The Fiji

Scene

Mr. E. B. Corbett, retiring senior mechanical engineer of the Fiji Public Works Depart ment, was farewelled with traditional Fijian ceremonies recently. Rato Jone Logavatu is shown presenting Mr. Corbett with a tabua mounted on a plaque which em bodied 10 different woods. His successor is Mr. D. A. J. Clarke (left foreground).

The monster shown at left and below is a Leatherback turtle—only normally found in the waters of Malaysia and Borneo. A Fijian from Naidi village, Vanua Levu, discovered it after it had swum 5,000 miles to lay its eggs on a beach near Naidi. The find was reported to District Officer McGeever, of Savusavu, who measured the turtle's vital statistics and arranged for photographs to be taken. The animal was 7 ft long from beak to tail, the shell was 51 ft long and the front flippers had a span of 8 ft from tip to tip. Its neck was 3 ft in circumference, and it was estimated to weigh half a ton. The shell was noticeably flexible and was divided into six longitudinal sections by horny ridges. The leatherback is the largest of the turtle family and occasionally reaches 12 ft in length. Only about five per cent, of the young survive to adulthood. In Malaysia, an association is trying to save the Leatherback from extinction. The Leatherback which journeyed to Fiji was released after its Inspection.

Photos: Rob Wright, NZ Information Service, and Nitin.

0 Miss Western Samoa 1968 is Miss Tuifeamalo (Tui) Schaafhausen, a librarian at the Nelson Memorial Public Library in Apia. Tui is of German-Samoan descent and was educated in Samoa and at Auckland University. She travelled to Australia as part of the "Samoana" fashion show which visited Sydney late last year, and she is now scheduled to appear in Melbourne during this year's Moomba festival. At right are some of the other contestants in .the Miss Western Samoa finals held in Apia in late January. Photos by Forsgrens.