Queen’S Visit To Pacific Islands

Details of Programme: Fiji, Dec. 17-19: Tonga, Dec. 20

rE following programme has been arranged for the visit to Fiji of Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, next December: Thursday, December 17. 7.45 a.m.; The liner Gothic will pick up the pilot outside the reef, at Suva. 8.15: The Gothic will enter Suva harbour through the reef passage.

A salute of 21 guns will be fired from the coastal batteries. The Gothic will be escorted to her anchorage by a fleet of Fijian canoes and yachts of the Royal Suva Yacht Club. 9.15: The Governor (Sir Ronald Garvey, KCMG, MBE) and Lady Garvey, with ADC and Matani vanua (Fijian master of cere monies) will board the Gothic to meet Her Majesty. 9.35: Representative Fijian Chiefs will board the Gothic to perform the traditional ceremony of cavuikelekele (invitation to land). 9.50: The Chiefs, and the Governor and Lady Garvey will return to shore.

Later, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will travel from the Gothic by barge. The Gothic will berth at King’s Wharf after the Royal party have gone ashore. 10.30: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will land at the King’s Wharf, where the Governor will present the Mayor and Mayoress of Suva and the Town Councillors. 10.40: The Queen will inspect a Guard of Honour mounted by the Fiji Military Forces. 10.50: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will leave the King’s Wharf by car and drive through the town of Suva to Albert Park.

School children will line the route. 11 a.m.; Arrive at Albert Park, where the Queen will be accorded traditional Fijian ceremonies of welcome. Fijian dances will follow. 12.45 p.m.: The Royal party will proceed to Government House, for luncheon. 2.30 p.m.: Leave Government House by car for the new Central Medical School at Tamavua. 3 p.m.: Arrive at Central Medical School for the official opening by Her Majesty. Students from various Pacific Island Territories will be presented after the cere mony. 3.30: Leave Central Medical School for Adi Cakobau School, Sawani. (Adi Cakobau School is a Govern me n t post-primary boarding school for Fijian girls).

3.50: Arrive at Adi Cakobau School.

After a brief inspection of the school compound, tea will be served on the lawn while the girls and some of the boys from Queen Victoria School (post - primary school for Fijian boys) perform customary action songs. 4.30: Leave Adi.Cakobau School for Nausori Township. 4.50: Arrive at the Rewa River Bridge, at entrance to Nausori.

Drive through Nausori, and re turn to Suva via King’s Road. 7.45 p.m.: Royal party leave Gothic for Government House. 8 p.m.: Dinner at Government House. 9.45: Drive to Grand Pacific Hotel.

The Royal car will be escorted by Fijian torch-bearers and further torch-bearers will line the route, which will encircle Albert Park.

Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh will appear on a flood lit balcony overlooking Albert Park to hear songs by massed Fijian choirs. There will be a fireworks display. 10 p.m.: Her Majesty will attend an invitation State Ball at the Grand Pacific Hotel, returning later to the Gothic.

Friday, December 18. 9.50 a.m.: Her Majesty will come ashore and drive to the Legis lative Council Chamber. Ex servicemen will line the drive leading to the entrance to the Council Chamber. 10 a.m.; Arrival at Leg. Co. Cham ber, to receive the Colony’s formal address of welcome, to which Her Majesty will reply. An investiture of persons awarded honours in last New Year and Coronation lists will follow. 10.30: Leave Leg. Co. Chamber to visit the new Anglican Cathedral. 10.45: Leave the Cathedral for the RNZAF Flying Boat Station at Laucala Bay. 11.05: Arrive Laucala Bay. 11.15: Leave Laucala Bay by Solent flying boat for Lautoka, via the South coast of Viti Levu. 12 noon: Arrive Lautoka. 12.10 p.m.: Her Majesty will land at the CSR Co’s, wharf and will be met by the District Com missioner Western and the Mayor of Lautoka. She will inspect a Guard of Honour of ex-service men. 12.20 p.m.: Leave the wharf by car and drive through Lautoka to the Governor’s bure (Fijian - style thatched cottage) for lunch.

12.50; Arrive at Governor’s bure. A buffet lunch, including Fijian dishes, will be served. 3.20 p.m.: Leave bure for Churchill Park. 3.30 —4.30 p.m.; A sports meeting, in which some of Fiji’s leading athletes will take part, will be held at Churchill Park. 4.30: Leave Churchill Park for wharf. 4.45: Leave wharf by launch for aircraft. 5 p.m.: Leave Lautoka on return flight to Suva. 5.40: Arrive Laucala Bay. 5.50; Leave for King’s Wharf, by coastal road. 6.10: Arrive at Gothic. 6.45 —7.30 p.m.: The Duke of Edin burgh will meet scientists and re search workers on board the Gothic at a small cocktail party. 8 p.m.: Dinner on board the Gothic.

The Governor and Lady Garvey will say farewell to Her Majesty before leavihg the Gothic after dinner.

Saturday, December 19. 6.30 a.m.: Gothic sails for Tonga.

Farewell salute of 21 guns by shore battery.

Royal Visit To Tonga

Sunday, December 20 rE Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will land at the Nukualofa Wharf from the Gothic at 10.40 a.m. They will be met by Queen Salote and other members of the Tonga Royal Family, the British Agent and Consul (Mr. James Windrum) and Mrs. Windrum, and Cabinet Ministers and Judges and their wives.

After a formal exchange of greet ings on the wharf, Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, and Queen Salote, will drive to the War Memorial by a circular route. At 10.55 a.m. Queen Elizabeth will lay a wreath on the War Memorial.

Their Majesties and the Duke of Edinburgh will then drive through Nukualofa along a route spanned by decorated arches.

From 11.10 a.m. to 11.55 a.m. they will attend a combined Anglican and Wesleyan Church service. , A 1 After the service Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh will drive to the British Residency, while Queen Salote will go direct to the Mala’e, or public park.

At 12.25 p.m. Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh will proceed to the Mala’e, where they will meet leading members of the community. A presentation of Tongan gifts will follow.

At 1.00 p.m. there will be a Tongan Feast. at 2.00 p.m. their Majesties and the Duke of Edinburgh will leave the feast and retire to the Palace.

From the Palace, Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh will drive to the wharf to embark in the Royal Barge at 2.45 p.m., to re-join the Gothic.

The Gothic will depart for New Zealand.

Some Of The Problems

FIJI’S Royal Visit Committee is working on various problems.

First is the housing and feed ing of the many visitors expected to crowd into Suva and Lautoka during the visit.

Other problems concern security, traffic control, transport facilities for visitors, and provision of special radio communication facilities.

At least 50 correspondents, radio reporters and visiting protographers are expected. They will be housed in the Suva Girls’ Grammar School hostel, which will be converted into a Press Centre. Efforts are being made to arrange for special air craft to transport these pressmen across to Lautoka with the royal flight, and from Suva to Nukualofa a day later. Cables & Wireless, Ltd., are already preparing special radio telephone and radio-picture services to Australia and New Zealand.

The secretary of the Royal Visit Committee (Mr. J. W. Sykes) has been relieved of much of the work of his post of Assistant Colonial Secretary (Administration) in order to devote an increasing amount of time to arrangements for the Royal Visit.

Aotearoa To Carry Queen

When the Queen flies from Suva to Lautoka on December 18, she will probably travel in the Solent flying boat Aotearoa 11, which she christened at Belfast, Northern Ireland, when she was Princess Elizabeth.

The offer of Tasman Empire Airways, Ltd., to carry the Royal party from Suva to Lautoka by flying boat, has been accepted by the Governor of Fiji.