The 19-year-old starred for local club Waterside Karori in the Capital Premier League last year and made quite an impact under the guidance of coach Ian Porteous, who once played for the great Sir Alex Ferguson at Scottish outfit Aberdeen.
Bruce Duncan, assistant to Porteous at Waterside Karori, came to Vanuatu at the end of September for a holiday with his family and took time out to catch up with the club’s former protege.
Duncan says Kaltack conducted himself well on both a footballing and personal level and that those associated with Waterside were all very pleased with his contribution.
“He made an immediate and lasting impression with the club and the Wellington football community,” he says.
“He stood out for his athletic abilities and high level of technical skills, as well as his decision making and composure on the ball. He was also a gentleman both on and off the field. We believe Brian and the club were both rewarded through the experience.”
Kaltack headed to New Zealand in May of last year in a bid to hone his craft and made such as impact that he was noticed by Wellington Phoenix and All Whites coach Ricki Herbert, who invited the centre back to train with the Phoenix, New Zealand’s representatives in the Australian A-League.
His three-month stint with the Phoenix was made possible by OFC, who provided NZ $15,000 to cover Kaltack’s accommodation, meals, transport and other living costs. While he was not an official member of the playing squad, the talented teen was immersed completely into the Phoenix environment and trained every day with the club’s professional players.
Now lining up for Erakor Golden Star in his native Port Vila, Kaltack appears to have learned much from his Kiwi sojourn and, despite his tender years, captained his country to a 5-0 win over Samoa at the OFC Nations Cup in June.
Duncan, who was making his first visit to Vanuatu, is keen for Waterside to further foster its relationship with the football-mad nation and feels there are likely to be many more players of Kaltack’s quality on the production line.
“I have been very impressed with the combination of the high level of natural skills and atheltic abilities of the Vanuatu players,” he says.
“Waterside Karori can not only give the potential players a profile and opportunities in New Zealand, we believe we can help give them the all-round life skills required to be a professional footballer.”
For more on Vanuatu football go to www.vanuafoot.vu

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