SOLOMON Islands National Institute of Sport (SINIS) Staff bid farewell to Executive Director (ED) Aaron Alsop and his family.
After five tremendous years of supporting sport development in Solomon Islands reaching a historical milestone in medal tally for the country during the recent XVII Pacific Games, the architect behind SINIS and its programs Mr Aaron Alsop left the country yesterday Monday.
A farewell party held at the High-Performance Centre last week Friday saw SINIS Staff bidding farewell to the legend and his family.
Speaking during the farewell party, Alsop made it clear that his dedication for Solomon Islands in the last five years has been without any regret.
“SINIS, the people, our athletes and coaches matters so much to me, I have dedicated my life to this for the last five years without any regret,” said Alsop.
In sharing, Mr Alsop said when he first came to Solomon Islands with his family in 2018, he had no idea on what he was walking into.
“But I knew the circumstances around how I got invited to come, that particular first visit was beyond luck and beyond chance, I knew it was meant to be,” said Alsop.
“That first couple of meetings, I transparently had so many people telling me to not come because it is tough, it needs a lot of work. But challenge never deters me, I am not scared by challenge, not because of ego but because I believe that if we find the right people then we can change, change for the people that we are going to serve.
“And that initial visit set the stone for us for what we have been able to do for the last five years. It is incredible to think how time quickly flies.
“Even when I leave I am still connected to this place, it is not because of what we did but because I have people here that I care about. And, I want to see you [Staff] thrive in your careers. I have sacrificed my life and my energy to ensure that at times I can be a friend, colleague or a mate, just to help you, and I do not have any regrets of any of that.
“I acknowledge and I am mature enough to know that I have not done everything perfect, that I am not the perfect leader or perfect person, I know I have said things that hurt, and I ask that you forgive me for that. I also ask that you forgive me for the times perhaps that I did not give you much attention, or support that you needed, no excuse for that, it is just challenging being a leader. Sometimes I feel very lonely and distant, but I have never lost my love and passion for what we are doing here.
“I am grateful that I have the right people surrounding me to keep on pushing through. I am incredibly proud of each and every one of you [SINIS Staff] for what you have done, I know that we pushed each other to get the best out of each other, I am so grateful for the opportunity, it has been an absolute privilege. I am incredibly humble to have the opportunity to come and support your country and to establish something as to what we have done, it is hard to comprehend. And it is a story that I hope all of you will remember.
“I remember coming to this block of land [SINIS] and seeing the vision of what we can do, and every time I thought of the building, I thought about the people in the building. I have become a better person for the people that I have met here. It has changed me, it has grown me, I am thankful for the challenges, I am thankful for everything that you guys have done, I am so proud that we did it together.”
Aaron Alsop add that this is just the first chapter for many chapters to come.
“And, I really look forward to hearing and seeing opportunities for those of you [Staff] engaged in the next cycle and process about how SINIS will continue to support Solomon Islands. You should be incredibly proud of what you guys have done,” said Alsop.
“I thank you again for welcoming me and accommodating us [his family] to be part of the team, I am very excited about the next phase, you take the lead, just reach out to whatever you need I can support you with. You are amazing people, so grateful for this opportunity, but it does not have to come to an end, I believe that it is time that we move on for you Solomon Islanders to take the lead of something that is yours. “Thank you for everything that you have done for me and my family, it has been a really amazing time, I am so lucky, so grateful, so privileged, thank you for all your love and respect, your loyalty, dedication, I really appreciate it. The greatest gift that we have is our relationship and love for each other, and I will never forget that, thank you so much.”
