Her Royal Highness Princess Angelika Lātūfuipeka Tuku’aho has attended a bus presentation ceremony in Sefton, Sydney this morning.
Two buses were blessed and presented during a prayer service at the Sefton Uniting Church where some Tongan residents in the community belonged to.
The buses were donated by ʻElisiva Fīnau, one of the elderly in the community, for Tupou High School and the elderly in Tonga who were entitled to get monthly benefits from the government’s Social Welfare Scheme.
Dr Leimoni Taufu’i, the CEO of the National Retirement Benefits Fund (NRBF), spoke during the ceremony and said the donation was made after he and the Chairman of the NRBF arrived in Sydney recently in a campaign to include Tongans there in the Manatuki’api scheme.
Manatuki’api or remember home was set up by the NRBF to allow Tongans living overseas to open accounts as voluntary contributors or to top up their parents’ or other people’s retirement funds in Tonga.
As Kaniva News reported, the Manatukiʻapi retirement fund has raised more than TP$300,000 from Tongans living in New Zealand up to June.
More than dozen Tongans who attended this morning’s ceremony were told the bus for the elderly will help pick them up and take to the retirement funds office to get their benefits on their pay day.
The buses were filled with donated goods and were expected to be sent to Tonga on Tuesday next week.
The prayer service was conducted by Rev. Semisi Kava.
