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Suva Wouldn't Be The Same Without Commissionaire Ned

From Beryl Cates, in Suva To imagine Suva’s Grand acific Hotel without Ned, its ammissionaire, is like trying to injure up a picture of the early Gates without St. Peter.

T’S not that Ned bears any re semblance to the ethereal gate ;eper. The halo, at least, would ive to be OS to encircle his mass Fijian hair.

But Ned is not simply the man ho stands at the GPH entrance, eeting guests and opening car >ors —-he is part of the hotel, and ter six years one simply cannot lagine one without the other.

A massive 6 ft 2 in., weighing 4 lb, Ned’s waist matches in inches owner’s number in years—s 3.

Surely one of Suva’s most photo iphed people, Ned’s broad, hand rne features appear on picture post rds on sale all over Fiji. Viewers un almost every part of the globe ve watched Ned at work on home >vie screens, TV and commercial ns. In his island birthplace, Ono au. Ned took part in the 60nute film, Two Men of Fiji, the lely-shown gem of a movie pro :ed by Shell. [n this he played the part of the her of the attractive feminine d. Selina Vunibola, now Mrs. le, of NZ, Selina, a runner-up a Hibiscus Festival Queen com ition, is in real life Ned’s ighter.

Courteous Dignity

4ed’s courteous dignity, handsome ks, and unfailing good humour, ke him a “natural” for photo phers and scarcely a day passes hout some tourist begging him Dose in his grey serrated-edge sulu, shirt and black cummerbund, le has at home hundreds of itographs of himself sent by teful photographers from all over world, and fan mail comes for i from countries as far away as imark, France and Thailand, ry Christmas he receives cards by dozen, and last Christmas he got e than 100 from abroad, orn Nacanieli Vunibola, he was mamed Ned by a pal during the

His six years of schooling were cut short in 1930 because of ill health, and since then Ned has been a school teacher, interpreter, inter island trader, owner of a email busi ness, district secretary (Ono-i-Lau), carpenter, mess steward with the Royal NZ Air Force, pay clerk, storeman, garage attendant and ration clerk.

He travelled to Australia in 1939, but returned to Fiji in 1940 because of the approach of war.

During his long, varied career, inter-island trading appears to have been Ned’s first love, and many times during his life he left lucrative jobs to return to trading.

He firmly declined the position of commissionaire for the GPH when first approached in 1958. He was trading though unsuccessfully at the time, and he did not like the idea of the uniform or the work itself. The request was made again the following year, and again he hesitated, fearing the position would “offend his dignity”.

Persuaded at last, Ned donned the uniform and took up his position on the hotel entrance porch, con vinced that he would resign the moment something better offered itself.

He declined all requests for

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photographs until a gentle old lady came forward with her camera.

Unable to resist her plea because of her age, Ned posed, and within a few seconds three other photo graphers had appeared, Ned continued smiling—to his own surprise, quite happily.

Now the only times he refuses to pose are on those occasions when he is busy with tourists arriving or departing en masse. Greeting or farewelling guests and attending luggage are his prime concerns.

His actions are now smooth with long practice, but not so his smile.

It is as warm and spontaneous as the day he greeted his first guest.

And the dignity about which he worried so much, is there also, natural and as impressive as the man himself.

Commissionaire Ned.

Photo; Stan Whippy.