A SUNSHINE father and his seven children, who tragically lost their mother while she was crossing Furlong Road in June, have moved from Sunshine to Werribee for a new start in life.
Tevita Vaai has been calling Werribee his new home for the past month.
His seven children, including an eight-month-old son, are slowly settling into the lifestyle without their mother Veisinaia, who was 37 when a car hit her.
Hola, 11, was knocked down at the same time as her mother as they crossed the road outside Sunshine Hospital.
She has been in the Royal Children Hospital’s intensive care unit for three months, after being in a coma for a month.
It was a loud house last Thursday afternoon when Star came to visit.
The children, some watching television while others were in the kitchen helping prepare dinner, were going about their daily chores.
Mr Vaai said the new five-bedroom house was in a perfect location for his family.
His old weatherboard house, which had only two bedrooms, was too small for the family, Mr Vaai said.
Oldest daughter Poligni was playing with her youngest brother, who required constant attention, he said.
“I want to go back to work but I can’t because of the baby,” Mr Vaai said.
He has taken four months off from work to be able to look after his children.
It was a task that Mr Vaai was still learning to do. “It’s hard, very hard,” he said.
“I’ve got a bit of a problem because my wife used to do everything. She would pay the bills and take care of the house. I only went to work, watched TV and went to sleep,” he explained.
Every morning he gets up at 5.30am goes for a half-hour walk and then prepares breakfast for the children.
He later drives the children to school, cleans the house, prepares dinner and helps out with the children’s homework.
Hola, who cannot remember what had happened during the night of the accident, is still recovering and is not going to school.
“I watch TV, that’s all I do,” she said. “My friends live too far away.”
She is being helped by four different carers who each come in every day for seven hours.
Hola was told of her mother’s death while she was in hospital.
“I got all the kids together in the hospital room and we told her. She cried for a day,” Mr Vaai said.
Large speakers, with scattered CDs and headphones, were left in the living room. It was a hobby that Veisinia lived for, as she was a DJ at Tongan cultural events.
Mr Vaai said that every now and then he’d play with the DJ system his wife used and entertains his kids.
Weekends were the only time forwere socialising as friends and family would visit.
Poligni, who is finishing year 11, said the community’s support from the Deer Park Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was tremendous.
that was proven when more than 400 people attended Mrs Vaai’s funeral.
Mr Vaai said Werribee would feel more like home from next year when the children attended the local schools.
So far, getting to know the neighbours was a good start, he added.
