Marebu and Lara

Marebu has played competitive volleyball and officiated in table tennis for Kiribati, as well as captained the Kiribati national volleyball team at the 2016 Oceania Volleyball tournament in Fiji. She also has held leadership roles with Girl Guides and been the Secretary of Kiribati’s National Volleyball Federation and Treasurer of Kiribati Women in Sports. On behalf of the Kiribati National Olympic Committee, Marebu teaches the importance of positive thinking, healthy lifestyle, gender equality and respect for the Oceania Sports Education Program.

Marebu plans to use her sports and teaching experiences to guide her community towards a healthier future. This includes addressing cultural restrictions that prevent married women from participating in recreational activities, promoting healthy living and exercise amongst women, and advocating for women to have equal opportunities to compete in international sports.

Lara was a member of the Australian Swimming Team for over 10 years. She participated in Australian youth teams through to the elite level and represented Australia at the 2008 Olympic Games - winning a gold medal for the 4×200 Freestyle Relay - as well as at the Short and Long Course World Championships.

Since the Olympics, Lara has transferred her passion for sport, wellbeing and performance to other arenas. She now uses sport as a community development tool, to inspire and engage people from various cultural backgrounds and life experiences, including from cosmopolitan and urban to remote indigenous settings. Her objective is to encourage communities to lead healthier and more connected lives.

She has been a role model, spokesperson and advocate for health promotion and community development initiatives that are focused on homelessness, water skills and water safety, youth mental health, and healthy lifestyles.