VOICES OF COURAGE

Surrounded by flood debris and tearful onlookers, Josua Tawakedrau and his friends began singing loudly, their voices soothing a broken community.

They stood proud, singing along to the traditional Fijian song

E Da Sa Qaqa, meaning “we have overcome”.

The group of 45 Fijian men stayed in Lismore for weeks, rescuing people from their homes, saving livestock and helping elderly residents escape from a flooded aged care facility.

Remembering his experiences of floods and cyclones as a young boy in the Tailevu province of Fiji, Josua, 38, led the effort to rescue people, dividing up his teams to work alongside emergency services personnel, all the while singing their hearts out to help heal the regional town.

Speaking to Woman’s Day eight months on from the floods, the HR support worker said he was ready to lend a helping hand as soon as he heard about the tragedy.

“Seeing the devastation of the floods... we just wanted to lift everyone’s spirits,” he says.

“We were here representing our families and values back home.”