Medal for Brave Fijian
p. 128 · Read in the full issue
A MASTER at the Fijian Central School, Suva, has been awarded the Royal Humane Society’s Silver Medal and Certificate. He is Marika Ului Lewanavanua, who, at great personal risk, saved an elderly Fijian woman from drowning in the tidal wave which followed the earthquake of September 14, 1953.
The tidal wave swept through Nakasaleka village, Kadavu, at a height of from eight to 10 feet.
When told that the woman was missing, Marika ran from Nakasa leka school, where he was then stationed, and leapt on top of a house which was floating in the wave. In one of the other wrecked buildings he saw a woman’s cloth ing floating. He dived in and dragged the unconscious woman to land, where he applied artificial respiration until she revived. if Captain A, Mellor, well known in New Guinea waters as former master of the Australian Army vessel Terra, and master of the Queensland Gov ernment vessel Melhidir based on Thursday *sland, came south to Sydney by air on leave in De cember-January.