For Nabavatu

Escape to the Islands Comes High

£54,000 Price Tag

IN one nod and a lifted eyebrow, the auction of Nabavatu estate, Exploring Islands, Lau, Fiji, held in Sydney on August 31, was over. (PIM, August, p. 23).

In that space of time, the auctioneers, Richardson and Wrench, say they turned down an offer of £45,000. “ (A PIM reporter who covered the auction was unable to discover where this nod, wink or facial contortion came from, there fore the bidder remains unknown).

However, £45,000 was not con sidered enough. Reserve had been fixed at £54,000.

This has set Mr. Fred Hennings, Sydney-domiciled member of the famous Fiji Hennings family, yelp ing with amazement. We do not know at what price the property has changed hands in the past, but at a rough guess we should say that the present reserve is about 20 times more than what the late Mr. Gus Hennings received when he sold the property to Captain Grey (20 or 30 years ago), who subse quently sold out to Mr. and Mrs.

Garnet Malley, the present owners, in 1949.

Interviewed in Sydney after the auction and before they returned to Fiji in mid-September, Mr. and Mrs. Malley said that they had used Nabavatu as a private residential estate, recuperative health and pleasure resort. They have not ex ploited the production of copra on the estate. Figures disclosed indicate that copra production is currently 60 or 70 tons a year.

They said that there have been some private negotiations following the auction, but that they are now in no hurry to sell —three groups have made approaches to them about making films on the estate for televsion.

Mr Malley has spent much money in putting down roads throughout Nabavatu. About 10,000 new coco nuts have also been planted and will shortly come into bearing.