Opening Pathways Through the Suli Niulala Memorial Scholarship

At the end of 2022, the School community lost a unique and much-beloved Junior School teacher, Mr Suli Niulala (13/10/1968 to 27/11/2022), known to all in our community as Suli.

Suli had worked at Trinity for nearly sixteen years. Of Tongan heritage, he was characterised by both gentleness and strength, as well as heart-warmingly authentic Christian faith. In addition to his work in the classroom, Suli coached rugby, led Bible studies, and demonstrated an extraordinary gift of encouragement. Accompanied by his guitar, he led the boys in singing, taught them a haka, prayed with them before and after rugby matches, and he provided a powerful role model of masculinity.

As a teenager, Suli was awarded a scholarship to an excellent school, providing him with an opportunity to gain a transformative education, proceeding to university, and then to his vocation as a teacher. His life story speaks of the power of a scholarship to bridge gaps and open possibilities for the future.

The Suli Niulala Memorial Scholarship was established in 2024 to provide a means tested Foundation Scholarship to an Indigenous or Pacific Island boy, who has the potential to make the most of a Trinity education, with key criteria for consideration including matters that were close to Suli's heart: connection to traditional culture, rugby, and Christian faith.