Lorraine and Bob Bing aren’t your normal tourists who head to Fiji regularly for a holiday. They are normally there for a good will mission and recently they partnered with the Titans in their ongoing quest.
The Bings have been visiting Fiji for 28 years and felt so many of those living in villages, many of who worked in the resorts, so decided to do something for them. They came home with just the clothes they were wearing and their empty suitcases after donating everything else to the village people next to their resort.
And kept going back to help some more, taking at least two suitcases of clothes or other ‘luxuries’ and giving them to mostly children but also their parents.
On their most recent visit, and they now go there three times a year, they took with them 70 unused older children’s sized playing jerseys from the Titans and handed them out at a village near Nadir.
“The Titans were good enough to give sis 70 jerseys and went into a village that had hardly anything and they were just so appreciative,” said Lorraine.
“It is an underprivileged country and the staff who are so happy and helpful in the resorts are doing it hard at a wage of $2.50 an hour with cost of living quite high to buy clothes and any luxuries.
“We said we have a gift here courtesy of the Titans and could you get kids to line up after school. Went back at 3pm and we couldn’t believe how many children were there, but we said those who didn’t get a jersey would get posters.
“They were so happy, it brought tears to my ears and the parents were so thankful, they said the kids played footy all afternoon and night and thought they were little Titans.”
Bob and Lorraine dropped in to thank the Titans Renee Cohen for her contribution and while there met several of the players who were astounded at the couple’s regular visits and gesture.
So if you may travel to Fiji and see a group of children playing footy in Titans colours, think of the Bings and their annual crusades to help those far less fortunate than us.
