Recent structures a hindrance

Nadi

The tragic accident of a two-year-old boy in Tavua after hitting the lamp post while travelling in a bus is really shocking and alarming. This makes me wonder whether we may expect more deaths of this kind in the future or will there be any measures placed to avoid them.

Can the Fiji Roads Authority and the relevant authorities closely monitor the placements of lamp posts, Fiji Electricity Authority posts and sign boards along the highways? Even some of the houses recently built do not keep the expected distance from the road.

Placing the above structures closer to the highways not only causes road accidents but also hinder future development of roads and lane extensions.

The worst is when all these are seen lying and blocking the roads after cyclones.

Can we all get into proactive mode and save innocent lives in the future, please? early years that led Fiji to be annexed by Britain as one of its colonies and one such site is the Gun Rock that is located in Omnivore which is about a mile and a half northward of the town centre.

This huge peak of deep-sea volcano that became extinct millions of years ago stands tall even today with the scars of history very visible on the surface of the gigantic rock. The cooled black lava rock is about 100 metres from the shoreline forming a step cliff of about forty five degrees angle and has an approximate height of about more than four hundred feet.

The base which is exposed above the ground level is estimated to be about 400 metres in length.

This mountain also forms the boundaries of the Wailailai settlement and Waitovu village. The significance the Gun Rock has with history was that it was probably the first time ever in the 1800s that a British cannon was ever fired and witnessed by the locals as a symbol of superiority and may have also sent out a threatening signal to the warlords to be mindful of the visitors.

The cannon balls were fired from HMS Havannah and in the presence of Chief Cakobau and targeted the volcanic rock and was named as Gun Rock ever since.

The rock was again battered by naval guns in 1874 by Commodore Goodenough to entertain Fijian chiefs in Levuka.

This created many huge chunks of the surface of the rock to fall off in various places and the scars left by the cannon ball can still be seen today.

When visiting this piece of history it is also suggested that climbing this rock can be an adventurous and a worthwhile exercise if you dare to take the partly frontal approach. A safer route to the top can be obtained from the ever willing Tui Vagadaci whose area you will have to cross.

But from the top is an unbelievable view where the entire Lomaiviti group and part of Vanua Levu can be seen.