Hundreds turn out for funeral of Kumul star

By ISAAC LIRI
KUMUL star Kato Ottio was given a fitting send-off with over 2000 attending the funeral on Friday at the Sir John Guise Stadium Indoor Complex in Port Moresby.
Family, friends, fans, SP Hunters and Kumuls players as well as Lands and Physical Planning Minister Justin Tkatchenko, a former sports minister, and Sports Vice-Minister Wesley Raminai, as well as PNGRFL executives were in attendance to pay their respect to the 23-year-old who died earlier in the week after collapsing during a training run last Sunday.
People started arriving as early as 8am and by the time the body arrived just after 10am, the venue was packed to capacity.
People from all walks of life were united in grief as the viewing of the casket lasted for over an hour.
“It’s absolutely overwhelming to see the turn out this morning for this young man,” Tkatchenko said.
“It’s shows that he had an impact on your lives and many others who couldn’t be here today. We are here celebrating his life, celebrating what he did in a short period of time.
“It is truly amazing what this young man did in a short period of time to get to where he was, imagine what he would have done if he was still here with us.
“We celebrate his life and we make sure his death is not in vain, and make sure that what happen to him doesn’t happen to anybody else.
“I knew him as a gentleman, the times that I met him as sports minister from the Pacific Games through to him being a member of the PNG Hunters and the PNG Kumuls, he was truly a wonderful man and he is someone we can take an example of.
“You just have to look on Facebook and social media, every second post is of him with someone he probably didn’t know after the game or at a restaurant or on the street or in the village in his spare time.
“He was very popular and a gentleman to all, and that just shows you the character of this young man.
“He not only affected PNG but he also affected the whole rugby league world, look at the touching tributes that have come from all over from his fans, former teammates from the Canberra Raiders who had a ceremony just for him and which was covered throughout Australia.
“He showed us how rugby league in PNG has taken a huge step forward over the last five years, because he was a product of what we set out to do in 2012.
“I thank the PNG Rugby Football League, coach Michael Marum and all the PNG Hunters and all the PNG Kumuls and everybody involved in rugby league.
“Kato was a product of our aim and objective, and that was to take rugby league to the next level and he was a shining example of what could be achieved from just being a player from a dusty oval to representing us at a World Cup.
“I was very touched when his brother (Ahulo Ottio Jr) said that he wanted to represent PNG in front of all his people and turned down an offer to join St George Illawarra in the NRL, that’s are big thing and that just shows us how much he loves us and the country.
“We must never forget how he came to be and what he has done, he will always be remembered as a champion in volleyball where he started, and then a PNG Hunter and then to represent our country as a PNG Kumul.
“He could have been a super star in England, and who knows what he could have been in years to come, so to everyone whom he inspired, just remember the name Kato Ottio.
“To the family, you produced a wonderful son to all of us,” Tkatchenko said.
The body will be taken to Tatana this afternoon and a funeral service will take place tomorrow at 10am before the burial at midday.