Flowers for remembrance

from w
We were given a large bouquet of flowers the other day and it's special for the month of July - eight years on.

Changes in Labasa over thirty years

from today's Fiji Times

Michael notes changes
SERAFINA SILAITOGA
Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Michael Amal Deo ... major changes in Labasa

THE town of Labasa in the Northern Division had no housing area and not many shops in the 1970s and people depended on a small market for their vegetable supply. Michael Amal Deo remembers this vividly.

He started work as a cleaner for the Labasa Town Council in 1977. He still does that job today and says he has enjoyed every minute of it.He has done everything from cleaning drains, mowing the lawn on council property to attending to pot plants around the town area. Mr Deo said when he started work, his job involved cleaning around town, starting from as far as Naodamu where a residential housing area now sits. He says there was no such area before when he started work. "There was no housing area in Labasa and not many houses or shops like we have now except for a few houses in Naodamu and about 20 shops in town," he remembers. "There was a small market in town that sold vegetables and I remember there were not many buses and cars like we have today."

Labasa has developed into a major urban centre serving as a meeting place for people in the Northern Division. The township is the only major urban centre in the division alongside Savusavu.

Mr Deo has even noticed a big difference over the collection of rubbish in residential and town areas. "In the past when I first started, there was rubbish every where, scattered all over the place and we used to collect from different places in the residential areas. Today, it is better organised and people know where to pile their rubbish which are now kept in bins or garbage bags."

He says over the years the town has developed but despite this, business people have done a good job in keeping their rubbish stacked in proper places making it easier for collection. Money earned from his job, Mr Deo says, has helped support his family financially."I have been able to educate my three daughters, feed my family and pay for bills so I am enjoying my job," he says."Although people always tell me to look for better opportunities, I enjoy my work at the council and I will continue until I retire."

Cool clear water

from w,
It's unbelievable that Fiji water has been targeted for fundraising for the government! Heaven's sake, when you are on a good thing, stick to it! It's a good industry and now becoming wrecked through an excessive tax and excise. If soft drink duty is o3%, why is water 20%?

from Fiji Village:
Bottled Water Industry Stops Production
Publish date/time: 04/07/2008 [19:12]

Stakeholders in the bottle water industry have announced that all production of bottled water will be ceased and over 700 employees will remain without work until a solution is found to their grievances against the new duty imposed on bottled water.

Speaking on behalf of the 10 water bottling companies Island Chill Director Jay Dayal confirms that all production of bottled water will cease until further notice.

Dayal confirms that all employees of Please Beverage, Fiji Water, VTY, Mr. Pure, Island Chill, Aqua Pacific, Diamond Aqua, Tapoo's Beverage, Fresh Spring Limited and Mineral Waters of Fiji have been sent home as the new tax structure makes it highly unprofitable for the industry to bottle water.

The Interim government has imposed a 20 cents per litre export duty on all the mineral water exports and a 20 cents per litre excise duty on mineral water sold locally.

Attempts to speak to Interim Finance Minister Mahendra Chaudhry in the last hour proved futile. Join Fijivillage news tomorrow for developments on this story.

----------------------
And, from Fijilive:
Interim Minister for Finance, National Planning, Sugar Industry and Public Utilities (Water & Energy) submitted to Cabinet that the major reason for the new duties was to stimulate conservation of Fiji’s scarce natural resources.

“Mineral water is a scare (huh?) resource which will deplete and a fair share of returns has to be passed on to the nation,” Chaudhry said in his submission.

Chaudhry could not be reached on his mobile this afternoon when contacted for comments following the bottlers’ decision to immediately cease production.

The statement said that by way of comparison, the carbonated soft drink industry in Fiji was only subjected to a $0.03 cents per litre excise tax and no export duty.

Good on you Jo

- pic: Davidwall.
from w
The Fiji Times editorial (okay, I'm copying and pasting a few Fiji Times articles as usual - but only if I think they are relevant) today tells it straight. Use the land, grow more vegetables, develop dairy farms. It is not necessary to import so much food to Fiji with fertile land and labour available locally. Jo Cokanisiga speals out and so does the newspaper editorial. It ain't all about sugar!

A welcome honesty
Saturday, July 05, 2008

INTERIM Agriculture Minister Joketani Cokanasiga made a critical but honest and welcome analysis of his ministry yesterday. In a departure from the usual polite platitudes, Mr Cokanasiga pointed out to ministry staff how this integral cog in the machinery of national development had failed dismally in its duties. Instead of commending agriculture officers for a job well done, the interim minister has highlighted the fact that they must do much more to earn their salaries.

This newspaper has consistently raised the issue of the failure of the agriculture sector to meet the demands of the tourism industry for fresh vegetables, fruit, beef, mutton and dairy products. Close to four decades after independence, the nation continues to rely on New Zealand for milk, butter and cheese. That reliance has forced dairy prices up and put a huge burden on families across the country.

Little has been done to ensure that landowners or investors have the proper training or incentive to move into dairy and livestock farming. Yet vast tracts of land in Tailevu and Naitasiri remain idle as we continue to import dairy products. Our farmers have the capacity to provide quality fruit and vegetables for the hotel industry.

This can be done through traditional — or the new hydroponic method — yet not enough has been done to ensure that this sector is fully utilised.

And vast tracts of land remain idle in the Western Division, the North and in the Navua area. It appears that there is a reluctance to shift the focus of the Agriculture Ministry from its current stand.

Agriculture is not all about sugar cane. Indeed, the continued focus on this industry has contributed to the ministry's myopic view on development of other sectors.

Officers must get out of the office and into the fields where they can encourage landowners to use their birthright — the land. These officers must provide options — in line with national productivity goals and in consultation with the tourism industry — for farmers to produce quality fruit and vegetables.

Native landowners should be told that they need not fear migration from the typical dalo, yaqona and tavioka farms to vegetable and fruit production. At the same time, however, traditional leaders must take a pro-active role and lead their people into the fields.

For the Fijians the time has come to break out of the mould of receiving land leases and planting for subsistence needs. A market exists for quality dairy, livestock, fruit, vegetable and fisheries products. Land and marine resources are abundant.

It is for the Agriculture Ministry to help the people harness these resources and convert them to cash. This could be a new beginning for the indigenous people. The question is, are they ready to take on the challenge and remove the yoke of dependence and poverty?

Veiqaravi Centre

from Peceli
Here's a photo of Lorini Tevi and a small child at the Veiqaravi Ecumenical Centre in New Town, Suva, taken when I visited there this week. New Town villagers orginally consist mainly of Solomon and Vanuatu descendants of the blackbird trade. As a result of heavy urbanisation, New Town has catered for the poor families living in the HART settlements and Housing Authority schemes. New Town is about 10 minutes away from Suva on the way to Nausori.

Background
Back in the 1950's the Fijian colonial government shifted the Melanesian community living in Flagstaff to New Town. The Anglican Church took on the responsibility of caring for this community in Fiji. However, much of the specific needs of this community far exceeded the capacities of the Anglican Church. Hence many of these Melanesian communities spread throughout Fiji have found themselves with very little assistance from the national structures and other communities. As a result, many of the societal problems are accentuated in the Melanesian communities.

The Centre seeks to equip the under-privileged youth of the community of New Town and the greater Nasinu township with self-sustaining employment skills and a sense of civic responsibility towards their households, and the community at large.

The target group of this proposal are young adults and single mothers who have dropped out of school, chased away from their homes or come from broken homes and families, living on the streets, and most of whom come from a very poor Melanesian community in Fiji.

Most of the options available which cater for these types of children are often situated in the cities, far away from their home environment. Furthermore, these options also cater for the Indigenous Fijians which renders the situation difficult for the Melanesian kids.

Activities offered by the centre include:
• Carpentry
• Joinery
• Grounds maintenance for the community
• Farming (staple crops etc…)
• Cooking
• Sewing
• Plumbing & welding
• Panel beating
• Basic mechanics
• Maintenance of vehicles
• Sports
• Basic electronics

The centre would propose training sessions on these sectors in close collaboration with the Fiji Institute of Technology and other relevant national institutions.

Happy birthday Bale

from w
Hope you had a good party last night Bale.
Loloma levu.

Music studio in Labasa

from w
Way to go - a recording studio for Labasa. There are some good Fijian singing groups in Labasa as well as soloists who sing qawali. Several years ago I studied the music of Labasa and taped hundreds of different songs - not for commercial use though as it was for a research project.

A version of this story was in the Fiji Times in May, even the same picture. Well, we all sometimes repeat ourselves!
from today's Fiji Times.

Music is the way to go
SERAFINA SILAITOGA
Friday, July 04, 2008

THE only recording studio in Labasa Town has become a favourite spot for local singers who had previously struggled to expose their singing talents because of financial constraints. Viliame Rabuka's recording studio, which opened early this year has bloomed and recorded about 10 albums of singers in the Northern Division.

Mr Rabuka who is from Namoli Village in Batinikama outside Labasa Town opened the studio after seeing what he felt was a "great need in the area" when he came for a holiday.

"For me it was about helping the people back home who have great talents in singing and playing music and this was something I saw during my visit back home so with the little money I had, I started the new studio," he said. "But it saddened me to learn that most of these talents were not exposed because there was no recording studio in Labasa or any town in the north," Mr Rabuka said. "Groups of singers or musicians could not afford to travel to Suva to record their new albums because it cost them big money and most of them are farmers and not working which made it difficult." Mr Rabuka said after seeing what the people in the north faced especially people from his village, he felt for them and decided to help expose their talents.

"I have experience in this field and after seeing the demand for such business in Labasa, I decided to stay on and I have seen an increase in bookings from music groups on a daily basis," he said.

Mr Rabuka said the first group to record an album with him was a group from his village, known as Suka Vulavula ni Lomai Labasa. Mr Rabuka plans to expand his studio business and plans to offer more opportunities for demanding customers in the division.

Bus strike yesterday

from w
What a disruption it was yesterday in places like Suva and Lautoka when the bus drivers refused to carry passengers. Ohay, the price of fuel is escalating and it is hrd to make any money, but children could not go to school, workers to their places of employment, sick people going to the hospital. Although the strike was called by by mid-morning it was too late to re-open the schools.

Meanwhile in Macuata, the taxis, private cars, small trucks were used to help out those in need of transport. In today's Fiji Times, the writer put a good spin on the good-heartedness of the Friendly North.

Friendly Northerners pick up slack
SERAFINA SILAITOGA
Friday, July 04, 2008

YESTERDAY'S bus strike brought smiles to other public transport operators who took up the slack in the rural areas of the Northern Division. Carrier, taxi and private vehicle owners helped with public transportation going as far as Seaqaqa.

Vanua Levu Carriers Association president Samuel Jeet said the drivers left their base at about 5am and started picking up passengers in Labasa, Savusavu, Bua and Taveuni. Mr Jeet said after hearing the bus strike notice on Wednesday night, the carrier drivers decided to help out. "The drivers serviced most of the bus routes in the north transporting students and people to work," Mr Jeet said. "After they dropped off passengers they returned and transported other passengers waiting by the roadside. "So it was very good business for us, something that we rarely experience."
Mr Jeet said the drivers even informed each other of the routes that needed their services.

Two private car drivers went as far as Seaqaqa and Tabia, outside Labasa Town, to pick passengers.

Mohammed Saleem, who owns a private van, said the strike was not felt in Seaqaqa because many carriers, cane trucks and private cars offered their services. "I drove to Seaqaqa to pick up people in the morning and not many were standing by the roadside because empty vehicles driving towards Labasa picked them. I guess it's all about the friendly north attitude which helped ease the burden."

Commuters travelling from outside Labasa Town said they waited for at least half an hour before being picked up.

The strike was over by midday and services returned to normal.

Downtown Suva

from Peceli,
It's a beautiful day in Suva and people are doing their normal duties and there's a stall of newspapers selling close in front of the Post Office. The paperman told me that he has been selling newspapers there for more than 8 years and he is making a living for his family. Other photos are high rise buildings standing tall and overlooking the sea. But the beggers still kerekere for money and loose change.

The food is in abundance in the Market and on the streets but you have to have money to buy or else just look.

photos of Cuvu and Kaba Island

from Peceli,
Here are some photos taken in the past few days; including our picnic at Kaba Island, a worship service, school children, and a meke performance.

Thinking about our Anglican friends

from w
It looks like the split is becoming very evident in the Anglican church after the recent Jerusalem meeting - the 'narrow path guys' and the liberals.
We had a herfuffle in the Uniting Church in Australia a few years back - and Resolution 84 was a compromise, though some groups, such as a Fijian group, left the Uniting church as regarded it as too liberal. Usually the Anglican world community is like an umbrella over a whole variety of people with different views, but recently the hard-liners have put their well-shod feet down!

I wonder where the Anglican church folk in Fiji fit in? Liberal or conservative?

Are the Anglicans quaking and shaking after the Jerusalem meet?
23/06/2008
What are 300 Anglican clergy doing in Jerusalem? By Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz Correspondent
Some 300 bishops - a third of the Anglican bishops in the world - arrived in Jerusalem this week to attend the Global Anglican Future Conference, organized by the traditionalist wing of the church, which is opposed to ordaining homosexual bishops. GAFCON is being staged as a rival to next month's Lambeth Conference in London, the Anglican Communion's main event held every 10 years. GAFCON has drawn some 1,000 participants: bishops, clergymen, and activists from Anglican congregations in 28 countries, led by Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria.

The rift in the Anglican Communion occured in 2003, when its American wing, the Episcopal Church, ordained the openly gay Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire. That move also caused ripples among traditionalist Anglican bishops, many of them in Africa, who have long claimed that their liberal colleagues were evading the commitment to adopt a Christian lifestyle in accordance with the Old and the New Testament. The decision to hold a rival conference was reached at a gathering last December in Kenya.

Even though the archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, did not lend his support to Robinson's ordination, and even refused to meet Robinson during a visit to London, he angered the traditionalists when he invited the Episcopal Church leaders who had ordained him to the Lambeth Conference.

According to one of the organizers, the purpose of GAFCON is "to emphasize our connection to Jesus' life and the Bible, while we stand in prayer in the place where he walked."

And here's another explanation of the rift. From Rev John Davis, Melbourne.
The Anglican Church will split because the members approach important truths very differently…. The acceptable basis for fellowship is the 39 Articles of 1562, in their completeness.. Sad because Anglicanism has always embraced a broader understanding of being Church. Not surprising because the article is reflecting a similar sort of attitude to that of the Archbishop of Sydney in his declaring that neither he nor any of his bishops will be attending the Lambeth Conference… To the assertion that ‘historically, Anglicans have found their unity in commonly held beliefs… and expressed their unity in common prayer and worship, rather than in a particular single confessional response to a series of doctrinal propositions… Too much talk of truth and not enough of love….

The formularies of our Church are clear about where we need to look for guidance It is very hard to see how a boycott of the Lambeth Conference by some bishops from Australia and Africa can in any way assist in the working through of these difficulties. Lambeth happens only once every ten years. It is one of the four so-called ‘instruments of unity’ in the Anglican Communion. Another is the person and office of the Archbishop of Canterbury. A direct snub of two out of the four instruments is not a bad start towards complete breakdown; if that is the direction you want to go in.

I suspect however that ‘unity at any price’ is no longer acceptable to anyone. That is why it actually is a real possibility that there will be institutional division. Hard-liners at either end of the spectrum might bring this about. By not being prepared to talk or to pray or to worship together with all those who have found themselves in this Anglican tradition by choice or birth, they instead only find fellowship with that ever-decreasing number of those with whom they have complete agreement. That is sad for it leaves out either the Holy Spirit or, more broadly, God’s grace. It is to the grace-filled generosity expressed in Ephesians 1 that I would appeal. The thanksgiving and the joy are apparent. Grim disapproval is not.
Is there way forward? Perhaps it remains a matter of attempting once again, as ever, to discern what are ‘first order’ and therefore communion breaking matters of difference, and what are ‘second order’ questions, where we can agree to differ. That has been the Anglican way. If there is not consensus, it means that from time to time we lose the extremes, but the centre holds... Of course it is not tidy. It has never satisfied the rigorists. But it is a way to God that has been found to be inviting and sustaining and transforming for a wide range of people. It continues to be so.

Reminded of the movie, The Mouse that Roared

from w
When I read this small item in today's news from Fiji I was reminded of a very funny film called 'The Mouse that Roared' about a tiny country who capitalised upon a dispute with a large country. Writing to Bill Gates....well, I think he has retired now anyway and it would be prudent to get into his good books with his generosity and philanthropic foundation. And the word 'Fiji' would be good advertising for free! Nice spelling error too.
Mircosoft on noticeMonday, June 30, 2008

Interim Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has put Microsoft Corporation on notice over the use of the word ‘Fiji’ in a new operating system. In a letter to Microsoft owner Bill Gates, Sayed-Khaiyum says government asserts its absolute ownership over the use of the word ‘Fiji’ and reserves all its rights under all relevant laws to protect and defend the use of the word ‘Fiji.’

He says government unreservedly objects to the use of the word ‘Fiji’ and he has instructed Microsoft to immediately cease and desist with any use of the word ‘Fiji’ in relation to its products now or in the future.

Sayed-Khaiyum adds not withstanding government’s objection and without prejudice to any of its rights government is prepared to enter into talks with Microsoft Corporation on the issue.

Bus trips in Vanua Levu

from w
I came across this post about riding the buses in Vanua Levu. Not a happy kind of trip but it's honest. On this Babasiga blog it's dishonest to just tell the very best stories.

http://infiniteviewfilms.blogspot.com/2007/01/tripped-out-from-labasa.html
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Tripped Out from Labasa

Healed from our sunburns, brown and thoroughly peeled, we are happy to report that we survived our latest side adventure: a trip to the northern-shore town of Labasa [Lambasa].

Labasa, with its 25,000 inhabitants, is the largest town on Vanua Levu and the 4th largest in Fiji. It is almost famously unremarkable and known only for its sugar mill and a complete lack of tourist appeal. That's why tourists almost never go there - except, of course, for the ones who like to venture out "off the beaten path" and endure probably the most arduous bus ride in the South Pacific. The only reason to visit Labasa is not the town, but the trip itself, since the two bus routes that take you there are famously picturesque and worth seeing. There is the "short" and paved route through the central part of the island, which is relatively comfortable and harmless, and then there's the "long" route that takes you along almost the whole eastern half of the island and upon completion of which you deserve a medal for bravery and patience, especially if you ventured to take this route for pleasure and not out of sheer necessity. But I'll get to that in a sec.

So, we took the short bus route to Labasa first. It took us along the Savusavu Bay and into the mountains of the interior where the bus would creep laboriously up the steep inclines and then roar down them dangerously. Sometimes, the surrounding hills were so steep that we saw waterfalls falling vertically off their sides without trees even obstructing the view.

As soon as we got through the mountains, a green plane opened up in front of us - the first flat land bigger than a football field we've seen in almost 3 months! The vegetation in the north of the island looked familiar, but strangely out of place in Fiji: we saw patches of pine forest, green meadows and fields of sugar cane. Completing the botanical confusion were the occasional massive bamboo bushes and coconut palm groves. Seeing the conifers reminded both of us of the northern climates we come from and, I must admit, made me personally long for a whiff of cold winter mountain air.

Labasa wasn't entirely bad - it was just another busy, loud and oven-hot Indian market town. The mid-day heat was lethal and air-conditioning scarce, so we sort of hopped around different shops looking for a hard-to-find item for Hans (a rotating can opener, more specifically) and then we went to check out the nearby sugar mill, which was closed for the season, unfortunately. In the evening, we went to see the only movie playing in the only theater in town. Alas, it was a Hindi movie, and though we swore before that we'll never see another Bollywood production again, our movie theater withdrawal was too strong and we couldn't resist.

The movie Baabul was, like probably all Bollywood movies, a simple and overly sappy love story that dragged on so slowly that it seemed to unfold in real time. (And the movie covered a few years!) Ryan was writhing in mental agony next to me, while I was getting a kick out of the cheerful dance sequences and the male protagonist's stylishly trimmed beard. There was a bit of a drama and social commentary in the last ten minutes, but by that point we were ready to escape into the streets!

Thus we exhausted pretty much all that Labasa offers in terms of activities, spent a night in the Riverview Hotel, from which we had no river view, and the next morning we were back on a bus to Savusavu - this time the one with the "long" route.

The first part of the trip lead through more sugar cane fields and was mercifully paved. Within 2 hours, though, the tar gave way to a bumpy and dusty back road and we started climbing ominously higher and higher into the thick bush again, getting swallowed by the overgrown jungle, from which we would emerge only on precariously steep climbs with sweeping views. On some of these inclines, it seemed that the bus was on its last legs - spewing clouds of black smoke and creeping up the hill so slowly that it seemed it would roll back any moment and hurl us down the mountain. But, miraculously, the extremely rugged Fijian bus never failed to get up on those hills or brake on the way down and we didn't get stuck by the road side 4 hours away from the nearest phone. (Only once did we have to coast down the hill in reverse to get a better running start up the hill.) And since the bus, like most Fijian buses, didn't have any glass in its windows, it was a breezy, safari-like ride, with clouds of dust and an occasional branch penetrating inside.

All along the way, we rode through villages so remote that the daily passing of the bus looked like an event in itself. Groups of locals were gathered at each bus stop, either sending off or welcoming people, or just sitting around, waiving at the passing travelers. And everywhere we stopped people would load countless pieces of luggage, rice bags filled with taro* and other crops through the windows and stuff them wherever they would fit them - on, under or between the seats. (Grabbing and loading other people's stuff is a part of the unwritten Fijian bus-travel etiquette and we were involved in the ritual a few times, as well. Just grab the stuff people hand to you through the window and give it to someone behind you who will stow it away.) Since Ryan and I sat in the back of the bus, we were eventually completely boxed in into our seats by loads of bags, rolled up mattresses and bunches of kava root.

*note: Taro and other crops are the only things freely available everywhere in Fiji, yet the locals always have a need to bring their own supply wherever they go, perhaps just in case the other town/village ran out...?

We rode forever - until the shadows grew longer, our spines felt impacted and every single pore on our bodies was covered with road dust. The views from the bus were sometimes quite beautiful, but overall, the ride was fun because it was so unbelievably out of the ordinary - and so Fijian.

And since Ryan and I were the only 2 people who stayed on the bus for the entire 8-hour trip, I really believe that we deserved some sort of a "Completed-the-most-arduous-bus-ride-in-the Pacific" medal.

We haven't done much after recovering from the trip. The sun and heat are back on and they don't allow doing much during the day. The sunset is too short to do much except for snorkeling to the one good coral reef nearby that we've already seen dozens of times. We've met some weather-beaten yachties at the yacht club and seen many movies on our DVD. After 3 months in Fiji, we're definitely missing the cold and can't wait to get to New Zealand.

I'll end with that. Be back soon with some delicious local recipes.
Posted by InfiniteView at 14:14

In Cuvu

from Peceli,
I am still in Cuvu and it has been a very good week. One day I went with some ministers to Lautoka to visit the Rotary village where Peter Drysdale has established houses for poor people. Our latest container from Geelong should arrive soon for them.

Another day I went with the Talatala Qase to the so mate in Nawaka after their chief had passed away. Yesterday we were visiting the country schools with Talatala Qase and it was very encouraging to see that the Computers are working and they appreciated the DIK gifts.

Today after the morning session will go to the Island of Kaba for a picnic and masumasu and it look like a very good day. There are no more photos for now as I haven't been able to get to an internet cafe in Sigatoka lately. I hope to get to Suva by Tuesday.

How do you manage overweight luggage?

from w
It's always an irksome business trying to juggle overweight luggage when you fly over to Fiji by Qantas or Air Pacific (the same plane anyway). Twenty kilos is the proper limit, though you can usually manage a few more. If you are charged, it is now at least $18A a kilo so you don't want to pay that for a couple of tins of Milo. Because you want to take gifts and lots of stuff for relatives and the village, more than half the luggage isn't for yourself anyway. Those Tongan bags (blue, red and white striped) are a common sight at the check-in, as you stuff them full of op-shop clothes etc. to give away. Coming back from Fiji is different. Some of our relatives come back very light - as everything is given away - even come back shoeless! We usually bring back kava, mats, coconut oil, Fiji Times, and not much else!

A drawing in an Australian paper gives one solution; wear all your clothes on your back. Thanks Simon Letch for the funny picture.

For the story associated with Simon's picture go to this site.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/tips/around-the-world-in-seven-kilos/2008/04/23/1208743038765.html

In the village in Cuvu

from Peceli
Here is a photo of Jerry's house in the village where I am staying and also me on the beach. The weather is beautiful and life is very good here.
from Wendy,
Hey, when you take a photo check out where the sun is and don't point towards it!

Fix the roads for the sugar trucks please!

from w,
Relatives told me that they are ready to start cane-cutting in Labasa, but now I read that because the roads are so bad, farmers can't get their can to the Labasa mill.
Hey guys, fix those roads quickly instead of all these talk-fests in Suva. The ordinary people need the potholes fixed urgently!

from tonight's news:
Rain hampers supply at Labasa MillTuesday, June 24, 2008

The Labasa Mill did not begin crushing today as scheduled. This was due to a dismal cane supply as a result of the wet weather. National Farmers Union executive officer Rosan Lal says poor cane supply is largely due to the fact that it rained heavily yesterday afternoon further deteriorating road conditions.

Most of the cane harvested yesterday has not been transported to the mills.

“Yes we are still witnessing very poor road conditions especially in Seaqaqa areas where a majority of the farmers have not started harvesting their cane due to the fact that they know they won’t be able to take out the cane in that kind of road so they are still waiting for the government departments to address the situation and there’s a dire need for the authorities to go out and look at the road conditions themselves so that they can assess the situation. While we have been having meetings this has been to no avail and we are hoping that these people can come on board and see what has been happening on the grounds so that problems related to the start of the crush are avoided."

Lal adds the season does not promise much hope for farmers –if basic infrastructure like roads is not improved.

Is tribewanted still going strong?

from w, I don't know if this is really a recent post, or they gave up on blogs on their site a month or two ago. Anyway this is about Tevita, community manager on Vorovoro Island.

Tevita's challenge to Fiji

By Jale, Vorovoro, Fiji Posted 5 days ago
(as interviewed and scribed by Adam Pacey)

As the Community Manager, Tevita passionately describes himself as the bridge between Fiji and the world as they visit Vorovoro through the Tribe Wanted project. There is no doubt it is a role of tremendous responsibility but also one which Tevita finds exceptionally rewarding. With his finger directly on the pulse of everything that is happening on Vorovoro Tevita decided he wanted to provide a monthly blog to allow everyone to share in these rewards and hear how he sees and feels the project progressing. Welcome to the first of those blogs.

First and foremost, the most important message that Tevita wants to get across in this opening blog is how strong the community spirit is on the island. That is not the spirit of Team Fiji and the spirit of the visiting Tribe separately, but it is the spirit of Vorovoro as a unified and thriving Fijian village. As Community Manager Tevita is constantly alert to the mood on the island and throughout his community, and he is keen to stress how tremendously proud he is everyday seeing the village pull together as one to work on the ongoing projects and further the two way cultural enrichment that is happening here. It is important to him now to keep this momentum going so all the world can experience it. Just last week, for example, the Tribe and Team Fiji decided for the first time since the project began that they wanted to eat together as one at regular intervals. Sure enough a couple of days later and a delicious banquette was laid on for all in the Grand Bure. It was a great evening, enjoyed by all, but best of all he says it was not prompted by him or by the Tribe Wanted staff it was a community driven intiative that came about through a genuine feeling of togetherness and simply because it felt right. That is the Fijian way. Tevita sums it up perfectly by saying it is just like building a Bure – your foundations must be solid and the rest of the building will be solid and long lasting. On Vorovoro the community spirit is the foundations and he is very happy to report the foundations of Vorovoro are very solid.

Tevita looks upon Vorovoro like any other Fijian community and he constantly aims to ensure that in work, rest and play it operates and functions as such. This is working. It is really working both for the world and for Fiji. There is no greater testament to this than when other Fijian Chiefs visit Vorovoro and are both surprised and impressed by the truly traditional Fijian reception they receive and how accurately Fijian customs are being followed. Throughout Fiji, Tevita has observed the gradual fading and disappearance of the traditions and cultural richness which he and his team is now nurturing so successfully on Vorovoro. Perhaps only 10% of Fijian villages are still practicing these traditions he estimates and goes on to say that if there were a competition on Fijian culture and tradition across Fiji he is confident that Vorovoro would do very well! It is this he says that leads visitors to the island to constantly ask himself and Tui Mali “how did you achieve this?” or to call them ‘lucky’. Tevita’s response is simple … “what is happening here comes from the heart”. He explains that every member of the community on Vorovoro is passionate about what is happening here and is keen to learn and participate, and once that passion is in place then the rest is relatively easy. To learn a Meke, or Kava Ceremony etiquette, or the traditional Fijian greetings only takes moments he says, but their cultural importance is timeless. So the question is not really for him or for Tui Mali, or for Vorovoro but it is for the rest of Fiji … when will the rest of Fiji feel the same passion for their culture again. The people of the world are interested and are learning Fijian culture and traditions now … the people of Fiji should be proud and embrace their tradition and culture too. That is Tevita’s challenge to Fiji.

Everything is moving in the right direction and the coming month has plenty in store. New pathways and landscaping to protect the grass during the dry season, the finishing touches to the new Team Fiji bure, clearing up and raising the new gardens and Fruitopia, amongst many other things are all positive improvements and take us ever closer to being a fully self sustainable Fijian village. Culturally there will also be good progress and Tevita is particularly looking forward to developing and practicing new Meke’s and to the tribe getting to grips with the full Kava mat ceremony which it is planned will be performed for the first time at the Tribe Wanted 2nd Year anniversary.

Finally Tevita says he is very excited about the Fijian language lessons, that started today. As the method by which mankind communicates thoughts, ideas and feelings and, perhaps most appropriately, passes on culture and tradition he has no doubt this will be an important addition to the Tribe Wanted experience.

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And this is something new! I've never seen the Mali women with hula hoops before!

A Qantas travel story

from w
This is more-or-less a true story told to me by a close relative, this time not about Air Pacific but about Qantas.

Come fly with me

'You'll just have to hold my hand. Stop me from panicking,' Kathy instructed as Hedley bought return tickets - Melbourne to Perth - for a week's holiday. Kathy's a nurse, Hedley's a potato farmer, and they've been a couple for two years. So far, holidays had been by car to Tamworth for the music.

'No worries,' he answered with a smile. 'It's only a four-hour flight.'

They had not booked on the cheaper no-frills plane, but in the one with the excellent track record. The trip to Perth went sweetly as Kathy sat in an aisle seat, not too far back. She breathed deeply and just grabbed Hedley's hand. The week in Perth was beautiful, using a rental car, with a trip to Busseltown, no cooking to do, lots of sightseeing.

On Sunday they arrived at the Perth airport by midday and had two hours to wait.

'Bad news, ' said an official-looking woman with a white stripe in her hair. 'The plane has engine trouble in Adelaide. Won't be coming. 'There are a hundred and twenty passengers booked. We'll get you out of here. Meanwhile have a two-hour bus tour of Perth this afternoon. You'll leave at midnight!'

More peering at the sights. Kathy just shrugged and looked, while Hedley put on his sunglasses and slept.

At midnight there was news. 'We've organised to get you all back to Melbourne,' said a different airport staff officer, a man with a hint of make-up on. 'With just a little detour.'

Kathy complained, 'I have to get back to work!' Hedley also had to get the spud crop dug up.

'There's twenty seats available in the morning, so we've put most of you on the detoured flight that goes via Cairns, ' said another staff officer, with plucked eyebrows.

'What! Cairns is at the top of Queensland!' shouted Kathy.

'Don't worry Madam. We're not charging you extra for the longer distance.'

'Hey, wait a minute. Cairns isn't even near Melbourne!' muttered Hedley, calculating.

Well, that's the way they went, flying over the Northern Territory, into Queensland and landed at Cairns. The clothes Kathy wore were too heavy as the place was muggy and hot by morning. They flew to Brisbane, stopped an hour, then to Sydney, waited two hours, then to Melbourne. It took 24 hours from Perth to Melbourne! Kathy was too exhausted to worry now about her claustrophobia.

Dirty and tired, but not hungry because of all the snacks at each stopover, they drove home to Geelong, dumped their cases in the lounge room. Hedley put on the kettle for a cuppa. Kathy lay on the sofa, shoes chucked away. She pressed the TV remote control.

A program was just starting. This is your life. Sixty years of our wonderful Australian airline Qantas. Happy birthday!

' And, I still call Australia home,' sang Hedley in a gritty kind of tenor.

When she threw the TV remote at him, he dodged. The teacups flew in the air and smashed on the polished parquetry floor next to the discarded airline tickets.

A dream job in Levuka

from w
I read an article in today's Fiji Times of an English girl with a dream job in Levuka - working at the library as a volunteer - a kind of GAP year experience though it's her second round at a volunteer year overseas.

Levuka is my favourite place. (Apart from Labasa ha ha!) Australian Volunteers Abroad, GAP year experiences, the Peace Corp are all opportunities for young men and women from the richer countries to widen their views by experiencing life in another culture.

But what about the kids from places like Fiji? Wouldn't it be great if there was a similar one-year peace corp experience for them? It doesn't happen though because helping the family, studying, looking for a job is a priority.

It's a privilege for young people from the richer countries to be able to travel easily and find a task that's appropriate for their passions. I went to Fiji as an art teacher when I was 23 and stayed and stayed for many years!

London lass likes to stay
Monday, June 23, 2008

MILES from home can be difficult but for Clare Deacon, the challenge is an exciting one. The 24-year-old is a volunteer worker from GAP Activity Project which arranges placements for volunteers from places such as the United Kingdom and Ireland to work in schools and institutions around the world. Clare is a volunteer staff at the Levuka library and museum. Originally from Orpington in England, she is the eldest of two children. Her mother Elaine is a legal secretary while her father Terry works as an information technology consultant. Growing up in the suburban town south of London, Clare and her brother had a happy and normal childhood. She initially wanted to be a veterinarian because she was always around animals.

"I had a good upbringing," Ms Deacon said. "I grew up around animals especially a lot of cats. Life was pretty normal for us. I attended primary school at Warren Road from Class One to Class Six and later at Priory Secondary. It was in a counsel estate which is something like Raiwaqa here. I had a good experience at school. My primary school was very middle class, very white but secondary was different. There were a lot of mixed races so it was an eye-opener for me."

When she was 18, she joined GAP where she spent four months as an English teacher in a small village in Peru. Living overseas was a challenge for her especially when she had to adapt to the culture and lifestyle in Peru. She said language was a barrier but with confidence she was able to learn. "I lived with a local family in San Salvador. I was a volunteer for English, art and sports. However, in 2006 I completed my university degree in International development at Norwich. I then worked in London for a charitable organisation called Greater London Enterprises. At the same time I was looking for a job overseas. I found out about Fiji through the GAP Activity Projects and I applied and was posted to work with the National Trust of Fiji in Suva."

She arrived in the country in January this year.She has been living with a local family and says she loves every minute of it, especially the new things she found out. Before she moved to Levuka, Clare spent a few weeks at the Sigatoka sand dunes before she was transferred to the library on Ovalau.

"I really like Fiji. It is a good and beautiful place. and the people are so good. I will be in Fiji until September when I have to go back but I want to extend my stay. I will wait and see if there are other projects. At the moment, I love working here in the library and love helping people...The library is a good way to help develop and broaden people's knowledge."

Adapting to the Fijian lifestyle was something she found challenging at first but Clare maintains that the experience has been worthwhile.She has learned to be a more confident and independent person. Her advice to people in general is to grab every opportunity that life presents. "If you are shy, you will never know what you can achieve with every opportunity."

While she may not have turned out to be a vet as she wanted, Clare has been a vegetarian since university. She said if she could not be a vet then being a vegetarian was the closest way to express her passion and care for animals.