I was googling something about nose flutes and you know how you get side-tracked - well I found these delightful photos of Queen Elizabeth's visit to Fiji back in 1953 and little Adi Mei Ganilau (daughter of Adi Laisa I think) gave a bouquet of flowers to the Queen. Probably the first time I really heard about Fiji and saw photos of Fijians was when I was a kid and the Australian Woman's Weekly published one or more of the photos of the Fiji visit. She came to Australia the same year and in those days we were keen on royalty. Hmmm. Today... well, not so much. These photos are from Rod Ewin's excellent website and link to the Royal Visit.
Isa, Adi Mei passed away two months ago. Adi Mei Torika Kainona Gauna, eldest in a family of seven, passed away after suffering from a long illness. Adi Mei was a former member of the Soqosoqo Vakamarama, the Cakaudrove Provincial Council and a former announcer at Radio Fiji.
Wendy,
ReplyDeleteHere's a video of the 50's Royal visit.