rarotonga club competition, he says there are options for the outer islands.

“Before we used to have the Constitution Cup where the outer islands would come to Raro and play against the teams here.

“Players on Rarotonga from Mangaia would join the Mangaia team and we would all play together.”

Papa Heather also has another theory of including outer islands rugby and or league teams into the Rarotonga club competitions.

“In the second round when the teams split into the top and bottom teams, Aitutaki can come over here and play the champions but not of the senior teams – just the reserve and teams under that in the bottom division.

“That way it’s only one trip to Raro and if they win they go home champions and if they lose well it didn’t cost them a lot of money.”

Papa Heather believes that the funds of over $40,000 the Sharks will spend to travel to Rarotonga six times will be better used on rebuilding Aitutaki.

“The only person that wins is Air Raro.”

On the subject of money, Papa Heather, who was president of CISNOC between 1968 and 1971 as well as team tour manager, says that people need to realise the value of athletes.

“Athletes carry the weight of the nation of their shoulders – they are what is of value not money.”

He recalls that when he took the 1971 rugby team to the Pacific Games in Tahiti, the whole Cook Islands team and supporters of around 134 people raised 10 thousand dollars for the entire trip and government gave $1000 to help.

“Then when we were in Tahiti we sent back bags of manure for the Ministry of Agriculture – those were the days.”

In short, Papa Heather really wants those in charge to realise the value of athletes and people which far outweighs that of money.