Blog

Playgroup, what is it?  Is it just a place to play?  What am I going to do there?  I don’t have time or money to take them to playgroup all the time. Playgroup is a safe space for children and parents to learn and grow through play.  The benefits of Playgroup are applicable to children and their parents/carers.  Here is what you need to know about Playgroups and why it matters. Allows children to socialise with others Karen van Woudenberg, Playgroup NSW Deputy CEO says “Playgroup is really about following the lead of the child.”  I watch my nephew during...

We are so pleased to announce that Measina Treasures of Samoa will be holding our first Siva Afi Workshop. Date: Friday 22nd November 2019 Time: 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm Venue: Tarneit Rise Primary School Participants will learn the basic spinning techniques needed to spin a siva afi stick.  These techniques include: vili lua vili tasi behind the back more depending on the time Justyce Edmonds / Siva Afi / La Perouse from Del-Ray Fruean on Vimeo.   Our first instructor for the workshop is Justyce Edmonds, a siva afi performer from Sydney Australia.  He has performed in New Zealand, Hawaii, Sydney, Florida,...

Today we are so lucky to have a guest blog written by Sipping Koko. Welcome and we look forward to reading more of your insightful work. This topic has been in the back of my mind for a long time now. It hasn’t been an easy topic for me to really formulate the words on how I feel about the term “plastic ________.” No matter what island you descend from, you can be called a “plastic Samoan,” “plastic Maori,” etc. if you happen to not know the intricacies of the culture you’re from, but guess what? Some of us didn’t...

I mispronounced the name of my village as Papa-uta instead of Papauta and my cousins burst out laughing. E lē mālie – what you just did was embarrass me for trying to speak the language of my forefathers and now I don’t bother trying. You pulled on my chubby muffin top and bellowed “ua lap’oa” [you’re fat] with a giggle. E lē mālie – what you just did was make an eight-year-old girl feel so self-conscious about her outward appearance that she shied away from the world and found comfort from food. I asked if you were married and you...

I was over the moon that Samoa was going to be featured in a major Hollywood movie.  I was so excited to watch Hobbs and Shaw.  I was even tempted to take my son out of school for the day so we could attend the first screening. Hobbs and Shaw continued to bring the excitement and the speed that is true to the Fast and Furious Empire.  There were action sequences that kept you on the edge of your chair and emotional scenes that made you want to go home and hug your mum. What I was more excited about...