Fijian Qualities

Sequel To Malaya

Fijian Qualities Going To Waste?

SINCE 1952, the Ist Battalion, Fiji Infantry Regiment, has become one of the most decorated British units fighting in Malaya.

There is nothing astonishing in this fact to people who know the details, published and otherwise, of the Fijians’ record in the Solomons campaign of the Pacific War, but a question which some people are ask ing to-day is why so little scope is provided in Fiji for the brilliant qualities shown by Fijian service men in active operations in wartime.

On many occasions in the last three years the citations attached to high military decorations have gone outside the usual terse, formal wording to underline examples of courage, self-sacrifice, quick-think ing resource, fine discipline, and outstanding, aggressive leadership among Fijian officers, NCO’s and men in the nerve-racking jungle war.

The latest awards included the Military Cross to Lieutenant Livai Labaleta and the Military Medal to Corporal Alipate Cakau. (On No vember 5, not long after the an nouncement of his decoration,

Corporal Cakau led a section of A Company which killed two “wanted” committee members of the Com munist terrorist organisation in the Yong Peng district of Johore).

ANOTHER aspect of the Fijians’ mission in Malaya was stressed by the Auckland Star, New Zea land, on November 17.

The occasion was the arrival at Auckland of Private Alivereti Rabuka, of Nadi, who was being in valided home after being desperately wounded in a jungle foray. Rabuka had lost his left arm, had two bullet wounds in his chest, was suf

fering from serious internal juries, and was paralysed from waist down.

After quoting tributes to young Fijian’s courage and detf mination in “refusing to die,” newspaper said: “At Auckland, those who know him, the wv ‘courage’ will always bring memoic of the smiling Rabuka.”

The problem of giving scopes civilian life for at least some e the qualities invariably shown Fijians in emergencies is likelyv be complex, but there are so people who believe that somethr:

Murray-Carr

Wedding

Mr. Peter Murray and Miss M. Carr were married at the LMS Church, Port Moresby, on November 12. Our photograph is by Papuan Prints.

i these lines will have to be found imehow.

F ever a people was in need of ■courageous and resourceful future leaders it is the Fijians to-day. >tential leaders possessing these lalities are clearly there, but in esent conditions they have little lance to exercise influence and js chance to express their views i matters of the gravest concern to eir race. [n short, the situation seems made order for the purveyors of crack t Communistic ideas of various ids, and among a less docile ople theories of fanatical national i would have taken root long ago. \n overhaul that does not involve y revolutionary break with idition will, it seems, have to be jived before long. The fatuous ;a, voiced some time ago, that iians back from Malaya should [ard taxi-driving and hotel-wait ; as “progress” hardly seems to fit ! record in Malaya.

ET another story of remarkable devotion to duty was told when Lance-Corporal Somaki Seru re yed the insignia of the British ipire Medal from the Governor r Ronald Garvey) in the Legis we Council Chamber, at Suva, in member. rance-corporal Somaki, the cita i stated, although a medical erly. had gone out on patrols I had killed five terrorists. While patrol was encamped at night, ree fell and pinned several men, aaki among them. Although he I a fractured leg, with the bone truding through the skin, he ivied from man to man dressing ir injuries and giving morphia. i men died, and only after he satisfied that all the survivors 1 been eased, did Somaki accept •phia for himself, fter presenting the medal, the r ernor spoke quietly to the lier. Only one word could be

rd by others —“bravery.”

s Lance-corporal Somaki Seru, in every point a splendid nmen of a warrior race, went £ to his place, the spectators in crowded Chamber broke into onged applause. There were few were not visibly moved by this

itration of self-sacrificing hero

r. John Cumston, Australian sul in New Caledonia, was the >t speaker at the November lering of the Sydney Pacific ids Society. “Conditions in New idonia” was the subject of his , which was illustrated with ured slides. The December meet on December 9 will take the i of the annual cocktail party.