There are ‘no excuses’, this was the message from Dave Letele and Manu Vatuvei, who spoke with students yesterday. They told students the ‘only person who is stopping you from achieving is you.’

Former Rugby League star, Vatuvei, who was top scorer for the Warriors, played for the Kiwis and Tonga, had the world in front of him. However, after a career-ending injury and suffering from depression and addiction, he had a spectacular fall from grace and was imprisoned for drug importation.

Vatuvei believes prison and the support of former professional boxer Dave Letele saved him. In prison, he was forced to look at where he was and where he had come from. Letele, whose father was President of the Mongrel Mob, grew up around prisons and criminals; he had a tough upbringing. He began fighting to earn money and get fit. He lost over 100 kgs and started helping others in his community. He built up a movement,  ‘Butterbean Motivation- BBM (his nickname), and has worked tirelessly to help others. On a visit to prison, where he was giving a speech, he saw Vatuvei, whom he had fought, and offered to help him. Vatuvei now works with BBM and tells his story to help others.

Their messages for those who need to make changes in their lives or who are chasing sporting success:

1- Just start.

2- Stay consistent. What do you do if you get knocked down? You get back up.

3- Surround yourself with good and genuine people.

4-No excuses

5- Know your ‘why’.

Dave Letele strongly believes that if you can help others, you should. He certainly has helped many hundreds of people over the last 10 years or more. 

Thank you, Manu and Dave for taking the time to show us that, given the right attitude and the right support, anyone from any background can succeed.