Shattered and still reeling from shock. That is how Tevita Seru described his family’s state of emotion upon receiving the devastating news that his 21-year-old niece, Nunia Kurualeba, had passed away.
Nunia, who hailed from Kadavu, was tragically killed in an alleged domestic violence incident in her apartment at Kingswood, Western Sydney, Australia, on Monday afternoon. She had traveled to Australia last year on a student visa to study finance.
Just last month, Nunia visited her family during a break. However, on Monday, they were faced with the heart-wrenching news of her passing. According to 9NEWS, Nunia was found dead with two stab wounds to her chest after police responded to a call at the Great Western Highway in Kingswood around 1:40 pm (Sydney time) on Monday.
Nunia’s partner, Jeremaia Tuwai, 21, has been arrested, charged, and was denied bail by the Penrith Court in Sydney yesterday.
In 2016, Nunia was featured in an article headlined ‘I Want to Be an Officer Like My Father,’ where, as a 14-year-old, she spoke fondly of her late father during the Fiji Police Force Remembrance Day Commemoration in Lautoka. Nunia, the eldest of three siblings, attended the Remembrance Day to honor the sacrifices of her father, Police Constable Viliame Kurualeba, who had passed away after an illness in January 2016.
Eight years later, in a foreign land, Nunia met her untimely fate.
Speaking from Kadavu, Tevita Seru, Nunia’s Tata Levu (Uncle), described his niece: “Nunia was special to us for many reasons, one of which is that she was named after my mother. She is the eldest of three girls and attended Nadi Airport, Adi Cakobau, Vunisea Secondary, and Suva Christian School before continuing her education at a school in Ba.
“I am older than Nunia’s dad, and she was very close to me and my family, as she was under my care for most of her secondary school years after her father passed on. She grew up in my house, living with us during her high school years, so it’s really hard for us to accept the news of her passing. It is really hard for us to even think about it.
“She is in Australia with her younger sister while her mother is in the United States. The youngest sibling is here in the west with her aunt. Nunia was always conservative; she would never really share with us what she was going through.”
Amidst the profound sorrow, Mr. Seru said they would cling to cherished memories of Nunia, her infectious laughter, and her dreams for a bright future that will now remain unfulfilled.