Friendship with Britain

Tonga's 50 Years of Friendship with Britain

THE celebrations which marked the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Friendship between Tonga and Great Britain were entered into enthusiastically by the Tongans in Nukualofa, on February 15 to 17.

The three days of festivities followed months of preparation. Sir Brian Free ston, Governor of Fiji and High Com missioner of the Western Pacific, with Lady Freeston and party arrived on HMNZS Hawea. On the morning of the 16th. Sir Brian and Queen Salote drove through cheering crowds along a route decorated by arches erected by various districts and institutions, to the Mala’e where both addressed the people.

At the end of his address Sir Brian announced that an honorary CBE had been conferred on Prince .Tungi, heir to the Tongan throne, and he presented the Prince with the badge associated with the award.

A handsome chair of Fijian hardwood,

with red leather upholstery and the Tongan coat of arms carved on the high back was then presented on behalf of the British Government, for the use of the Tongan monarch when presiding over the Privy Council.

The Tongan Government presented to Great Britain four historic guns which were captured from the privateer Port au-Prince in 1806 by Finau, a leading Tongan chief of that day. The guns were later used by Finau for his own purposes and they, probably more than any other factor, were responsible for the unifica tion of what was to become the inde pendent Kingdom of Tonga.

One of the sailors of the Port-au- Prince was an observant and intelligent young man called Thomas Mariner. Finau adopted Mariner who was forced to spend many years in Tonga; his obser vations during that time resulted in the book we now call “Mariner’s Tonga”— a classic on the life of the Group before the impact of civilisation and Christ ianity.

A march-past of returned servicemen, schoolchildren, visiting Navy men and the Royal Guard followed the presentations, and this was followed by a procession of floats depicting, generally, the progress made in the Kingdom during the past 50 years.

The day concluded with a lavish Ton gan feast given by the Queen to her visitors in the Palace grounds. Whole roasted suckling pigs lay tail to tail for two hundred yards, flanked by cooked poultry, fish, crayfish, native fruits, vege tables and puddings. Table napkins were of tapa cloth, and there was coconut milk to drink.

AT TOP: The carved chair pre sented by the British Government.

At right, Prince Tungi, assisted by his brother Prince Tuipelehake, films the original of the Treaty of Friendship which was on show for the occasion. AT LEFT: The guns of the Port-au-Prince. Below is shown one of the arches that de corated the procession route; this one was built by Fijians living in Tonga.

Photos by Fiji Public Relations Office and Hettig.