A strange thing has happened to our Geelong Visual Diary blog. It's been reported as a spam blog! How strange. It certainly isn't! Anyway they threaten to delete it so we'll see what happens next. Meanwhile it seems I'll have to post here, even though i declared I would take a holiday!
I was interested to read about the YWCA in Fiji in one of Fiji's papers today, with a picture of Esiteri Kamikamica and others and we certainly remember people like Amelia. The Y in Suva was started in 1962 by Ann Walker and Ruth Lechte from Australia. Where are they now I wonder? Why did they have a man as guest speaker? Come on girls, you can do better than that!
Women remember former YWCA memberBy SAKIASI NAWAIKAMA
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Esiteri Kamikamica, centre, was among members at the Young Women's Christian Association's 125th-year celebration at JJ's on the Park at Sukuna Park in Suva yesterday.
MEMBERS of the Young Women's Christian Association paid tribute to the late Amelia Rokotuivuna as they celebrated World YWCA Day at JJ's on the Park in Suva.
Association president Leba Mataitini said the celebration was special because they had achieved close to a miracle in reviving the association after many years.
Last year, a group of women came together to revive YWCA Fiji for the sake of Fiji's young women.
"We want a YWCA that will continue to be relevant to the challenges faced by women and girls of Fiji today," said Ms Mataitini.
Chief guest Gary Wiseman, manager of United Nations Development Program in the Pacific, said for women, personal security was an issue that needed to be addressed in relation to increasing crime and ensure better policing, including better communication and transport for the police force.
"For community security, some of the issues were the need for greater respect for each other, need to address the expiration of leases and displacement of families, the needs for better access to information and the role of the media and the significant issue of violence in the community," Mr Wiseman said.
The celebrations continue today.
17 comments:
I think labeling your blog as spam was a sly way of Google to keep you blogging ;)
Great to read your blog again Wendy & Peceli. Sad to hear about the other blog being labeld as spam??
Love the stories on Y in Fiji. Have you seen the artcile that Dar Warden Narsey prepared for his speech at old acs girls forum? Interesting and you can google it? Love the candles!!
Anne is in Melbourne working for the International Women's Tribune Centre which does good work in Africa. She still travels a lot to New York where the tribune is based, as well as to the various African countries where there are projects in place.
Ruth is somewhere in Queensland and I can't remember exactly whereabouts. My family receives her annual Christmas letter which catches us up on what she's done for the year. She's supposedly retired, but busier than ever as she's still involved in women's events in the South Pacific, and she hikes, gardens and bird-watches in her spare time!
I also remember Esiteri Kamikamica and who could forget the effervescent Amelia?
Thanks for the story, Wendy - I'll pass it onto my mother who was also involved in the Y. I think that she was secretary at some stage, and I can certainly remember the candlelight service held (where the Y now stands) when the ground was consecrated. I fell over in the nearby carpark and grazed my knee!
I hope that you have contacted Blogger and asked them to review your blog so that it doesn't get deleted.
Hi Wilson, it might be that I advertised Fiddler on the Roof which a local school is producing.
Hi Children of Fiji, I like Dr Narsey's writing. I had posted his speech at ACS last November on this blog.
Hello Nzm,
That's good - they are still activists - it's true, retirement doesn't mean watching daytime TV! When they went to Fiji we were all associated with Dudley Church in Toorak. I ran into Dr David Lancaster last year -he was around at that time too. We were involved with SCM camps etc. then.
w.
I went to school with Mark Lancaster - still remember his blond curly hair. Wonder if he still has it?!
Just happened upon this blog after searching for Fiji YWCA coverage on the net. Quite odd for an adult Fijian male to be doing BUT I do agree with the candle comment in front of Mrs. Kamikamica. Bula Vinaka to you all on Babasiga. I was a "child of the Y"! Remember having on those various colored T-shirts in the 80's with "Come Join The Y" blazing across our chests!! Just a comment on the male guest >> I thought its fine that more men are involved in gender equity pursuits... we should see more of people regardless of gender, race etc championing the advancement of women, we should lay to rest those stereotypes of women can only advocate for their rights, you need men too, to set for their kind an example (so to speak) and especially in these times of financial & political instability in Fiji... I only wish for the bold & righteous Amelia, although I have become shamefully aware that not many women in the current Fiji YWCA share the same courageousness and commitment to gender, racial & economic justice like that of Rokotuivuna or even Narsey. nzm wondering who your mother is? Vinaka Wendy & Peceli!
Isa Amelia! What a unique personality she was and brave. I spoke to her on the phone when she was in Melbourne for medical care. A quieter woman than the earlier days.
Anon. Yes, men should stand alongside women, especially these days when there's such a macho culture. Sobosobo, I worry about the current generation of teenage boys and girls who are living in such a culture!
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Anon: my mother's name is Maureen Taylor.
We left Fiji in 1976.
nzm - do you know which island your mum is from as Taylor surnames are one that hail from Taveuni? Just wondering.
Great stories as I had stayed in the Y during my hey days too.
Take care.
Thanks Wendy & Peceli for the awesome pics and stories of old Fiji. The Fiji we remember when everyone was ever so friendly.
Children of Fiji: we weren't related to the Taylors from Taveuni as far as I know. I went to school with some of them at Grammar.
My great-grandfather came to Fiji from the UK via Melbourne. My grandmother was a Griffen.
My mother's family - the Marshalls - came from India via New Zealand, and arrived in Fiji in the late 50s where my mother met my father.
Peceli said we are related to the Marshalls in Labasa but I guess that is a different family.
Did you know the Kennard girls - Barbara and Christine? Their Mum was a Stinson. Probably they are older than you. I taught Christine to play their grand piano. They lived up at Tamavua and I had beautiful meals with them after the lesson each week!
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Vinaka nzm,
Such great stories. Would you be interested in posting a story for our website as we do have a section on "Looking back in time or something similar' It would be great to recature some mempries as you had written. We do know that Wendy & Peceli posts alot of great stories and its quite educational for the younger ones coming through.
Let us know and we will be delighted to dedicate a page for your stories.
Thank you again for sharing with us.
Moce mada.
Wendy - a different family of Marshalls, I think. I did have an uncle who was stationed at Taveuni for a while, but he was married to my aunt Phyl who died last Christmas day.
No, I didn't know the Kennards. They were older than me, I believe.
It's funny to think that it was/is this way, but Suva was small and yet big enough that if we didn't attend the same schools or social clubs, then we hardly knew of other people from other schools! The people who went to boarding schools overseas and returned for holidays to Suva were even more isolated, I think.
Children of Fiji: I'd love to write some articles, but wouldn't know what to write! There's an Email Us! link on our blog if you'd like to contact me more about it. I hope to be going back to NZ sometime this year, so I'll dig through all my photos, slides and Grammarians to see what I can come up with!
Heres a posting from one of the Famous Lady from the 'Y' called Ruth. I have met this lady and she has been one to have stood by her committment to the Y for such a long time.
Great work indeed by a great woman.
here we go....Ruth Lechte, veteran activist, on crisis in Fiji..
http://womenleadingchange.wordpress.com/2009/04/27/ruth-lechte-veteran-activist-on-crisis-in-fiji/
Fiji expels New Zealand, Australian envoys
Fiji's military leader Frank Bainimarama has ordered the Australian and New Zealand envoys to leave within 24 hours over alleged interference with Fiji's judiciary.
''I have told the minister of foreign affairs to issue communications to the Australian and New Zealand governments that their respective heads of missions are to be recalled within 24 hours,'' Bainimarama said in a televised address.
''I have also informed them our high commissioner in Australia is to be recalled with immediate effect,'' he said.
Australia and New Zealand have been at the forefront of condemnation of Bainimarama since he toppled Fiji's elected government in a December 2006 coup.
Bainimarama accused both countries of ''a consolidated effort to attack Fiji's independent judiciary'' over alleged attempts to block Fiji judges traveling through Australia and New Zealand.
Both countries have travel restrictions on figures associated with the military regime.
Bainimarama said the heads of Australia and New Zealand's diplomatic missions in Fiji had refused to engage with the government.
''They misinform Canberra and Wellington and wage a negative campaign against the government and people of Fiji,'' he said.
''It is my government's duty to ensure that no foreign government should interfere with such judicial independence and integrity. We must always protect and be proud our sovereignty.''
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Hello Tony,
Yes the Australian media is full of the news plus the stories about Brij Lal as well. I haven't reposted the stories because caution is required these days and others have fully covered the events of this week.
w.
It can't work in reality, that's exactly what I think.
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