farewell to "Matua"

The Islanders say farewell to "Matua"

To many Pacific Islanders ships are just about as important as people, sometimes more so, so when the venerable Union Steam Ship Company vessel Matua made her last calls at islands ports in August, after 32 years service, hundreds of Islanders turned out at each port to give her a fitting farewell.

On her final call at Nukualofa, the Matua was farewelled by some 500 people who packed Queen Salote wharf. She presented a handsome sight silhouetted against the grey dawn.

A few moments before leaving a white pennant was unfurled from the Matua’s main mast to a distance of 371 ft —one foot for every month of service.

Two rockets

The tail of the pennant was caught and tied back with a fine line, so that it curled and billowed in the breeze. The reflection of the ship’s lights on it, in the early dawn, made it look like a comet in the sky.

Two rockets were fired and Matua was away, her siren answering the call of other vessels in port, while the Police Band added its farewell.

Tongans will remember her best for the time she evacuated all the people from Niuafo’ou, or Tin Can Island, after the volcano on the island erupted in 1946.

Suva gave the Matua no less enthusiastic a departure. Amid dozens

of rocketing fireworks and a chom of sirens from other ships in por she sailed out of the Bay of Island to the sounds of Isa Lei and Aul Lang Syne from the Fiji Militar Forces Band, A Matua office dropped a huge salusalu off he bridge into the sea.

Emotional

A plaque presented by the peopl of Fiji in 1946 in appreciation c the Matua’s war service was returne for safe-keeping, amid emotiom speeches from the ship’s maste: Captain Peter Bennett and the Mayc of Suva, Councillor L. G. Usher.

After a speech of his own, th Minister for Communications, Wori and Tourism, Mr. C. A. Stinsoi read a message from the Governo: Sir Derek Jakeway.

Captain Peter Bennett had sper many years on USS Islands rum having also commanded Matua sister ship Tofua.

USS is to replace Matua ten porarily with a 2,808-ton trade: Taveuni.

The "Matua" berthing at the deep-water wharf at Apia, Western Samoa, where she was as familiar a sight to Samoans as she was to Fijians and Tongans in other port;[?]