The 'Day Dreamers'
IN the ’60s, at a time when there were no structured roads in the Rewa Delta, people would walk for miles or travel via a punt to Navaka Village, Noco, to listen to a band called the Day Dreamers.
In a roofing iron and bamboo shed, under star-lit skies, the people of the delta would dance the night away.
And if the band was “fuelled” enough, the dancing would stop just before the break of dawn.
Eroni Rokovesi, the manager of another ensemble – Burekonoco Old Timers Group – described what the scene was like at that time.
He said the Day Dreamers were so wellknown that villagers from Noco, Nakelo and Tokatoka districts would converge at Navaka and the little village would be filled with the sounds of merrymaking and laughter.
Rokovesi said youths would erect a
bolabola (shed) near their village and decorate the “dance hall” in preparation for the weekend.
While the band members were held in legendary awe, there was equal respect and much discussion about the bouncers designated to take care of guests.
“You know life in Fiji that time was very different – dancing and fighting went together,” the 56-year-old Rewa man said.
“If there was no fight at the dance, then that function wasn’t a good one.
“So the bouncers were like ‘Tarzan’, nobody would mess with them.
“The legendary bouncers at that time were people like Metuisela Luvu, he was a boxer from Vanuadina Village, Tokatoka.
“He used to challenge other good boxers from Noco like Akariva, Ro Saqa and Jotani.”
Rokovesi said most of the fights that erupted during the dances were mostly over women.
“There were lots of beautiful girls in this village like Sovaia and Kalaini – they were so beautiful that the wellknown Toberua Island singer Timoci Gucake composed a song about them.”
He said the Day Dreamers enjoyed their popularity in the ’60s and ’70s and then decided to change their name to Wainidrivi.
Rokovesi said they took their name from a special seafood found only in his village.
He said Aseri Koro, a renowned musician from Lau at that time, became the
leader of the Wainidrivi Group.
“We did a recording with Radio Fiji and had our first hit with Daru Mai Gadi Kina Baravi.
Rokovesi said when the song hit the airwaves, Wainidrivi was invited to perform at functions across the country.
“Sometimes we were invited to perform in the Western Division and other places.
“Our band never charged a fee, we just took whatever the host gave us.
“Sometimes people referred to us as the ‘eat and enjoy (kana, marau), sigidrigi group’.”
“And that was our motto — when we sang, we enjoyed performing and we tried to make the people around us happy at the same time.”
Rokovesi said the well-known iTaukei singer Waisea Rogoyawa (now deceased) hailed from Naivilaca Village but spent most of his youth in Navaka.
While in Navaka, Rogoyawa was enthralled with how the village male choir constructed their harmonies.
He asked them if he could learn their singing style and if he could take it with him.
Rokovesi said because Rogoyawa was from Noco, the elders at that time gave him the nod.
And out of that learning experience, Rogoyawa left Noco and formed two legendary iTaukei groups – the Old Timers and the Crippled Serenaders.
Rokovesi said in 2007, Rogoyawa was blown away by the talent he witnessed in a group of Navaka boys who were entertaining villagers of Nakuruwai in their newly-built community hall.
“While they were singing, Waisea couldn’t help it, he went and joined the group.
“He taught our boys the tactics of singing and composed all their songs.
“They named the band Burekonoco Old Timers.”
One of the lead singers, Solomoni Kaloumaira, said they did their first recording in 2007, second in 2008 and the third recording in 2009.
“We did it so well because of Waisea’s guidance,” he said.
Kaloumaira said in 2009, Rogoyawa had just finished composing four songs whenhe fell ill and passed away.
He said the songs from their third recording were with the Radio Fiji One station.
Kaloumaira said they were fortunate to have sung alongside one of the greatest iTaukei musicians in Fiji.
“We miss him a lot.
“He taught us a lot of techniques – things like when to pause and when to take a breath while singing.
“He taught us different kinds of singing and how to blend our voices.”
Kaloumaira said in 2016 they recorded their first Christian gospel album called the Burekonoco Male Choir and most of the Burekonoco Old Timers members took part in it.