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Josh Liavaa

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Name
  
Josh Liavaa


Died
  
July 14, 2014, Kahaluu, Honolulu County, Hawaii, Hawaii, United States

Tu'iono Siosiua "Josh" Liava'a (10 May 1948 – 13 July 2014) was a Tongan-born rugby league player who represented New Zealand in the 1975 World Cup.

Contents

Playing career

A Northcote Tigers player in the Auckland Rugby League competition, Liava'a played for Auckland and in 1975 was picked in the New Zealand Kiwis squad for the 1975 World Cup.

In 1977 Liava'a played for New Zealand Māori in the Pacific Cup.

Personal life

Liava'a was a member of the New Zealand Police and later ran a nightclub in Sydney.

Liava'a was married several times, including to:

  • Princess Siuilikutapu of Tonga, a niece of Tongan monarch Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV; they married in November 1969. The king was reportedly furious and lured the princess back to Tonga, where she was kept under palace arrest. The marriage was annulled by royal decree.
  • Levaai Nancy Wolfgramm, a cousin of the Olympic silver medallist boxer Paea Wolfgramm. The couple married in 1971.
  • In the 1980s Liava'a reportedly had an affair with Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV's only daughter, Princess Pilolevu Tuita.

    He died from a gunshot in Hawaii on 13 July 2014.

    References

    Josh Liavaa Wikipedia