End Of Promising

Young Officer’S Death

Fijian Career

MANY people in Fiji—and a number in New Zealand—be lieved that a bright future lay ahead of Lieut. M. R. D. Vula, a Fijian soldier whose death occurred it his home at Vatukarasa, Nadroga, jn February 18, soon after his return from Army service in Malaya.

Misiwata Ratulevu Domoni Vula, who was in his early thirties when le died, received his secondary jducatioh at Queen Victoria School md later entered the Government service. As a clerk in the Secre iariat, at Suva, he soon won a high •eputation, and it was common mowledge that in 1951, when the :all was made for Fijian recruits or Malaya, the Army had to em >loy its powers of persuasion to secure Vula’s release from his Gov irnment post.

In 1950, a wide circle of friends, hjian and otherwise, were interested ti the fact that M. R. D. Vula was -as far as anybody could discover -the first young Fijian to go over eas as an unofficial individual raveller. Through a New Zealand riend at Suva, he had been in ited to spend three months’ leave ,s the guest of a South Island amily.

PHIS interlude, which took him to many places where no Fijian had ever been before, worked ut unexpectedly as an unofficial oodwill mission. Fijian courtesy, itelligence, and charm of manner layed their part, and the NZ visit an unalloyed success.

Further, the traveller was con iantly astonished to discover an nfailing fund of quiet affection to ards the Fijian people in southern [ties and remote townships alike, art of this could be traced to NZ jldiers who had been in Fiji dur ig the war, part to the splendid ijian war record, and part to the npact of Fijian cricketers, foot alters and athletes in the Dominion, In a Fijian language broadcast fter his return to Suva, Vula told ow, on occasions when he and his Z friend arrived without warning : crowded hotels in Westland, embers of the hotelkeepers’ families ould often bundle out of their own >oms on the grounds that “this is ie first Fijian to come here, and place must be made somehow!”

PUBLICITY was avoided, but in the larger cities the press was promptly on the trail, and at r ellington the holiday visit was sur risingly described as “a welcome meriment in Fijian-NZ social re .tionship.”

At the end of it all, when questioned about his first tour outside Fiji, Vula summed it up as follows: “All the way from Auckland to Dunedin I was made to feel welcome. I thought I might feel sometimes like a stranger or a curiosity, but I didn’t.” At the same tSt wUd d mo™tato

gfacier and "country™West"-'

qriH thp nuipt North Ot&sfo S?m that had been his head- SJc nad been s e a qudiLexb.

Vula, a keen Territorial in Fiji, underwent an Army course at Burnham after the completion of his leave. Subsequently, he received a commission and went to Malaya early in 1952. He returned several

months later jDecause of the death of his wife, a former nurse, who left a baby son. He remained with the Army in Fiji until May, 1953, when he returned to Malaya shortly after his second marriage. His Army record was as consistently good as his civilian career had been.

At the funeral, at Vatukarasa, the Fiji toy & dct&chmcrit from the ColoniB»l Barracks at Suva, and the Govern ment was represented by Roko Tui Nadroga and Navosa (Ratu George Cakobau). The Rev. S. Nabanivalu officiated at the graveside and there was a very large gathering of relatives and friends from Suva, Lautoka and other centres of Vlti Levu.