Nadene Lomu, wife of the Legendary Jonah Lomu, continues to work on the projects she and Jonah were developing together prior to his untimely passing.
"As my promise to Jonah, I am determined to continue working on the dreams Jonah and I had to build on his phenomenal legacy, to help inspire our future generations.”
“Through various Jonah Lomu Scholarships as well as individual and team sponsorships throughout New Zealand and internationally, I have been able to assist in helping others move a few steps closer to achieving their dreams and being able to participate in something they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to.
Dealing with my grief and that of our boys, has been more than difficult but through Jonah's JL11 clothing brand, I have been able to continue helping others by giving them a piece of Jonah, in a sense. I know Jonah has and continues to inspire many not only here in New Zealand but around the world too.
When you put on your special piece of Jonah’s JL11 Collection, it's so much more than a t-shirt, a jersey, a cap or even a hoodie, it’s a reminder of believing in yourself and taking the chance to chase your dreams and never giving up, just like Jonah.
Jonah would often tell me that when he was younger, he would say to himself, "When no one else believes in you, you have to believe in you".
Jonah has left a phenomenal imprint globally. In Nadene’s words, “It’s pretty special having people from the teams I’ve sponsored, to Super Rugby players, All Blacks and even athletes in the fight sports, tell me it’s an honour to wear their Jonah gears and how much they love the clothing”.
“Nowhere outside of New Zealand did Jonah leave a bigger impact than in Hong Kong, where he continues to maintain Legendary status. Not only did he play in HK but visited the HK Sevens many times as an ambassador, which always created the ‘Pied Piper’ effect of how many people, particularly children, who wanted autographs and photos with him, for which he was always so accommodating. Jonah was always happy to be in HK bringing Nadene too, which we considered to be a second home for him. We all miss him but his spirit will always live on in HK.” said former HKRU Chairman Trevor Gregory.
Jonah’s special relationship with Counties Rugby is also recognised by the selection of two Counties recipients annually for the Jonah Lomu Scholarship.
Vice Captain Veveni Lasaqa of the NZ Fijian School Boys team of 2020 who were sponsored to play at the World School Rugby 7's tournament said “As vice captain of this year's NZ Fiji babas for me personally I would like to thank you for sponsoring us for this year's NZ Fiji babas team, it was a privilege and the boys were more than grateful for your support. Without it none of this would have happened.”
To celebrate Jonah’s birthday this year, Nadene and the boys are launching a new scholarship at Rotorua Boys’ High School with Chris Grinter, who was Jonah’s mentor when he was at school. Nadene will be involved in selecting the recipients of the scholarship, which will enable sporting opportunities for school students from year 11.
“Working with Jonah Lomu during his high school years has been one of the highlights of my career in education. I am therefore honoured to have been asked by Nadene Lomu to continue my special connection with Jonah through this scholarship.” Chris Grinter said.
Nadene also says, “Jonah loved music. Many people don’t know he particularly enjoyed programming music selections for an online music radio station.
When Raymond Bishop from the MGN-My Greatest Now Band approached me asking if his band could produce a song to honour Jonah’s life, ‘Jonah - Nothing Is Impossible,’ especially inspired by Jonah, I suggested Jonah’s birthday, May 12 would be a good time to launch the song worldwide.
I feel this is a great way to share his inspiration, especially with the challenges we all face daily.
All music lovers will know what I mean that when you listen to the song, you need to turn up the volume to a Jonah volume loud, the louder the better and you can't help but feel moved and uplifted. Everyone will have their own feelings when they listen to the song but for me it brings out many emotions, even ones where I feel I can take on the world......”
“The song and Jonah’s JL 11 clothing collection, are two ways we can contribute to helping others to not only chase their dreams but to believe in themselves and to be the best they can be. Something that has always been close to both Jonah’s and my Hearts, something I will continue to instil in our boys Brayley and Dhyreille” Nadene said.
To download the song, please go to Spotify or iTunes and enjoy.
For all other information regarding scholarships, sponsorships, and merchandise, please contact Nadene Lomu.