‘CLUB MASA WILL RISE’
Club Masa will be restored to its former glory, American investor and Fijian passportholder, Marcus Oliver says.
His efforts to sell the spoils of a river dredging exercise that was deposited on land he claims belongs to Club Masa, are among rehabilitation efforts he has now put in place.
On immediate offer, free of charge to qoliqoli owners. Is the river dredging spoils piled up at Club Masa, he said.
“Anyone interested, can call me,” he said.
Club Masa, a former surfers destination, is located in Kulukulu, Sigatoka.
Mr Oliver supports the development of a magnetite extraction and mining facility in the vicinity, led by Australian company Magma Mines, through its subsidiary Dome Gold Mines.
Located along a sandy peninsula that divides the Sigatoka River from the Pacific Ocean, Club Masa is coveted for its natural attractions that include fishing, bon fires, and surfing.
“Club Masa will rise again,” Mr Oliver told SunBiz.
“It had a good run for a while, but the road access was a constant struggle.
“If that had not happened, we would have been like Uprising; we wouldn’t have had the dredging.”
Holding on for years
Club Masa obtained its liquor licence in the late 1980s, and opened in 1990.
“I had the hotel licence for many years; the resort was so famous for the Sigatoka River mouth surfing, and the sand dunes,” Mr Oliver said.
Mr Oliver’s history with Sigatoka dates back to his earlier days of surfing, when his father managed the then Lami Tradewinds hotel.
“I would not have clung on all these years to Club Masa if it wasn’t for the surf, which is my passion,” he said.
“It still is to this day; I surf as much as I can.”
Club Masa is a sprawling 80-plus acre land mass, with a peninsula that reaches out to the Sigatoka River mouth, he said.
The Sigatoka River mouth is marked with the presence of the deadly Quruvatuwaqa, a rock - and landmark that vertically juts out of the middle of the river mouth.
To get to Club Masa, Mr Oliver must request access from the Work estate.
The Work estate runs from the Kulukulu estuary to the open sea, locking out access to Club Masa, he said.
“All they want us to do is rent the access, not buy it out,” Mr Oliver said.
Club Masa
A series of situations prompted the closure of the surfers’ resort, Mr Oliver said.
“We had difficulties with the Work family estate about road access,” he said.
“Anyone who knows Club Masa, knows the problem we had; how we had to walk, not drive, because the Work estate would not allow us through otherwise.
“I had negotiations with the Public Trustee’s office which represents most of them; to this day, I have to rent the access road, through the Work estate, to reach Club Masa estate.
“There is no registered access road through that estate.
“The river is my legal access.”
Magma Mines
In 2006, private sector participation with the mining sector was widely encouraged, Mr Marcus said.
Magma Mines entered the local scene, followed by a letter of support from Club Masa, in which the latter offered to work with the mining
developer.
“I saw it as another way of resolving this road access problem,” Mr Oliver said.
Mr Oliver was told to use the waterways to access Club Masa.
“I need Magma (Mines) for my road access; our only way,” Mr Oliver said.
Ownership
Mr Oliver represents the local interests of property owners – the Eric Kobbe estate, of Beaverton, Oregon.
Eric’s father, John, was Mr Oliver’s original business partner in Club Masa.
Eric’s business interests in Fiji at the time ranged from real estate to a lumber mill, which operated under the name American Investments.
“It is now known as Bold Investments, owners of 68 acres of freehold land in Nadiri,” he said.
Nadiri is located upstream and inland from Sigatoka Town.
“Only Masa was not included (in Eric’s real estate listing),” Mr Oliver said.
Dredging
Mr Oliver was throwing lunch parties for the team that dredged the lower end of Sigatoka River, at a time when no rehabilitation plan was designed.
He maintains the Sigatoka River mouth would have to be dredged every five years, because of farming developments upstream.
It is from that standpoint that he claims “Masa can supply gravel for Fiji until kingdom comes.”
“I proposed a voluntary account, to hold in trust, royalties to the 12 villages surrounding the lower end of the Sigatoka River,” Mr Oliver said.
“People tried to talk me out of the whole situation, including Magma Mines, which now considers our property the most important stake in their project.”
Rehab
Over 400 coconut trees have been replanted at Masa, after the land was denuded from the dredging spoils.
Mr Oliver stands by his earlier decision to use Masa as a dumping ground for such spoils a move that killed the rich forest that many enjoyed.
“We filled a mosquito-haven swamp that was a breeding ground for its immediate community, which the wind would pick up and blow into the whole of Kulukulu settlement, Vunavutu and everywhere else,” he said.
“Most of the coconut trees were over 90 years old, and were nearing the end of their life cycle.
“Coconut trees produce only until they are nine years old.”
Environment Management
As Mr Oliver awaits approval of an environment management plan, he expresses eagerness to “clean the mess the dredging made”.
“The only way I can afford to do it, is to sell the spoils to cover the cost,” he said.
“There is a possibility I will have to pay a $2.50 royalty because they took it out of the river, which belongs to the qoliqoli (resource) owners.”
Namaqumaqua Village in Serua, and Vunavutu Village are claimants to the affected qoliqoli.
Pacific Harbour
In the meantime, Mr Oliver pursues his other local business interests.
He is setting up a bed-and-breakfast business, at Mala Circle, Pacific Harbour.
“I also have a fish hatchery going on another property I own here, so I’ll be in the country until at least the end of January,” he said.