Spotlight On The Old And The New

Colourful ceremonies, feasting, and a wide variety of entertainment marked the 102nd anniversary of the Richmond School at Richmond, Tavuki, Kadavu, recently. The school is believed to be Fiji’s oldest existing school with a continuous record of service.

The Governor, Sir Kenneth Maddocks, and Lady Maddocks, making their last official visit to Kadavu, attended the celebrations, during which a memorial grove of coconuts was planted. The picture at left shows a big yaqona (kava) root being presented. At right is Richmond’s new £2,500 church which was

officially opened by Lady Maddocks. The church was erected by a Fijian builder and paid for by the people of Kadavu. It has seating for 320 people.

Kadavu is Fiji’s fourth largest group of islands.

When the Methodist Church held its first conference at Tavuki, Kadavu, the seat of the Roko Tui Kadavu, in 1857, it was decided that the island should stand on its own feet as a circuit, and that a school for Fijian children should be started there. Accordingly, in 1861, the Richmond School was established.

Photos: Rob Wright