If you would ask me, what's my typical day?
I don't actually have a typical day.
Hamilton Island is quite unique for the fact that all the guests, all the staff and the
community participate in a lot of the events that we run.
I relate to Australia in so many different ways.
I think that, really, easy 'G'day mate', sort of, attitude - it's pretty similar to back
in the islands.
Australia for me is a place where I have started a new life.
I'm very lucky to actually live and work here.
I was born on Pukapuka in the Cook Islands and was blessed with five brothers, four
sisters - it was a massive family.
Dad was the fisherman and mum was a teacher.
My mum was always an inspiration in my whole life.
I was fortunate enough to be involved in a lot of Cook Island cultural performances.
Got invited to Australia, so, here I am!
When I got to Australia, I was just dumbfounded, I suppose.
Just looks like a whole universe of spaceships - there's just all this lights.
I was 14.
The group eventually went back but I stayed in Australia instead.
I think all my life sports has really guided me a lot and sort of made me grow up.
One of my routines in the morning is to have a workout at the gym and then start my day
from there.
Four years ago staff turnover was pretty high.
They needed the staff activities and events person to make staff happy.
They just looked at me, well, there's no one else but you, so, they gave me the job to
build a family.
So, I am now a father Ake, with lots of kids and Hamilton is my church.
Part of my job is communicating with staff all over the island.
I feel like I'm a teacher and it's always something that's been in my heart and my mind.
We're able to really look after all of our staff.
I get a real excitement about the activities and events that we create for the first
time.
Pretty much the whole total rhythm of the island, the morale of the island, has changed
and it's been a very rewarding experience.
The Hamilton Island library, for example, when I first got here was an exchange book
which consisted of a few metres of this shelf.
I said we really needed to improve that.
Eventually, I turned it into a library.
In my time off I try and get involved with all sorts of sports.
You have to love the job, you have to love sports.
I love to run, I play tennis.
We really make sure that we're fit enough to become role models, to be teachers and we
are fit enough to challenge all the staff.
We have Hamilton Island Outrigger Club and it's probably one of the main reasons why
Hamilton Island has really attracted me in all these years.
You know, when I was born, I was literally thrown a paddle in a canoe.
Since then, I've always loved the sport.
A lot of our outrigging paddling happens in the Lady Elliott and, really, at the end of
the day, once you've done 20k, everyone comes in exhausted and as a team effort, well
done.
A hangi is a traditional way of cooking from pretty much all of the Polynesian islands.
Sort of reminds me of what we used to do as a family back home in the Cook Islands.
It's something that I share with all our friends.
It's really spiritual for me.
In terms of identity, it's in the hard basket because I'm sort of stuck in a crossroad.
I'm Polynesian but infused with Australianism and it is my new home.
It is a country that I love and I'll be doing some more travelling but I will always come
back to Australia.