Pacific Islands Monthly

Dignity and a few tears for the royal visit

SUE WENDT reports on the royal visit to Fiji At first it seemed as though it would be raining with traditional tropical intensity when the Royal Three stepped ashore in Suva. What a miserable welcome (and farewell), everybody thought—and the overseas Press corps raced for cover, huddling in an empty cargo shed with members of the Ist Battalion, Fiji Military Forces.

The crucial last moment for making a decision about switch ing over to the prearranged wet weather programme was long past, and dignitaries, all set for the dry weather events, were now shelter ing under huge tartan umbrellas, loaned for the occasion by a thoughtful airline.

To those who thought about it, it seemed somehow extra sad that this significant visit—being the last to Fiji, as a colony—might take place under rain clouds.

But it didn’t. With the booming of the 21-gun salute, which sent too - close Pressmen scurrying again, the clouds parted and the royal visit got underway as planned, beneath a blue sky and hot sun.

The night before, the welcome at Lautoka was tumultuously, even uncontrollably, wild. Certainly the voice of the Fiji radio announcer, trapped in a crowd of crying chil dren and pushing adults, bordered at times on the hysterical.

The Queen’s personal detective, Commander A. E. Perkins, was reported to have been knocked to his knees in the confusion —but he later denied this.

Nevertheless, it was the kind of crowd reaction never before seen during a royal visit to Fiji and one observer declared that “Fiji’s repu tation for greeting royal visitors with dignity and discipline went by the board”.

The next day however, the esti

mated 100,000 people who turned out to see the Queen, the Duke and Princess Anne conducted themselves much more decorously, their respect manifested through quietness and restraint, in the traditional Fijian way.

Everyone was eager to see Princess Anne; at one spot there was a sign reading “Princess Anne, Nice Bola”, which is the current popular compliment in Fiji. Her presence was of enormous interest to Fiji’s young people, who have been bombarded of late with re ports of how fashionable she is, and how pace-setting.

To an outsider, one of the most significant aspects of the welcome was the way the Chief Minister sat unobtrusively on the ground with the chiefs, while the cere monies in the gardens of Govern ment House were led by the Vunivalu of Bau, Ratu George Cakobau, who is the Minister for Fijian Affairs and Local Govern ment. There was no petty official dom—it was a joint Fijian effort.

The brief visit was one of brilliant colour and splendid pageantry. Of solemn ceremony and occasional sentimentality, with just a few tears here and there.

Most of all it was a visit full of dignity, with Fiji ably demonstrat ing that, while her head is full of plans for independence, there’s room in her heart to show that she still takes her links with the Crown pretty seriously.