Duke visits Kadavu
CARRYING a punt with passengers onboard is not an easy feat, but if the passengers are royalty it certainly is an honourable duty bestowed upon anyone. Like many royal visits that graced Fiji’s shores in the past, the late Duke of Edinburgh’s visit demonstrated close connections between the British monarch and the people of Fiji.
One of the shores that Prince Philips visited back in March 1971 was Tavuki Village in Kadavu. On the day of his visit, thirty muscular men from Tavuki dressed in their best white Sunday sulu waded into the sea and carried the 30ft punt ashore with the Prince on board.
The Duke according to this newspaper report on Monday, March 8, 1971 arrived at Tavuki in the royal yacht Britannia after an overnight passage from Tubou, Lakeba – the home of the then Prime Minister, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara.
The article described that the 30 men hoisted the punt on their shoulders and carried it for more than 100 yards so the Duke of Edinburgh could step ashore on the village green without wetting his feet.
During his visit, the Duke was accompanied by his uncle, Lord Mountbatten of Burma, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara and Adi Lady Lala Mara who were also in the punt with him. He had spent a relaxing night on board the Britannia after a brief stop at Lakeba from Western Samoa, of which he was accorded full Fijian welcome ceremonies before he officially opened the Lakeba Junior Secondary School.
At Tavuki a big crowd was on the beach to welcome him and the village church was packed to capacity for a special service. Light rain had been falling and the open-air service of the superintendent of the Kadavu circuit of the Methodist Church, the Reverend Emori Taleaua, was to have led was later transferred to the church.
A blustery northerly wind that blew up, forced Marine Department pilot Captain
A. Cripps, who had gone out to meet the Britannia in the pilot launch Seniceva, to anchor the Royal Yacht three miles off Tavuki which was further out to sea than was originally planned.
The Duke of Edinburgh and his party went ashore by transferring to one of the Britannia’s barges which carried them to within half a mile of the shore in rough seas.
The visitors were then transferred to a small launch and taken to the punt which finally carried the Duke to the beach.
This newspaper reported that the Duke was set safely ashore on the village green and walked along a mat-covered path lined by ex-servicemen and schoolchildren.
As described in the article, the Duke dressed in dark brown slacks, a light brown shirt with a tie to match and carrying an umbrella paused several times to talk to the children and men.
It had stopped raining then but the weather was still cold and blustery.
The church service started just before noon and while it was in progress Lord Mountbatten’s daughter, Lady Patricia Brabourne, joined the Duke.
The church was packed to capacity according to the report, with many more people outside peering through windows and doors. After the 15-minute service, the Duke walked along the mat-covered path to a bure where he drank yaqona before going for an informal walk through the village accompanied by the Roko Tui Kadavu, Ratu Seci Nawalowalo.
Other members of his party followed the Duke around on the walk and later he was presented with two carved walking sticks.
Before leaving the beach he shouted a loud ‘goodbye’ to more than 1000 people there to farewell him.
He waved gaily before boarding the Marine Department launch Volasiga for a picnic lunch and a sail in an outrigger canoe at Udulevu beach about four miles from Tavuki.
A live pig had been sent to the beach and the Duke watched as it was roasted in a lovo for a Fijian style picnic lunch. The Minister for Labour, Ratu Sir Edward Cakobau, and the Commissioner of Police, R. T.M Henry, were at Tavuki to welcome the Duke ashore.
This newspaper reported that the weather cleared at Tavuki that afternoon and the Britannia band went ashore at the village and gave a concert on the green. The Britannia then left Tavuki for Yasawa where the Duke had a full program.