Port star, Esava Ratugolea’s nana Kiti Dabulaca cries when she sees her grandson far from his home in SA
A Port Adelaide star has thrived since moving over from Geelong, but it’s been a much tougher time for his beloved nana back in their Victorian home town.
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Port Adelaide star Esava Ratugolea has thrived since moving over from Geelong this year, but it’s been a much tougher time for his beloved nana back in their Victorian home town of Cobram.
Adelaide is a long way from the peaceful Murray River community, – about 750 kilometres, in fact – and the tyranny of distance has hit hard for Kiti Dabulaca, 72.
Kiti, beloved nana of Esava, his two brothers and two sisters, desperately misses the young man who lived with her for much of his childhood.
As proud as she is of his achievements, Kiti’s eyes well with tears when she recalls the moment she learnt Esava was moving to Port Adelaide after six years with Geelong.
She’s only managed to get to one game at Adelaide Oval this year but watches every match on television or on her phone, cheering for her gentle giant of a grandson.
“It’s very hard for me because it’s really too far for me,” Kiti says as we chat in her modest Cobram home, wiping away her tears as she thinks about the distance that now separates them.
Esava’s dog Bear pants excitedly at the back door as we chat, and her living room wall is a shrine for Esava – adorned with pictures and newspaper articles about his rise to the AFL.
“I told him, Esava, I don’t like you to move to Adelaide. ‘Why not Nana,’ he said. ‘Because it’s too far from me – because you’re in my heart all the time’.”
Esava’s brother Peter says Kiti is the Power forward’s No.1 fan. Sometimes, if she’s using her phone to watch him play, she kisses the phone to express her love.
“I’m so proud of my grandson, my grandson is a good boy,” she says.
“I tell him all the time – I want the love. I tell him to love everyone, that’s the more you love and the more people love you. And the more you give, the more you get back in return.”
Esava, now 26, was born in Griffith, NSW, but the family of Fijian heritage moved to Cobram when he was 5. His first sporting love was soccer and he only took up football as a teenager, playing first with Yarroweyah before playing most of his junior football with the Cobram Tigers in the Murray Football League.
Most of his schooling was in Cobram but he caught the bus to the nearby Catholic college St Mary of the Angles in Nathalia for his final two years.
Matt Dimble is acting principal at St Mary of the Angels and taught Esava for six years, in both Cobram and Nathalia. Matt says Esava always possessed “freakish” athletic talent but also had a “heart of gold” and would go out of his way to help others.
“He always had a really, really kind streak in him,” Matt says. “He always looked after other people, and I think that comes from looking after his little brothers.”
Fellow former teacher John Nihill, who helped ferry Esava to games and training when he was playing for the Murray Bushrangers in the TAC Cup, agrees.
“He’s a very real gentle giant,” John says. “He’s a very gentle, sort of peaceful fella, but he had a pretty strong sense of social justice, too.”
The pair help herd a large group of students together for a group photo to show their support for the St Mary of the Angels graduate when The Advertiser visits. Most of them barrack for other AFL clubs, but are happy to throw their support behind Port Adelaide on the back of the Esava connection.
Mum Kelly Tinai, 47, now lives in Geelong with son Josh, 23, and daughters Kitty, 18, and Iva, 10. Josh’s twin brother Peter still lives in the Cobram area, playing footy for Barooga.
Peter says he has long been inspired by older brother’s athletic prowess but says he has also admired his humble, caring nature.
Kelly echoes these thoughts when asked to describe her son.
“He’s grown up to be a beautiful young man,” she says. “He has good nature. He looks after his siblings well. He’s got he is well mannered, is very respectful and listens to what I say. Just a lovely boy.”
Kelly shared Kiti’s reservation about the move to Port Adelaide, but has grown to love his new Power family.
“We didn’t know much about the club but I told him, ‘wherever you’re happy with, and if that’s what you want, we will support you’.
“The Port Adelaide family are so nice. It’s a family oriented club. Everyone is close. We love it.”
Speaking after Port Adelaide’s captain’s run at the SCG on Thursday, Esava tells The Advertiser the support of his nana while he was growing up played a massive role in his football success.
“She’s been everything for me. She’s been there every step of the way and supported me through my whole sporting career,” he says.
“Her, along with my family, are a massive reason why I’m here today – they mean everything to me.”
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