Meet Agapito Muawalu from Labasa

IN 1975, Agapito Muawalu was involved in a hit and run accident while returning from school one afternoon.
A Class Two student of Holy Family Primary School, Agapito, who is crippled and blind as a result of the accident, cannot remember that tragic day in Labasa Town.
But he sure does know Catholic hymns as he was happily singing praises when we arrived at his home at Soasoa, outside Labasa Town.
He can recognise people from their voices, which was what happened when we arrived with community worker, Selina Lee Wah.
On hearing her greetings, he yelled with excitement: "Selina".
Agapito is 40-years-old and has been living with his 68-year-old mother, Valavia Ranadi, who is unemployed but is the sole bread winner in the home.
"I go fishing whenever I can because there is no one else here to provide our food or pay for our bills, Mrs Ranadi said.
"At times I go to the plantation while Agapito remains at home, usually in his bedroom singing hymns."
Since the accident, she has looked after her son in their two bedroom home that has no proper toilet and bathroom facilities.
"But I have managed. I thank God for giving me the strength to look after my son and help me move him around the house to have his meals or to have his bath," Mrs Ranadi said.
"After he was discharged from hospital, Agapito could still walk and run around and play with his friends.
"He even returned to school in 1975 but it was not long after that we had to pull him out from school because he started to get fits in the classroom," his mum said.
She said Agapito stayed at home with her and after a few months, his legs could not move anymore.
Soon after he could not walk anymore.
"That was the beginning of his physical disability.
"Agapito has to stay inside the house most of the time because he can not run outside to play with his friends.
"It was touching to see my son at that young energetic age sitting inside the house and watching his friends. All I could see on his face was how much he wanted to join them."
His mother said at the time although Agapito was crippled he could still see things around him and whenever he could, he would help his mum cook, cut up vegetables and clean the house.
In the afternoons he helps his mum around the house but keeps a constant watch outside to see his friends playing rugby.
When he became crippled at the age of seven, his mum started to carry him to the toilet and bathroom.
"I would carry him to the toilet day and night and to the bathroom to bath him.
"At that time it was easy for me because he was younger and lighter.
"Now whenever I call him to come and eat, I have to carry him from behind but at the same time he helps me by lifting his backside off the floor using his hands," she said.
In 1990, Agapito lost his eye sight on a beautiful sunny day when he was in the dining room with his mother.
His mum, who clearly recalls the day, said they were sharing jokes and laughter at home.
"Then suddenly he just went quiet and said, 'mum, I can't see anything, it's all dark around me' and that's when I knew that he had lost his eyesight.
"I took him to the hospital but the doctors could not do anything because he had already lost his eyesight.
"But life has been the same and we have enjoyed one each other's company.
"It's difficult at times but for the sake of my son, I have to do it. I will not put him in any institution because it is my responsibility as a mother to look after my child."

Peniasi Yearns for a Miracle

PENIASI Serukalou dreams of seeing his children receive proper education and be something in life.
Mr Serukalou, 64, of Tailevu, is often seen on the streets of the capital city with his 13-year-old physically handicapped son begging for money.
His desire to spread the word of God led him to play the harmonica and sing hymns on the streets.
He says singing is the only way he can earn a living.
He spoke of how he injured his left arm when he was a boy.
"My condition deteriorated as I grew older and I was not able to do hard work," he said.
"After completing my primary school education at the Nabua Central Fijian School, I went to Bau Methodist School on Bau Island."
He said it was a Bible school and he was involved in singing hymns and spreading the word of God.
"When I was 16-years-old I was able to play the harmonica well and I became a choirmaster for my church," he said.
"Now I cannot sing that well so I earn my living by playing the harmonica and singing hymns for people.
"I cannot sing any other kind of song.
He has twins. His son, Keni Drakuidreketi is deaf and dumb and cannot move properly while his daughter, Rokomeiva Likuteiba goes to a school in Suva.
"My daughter stays with her aunt when she is studying," he said.
He said he sent his son to school but was not able to pay the fees and now he stays with him.
While he was talking, Keni was getting annoyed and Mr Serukalou said he did not want him to talk to anyone.
He has also worked at the Suva Wharf as an attendant.
"Before starting work at the wharf, I was staying in the village and used to work on the farm to earn a living," he said.
The money he now earns goes to his family's welfare and a little is also put aside for his daughter's school fees.
He has been doing this for the past six years and earns about $6 a day.
"I come to Suva two to three days a week and stay at my sister's place. In the day I come to the city to sing and collect money," he said.
His wife stays home in the village and is partly paralysed.
He prays for a miracle each day as he continues to do his best for his family.

Rugby's Forgotten Warriors

Former national sevens rugby forward Timoci Wainiqolo harbours a dream. It's the same one former Macuata representatives Viliame Gauna and Jone Dike have. It's to see the development of potential rugby stars on Vanua Levu. They've had their taste of mixing it with the big guns of the game, rode their wave and lapped up the limelight.
It's now about living a dream.
At the grassroots level, budding stars like Vuo hooker Liqorio Toma, and backrowers Nato Bulavakarua, Akuila Matawaqa and Suliano Kaivei share an enthusiasm that's inspired fans of the game in the northern town of Labasa.
They yearn for a taste of the big time.
For them, it's about living a different dream. One that involves a fair share of the rugby cake. It's about carving a name for themselves, churning a path through the stagnant waters of northern rugby.
Being named for trials to select the Macuata squad this year is just the first step of a dream that's entwined with that harboured by their former stars.
Sitting in the province of Macuata, in the north-eastern end of Vanua Levu, Labasa is caged in by three rivers, the Wailevu, Labasa and the Qawa.
The heat is almost unbearable. Humidity levels range on the high scale.
With a population of 24,187 at the last census in 1996, the town struggles economically.
But it's on the sporting field that dreams are realized.
It's when players like Toma, Nato, Puna and Suli build castles.
Their Eden Park is the second ground at Subrail Park.
A park where matches are held up when the ball has to be fetched in from over the corrugated iron fencing that cuts out Subrail Park, every time it's kicked for touch.
Big Jim believes there's heaps of talent in the north. It's a sentiment echoed by Bill and John.
"I think the first thing the FRU should try doing is open up a gym, even if it's a small one here," says Jim.
"We may have talented players here, but we lack size.
"If you talk about speed, flair and guts, we have that in abundance.
"I think we need to nurture these qualities, build on our strengths, improve our knowledge of the game and we should be right.
"I have noticed something here. Players are too lazy to do strength training. But then again, maybe it's to do with the fact that we do not have readily available weight training facilities in the north."
Bill, a centre in the Macuata sides of 1997 through to 2002 which played in the Major Union competition agrees with Jim.
"Apart from the weight training facilities, I think we need to develop the grassroots level," he says.
"Our players have the potential to develop in every aspect of the game.
"I feel we are just not been given the opportunity to realize our potential.
"I understand the level of competition required because I've gone through it. Unfortunately most of our players have not tasted that yet.
"Right now, I'd like to see more emphasis placed on the development of primary and secondary school level rugby.
"An idea would be for organisers of northern secondary schools rugby to try and lobby for a spot in the Deans Trophy competition quarter-finals like what their western counterparts have done.
"It would be an idea to have a competition here pitting the top sides from around the northern division with the winner traveling over to play in the quarter-finals in Suva.
"Then maybe we could move on to holding competitions in tiers starting from a colts grade through to the senior level, which we don not have now.
""I'd like to see more development work done by the FRU here in the north. I'd like to see more coaching clinics, a weights training facility and maybe more focus on our competition here in the north."
Para field
I chuckled to myself when I saw the ground the Vuo rugby side trained on. But this was followed by a sense of sadness.
The ground is situated just before you enter the village on the way to Malau.
It's the size of the 22m area on a normal rugby field.
As you look back towards Vunika, the ground is uneven towards the right, stretching towards paragrass on the left. So when the Vuo team trains in the afternoons, one part of the team stands on uneven ground while the other part stands in knee high paragrass.
At lineout time, the hooker throws in from the road end of the park which is the paragrass end.
The unavailability of a proper training ground fails to douse the enthusiasm in the Vuo side.
I watched with awe when they stretched Service to the wire in the challenge match the other Saturday before going down in an exciting finale to the local competition.
I watched the smaller Vuo scrum hold the bigger Service pack led by giants like Josaia Tadu and Pio Ratavo.
They rode on enthusiasm and adrenalin.
Development
"Whatever happens, I feel there needs to be more effort put into developing the game in the north," says John.
"It's imperative they do that. It'll be for the betterment of the game in the country."
I left Jim at the new courthouse right next to Macuata House. A giant of a man.
Bill retains the size that saw him terrorise midfield backs in his time and John now works at the FSC's Malau Bulk.
For Toma and his gang, the waiting game continues.
They will be at it again this weekend, hoping for a win to keep their hopes alive for a spot in the elimination rounds of the competition.
For them, the door has opened. They played their hearts out at Naodamu against Seaqaqa with hardly a soul watching while thousands either stayed home or went to the Post Fiji Stadium to watch Fiji draw with Australia A.
This week, it'll be business as usual, crowd or no crowd.
But they'll be keeping their fingers crossed hoping someone high up there decides to look their way.
If that doesn't happen, then they'll just be happy to continue playing the game they love, with enthusiasm and tonnes of passion.

Meet Mereseini Nabua

Imagine at the age of 90 one can still walk from Raiwaqa to the Suva market everyday to sell her produce.
It would take a lot of convincing to get people to believe this, but this is a fact and she has been doing it ever since 1971.
Meet Mereseini Nabua a long time resident of Raiwaqa.
One can only marvel on how this old lady is able to keep fit and able to walk every morning at 4am from her home to the Suva market.
Mereseini is the eldest of six children and to date she is the last surviving member of her siblings who were all brought up at Qoma Island but moved to Suva in her younger years.
Mereseini could easily be identified by those that make the city of Suva as their home because of her compassionate heart.
She would rather give her 65 cents fare in the afternoon to those who request for money and walk home.
She could clearly remember the first day she was given table at the market.
"I was told by the market officer that a table would be made available to me the very next day," Mereseini said.
"I was so happy that I could not sleep well that night thinking of how I was going to sell from the market and what produce to sell.
"In the morning around 4am I woke up and got ready for my first day in the market.
"I have been selling in the market since 1971, that was when the market was small and there were only five Fijian ladies that had tables selling all sorts of vegetable and root crops.
"I was one of them, at that time the market was much smaller than what it is today and prices of vegetables and root crops were cheap."
She said on the first day she walked from her Raiwaqa home to Centenary church to pray and thank the Lord for her life and that she could be given a table at the market.
"This has been my daily routine, I walk to Centenary church and say my thanksgiving prayers before heading down to the market to meet the middle men in front of the market gates," she said.
Mereseini said the only time she had stopped walking down to the market was during the coups that took place in the country.
"It was only when the military was along the road that I did not walk down to the city," she said.
Mereseini said her old age does not in anyway affect her day-to-day sales at the market.
"I can still see clearly and I make sure that I always give the right change to my customers," she said.
Mereseini said never in her 36-years of selling in the market had she received a complaint from a customer.
"It all depends on the produce that we sell, it should be good and edible and in that way one will always have their customers buying from them.
When asked what has been her secret to long life, Mereseini said she does not take butter and never takes any sugar or sugar-based products.
"When we eat the right kind of food especially the fresh one we will be strong and live long. I must say that nothing beats a pot of freshly boiled Fish, with it's soup," she said smilingly.
"Another thing that makes me healthy and fit is relying on the Lord's power to keep me going everyday. Everyday I thank the Lord in church and every Sunday I walk down to the Centenary (church) to attend morning service.
"The only time I miss church is when I'm sick," she said.
Mereseini encourages young people to serve the Lord and at the same time work hard in school so that they can secure bright futures.
I hope that our youths are able to appreciate whatever jobs they can find and commit themselves to it, because only then would they be able to prosper in life," she said.

True Son of the Land

The island of Moturiki. in the Lomaiviti Group, boasts of many things and two of them just happen to be great rugby players in the likes of Filimoni Bolavucu and tall Semisi Serevi.
Not only that, the island is known for its cultural significance and traditional methods of farming.
One such farmer who has proved his worth on the island is Jese Baledidrokadroka, 44, of Nasauvuki Village.
For Jese, farming has always been his passion and he would not dream of leaving his land for greener pastures as he believes he is already toiling on green gold.
He recalled that back in 1994, he was offered a chance to travel to the Unites States of America to pursue a degree in Christian principles but he declined as he had decided way before that, he was going to keep farming for a living.
"I made the ultimate sacrifice for me and my family and yes, I believe that this is God's calling for me so that I can farm and spread his word to my own village," he said.
"Through all the hardships that I faced when I began farming, I made sure that God was the head of my family and the source of my strength and that is why I am here today."
With so many acres of land to plant, Jese never wasted a minute as his principle in life is to use time wisely.
"I attended the Fiji Bible College in Buabua, Lautoka, and after settling down with my wife, I decided to move back into the village to farm for a living and to spread the gospel among my fellow villagers.
Thus his quest for food security began and the gruelling hours that he spent on his farm every day except for the Sabbath is a story on its own.
"Villagers here in Nasauvuki plant up in the hills and it takes sheer determination to climb those hills everyday. It is a 45-minutes walk from my home to work in the field.
"I have made it a point that I have my lunch up in the field and do not return until dusk as I have so much to do in and around the farm."
Jese plants a host of root crops, with yaqona being his main source of income.
"I make sure that I plant 60 yaqona plants and 20 dalo plants everyday. That has been inter-cropped with other root crops like cassava and vudi and a bit of green leafy vegetables.
"With the increase in demand for yaqona, I believe my farming commitment is going to achieve greater heights in the years to come," he said confidently.
Jese has an impressive dalo planting program but has decided not to sell it to the markets after several deals went wrong for him.
"I plant the tausala variety and sold it several times in Levuka but after the hiccups I had to go through, I decided against it and have been planting it for family use only," he said.
"But now we have been told of a market that has been secured for us by the extension officers of the ministry and this could be a great start to my dalo business once again."
The Ministry of Agriculture has decided that Jese's farm is to be a demonstration farm for other farmers on the island to learn from.
Senior agriculture officer Lomaiviti Aporosa Lalabalavu said the aim of the program was to keep Moturiki dalo pest free.

Brothers Kanaki headline Festival

MEXEM, the biting New Caledonian Kaneka reggae ragers who gave the world Edou, headline the Fete de la musique.
The group arrives early next Saturday for the climax of the annual French music festival in Sukuna Park, in Suva.
Edou is the brother Kanaki whom Lucky Dubes original band, The Slaves, did an album with during their South Pacific tour that included the French territory and Fiji.
Now, the young generation of the Drueulu tribe of Lifou Island, in New Caledonia, is resurrecting the group that has already released five CDs on which Edou features.
The seven-member group has just launched a new album, with Sese, a tune to listen out for.
Like our homegrown reggae groups Rootstrata and Exodus, Mexem has a cult following.
Their sound is very similar to that of Exodus, the pioneers of reggae in Fiji, and who are scheduled to play at 2.50pm in the festival climax.
That will see a day of music from 10am to 10pm when the food of love will flow freely in the capital city.
Over 30 bands and choirs last Thursday gave a taste of what to expect in a series of concerts held across the first city.
Appetisers this week will see pop and acoustic sounds fused with a touch of jazz take the stage from 6pm on Tuesday at Traps.
The nights main attraction will be ex-Rootsman William Hatchs Jeriko.
On Wednesday, it is the Defence Club where everything happens.
There Talei Burns joins guitarist Tom Mawi as the main act of the night.
All roads lead to Sukuna Park on Saturday where everyone who has appeared in the mid-week gigs get to jam.
With the fine weather in Suva, the Alliance Francaise, organisers of the show, expect Sukuna Park to be jam-packed.
The day will feature finalists of the talent, cultural items and the full-blown music styles of just about everyone who is active on the scene.
It is a way for the Alliance Francaise to keep close to the spirit of the annual music day in France, which is a free day of music where amateurs and professionals playing side by side and thus, the possibility to enjoy an entertaining concert and day of music is given to the people from all walks of life, including the underprivileged, said Alliance Francaise Fiji director Eric Galmard.
Launched in 1982, every June 21, in over 340 cities in 110 nations and counting, the Fete de la Musique brings peoples together.
In Fiji, this year festivities have been spread over a week-and-a-half to give as many people as possible a feel-good feeling.

The Man with the Keen Eye-Iqbal Jannif

HIS father worked his way up from being a shop assistant to a partner at F.W. Caine and Company.
Now, he is running the show.
Mohammad Ikbal Jannif, chief executive of the Caines Jannif Group, says his family came to be in the photography business through his father.
"My father was born in Levuka and came to Suva as a young boy of 10 years old," he said.
Mr Jannif said his father's uncle was working for F.W. Caine and Company.
It was through that family connection that Mr Caine offered his father a job at the shop.
He swept the floor, cleaned the windows and did all the small jobs around.
"My father was very hard working and through it, he became a partner with Mr Caine.
Then in the 1950s, he became the sole owner of the business."
He said Mr Caine started the business in 1904, which makes it more than 100 years old.
If it had not been for his first encounter with a fashion model in his early years for a photo shoot, Mr Jannif, who had been in the photography business from a very young age, would have continued as a fashion photographer.
He was a keen photographer from his early school years and used to love taking pictures.
He was very good with cameras which were being used by photographers in the 1960s.
"I started taking interest in photography during my days at Marist Brothers High School."
Recalling his days as a young photographer, Mr Jannif said his first assignment was to take pictures at a wedding.
"I can still remember.
"I couldn't drive then so I had to take a taxi.
"That was the days of large and very heavy 120-film cameras which took black and white pictures with each roll having 12 shots." He said with those cameras he had to change the film several times, especially at events such as a wedding ceremony.
"It wasn't simple as rewinding a 35mm camera.
"We had to take the roll of film out, shift the spool and insert another roll."
Mr Jannif said as he got used to handling the camera, it became easy to change film rolls and soon he was quite adept at it.
He could change a roll in less than 30 seconds but there were other experienced photographers who were able to change the film rolls in even lesser time.
Being a keen photographer from a young age, Mr Jannif took a break from his studies and spent some time taking photographs for post cards for Pacific Island countries such as American Samoa, Tonga and Western Samoa in 1967.
"The most exciting job I got was at the Regent Hotel when it was still new."
He said the assignment was to take photographs of a model for the Vogue magazine.
"After the assignment, I realised that I didn't want to be a fashion photographer.
"I just couldn't handle the temperament of the young lady (model)."
After he completed high school at Marist, Mr Jannif went to St Paul's College in New Zealand to complete his tertiary education and then to the University of Auckland.
He has been chief executive of the Caines Jannif Group since April 1985.
His interest in photography was at its peak during his young days and he said he loved to take photographs at tourist resorts for postcards.
"Slowly, it gave way as I became more desk-bound and now my wife is in charge of the photography section."
Mr Jannif said as much as he used to love photography, he doesn't really miss it but says there are times when he wishes he had a little more time in photography.
However, he said all that was in the past and people had to move on with their lives.
Mr Jannif said there have been a lot of changes in the area of photography with regards to improvement in technology but the changes have also brought some new opportunities such as the shift from black and white to colour films.
He said with the change in technology came the arrival of the more easy to use and manage 35mm camera with flash which attracted more people to engage in the photography industry.
With the advance in technology came the revolutions or changes in models by camera makers and they all made it so much easier to handle.
With the changes came the sizes and costs.
There are some cameras the size of a matchbox and some have large lens to capture everything in sight and not miss much.
From manual cameras to digital ones which changed films automatically, all were part of changes in time.
Mr Jannif said every change had two sides and the advancement in technology also had some disadvantages for the photography business.
"The shift to digital photography has a very major drawback and that is people are not retaining hard copies of images.
"Over the years, we have collected a huge number of black and white and colour negatives of images of events that we had covered.
"The negatives go back to the Caine library for collection.
"We have recent pictures such as that of the visit by Prince Charles, the University of the South Pacific graduation, Hibiscus festival and other events."
He said because Caines Jannif had kept negatives of events, they had helped to keep history on record.
"Today, with the digital cameras, pictures are taken and stored on computers, emailed and written on CD but no hard copies are kept.
"It makes me wonder what photographs of today will we be able to leave behind for the future generation.
"Where will the archives and museums get their images from of this period?"
Mr Jannif said there were a lot of young people and old photographers who were interested in photography.
"These days, the challenges in the photography business is not the same as what we had.
"Every glitch in photography can be fixed through the use of a computer while in the old days, none of this was available," he said.
He said photographers should try to make the best of the technological advances in the field of photography but they should keep in mind to keep hard copies of their images for the future generations.
They are history.
As of the man, Mr Jannif, many people remember him as the man with the beard and his camera taking pictures at parties, functions and sporting events.
Where you see him, the next thing you will see is the flash from his camera.
At one time, Mr Jannif was the best photographer in the country but with technology came the new generation of cameramen who had to learn the art with sophisticated, state-of-the-art equipment capable of catching speed of light.
But Mr Jannif is from the old school where pictures were as original as can be.
Some of the things not many people know about Ikbal Jannif
His favourite food:
Nothing in particular.
Drink:
I dont drink alcohol. I drink water, Soda Water if available, and kava.
Favourite quote:
I wasnt born yesterday.
That is what he normally tells his seven-year-old grandson, Nathan, when he tries to cover-up for his mistakes.
Books:
I read a lot and I like Jeffrey Archer, John Grisham. I like Archers As the Crow Flies and Grishams Rainmaker.
Hobbies:
I like playing with my grandson which, for me, is a great pastime.
Dislikes:
Dishonesty and hypocrisy.
Famous people he would like to meet:
I have visited Rome at an invitation from the Marist Brothers. I have been to the United States where I stayed with Billy Connelly, the comedian.
There is no one in particular I would like to meet in the world.
Motto in life:
Honesty, integrity and hard work.
Likes:
I like to spend my free time with my two good friends Malcolm Harrison and Frances Chung.
We share and have a lot in common.

Hard work pays for villager

JOAPE Soata left school at only 10 years old in Class Five but it did not stop him from achieving his goals in life.
The 62-year-old from Vacalea in the district of Nakasaleka in Kadavu is a businessman in his own right.
He owns a contracting business specialising in painting buildings and employs youths from Wainibuku, Nasinu, where he lives.
Just like the youths he is now employing, Joape said he knew it was never too late to try to do something worthwhile even without a good education.
"Things do not come easily in life. One has to walk the extra mile and work the extra hour to achieve and that was what I did.
"I did not let my educational shortcomings stand in the way when I looked for work," he said.
As a village boy, Joape said he knew how to use the natural resources around him and it was an advantage.
"I left the village to look for a job but because I was not well educated, I knew the chance of getting one was very slim, but I tried.
"At that time, I was in my early 20s and it just happened that I went to Levuka.
"It was in the old capital that I was able to find a job on the Japanese fishing boat Fuji Maru
"I told those in charge I was brought up in the village and was a good fisherman and I proved this to them and they hired me on the spot."
He said the boss and crew on the boat were all Japanese.
"There was only a few Fijians and we had to live, talk and eat Japanese every day.
"It was hard at first and I found the language barrier very hard to cope with.
"I did not even know English and to understand Japanese was out of the equation altogether."
Saying yes or no was all he could do and over the years he slowly adapted to their lifestyle. He started to learn everything they did on the boat and their language.
"This Japanese boat took me right to Japan where I spent about five months.
"During my time in Japan, I was recruited to work for a paint company. They were looking for men to work as painters for their company."
Joape knew it was the chance he had been waiting for and took it.
He said he learnt a great deal about the specifics of paints and paintings from Japanese experts.
Work was easy as he could now speak the language fluently.
After his stint in Japan, Joape decided to head back home and look for a wife.
"Where else can one find a better half than the village, so I went back to Kadavu to get a wife," he said.
Joape did not say if his wife was a sweetheart from his younger days but one can easily say he is committed and true to it.
"After we got married, I joined the Church of Latter Day Saints and then I decided to start a business and teach other people the things I leant in Japan.
"I recruited some men and started a painting business.
"Although business is not that good, it is better than doing nothing at all.
"With this business, I can support the education of three children, one whom is now working."
Apart from employing youths, the father-of-three also gives them advice just like any father.
"I always talk to the youths I recruit to commit themselves in whatever they do because they will be recognised for their work.
"Some workers have left to look for work in other companies but I am happy I am able to teach youths in my area something they know little or no knowledge of."
Joape believes his story will inspire other unemployed youths in villages to look for work, trust themselves and at the same time learn more.
Only they will benefit from it.

Cama cashes in on Balabala

THINK orchids and immediately you’d picture the balabala the dried black trunk of the tree fern that is made up of thin black stick-like things that are easily broken off.
Now why the link with the orchids?
Well, as most people probably know, the balabala is the plant on which orchids flourish best.
At Wainadoi, past Veisari, on the Queens Highway outside Suva, there’s a little shed from where Cama Vakaloloma sells balabala.
Well and good you may think but what Cama has done with these plants is cut them into shapes like the Fijian bure in a bid to make them bit more presentable.
He is in his 50s and hails from Moce, in Lau.
He worked 13 years for Leylands, in Naboro, before he succumbing to ill-health, which ended his employment there. Cama said he almost lost his life and during his recovery, he was confined to home.
He said the forest area behind his home had wild balabala galore so he decided to cut and sell them by the roadside.
It is a decision he never regretted as he can make up to $80 on a day.
But the best part about it all is that he didn’t even have to worry about growing and constantly nurturing the tree ferns, which thrive in damp areas.
Easy money that’s what he calls it.
And, it was a like a blessing in disguise because he couldn’t really do heavy or active work.
He said at first he started by selling the balabala in its natural shape before deciding to get creative and carve shapes out of it.
At first he would cut them into smaller cylindrical shapes but after a while, he started by cutting out designs on them using his cane knife.
Then he decided to carve bure and other shapes.
That creative decision brought its own rewards from one plant, he can cut and carve two or three items.
Cama says he started selling the balabala plants for $3 but that has since risen to $8-$9, depending on the size of the plant.
He laughed and said he decided to make it cheap because the plant grew naturally in abundance.
Most balabala buyers are florists or hoteliers.
As such, Cama says he is never short of buyers and makes quite a killing at the end of the day.
He said the balabala was rather funny because once you cut it down, it won’t grow there again.
And he was equally puzzled on how the balabala regenerated because it didn’t appear to have seeds.
Cama said at one time, a person bought all the uncut (and uncarved) plants that he had been selling –– so that in a space of a few minutes, he was $84 richer.
Yesterday, Cama was helped by his nephew, Vitale Varo, who hails from Navunikabi, in Namosi.
Vitale says the balabala plants are easy to get because they are light and were there for the taking.
He said he was only visiting his aunt and uncle and learnt about carving balabala from watching his uncle.
One balabala he had carved was in the shape of a burekalou and you can’t help but think of the burekalou at the Arts Village in Pacific Harbour when you see this particular balabala.
He says the road leads right to the forest and all that was needed to fetch the balabala was a cane knife and a sturdy wheelbarrow to transport it back home. He said they were never short of buyers and at night, they left the balabala in their stall. But no one has ever stolen the plants even though the stall is unattended at night.
And, just like his uncle Cama, he says carving shapes out of balabala doesn’t take that long to complete as his prized burekalou carving took him just a little more than an hour to complete.
Now don’t hesitate to stop by their stall, which is on the slope just before you reach Wainadoi Village (if you’re heading towards Navua and beyond), if you’re one for a touch of uniqueness in plants.

Tarun Writes his Own Tune

MUSIC is the fruit of love, when it is played, it heals the human soul, so sings Oyaba, a South African reggae group that once rocked Fiji.
That is exactly how one would describe Tarun Nandha's passion for Hindi music.
Tarun may not be known to many locals but this man's love has seen him reach places in the music world where we can only dream of going.
An accountant, it is no wonder Tarun finds satisfaction in listening and singing as he works with figures and on balance sheets.
"I was born and bred here in Fiji but today I live in Australia. I regularly come to Fiji because we have a firm operating here," he said.
"Singing has been a passion for me. I love to sing as well as writing my own lyrics and putting new tunes to them," he said.
Tarun attended school at Nadi Sangam Primary School before moving to Shri Vivekananda High School, today known as Swami Vivekananada College.
That was where Tarun's love for music started to develop.
"At school we were encouraged not only to excel in our academic work but to do well in areas like drama and singing.
"It was from school that the teachers realised I was good at writing my own lyrics and putting a tune to it, so they encouraged me," he said.
"The passion for singing has taken me to Bollywood where I get to see first-hand the music industry there.
"Not only that, I was able to help and even sang with Kalyanji Anandji," Tarun said.
Mr Anandji is one of the most respected songwriters in Bollywood.
"To be working alongside him was a great experience and an eye opener. I helped him on a few of his songs on the soundtrack for movies being done by Amitabh Bhachan.
"That, for me was an honour, to offer my services and to have my work recognised by some of the highest paid actors and actresses of Bollywood," Tarun said.
But Bollywood couldn't capture the attention of this Nadi man and he went back to Australia to continue his accounting studies until he graduated as an accountant. "Nevertheless, I still had that urge in me to write and sing songs," he said.
Despite his achievement in the academic field and success in the Hindi music industry in Australia, his mind is never far from Fiji.
"This was one reason why I was interested in composing a three track number for the movie Adhura Sapna.
"The movie was shot in Fiji, and when I was asked to compose the numbers, I knew straight away this was again a way of reconnecting to my Fiji links," he said.
"I was taken away by the movie trailer and I just couldn't wait to put down in words the emotions of the characters in the movie.
"The song Ho adhura kaysa yeh aapan was the title song of the movie and it became the number one hit on the local Hindi radio stations," he said.
Tarun said the song was one that described the emotions of actors and the struggle of bringing the nation together under one banner.
To compliment his lyrics in the song, Tarun used a military band as background music.
Tarun said the success of such local movies and music was a good sign for local producers.
"I believe there is potential in the local industry and Adhura Sapna showcases some very good talent who can match international standards given the resources," he said.
For now Tarun is looking forward to producing more soundtracks for locally-shot films.

Selina's Good Hearted Woman

Selina Leewah is the grandmother of Kevin and Maria Lee Wah,both live in Hamilton with their parents Aubrey and Stella. Selina sewed the uniforms of the Hamilton Fijian Youth Dance Group for their performance at the Auckland Pasifika Festival, when Selina was here in New Zealand on holiday. She is indeed a woman with a big heart! Vinaka Vakalevu Selina!

MENTION the name Selina Lee Wah to anyone in the friendly town of Labasa and the first thing they will say is her involvement in community work.
Originally of Labasa, Mrs Lee Wah is known not only in her hometown but in most areas in the Friendly North where she has contributed an act of kindness and love to.
For more than 20 years, Selina has been involved with community work.
Not only does she look after the disadvantaged members of society, she also helps civil societies and churches keep a clean financial record.
As a bank officer of the Australia New Zealand bank for 35 years since 1968, when it was the Bank of New Zealand, Mrs Lee Wah used her experience to balance financial accounts of various groups.
She does not charge fees for her work but believes it is part of her community work.
It is easy to see that Selina had a heart for the kind of work she does because she shed some tears when sharing her experience of visiting the disadvantaged in society.
"There was this family at Valebasoga and it was a discouraging sight because the couple has three children who are handicapped and mentally retarded," she said.
"When I first visited the family, I could not hold back my tears at the sight of the children having to live a deprived life.
"The family live in a home the size of a garage with baked cow dung on the floor and an open fire place outside. The only furniture they have is a three-quarter size bed and a food cupboard.
Mrs Lee Wah remembers very well the time she met the children's mother.
"When I arrived it was like a big thing for the family and I guess they did not have many visitors. I think people rarely visited them and having someone over at their place was a big thing for them and I felt that when I was at the home."
Another case she handled as a community worker was of a 60-year-old mother and her 38-year-old blind son.
"The mother is the only one who supports her son who lost his sight after a car accident about nine years ago.
"But the son has been paralysed for 20 years and they live in a dilapidated home with no proper sanitation.
"Despite such living conditions they accepted what life provided and seeing people still happy although they may be poor, encourages me a lot in my work."
Sighting an example, she said the mother of the paralysed man refused to put him in an institution where he could be taken care of.
"People have suggested that there man be taken to a proper home but she refused because she said it was her responsibility to look after her son because she would answer to God.
"That's the kind of attitude that also encourages me in my work because I know it is a genuine case and they deserve to be helped."
As part of her book-keeping job, Mrs Lee Wah has helped Catholic parishes in Vanua Levu such as Napuka, Rabi, Nabala, Vudibasoga, Dogotuki and Savarekareka.
This week she will hand over a power generator to the parish of Savarekareka for the Catholic seminarians in the area.
"It was a fundraising drive organised by a small group of mothers in Labasa parish and it's all part of community work."
Mrs Lee Wah said helping the needy people has been an enjoyable task as he has the full support of her husband, Sam Lee Wah whom she says is her pillar of strength.
Her job has also seen helping hand from the business people in Labasa.
"Assistance is great because they supply material for curtains and food for the people that I visit," she said.

Rana's baskets last a lifetime

SEEING the large cane baskets on sale at the ROC market yesterday was a reminder of the Melanesian Festival last year.
The cane baskets of Papua New Guinea native, Rana Sapu, were a popular attraction yesterday.
Rana has been living here for the past six years.
Her family relocated to Suva after her husband secured a job at the University of the South Pacific.
She manages the home and in her spare time indulges in craft work and a bit of gardening.
She says she did not have trouble adjusting to life in Fiji as it was similar to PNG.
"We have five kids and I don't work," she smiled.
"But I do some gardening I like flowers and have taken to planting cuttings, even some that have been thrown away by people," she said.
"For cuttings that have been discarded by others, I just plant them and keep tending them.
"I plant vegetables and herbs at home as well because the cost of vegetables in the market is quite expensive, especially the tomatoes."
But back to her PNG ware, Rana says the laundry baskets that are about a foot tall, are made from a kind of cane quite similar to bamboo.
And she says they are very strong, so strong in fact that they can easily outlive you, if you decided to buy one for your home.
"These baskets are strong and they last for many years," she says.
"Even your grandchildren will be able to use it if you buy one," she said.
That basically says a lot for the sturdiness of these baskets and it is probably be safe to say that money spent on one will be money well spent.
Now apart from the laundry baskets, there are smaller baskets or maybe we should call them trays that are for little bits and pieces around the home or the office, whichever suits your fancy.
Hanging in front of her stall were the woven bilum or bags that PNG is famous for as they are colourful and are handwoven.
"These are called bilum and are done through needlework," says Rana.
And although it may seem like the bags will take a little time to finish, Rana says otherwise.
"The bilum takes a long time to complete because the kula (woollen strands) had to be rolled out before you can use it to weave the bags."
She says in the process, the kula is rolled in such a way so that it can be knitted into a bag.
It is complicated process and not as easy or simple as it looks.
"It's easier for you to see what is being done rather than explaining."
The other kind of bilum she was selling were made out of a material that she said was similar to pandanus leaves or voivoi and these are very steady.
Rana says these bags or bilum are used by women in PNG to carry food to the plantations and farms and have even been used to carry babies.
So you can only imagine how long these bags can last probably as long as the laundry baskets.
Oh, and Rana doesn't really make these here as she gets them when she goes home for a visit but she does make the kula woven bags but yesterday she had the lone bag she had completed hanging up for sale and says she doesn't really have that much time to keep knitting them.
"They take a lot of time to make."
So during her visit home over Christmas last year, Rana brought back a few of her native wares and markets them whenever possible.
She has been a frequent face at the ROC Market over the last year and this year and says she loves coming there because she gets to meet a lot of people.
But this she does alone or with friends as her kids prefer to stay at home rather than accompany her to the market.

Yash leaving lasting impact

MOST people come into our lives as strangers and often leave as close friends.
Such friends are not easily erased from our lives.
This is the case for Yashuhiro Tanaka, of Yamanashi, in Japan.
He came to Fiji three months ago and today leaves for two months in New Zealand.
From there he flies to Australia before returning home next year.
Yash, as he prefers to be called, came and lived with my family for three months as a home-stay student.
He is one of the hundreds of Japanese students who come to the country to study English through the South Pacific Freebird in Japan.
When they arrive in Fiji, the Freebird Language Institute is there to make them feel at home.
They are put in home stays until they leave.
While in Fiji, they either go to the Freebird Schools in Namaka Public School, in Nadi, or the Lautoka Fijian School.
They go to school every day like any other student in Fiji, with weekends off.
For Yash, coming to Fiji was the first time he had left home.
Being in the middle of a family of three children, the only place he went apart from school was work at night as a security officer in a mall in Yamanashi.
He heard about Fiji while studying decided he wanted to come here to study English.
So for the 21-year-old who will be celebrating his next birthday on Tuesday, it was all about sacrifice.
He sold his car and spent his savings and arrived not knowing anything about Fiji.
From when he arrived, I knew it was going to be easy having him stay with us.
This is not the first time we have hosted a foreigner.
We have had Captain Roy Rodricks, from Singapore, stay in our home.
This gave my children Manchester and Abigail a chance to experience multi-culturalism from an early age.
They mingle with Mohammed Haroon, who drives us to town and other places most times.
But in this case, living with a foreigner and including him as part of us was an added bonus in my effort to teach my children to accept everyone as equal from when they are young.
When Yash came in March, Abigail had just turned three and she hardly knew English.
Three months later, she had improved her sentences just like her "older brother" Yash.
This was possible through the daily conversations they had.
Yash was supposed to call me Mama and my husband, Jo Papa. But when he asked the first time, I told him that I would be comfortable if he called us by our names.
I told him to see us as his older siblings and not his parents.
The first few weeks were different but not difficult.
We had to speak to him really slowly and clearly.
This was where some sign languages came in.
But as the days went by, everything fell into its right place.
He even know some Fijian words like moce, vinaka, bula re, kana, dabe.
Yash would go to school in the day and come back home in the afternoon where my sister Kini would have his afternoon tea ready.
And then the weekend was normal he would go to town with Kini and Emosi or join his friends for a field trip.
He quickly adapted to the lifestyle here. And, he said it was a home from away from home.
He even enjoyed his sleep something he hardly did in Japan as he had to go to school and work.
"I love Fiji, it's nice here," he said. "I will come back one day."
Although he was from Japan, he knew nothing about rugby.
But during his stay, he was exposed to the few International Rugby Board Sevens tournaments and how crazy the Fijians are when it came to those games.
That was when he realised sevens was the game in Fiji.
It is not easy farewelling somebody who has become part of our family but Yash is always welcome.

Francis cant stop Painting

FOR the 34 years that he has been painting, Francis Hussein feels his artistic skills has constantly improved. His real name is Abdul Rahiman Farooq Hussein but he is better known as Francis. Born in Nadi, Francis was raised in Suva, attending Dudley Primary School and Gospel High School.

He has always been a freelance artist and in 2000 he joined the Fiji Institute of Technology School of Arts, Culture and Design as a tutor-lecturer in visual arts.
Francis specialises in oil-based paintings on canvas and has lost count of the number of paintings he has done. He gets his inspiration from the things around him, especially the environment.

"I love painting things that concern the environment I just have to look outside and will immediately get the motivation I need for whatever piece I am working on," he said.
"Most of the paintings I have done have been sold overseas and the highest price was $1500," he said. That was a painting on the cement factory at Lami.

He has done quite a few historical pieces - on traditional Fijian village settings and piece on Rotuma piece that featured the natives and early French explorers. "In the years that I have been a freelance artist, there is one thing that I have been aiming for and that is for Fiji to have an art bank just like the banks that we have here, but this bank should store art pieces by local artists."

He lives at Sakoca, in Tacirua, outside Suva, and his wife is a garment factory worker.
They have three children two daughters and a son who are all married and have given them three granddaughters. Although life has been a struggle because his income is irregular, Francis has found ways to keep painting even as prices for materials rise and rise. "When I paint, I paint from my heart and the satisfaction gained from looking at the completed work is hard to describe," he said. "It's like hugging your children. The happiness and satisfaction you feel is something like that." Francis feels Fiji is only beginning to realise the beauty of art but for artists, although they may earn a lot of money from the sale of one painting, finding the market or a buyer is always the hardest part.

And of course, a little consistency goes a long way. "Finding an income as an artist in Fiji is quite hard," he said. And he should know all too well because he barely makes ends meet as sales are often far and few and at times, he has had to sell his pieces at prices lower than what it should fetch. While he has sold a substantial number of paintings, he has done a few for friends and family and for these, he left it to them to give him what they could from his paintings. "Fiji is just waking up to the art world and at times, I have had to compromise prices to sell my paintings," said Francis.

He is now 50, going on 51 and has been painting since he was a 17-year-old student in Suva. Not one to disclose too much about his family, he only says no one else had an artistic flare like him.
He did not know where he got his artistic intuition from as neither of his parents nor any of his siblings were artistically inclined. And none of his children take after him as well art wise, that is.
"Even though I am 50-years-old, I will continue painting until the life goes out of me," he laughs.
Francis proudly says most of his paintings that have sold have gone to the far ends of the earth to the United States of America and in a few countries in Europe. He said one of his students who bought a painting from him told him that his painting was now hanging in the Geneva Museum. In addition to all that, he says there are more than 10 of his pieces hanging at the Na Hina apartments on MacGregor Road, in Suva.

For now, he struggles to maintain his artistic skills and at times he walks from his home in Tacirua to parts of the capital city in a bid to find people to sponsor him by way of buying the materials with which he does his work. Although that task may seem daunting, he doesn't see it as such as the love of the art keeps driving him on.

But he hopes there will be galleries opened in Suva or in the country to showcase local art.
Most of all, he hopes to travel around Fiji as he feels he has seen and painted enough of Suva.

Ultimate Test for Teachers

TEACHING is also known as the most honourable profession in the world. It is given this prestigious title because teachers play the important role of moulding the characters and minds of our future generation.

Let's face it, without teaching, the very basic of items that we use in our daily lives, from the clothes we wear to the way our food is prepared would be completely different. So while we acknowledge the fact that teachers are very important members of society, how much do we truly know of the challenges they experience and the sacrifices they make to broaden the knowledge of our youngsters?

In Fiji, like any other country in the world, there are some students who really push teachers to the limit. But for our small Pacific island nation, the most challenging task our teachers have to cope with is fulfilling their responsibilities with very limited resources.

According to Sanaila Sumo, the vice principal of Navosa Central College, a great teacher is one who is able to excel in improving his or her students' knowledge with the least of resources. That is why Mr Sumo believes teaching in rural schools is the ultimate test for any educator wanting to excel in the profession.

Mr Sumo says trying to pursue a career in teaching far away from home and with very little resources puts all their skills and knowledge under the microscope as students' performance directly reflects the methods used by teachers. After joining the teaching profession 17 years ago, Mr Sumo got his first experience in teaching at schools like Dudley High in Toorak, Lami High School, Nasinu Secondary and Cathedral Secondary School.

However, in 1995, Mr Sumo was transferred to Navosa Central where he became head of the science department. Taking up the position in Navosa was an eye-opener after moving from a host of well-equipped urban schools to a rural committee-run school. Mr Sumo, who is originally from Batiri Village in Nadroga, said teaching in rural schools, presented a whole new set of challenges compared to those experienced in urban schools.

He said schools which were spread out over rural areas struggled to educate the young with meagre finance and facilities. Mr Sumo said compared to teachers in urban schools, rural educators were expected to lift the standard of education with insufficient resources and not much help from the Government. He said it was vital that the Government reviewed policies on education to ensure the plight of all rural schools was addressed.

"Since I came here in 1995, some government officials visited the school and made many promises to us. They once promised us the school would be transformed into a centre of excellence but there has been very little change over the past years because we do not have the resource and finance," he said. "There is a great need for the Government to look into the plight of rural schools in Fiji."

Even though Mr Sumo admitted it was very hard to settle down at first, he said the students and teaching staff have become part of his family. He said he was captivated by the genuine desire of students in the area to learn despite having very little to use.
"The students here may not be as bright and as well equipped as those in urban schools but they want to learn," he said. "They may have to be pushed at times but that is the whole point of teaching."

Mr Sumo said one aspect of teaching in Navosa that has made it really hard for him to leave was the respect and hospitality shown by the students and parents. He said with agriculture being the leading industry in the province, some parents did not place much emphasis on education.
However, he said working closely with parents and members of the community has shown some positive results and attitude toward education.

Mr Sumo said another fascinating aspect of teaching in Navosa was the way teachers developed very close relationships during the term at the school. He said there had been several instances where teachers came to Navosa and started their families. But Mr Sumo said it was very encouraging to see more new graduates opting to take up rural posts such as at Navosa Central.
He said the teaching staff at Navosa Central comprised mainly young graduate teachers in search of the ultimate test. He said their experience from a rural school would prepare them for anything in the teaching profession throughout the country.

The aspiring footballer who became a linguist

LIKE any other boy who grew up in England Dr Paul Geraghty had ambitions to be a footballer but he says they disappeared quickly when he discovered he had two left feet.
"I could have been a professional musician, and probably would have enjoyed doing that, if I hadn't been successful academically.

"I could have been a writer too, and my English teacher was very disappointed when I decided to specialise in French and German rather than English," said Dr Geraghty. He said he was the youngest editor of the Rugby School magazine and was probably the first person to edit writings by Salman Rushdie and AN Wilson, who were his contemporaries at Rugby and went on to become very successful in the literary world.

But he said he has no regrets because he has a job which he loves.
"I've been lucky in that I've always had a job I enjoy. I had a great time working for the government for many years at the Institute of Fijian Language and Culture because it gave me the opportunity to serve the people of Fiji in many ways," he said. "I've also been very happy in my six years at USP. My biggest disappointment is that I wasn't able to develop the institute as I would have liked." Reminiscing about his first time in Fiji, Dr Geraghty said he was practically a stranger when he was posted at Ratu Kadavulevu School.

"I was well looked after by the staff and students at RKS, and have very happy memories of the place, as well as Natovi where I was choirmaster at the time," he said. "During the school holidays, I followed up the invitations of some of the boys to visit their villages, and that's when I started doing research into the different Fijian languages."

Being a linguist naturally means he must be good at different languages and Dr Geraghty says he had picked a few languages during his studies. "I consider myself fluent in English, French and German, and of course many varieties of Fijian. I have more limited knowledge of some other languages, such as Irish, Dutch, Spanish, Russian, Rotuman, Fiji Hindi, Samoan, Tongan," he said. Besides being a lecturer at USP, he has published a number of books and papers on the Fijian language.

"My best known publications on Fijian are the History of the Fijian Languages and the Lonely Planet Fijian Phrase-book. I feel I still have a lot of work to do in the development of Fijian, and in publishing in Fijian," he said. "Basically I want to encourage Fijian speakers to be proud of their language and heritage, and to use it. There's no point saying you support your language and then refusing to use it. Also to persuade people (though thankfully not everyone needs persuading) that speaking Fijian (or Fiji Hindi for that matter) is not a sin against multi-culturalism.

"I subscribe to the view of the late Ratu Mara, that Fiji would be a very dull place not to mention dangerous if everyone was forced to speak the same language and act in the same way. Unfortunately, too many people think the only way forward is to copy the perceived monoculturalism of some of our neighbours."

Dr Geraghty is working in collaboration with Professor Patrick Nunn a lecturer in geography at USP on some exciting research in prehistory, with Dr Geraghty researching oral traditions and Prof Nunn the geomorphology. "We've come to the conclusion that a number of traditional stories of lost islands in Vanuatu, Solomons and Fiji are based on fact. In Fiji, we believe that stories of Davetalevu, a sacred land submerged to the south of Moturiki, are based on an actual event that a large island once existed there and collapsed, perhaps because of an earthquake, between 1200 and 1600 AD," he said.

"Similarly, legends of Burotukula, a disappearing island full of beautiful things from Matuku are the result of a real island called Burotu southwest of Matuku that had become very rich through trading red parrot feathers to Tonga and Samoa, collapsed over a thousand years ago.""Also interesting is that Patrick and I went to schools in England just ten miles away from each other although of course we didn't know each other then."

With his load of research and papers to write, Dr Geraghty says he hardly has any time to spare but when he does have the time, he loves to watch the football matches on television, running the streets occasionally, translating and composing. "I've composed and arranged a number of Catholic hymns and anthems. When I was at Cambridge I spent my summer holidays hitch-hiking around Ireland," he said.

Why he doesn't wear shoes

THE thing I found most interesting about Dr Paul Geraghty was the fact that he always went around without his shoes and this interview gave me the perfect opportunity to ask him why.
And I have a feeling most people who have seen him in the capital city or at the University of the South Pacific, must have the same question. Why does he still go about without his shoes?
He told me it was a long story but he would try to explain and keep it short.

"When I first came to Fiji as a teacher at RKS, I just followed what most kaivalagi were doing then, wearing sandals or flip-flops and (believe it or not) white knee socks," he said. "But with the rain and mud, I soon discovered that it was very difficult to stay clean traipsing over the grass from my quarters to the school buildings and back.

So he thought the best way to deal with the rain and muddy roads was to go barefoot.
"I'd try going bare-foot not, as a lot of people think, because it's the way Fijians used to go, but simply because it made sense," he said. He said he got used to it, and nothing since has persuaded him to do otherwise.

Being a professor at one of the largest and most prestigious universities in the South Pacific, people would have assumed he would not be comfortable meeting people without his shoes but Dr Geraghty says their comments don't faze him anymore. "Most people don't bother. I've only once heard a rude remark and that was from a rather large lady tourist from New Zealand," he said. "She stopped me in the botanical gardens in Suva and asked whether I knew I could get hookworm. I replied that I've never had hookworm, and in any case I'd rather have hookworm than get obesity.

But he says there are some people who do occasionally stop him in the street and ask him, usually very politely, why he doesn't wear shoes, and if he is in a hurry, the answer is "Au sa kaivalagi rawa tu" I'm already a European. "They usually then get the point that I'm implying that the only reason other people wear shoes is because they viavia kaivalagi which is a bit of an exaggeration, but there's a nugget of truth in there," he said.

"If I have more time, I usually turn the question back on them, 'Why do you wear shoes?', and they might answer 'To protect my feet and keep me healthy', to which I reply that I haven't worn shoes (in Fiji) for over twenty years and my feet are fine and strong, and I'm perfectly healthy." He said the main reason people wear shoes in Suva is simply because of veimurimuri (following the crowd) and madua (being ashamed not to), neither of which is to him a good reason.

Etonia works for the disabled

Etonia Ratu has dedicated himself to improving the lives of others.

He is a teacher at the Fiji Vocational Technical Training Centre for Persons with Disabilities.

"I never found peace in my previous work," Etonia said.

The man from Ucunivanua in Tailevu said he was intrigued by the needs of people with disability while he was learning sign language at the Hilton Special School.

"The school was looking for people who wanted to learn sign language and I decided to give it a try," he said. "Since that day I have never regretted it because it opened doors for me until I finally become a teacher.

"While at Hilton, they decided it would be best for me to learn more about disabilities at the University of the South Pacific. "At USP my interest in serving the disabled grew and I made it a point that this would be the right career path for me," Etonia said.

He is in charge of the screen-printing and light metal work studies at the school.
"This school serves all people with disability," he said. His work is a challenge that he takes seriously. "I would not say the work is hard because I have a heart to help these students and I take it as a challenge," he said.

"In my class I have students who are deaf, dumb, wheelchair stricken or partially blind so the needs of each student is different and every day I have to make sure their needs are met," he said.

Etonia said it was important for him to revise topics with students on a daily basis.
"Come the next day we have to go back to yesterday's lesson and review it before we can go further," he said. "It is when students return from school holidays that we really have to try and make them understand it is school time again," he said.

Etonia said this was one of the many challenges he faced. When asked if he had ever thought of leaving, Etonia said he learnt to appreciate life at the school and moving was not on his mind.
"I have to learn more while I teach. There are values I have come to understand more being with these students," he said.

"They enjoy and appreciate life just like any normal person and there is always sunshine in their smiles." Etonia believes he is being blessed for training the students.He said he felt proud when students showcased their work to the public and even joined the workforce.

"It is overwhelming to see people with disabilities break down barriers in the workforce and be able to fit in without discrimination," he said. I look forward to the day when I will see these students working in a free environment without discrimination of any sort."

The Tailevu man has urged the public to treat people with disability with respect. "They have families and are sons and daughters of the country so we need to treat them equally," he said.

A friend of the hungry ones

This story is adapted from the FIji Times,Wednesday June 6th, 2007

Fijituwawa welcomes your views on this story. If you have similar stories, you are welcomed to email us.

THERE is good reason why boarding school students gravitate towards anyone that can provide them with food.
The term hungry boarders' is nothing new.
With what always seems to be the limited serves that are dished out in school dining halls, having someone around who can help satisfy the extra pangs is counted a blessing even when one has to buy it.
Makereta Moroivalu makes a living every day out of providing the extras at Queen Victoria School in Tailevu. The 42-year-old is married with kids at the nearby Lawaki Village.
She would easily be the students' best friend because of her hot qulaqula and bhajiya (Indian savouries) and juice she sells at the school.
Bubu Ma as she fondly known said the work she does might sound easy to some but her day starts early in the morning.
"My day starts every 4 o'clock in the morning and in the cold weather we are experiencing right now it is not easy," she said.
Every morning she mixes a 10 kilogram bag of flour for both the qulaqula and the rourou.
"I have to prepare the ingredients the night before. This includes the garlic, ginger, rourou and other spices that are added to the mixture.
"As soon as I wake up in the morning I prepare the flour and as well as the firewood to start frying," she said.
She said the food tasted better when it was cooked on firewood.
Bubu Ma said she did not have to do the job alone because her husband helped out every morning.
"It is really a big job and my husband Jone helps me get the job done before I prepare for my children to send them off to school," she said.
"This has been the greatest source of income for my family apart from fishing that my husband does.
"But then again his going out to the sea largely depends on the weather."
Full of life and enthusiasm, there never has been a day when Bubu Ma returns home with her bags still full.
Sitting under a mango tree near the school building, Bubu Ma is the first person the 700 plus students visit every recess time.
A pack of qulaqula and rourou costs 50cents and a bottle of juice ranges from 50cents to $1.00.
To compliment her products, Bubu Ma also sells whatever fruit is in season.
"During the ivi season I would sell ivi and since mandarin season is here I also bring them over to sell," she said.
Bubu Ma makes about $45-$50 a day, which for her is not bad business at all.
But business is not what her time at the school is everything about.
"Not all students have money all the time and there is always the pleading and asking that I have come to understand," she said.
"They would call me aunty, bubu and other nice names just so they can get a free packet. Some even turn up with only 15cents and ask for a packet and I would give it to them," she said.
"As a mother I always feel for these children when they are hungry but at times they can be very annoying."
Bubu Ma has never had a dull moment sitting under the mango tree with her baskets of food.
She said some students would tell her stories to get her into a good mood before asking for food. "So I give them a pack for the funny stories and for keeping me company," she said with a smile.

Underwater Coral Farms in Fiji

FIJITUWAWA NEWS READERS, what are your views on this new initiative? Do you think this will help our coastal villages, and if yes-in what way? This news is adapted from the Fiji Times News on Sat June 2nd, 2007

TOURISTS arriving in Suva on Monday are expected to be among the first people to buy Fijis latest eco-friendly product farmed coral.

As part of a special partnership between a local NGO and rural coastal communities, a pilot sale of farmed corals would be held at the Suva Harbour seawall (opposite the handicraft centre) throughout the day.

The corals, grown by villagers of Motoriki in the Lomaiviti Group, are the product of an ongoing corals for conservation initiative co-ordinated by Partners in Community Development Fiji (PCDF).

An official launch of the sale will be held at the Suva Civic Centre at 10am with Minister for the Environment Bernadette Ganilau as chief guest.

Each coral on sale bears a special seal of approval from the Environment ministry approving sale of the coral and allowing the coral to be taken out of the country.

Austin Bowden-Kerby, chief scientist with Counterpart International, has been working with PCDF on the coral initiative since 1999.

Mr Bowden-Kerby said it was important to understand the sale of farmed corals did not mean people could chip bits off the reef and sell it to tourists on the roadside.

These corals are all specially farmed and have been grown by communities who have extensive marine management plans, said Mr Bowden-Kerby.

Every community that has approval to grow farmed corals for sale is carrying out best practices in coral reef conservation.

This includes setting aside about 25 per cent of all reefs in protected areas and stopping destructive fishing and boating practices.

Mr Bowden-Kerby said it would be easy for people to identify which of the corals had been farmed because farmed coral was grown on small button-shaped concrete discs.

The sales will be used by PCDF as a market scoping exercise to determine the demand for farmed coral and which corals attracted the most interest.

Potential buyers will be asked to buy a coral to help save a reef.

The sale is timed to coincide with the arrival in port of the cruise liner Pacific Princess. It is anticipated that tourists onboard would give a good indication of what visitors were prepared to pay for the new eco-friendly products.

The launch would also coincide with the beginning of Environment Week 2007 (June 4-9).
Mr Bowden-Kerby said Mondays sales were part of a pilot sale which would give an idea of the cost-benefit ratio in growing farmed coral.

We will be looking at the costs involved in growing, transporting and selling farmed coral and compare it with the proceeds made through sales.

He said if things went well, the project would be expanded to other areas around the country to provide a new sustainable livelihood for coastal communities.

PCDF executive director Alisi Daurewa said the launching was an important milestone in marine conservation and the development of new sustainable livelihood in Fiji.

A lot of work had gone to developing the coral program in past years, said Mrs Daurewa.

The sale of these corals could be the beginning of a wonderful eco-tourism initiative that will provide many benefit for years to come.

PCDF Natural Resource Management co-ordinator Fulori Nainoca said the project was aimed primarily at addressing the damaging impact of wild coral harvesting by providing an alternative method of coral farming.

All the corals we will be selling have been grown with no damage to the coral reefs, she said.
It is a completely sustainable process, she said.

The process of sustainable coral farming started with mother corals which were grown on undersea tables for several years.

Small finger-sized branches are trimmed from the mother corals regularly for planting on button-shaped concrete discs, each with two small holes.

The discs are woven into a wire mesh tray with fishing line, so the corals are held to the disc.
The coral trays are tied to undersea tables.

Ms Nainoca said it was important to understand that the Corals for Conservation initiative is linked to other marine conservation work being carried out by PCDF.

PCDFs natural resource management team works with coastal communities around the country, assisting local villagers to create and implement their own marine management plans.

The approach allows villagers to be effective custodians of their own marine resources resources which are often vital to the continuing well-being of the community through fishing and tourism-related projects.

A common approach to marine management in these communities is the introduction of tabu (ban) in fishing areas known as Marine Protected Areas.

The MPAs act as a bank for local communities where the reef and fish stock can be replenished and in turn increase the health of surrounding coral reefs. Many MPAs are being specially monitored and enforced by fish wardens or reef police.

The wardens are the people of seaside villages who have been trained.
Under Fijis Fisheries Act, licensed fish wardens trained by PCDF and the Department of Fisheries have the power to confiscate the catch, boats and fishing equipment of anyone caught fishing in MPAs and can report them to the police.

Ms Nainoca said communities that had already implemented marine management plans such as the villagers of Motoriki, were the communities which would be selected as potential coral farm sites.

Villagers at Motoriki have set aside 30 per cent of their fishing area as Marine Protected Areas and local fish wardens were monitoring them.

Proceeds from the sale of farmed corals on Monday would go to the communities where the corals were grown and to the implementation of more marine management projects.

The Corals for Conservation initiative received funding from USAID, the German Church Development Service (EED) and AusAID. Initial funding was received from the UK-funded Darwin Initiative for Survival of Species.

Wesley Morgan is an Australian youth ambassador for development and media and communications officer for PCDF.

Underwater Coral Farms in Fiji

Tuwawa News Readers, what is your view about this initiative? Will this help our coastal villagers? This story is adapted from the Fiji Times News Sat June 02, 2007.

TOURISTS arriving in Suva on Monday are expected to be among the first people to buy Fijis latest eco-friendly product farmed coral.

As part of a special partnership between a local NGO and rural coastal communities, a pilot sale of farmed corals would be held at the Suva Harbour seawall (opposite the handicraft centre) throughout the day.

The corals, grown by villagers of Motoriki in the Lomaiviti Group, are the product of an ongoing corals for conservation initiative co-ordinated by Partners in Community Development Fiji (PCDF).

An official launch of the sale will be held at the Suva Civic Centre at 10am with Minister for the Environment Bernadette Ganilau as chief guest.

Each coral on sale bears a special seal of approval from the Environment ministry approving sale of the coral and allowing the coral to be taken out of the country.

Austin Bowden-Kerby, chief scientist with Counterpart International, has been working with PCDF on the coral initiative since 1999.

Mr Bowden-Kerby said it was important to understand the sale of farmed corals did not mean people could chip bits off the reef and sell it to tourists on the roadside.

These corals are all specially farmed and have been grown by communities who have extensive marine management plans, said Mr Bowden-Kerby.

Every community that has approval to grow farmed corals for sale is carrying out best practices in coral reef conservation.

This includes setting aside about 25 per cent of all reefs in protected areas and stopping destructive fishing and boating practices.

Mr Bowden-Kerby said it would be easy for people to identify which of the corals had been farmed because farmed coral was grown on small button-shaped concrete discs.

The sales will be used by PCDF as a market scoping exercise to determine the demand for farmed coral and which corals attracted the most interest.

Potential buyers will be asked to buy a coral to help save a reef.

The sale is timed to coincide with the arrival in port of the cruise liner Pacific Princess. It is anticipated that tourists onboard would give a good indication of what visitors were prepared to pay for the new eco-friendly products.

The launch would also coincide with the beginning of Environment Week 2007 (June 4-9).
Mr Bowden-Kerby said Mondays sales were part of a pilot sale which would give an idea of the cost-benefit ratio in growing farmed coral.

We will be looking at the costs involved in growing, transporting and selling farmed coral and compare it with the proceeds made through sales.

He said if things went well, the project would be expanded to other areas around the country to provide a new sustainable livelihood for coastal communities.

PCDF executive director Alisi Daurewa said the launching was an important milestone in marine conservation and the development of new sustainable livelihood in Fiji.

A lot of work had gone to developing the coral program in past years, said Mrs Daurewa.
The sale of these corals could be the beginning of a wonderful eco-tourism initiative that will provide many benefit for years to come.

PCDF Natural Resource Management co-ordinator Fulori Nainoca said the project was aimed primarily at addressing the damaging impact of wild coral harvesting by providing an alternative method of coral farming.

All the corals we will be selling have been grown with no damage to the coral reefs, she said.
It is a completely sustainable process, she said.

The process of sustainable coral farming started with mother corals which were grown on undersea tables for several years.

Small finger-sized branches are trimmed from the mother corals regularly for planting on button-shaped concrete discs, each with two small holes.
The discs are woven into a wire mesh tray with fishing line, so the corals are held to the disc.
The coral trays are tied to undersea tables.

Ms Nainoca said it was important to understand that the Corals for Conservation initiative is linked to other marine conservation work being carried out by PCDF.

PCDFs natural resource management team works with coastal communities around the country, assisting local villagers to create and implement their own marine management plans.
The approach allows villagers to be effective custodians of their own marine resources resources which are often vital to the continuing well-being of the community through fishing and tourism-related projects.

A common approach to marine management in these communities is the introduction of tabu (ban) in fishing areas known as Marine Protected Areas.

The MPAs act as a bank for local communities where the reef and fish stock can be replenished and in turn increase the health of surrounding coral reefs. Many MPAs are being specially monitored and enforced by fish wardens or reef police.

The wardens are the people of seaside villages who have been trained.

Under Fijis Fisheries Act, licensed fish wardens trained by PCDF and the Department of Fisheries have the power to confiscate the catch, boats and fishing equipment of anyone caught fishing in MPAs and can report them to the police.

Ms Nainoca said communities that had already implemented marine management plans such as the villagers of Motoriki, were the communities which would be selected as potential coral farm sites.

Villagers at Motoriki have set aside 30 per cent of their fishing area as Marine Protected Areas and local fish wardens were monitoring them.

Proceeds from the sale of farmed corals on Monday would go to the communities where the corals were grown and to the implementation of more marine management projects.

The Corals for Conservation initiative received funding from USAID, the German Church Development Service (EED) and AusAID. Initial funding was received from the UK-funded Darwin Initiative for Survival of Species.

Wesley Morgan is an Australian youth ambassador for development and media and communications officer for PCDF.

Father & Son Meet At Last

Fijituwawa welcomes your comments on the following story adapted from today's Fiji Times 01st June 2007. You are welcomed to share similar stories that you may know. Vinaka!

CARLOS and Ilai Nabobo will agree home is where the heart is.

This is the story of how a young boy's dream became reality when he was 29-years-old.
Mention the name Ilai Nabobo and the first thing people his age would think of is rugby.

To this former Fiji lock forward, there was nothing sweeter than winning a game of rugby during his playing days in the late 1970s.

However, earlier this week Mr Nabobo could not hold back tears of joy when he saw his son Carlos, in front of his Navicula home in Wainibuka. It was a case of the lost son who had finally found his way home.

Mr Nabobo admitted it was the happiest day of his life, better than his rugby-playing days.
Carlos was born when Mr Nabobo was playing rugby league in Brisbane in 1978.

Mr Nabobo returned to Fiji in 1979 when Carlos was eight months old.
It took Carlos 29 years to finally have the courage to look for his father.

It was something he had always wanted to do but the feeling of uncertainty always sprung up when he thought of traveling to Fiji.

"This is the moment I have been waiting for the whole of my life and my dreams have finally come true," Carlos said.

"Today I have been liberated because I have found my true identity, I am proud to be who I am and I am proud to have seen my real father," he said.

"The thought of seeing my father had been hanging there at the back of my head all the time, but I did not have the courage to actually start my search.

"At times I asked around the Fijian community in Brisbane and most of them knew dad, because he was a national rugby rep," he said.

Carlos said in 1999 he thought of making a trip to Fiji to see where Wainibuka was.
"Actually I had booked the plane three times to come over but I cancelled it at the last minute thinking I would not be accepted by my father.

"I just did not want to experience that. Actually I was afraid," he said.
"At one stage I asked Lote Tuqiri (senior) just to tell me what he knows about dad.
"The answer I got was that he was a tall man and he lived somewhere in the bush," he said.
He said he searched websites for information that could help him identify his dad.

"Before coming on the trip I almost jumped out of the plane again, but I prayed and I knew it was God's plan to be here," the devoted Christian said.
"I got off in Nadi and came by bus to Suva and was dropped off in town, I did not know a single person and my only point of contact was back in Brisbane.

Carlos said as soon as he got off the bus he had to look for a phone booth where he could call back to Brisbane to give him a number to a Fijian friend.

"The worst thing was that I searched for a Nabobo in the directory and could not even find one, I was disappointed but I knew I had to keep on searching.
"As I was looking around in front of the Suvavou House a young man by the name of Jim came by and I explained the situation I was in. He was forever helpful and I thought to myself this could be a good sign," he said.

He said the lucky thing was that Jim told him that his grandmother was also from Wainibuka, so they called her up to help them find a relative for Carlos.

"Jim's grandmother told us she knew my aunt, who is my dad's sister and we called her straight away," Carlos said.

"I called my aunt and told her who I was, the reception was one that I could not believe because she was just too happy to have me at her place to tell me that they knew about me.
"It was a bit emotional for me but I guess it was just the work of the Lord that made all these happenings possible," he said.

Carlos said the very next day his aunt made arrangements with his dad back in the village to prepare a feast for a special guest.
"I was taken by my aunt and other cousins and I had never felt liberated before when I was introduced to my dad and grandmother who were sitting on top of the table mat at home," he said.

His first remarks about his village were "it is just exotic".

"I have never seen and felt this way before," he said.
"My dad had to kill a cow for the village and family to feast on just to mark my presence in the village and for that I am deeply overwhelmed," he said.

Carlos said the saying there is no place like home was an apt description for his trip to Fiji.