BEM Awarded to Fijian

Woman

11HE King has awarded the British Empire Medal to Maria Wati, a Fijian woman, for bravery displayed when a motor launch was wrecked off the Tavua coast on February 26. 1950.

On February 25, a fishing party com prising Mr. Edward Steele, Mr. Victor Irwin, Mr. Michael Storck and Maria

Wati set out in a small motor launch from Tavua. They anchored the launch off Salisali reef, four miles from the main = land, and fished until 2 o’clock the next morning.

A strong wind came up, the engine would not start and at 4 o’clock in the morning the launch was driven by the wind on to the reef and foundered in about 3 ft. of water. Big waves carried away the superstructure and Mr. Storck was taken off with it.

Mr. Irwin, Mr. Steele and Maria Wati remained with the wreckage of the launch

until daybreak. Neither Irwin nor Steele could swim.

When daylight came the three peoole saw a beacon about two miles away along the reef and Maria persuaded the two men to walk along the reef towards the beacon. When the party reached it they set out for Manava Islet, a further two miles away. Steele developed cramp but Maria did her best to keep up the spirits of the two men and continued to help them as the going became more difficult.

When they were about 50 yards from Manava Mr. Steele’s cramps became so paralysing that he could not move. Maria then saw Mr. Storck on the islet. He had been washed out to sea but on the change of the tide he was carried through the Tavua Bay passage towards Manava.

He had abandoned the cabin top and had swum to the islet after having spent five hours in the sea.

Maria shouted to him and he came along the reef and helped to carry Mr, Steele, who was completely exhausted, to safety on Manava. Maria offered to swim over to Vatia, about five miles away, to get help. She was persuaded not to take the risk of being attacked by sharks.

The four people dug a foxhole in order to shelter from the stinging sand and rain and the biting wind. Forty-eight hours after they had set out a rescue party arrived in the Emperor Gold Min ing Company’s launch and took the three men and Maria to the mainland.

If Maria Wati had not been in the party neither Steele nor Irwin would have moved from the launch and it is cer tain they both would have drowned. Her determination and cheerfulness played an outstanding part in helping the two men to make their way along the four miles of submerged reef to Manava Islet from which they were eventually rescued.