Given up by his parents, forced to flee from coups in the Solomon Islands and Fiji, and landing in Australia as a refugee, this is the untold story of Samu Kerevi.
In another life, Kerevi – the destructive Wallaby who will pull on the gold jersey again at the Tokyo Olympics – would have ended up in jail like several members of his father’s family.
“They had a really tough upbringing,” Kerevi says.
“Those street kids, it was really tough for them, and they didn’t go down the right path. They’ve all been to jail. One of my cousins is in jail now, and has been for 14 years, and I grew up with him.”
Were it not for his late mother Salaseini, who believed her son would be better off leaving with his grandparents and escaping the “rough” upbringing destined ahead, Kerevi could well have followed the path of his cousins and ended up in prison.
His mother’s love…
