Mereoni Vuki

The epic story of Thunderstone called for a strong cast, particularly for the role of ARUSHKA - the natural leader of the NOMAD clan. ARUSHKA is a warrior girl, watchful and strong-willed. Throughout the series she becomes aware of her affinity with animals and her life becomes an almost holy mission to preserve them.

In casting for the part of ARUSHKA Producer Jonathan Shiff set a difficult task. The part called for a young actress with an array of talents including a strong acting ability, athleticism, a natural horse rider, exotic good looks and a love of all animals - even snakes, rats and lions!

The search for ARUSHKA was a mammoth task, auditions were not only held nationally but extended across the globe to London and New Zealand. After Casting Director, Jo Rippon had auditioned hundreds of young hopefuls a home video tape arrived in her office - that of Mereoni Vuki, a 16 year old Sydney girl with a Fijian/Australian background. When Vuki heard about the role through her agent, she promptly set about staging her own audition - mounted on a friends horse and giving the performance of a lifetime.

As they say, the rest is history! Vuki, a singer, dancer and choreographer had little television experience but proved to have a natural talent. "She is new to the industry but has really fallen on her feet" says Shiff "she's a very physical actress and a very adept performer, she's really found an inner strength that is very evident when she plays ARUSHKA."

Throughout the series, Vuki worked with a variety of animals on a day to day basis. Some were film trained, some tamed and others almost wild - roaming wildlife parks. "The animals have been great, we've worked with zebras, giraffes, kangaroos, koalas, elephants - the whole show basically revolves around animals - it's been great fun" says Vuki.