Suva Grammar School (or SGS) is a secondary school in
Suva
Suva (, ) is the Capital city, capital and the most populous city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rew ...
,
Fiji
Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...
. The school caters 6 streams for Forms 3 (Year 9) to 6 (Year 12) and 4 streams for Form 7 (Year 13). Suva Grammar has a school population of approximately 1200 students (as of February 2024). The school is considered to be one of Fiji's premier schools. The school's location is near the heart of the city and by the seaside. They are known to be very competitive in sports–particularly in
athletics
Athletics may refer to:
Sports
* Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking
** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport
* Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...
at secondary school level during the annual Coca-Cola games and in the local secondary school's
rugby union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
competition, the annual
Deans Trophy
The Deans Trophy is the most prestigious and oldest sports award among Fiji Secondary Schools sporting competitions. The boys rugby union annual competition was first introduced in 1939 and is the oldest tournament in the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU). ...
, against rival competitors
Marist Brothers High School
Marist Brothers High School is a Roman Catholic all-boys' high school situated in Suva, the capital of Fiji. It is a school in the Marist tradition, founded in 1946 by the order of Marist Brothers, which has had a presence in Fiji since 1844. T ...
,
QVS,
Lelean Memorial School and
RKS and other sports including basketball, netball, swimming, and cricket. They include a variety of clubs such as chess, taekwondo, swimming, drama and art.
History
In 1918, the British colonial government established its first school in Suva.
In 2004 the school, in cooperation with police, launched a pilot "Scholastic Crime Stoppers" programme targeting drug use, truancy and other problems.
In 2008, members of the Suva Grammar Old Students Association made a request to the Fijian Minister for Education for school principal Ilikimi Kunagogo to be removed.
In 2011, in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, Grammar heads signed a partition in which Suva Grammar School was declared the first drug-free
secondary institution in the country.
Sports
Suva Grammar Ruggers
Suva Grammar has won the coveted prize of school boys' rugby, the
Deans Trophy
The Deans Trophy is the most prestigious and oldest sports award among Fiji Secondary Schools sporting competitions. The boys rugby union annual competition was first introduced in 1939 and is the oldest tournament in the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU). ...
on one occasion in 2001 and played to a draw with
Ratu Kadavulevu School in 2005. They were finalists in 1992, 1993, 2006 and 2022.
Suva Grammar Athletics
Reigning Coca-Cola Games champions in the boys division of the Fiji Secondary School's athletics competitions from 2007–2011, having successfully defended their title for 5 straight years before losing the reigns to rival competitors
Marist Brothers High School
Marist Brothers High School is a Roman Catholic all-boys' high school situated in Suva, the capital of Fiji. It is a school in the Marist tradition, founded in 1946 by the order of Marist Brothers, which has had a presence in Fiji since 1844. T ...
in 2012. Suva Grammar School won another title (boys division) in 2022. SGS has now won the Coke Games Boys title 6 times. Suva Grammar has also won the Coke Games Girls Division 4 times.
Lions Cheerleaders
Suva Grammar is also noted for their renowned pom pom girls, who have been a fixture at the Annual Coca-Cola Games since 2002, revamping the 'Fiji style' of cheerleading in 2009 before introducing co-ed cheerleading at the 2010 Coca-Cola Games, a testament to the Grammarian trailblazing spirit of innovation and ingenuity in the lead-up to the school's Golden Jubilee celebrations later in July. Grammar's influence in this aspect of secondary school life remains prevalent today with 2017 Coke Games Girls division champions
ACS, revamping their own iconic cheerleading squad and other schools starting cheerleading squads as well such as Ballantine Memorial School, western prominent schools
Saint Thomas High School, 2015 & 2017 Coke Games Boys division champions
Natabua High School
Natabua High School is a co-educational school based in Lautoka, Fiji. It is one of the biggest schools in the Pacific with a total student number of 1200.
The school was founded in 1930 as a boarding school for boys and was moved to its present ...
and 2014–2016 Coke Games Girls division champions Jasper Williams High School, and even Saint John's College Cawaci from Ovalau.
Suva Grammar Ballers
Suva Grammar also creates an opportunity for students to play basketball participating in zone and nationals. They won the title in 2022 of the Suva Zone under 19 boys beating schools including
Ratu Kadavulevu School,
Yat Sen Secondary School,
International School Suva, and their long-time rivals
Marist Brothers High School
Marist Brothers High School is a Roman Catholic all-boys' high school situated in Suva, the capital of Fiji. It is a school in the Marist tradition, founded in 1946 by the order of Marist Brothers, which has had a presence in Fiji since 1844. T ...
.
Suva Grammar Cricket
Suva Grammar’s cricketers are formidable coming third in the 2024 Cricket Fiji U19 Boys Nationals.
Suva Grammar Netters
Lioness Netters clean swept the girls division in 2023 winning the all the grades. While they held the Mens title in 2022, the Lions lost it to
Yat Sen Secondary School in the following year. Suva Grammar now currently hold only the Under 15 title.
Notable alumni
Politics, business and academia
*
Mick Beddoes
Mick Malcolm Millis Beddoes, widely known as Mick Beddoes, is a Fijian politician and businessman from Nadi, who led the United Peoples Party (formerly the United General Party) from 2000 to 2013, and was the Leader of the Opposition at the ti ...
, MP and Leader of the Opposition
*
Krishna Datt, government minister
*
Tupou Draunidalo, lawyer
*
Jone Madraiwiwi, vice president of Fiji
*
John Maynard Hedstrom
Sir John Maynard Hedstrom (22 February 1872 – 2 June 1951) was a Fijian businessman and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Council for over 30 years. Alongside Robert Crompton, Henry Marks and Henry Milne Scott, he was one o ...
, Legislative Council member
*
Laisenia Qarase
Laisenia Qarase (pronounced ; 4 February 1941 – 21 April 2020) was a Fijian politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Fiji, sixth Prime Minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006. After Republic of Fiji Military Forces, the military quashed the 2 ...
, prime minister of Fiji
*
Richard Naidu, lawyer
*
Nazhat Shameem
Nazhat Shameem Khan (born 1960) is a Fijian diplomat, and former judge who served as the Permanent Representative of Fiji to the United Nations from 2014 to 2022. She was also the President of the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2021. ...
, High Court judge and Permanent Representative to the UN
*
George Speight
George Speight (; born 1957), also known by his pseudonym Ilikimi Naitini, is a Fijian businessman and politician who was the leader of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état, in which he and rebel soldiers from Fiji's Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit sei ...
2000 Coup leader
*
Sree Sreenivasan
Sreenath "Sree" Sreenivasan (born October 28, 1970) is an academic and practitioner in journalism and communications, serving as the inaugural Marshall Loeb, Marshall R. Loeb visiting professor at Stony Brook University School of Journalism in New ...
, journalism professor and chief digital officer
*
Samisoni Tikoinasau
Samisoni Tikoinasau Speight, also known as Sam Speight Jr, is a Fijian politician, who held Cabinet office as Minister of State for Public Utilities and Reforms, to which he was appointed after the 2006 election. Previously, he was Minister fo ...
, government minister
Sport
*
Makelesi Bulikiobo - National Sprint-Queen who won the 200m event at the 2007
South Pacific Games
The Pacific Games (French: Jeux du Pacifique), is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from Oceania. The inaugural Games took place in 1963 in Suva, Fiji, and most recently in 2023 in Honiara, Solomon Islands. ...
.
*
Jone Delai
Jone Delai (born September 5, 1967) is a Fijian former sprinter. Competing mostly over 100 metres, his personal best is 10.26 seconds.
Delai won a bronze medal in 100 metres at the 1990 Oceanian Championships, and became Oceanian champion ove ...
- Former national sprint-king, now Head-Coach of the Suva Grammar athletics squad.
*
Sakiusa Matadigo
Sakiusa Masinivanua (Masi) Matadigo (born 8 August 1982) is a rugby union footballer who plays back row for Montpellier Hérault RC. He has been capped for the full Fiji national side, as well as representing Fiji at Sevens. Before moving to t ...
- Suva Rugby, also a Flying Fijian,
*
Wame Lewaravu - Suva Rugby,
Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks are a professional rugby union club from Greater Manchester, England, United Kingdom. Its team play in Premiership Rugby, and have been in England's top division of rugby union continuously since 1995. Originally founded in 1861 as ...
(England) and also a Flying Fijian
*
Manoa Vosawai
Manoa Vosawai (born 12 August 1983 in Suva, Fiji) is an Italian rugby union player. He currently plays for the Cardiff Blues in Wales. He made his debut with the Italy national rugby union team, Italian national side on August 18, 2007 in a match ...
-
Treviso
Treviso ( ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 87.322 inhabitants (as of December 2024). Some 3,000 live within the Venetian wall ...
(Italy)
*
Akapusi Qera
Akapusi Qera (born 24 April 1984) is a Fijian professional rugby union player. A Flanker or No.8. He is married to wife Phillipha Talei and together they have four children. Qera is also from a Christian sporting family; his father was an inte ...
- Nadroga Rugby,
Gloucester Rugby
Gloucester Rugby are a professional rugby union club based in the West Country city of Gloucester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
The club was formed in 1873 and since 1891 has played its home matches ...
(England), Fiji Rugby
*
Nikola Matawalu -
Fiji Seven's, Flying Fijians
*
Henry Seniloli - Flying Fijians
*
Niko Verekauta - Wardens Rugby, Fiji Seven's
*
Saimoni Vaka -
Agen
Agen (, , ) is the prefecture of the Lot-et-Garonne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Southwestern France. It lies on the river Garonne, southeast of Bordeaux. In 2021, the commune had a population of 32,485.
Geography
The city of Agen l ...
(France)
*
Taqele Naiyaravoro
Taqele Naiyaravoro (born 7 December 1991) is an Australian professional rugby union and rugby league footballer. His regular playing position is the Wing (rugby union), wing.
Early life
Naiyaravoro was born in Sigatoka and attended St Joan Of ...
-
Glasgow Warriors
The Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and beca ...
(Scotland), currently
New South Wales Waratahs
The New South Wales Waratahs ( or ;), often referred to as the Waratahs, are an Australian professional rugby union team based in Sydney that represents the majority of New South Wales in the Super Rugby Pacific competition. The Waratahs play t ...
(Australia) & occasional
Wallabies
A wallaby () is a small or middle-sized macropod native to Australia and New Guinea, with introduced populations in New Zealand, Hawaii, the United Kingdom and other countries. They belong to the same taxonomic family as kangaroos and som ...
Winger
*
Samuela Vunisa
Samuela Vunisa (born 19 August 1988) is a Fijian-born Italian professional rugby union player who currently plays for Italian Serie A Elite team Rangers Vicenza. Powerful and athletic, Vunisa is an option across the back-row due to the combina ...
-
Azzurri Rugby
*
Jerry Yanuyanutawa
Jerry Yanuyanutawa (born 10 April 1985 in Suva, Fiji) is a Fijian former international rugby union player who played at Prop. He formerly played for Glasgow Warriors.
Rugby Union career
Amateur career
Yanuyanutawa began his rugby union career ...
- Flying Fijians, Glasgow Warriors (Scotland). He grew up in Fiji, where he represented their Under-21 side.
*
Viliame Mata - Fiji Seven's, Nadroga
*
Sekonaia Kalou - Flying Fijians
*
Matila Vocea - National Rep Netball
*
Viliame Takayawa - National Rep Judoka, Japan Based
*
Bill Gadolo - National rep Rugby, Coach and Teacher
Arts
*
Robin Lovejoy
Robin Casper Lovejoy, OBE (17 December 1924 – 14 December 1985) was an Australian director, actor, and designer best known for his work on television and in theatre. He was one of Australia's leading theatre directors of the 1960s and 1970 ...
- Australian actor and director. He grew up in Fiji.
Biography - Robin Casper Lovejoy
''Australian Dictionary of Biography
The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...
'', 2012
References
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Schools in Fiji