Son lives dad’s legacy

By PETER SEVARA Jr.
WHEN someone dear passes on in life, a sense of nostalgia fills us when we see or hear things that relate to their memories.
When Olivia Keviame Korua heard her younger sibling, Josiah was selected to play for the Mendi Whites, tears filled her eyes.
She rounded up her two boys and a few of their possessions, got on a land-cruiser and made the long trip from Mul-Baiyer where she lives with her husband Lesley Korua to Mendi to watch her small brother play his first game.
Olivia and Josiah are the children of the late Joseph Keviame, the former PNG Rugby Football League chairman before John Numapo took over in 1996.
Keviame was very passionate about rugby league and spent a good part of his life promoting the game particularly in its administration both at the national and international level. 
Josiah was only six years old when his father died on October 16 2001, at 9:30am at the Townsville General Hospital.
It was then that former Mendi Open MP and Mendi Muruks chairman, Pastor Isaac Joseph officially re-named the Tente oval as the Joe Keviame oval.
Keviame built the field and the grass growing there now was brought over by him from New Zealand. Pr Joseph, with the assistance of former Southern Highlands Governor, Anderson Agiru, contributed K2 million towards fencing and building of the oval.
The 20-year-old Josiah has now been named in the PRK Mendi Muruks team for the 2014 Digicel Cup and is determined to impress.
“I am so psyched up” Josiah said. “I just can’t wait for the season to start. It will be an honor to perform in front of the home crowd at the oval named after my father,” he said.
The PRK Mendi Muruks team will gather today at the Keviame Oval for training.