Floating on an island

Floating on an island
Rashneel Kumar
www.fiitimes.com - Sunday, February 22, 2009


THERE are people who have heard and read about the Floating Island on Vanua Levu but I doubt if many of them know about the myth that lies behind this captivating place. Well, I never knew anything about this place until I went on a recent trip back home. I discovered how the island is supposed to have originated. Let me start with my journey back to the Friendly North.

Waves hit the side of our ship, creating that milky foam leaving it to glimmer under the light of the moon.

I gazed across the sea that night looking for a beam of light which was far too away to imagine.

Well, that's what the life of a seaman is like and for a night I was no different.

Night was miserable with people cramped in to get a nap before witnessing a new day on a new land but there was some relief from my companions Ema Racule (LTC student) and Ravikash Singh (FIT student) who were going back home too after a year of studies on Viti Levu.

There was some noticeable change in Savusavu with new buildings cropping up.

But that fresh aroma on the hilltops as the bus to Labasa drove, fighting the mist, remained the same.

After a three hour bus ride, I reached my hometown, Labasa.

I noticed something - the introduction of new and expensive boutiques, restaurants and hotels.

Well my stop for the night was my home at Taganikula (about 50km drive from Labasa Town) close to where the Survivor Fiji television series was shot.

It was a heart-breaking sight as I gazed out on the arid fields of my village which were once covered with 'green gold' and beautifully designed houses.

It is a sad fact that a lot of people have either moved to urban areas in Labasa or local overseas, Suva because of the unsolved land problem.

But life goes on, no matter where you live.

The Floating Island

Early one morning I set off with my nana (mum) Veniana Vakatari for the Floating Island, as it is known, in the yearn to unearth the myth following it's existence. I have been living in that area since birth but honestly speaking, this was my first trip to this amazing place.

After an hour of bus drive, I managed to get to the place where this lady my Nana said was familiar with the myth of the Floating Island.

The place was peaceful and clothed in the colours of the vast and ancient place. Ghost gums and roots in the earth as red as blood stood against the expanse of blue sky which lined up in the meandering path down to a restful waterhole.

This waterhole is a drano (or a lake) of approximately 100 square metres in dimension.

It is situated at a remote place, to where one has to travel the entire rutted route to get - named Kurukuru in Nubu (about 60km from Labasa).

This lake is surrounded by pandanus (suluka) tree of almost similar size giving the lake quiet a queer but more of a uniform look.

Upon stepping on the banks of the drano, I felt the ground underneath to be of sand. This is believed to be the remains of the yagona which the Vu's (ancient God) used to consume during their time!

"Isa ... o sa siga ni kila vinaka na vola ni drano" (I don't know much about the Floating Island) were the foremost words of 63-years-old Litiana Dicauna whom my nana said was the only person left in the area vividly knowing the myth.

But she combined with her pal Kesaia Ranuve, 60, and did satisfy my longing for the ancient discovery. I was told to observe some traditional norms during the trip.

The drano is believed to be founded by the Vu (ancient god) of Nubu.

This was because they can have easier excess to the nearby sea for fishing and transportation. They were said to have made a drain (I don't know why they called it a drain because it actually looked like a river) through to the sea.

Once the Vu from Nubu had a fierce battle against the Vu of the neighboring village and this forced the owners of drano to leave the place and reside to a little far away village named Siriaga.

Nothing is particularly special about the lake apart from its appearance. But the thing which is really charismatic is what is floating on the drano.

The drano has two huge islands, one of which amazingly floats. It is believed that both used to make a circular trip around the Floating Island ,however, one of it has anchored itself on the side of the lake.

The one that is still floating is named Vanalato (it is named after a tree) and the one that is not functional is called Vanavadra (pineapple tree). The names have been given after these things were found on the islands.

Dicauna said that the Vanalato and Vanavadra have spiritual guiders who steers the island.

The Vanalato used to move on the tunes of the Bete (or priest) in the olden days but now any person speaking Nubu dialect can command it for a short journey around the drano. Also other people, but rarely, are able to make the island stir.

Only fortunate ones are able to ride on Vanalato .The people also believe that the Floating Island has a captain who is really moody and is the one that navigates the Vanalato. When sometimes the island does not move, it is believed that the captain is missing or not in a mood to steer the drano.

I was told that the Vu (which the people living in Nubu believe is still residing) has a name - Yame-bua-ovo (meaning - fire). Well how the Vu got the name has its own story.

Some centuries ago a white man used to live on the hillside near the lake. One day he ran out of matches (or fire).He mumbled to himself asking if there was any fire left anywhere and to his surprise flames erupted from the lake to his cooking place.

From there on people living near to the lake named the Vu, believed to be still living in the lake, Yame-bua-ovo.

The Source (Origin) of the Lake

The lake is believed to be sourced from a far (almost 60km) place set high amongst the towering cliff called Kiriyaganilali. The shape of this place, I was told, is bit extraordinary - it looks like a house and the door shaped part is where the water surges down forever to far and wide.

The Depth of the Lake

Believe me - no one to date knows how deep the drano is? The bank of the lake is about neck high of an average person but centre is still a mystery. People had tried many times with none succeeding in determining the depth. I was told that about some decades ago a man tried to dive in to check the deepness but he never reappeared again leaving all in a total misery and mystery.

The Evidence that the Vu still resides there

Nine years ago on a beautiful Sunday a boy aged 19 took some visitors who had come to church service in Kelikoso (neighbouring village of Kurukuru) for a trip around the lake.

Let me call this teenager Pita (I know the name but cannot reveal due to privacy) was a bit mischievous youth. During the trip he was bit off the traditional norm that should be practiced during the visit to the place. Everything went well, the Vanalato responded and left the port (where it haboured) making a circular round. When it was on its way back to its base, the boy jumped into the lake ... maybe to take a quick dip because of the searing heat of the day.

Pita was well ahead of Vanalato, swimming towards the land when he suddenly went underneath the water. The other mates accompanying him thought he was just on the way to crack another joke.

But he never came up and a search party was called who later found him somewhere floating about meter down the surface of the lake. He did not even have a scratch on his body and even the doctors were unable to find the cause of his inconceivable death.

This according to the villagers shows that there is still existence of the Vu who looks after the welfare of the drano and his people.

Now and Future

Ranuve and Dicauna sometimes sit under the hurricane lantern light and share the story with their grandchildren.

"They always ask me about the drano and are eager to know more about it," Ranuve said.

As I board on the bus again that day to return home, watching the dust scattering carelessly in the winds, the legend woven in the tapestry of the land kept on banging my head.

Was it true or just another of the tales my grandfather always used to share with me... that is for you to decide!

Bringing out the truth

Bringing out the truth
By Geraldine Panapasa

http://www.fijitimes.com/ - Sunday, February 01, 2009

They performed at the Flood Appeal Concert at Albert Park two weeks ago and have promised to bring the best out of traditional and cultural sounds of Fiji.
The local-based music band Vuku led by talented musician and Fijian chant master Sailasa Cakau (pictured right), is one of many local groups ready to take the world by storm with their fusion of indigenous and modern beats.
As he sat and explained the origins of the group, Sailasa had more than just cultural intuition and pride when talking about the significance of Fijian chants in modern day music.
Quietly sitting beside him was drummer Tevita Sauliga.
The five-member group was formed in 2002 during a yaqona session in Qauia.
Sailasa said the sounds produced from the group are a fusion of traditional Fijian chants and rock beats.
"This is the first time for Fiji to have a group producing a fusion of Fijian chants and rock," said Sailasa, who is also the lead singer, composer, arranger and innovator of Vuku.
"Our drawback is lack of instruments. At the moment, we are using a 12-string guitar and acoustics.
"We have participated at various musical events including the Fiji Music Festival in 2002."
Just like the Irish rock band U2, Vuku is ready to take on the world with their fusion of traditional rhythm and beats, and to share with the world a new genre of music that carries years of Fijian heritage.
Sailasa spent 11 years studying and learning traditional Fijian chants or the I Vola Vivigi Kei Viti (The hidden chronicles of Fiji).
With the help of his father and the elders of Nakorotubu and Nalawa in Ra, Sailasa said the inspiring U2 focused on telling the world about their pain and their cries.
"People are watching Fiji, not only in the political arena but in the kind of music we can come out with," Sailasa said.
"This is the moment for an uprising."
Originally from Tuatua Village on Koro Island, Sailasa says as an indigenous chanter, he had to live off the land to really understand the traditional gist of Fijian chants and heritage.
His ability to understand and relay Fijian chants is like carrying Fiji in the palms of his hands.
The 39-year old said success for the group is when they perform or play.
"It's not about the money but about the knowledge passed down from our elders. It's not about a race," he said.
"I want to bring about a revolution in Fiji through my music. I gave the first track for George Veikoso's Transition album called Na Vatu Kwe, meaning 'this jewel', referring to the people of Fiji.
"Also chants in the Killer album for Black Rose. I just want to empower other musicians that the world of music is a big market.
"And there's even space for our music."
The eldest of eight siblings, Sailasa was born and bred in Suva. His mother, Mere Tora was a trainer for caregivers while his father, Laisiasa Tora is a draftsman or land technician.
His mother introduced him to orchestra and with his passion for music firmly intact Sailasa braved his way through the challenges of the Fiji music industry.
He attended primary school at Delainamasi in Suva and Lautoka Fijian.
Sailasa continued his secondary education at Natabua High. He joined the National Youth Band and was awarded top honours in 1992.
He was awarded the best performer of the year award and most outstanding student of the year.
"I continued my interest in studying western music and traditional chants. I went on to teach music at Natabua High, Suva Grammar School and International Secondary School in Suva, and Koro High School," he said.
"From 1998 to 2007, I was the first musician in residence at the Oceania Centre at the University of the South Pacific.
"I would encourage the people of Fiji especially the cauravou to stand up for truth, for the needy and for the silenced," he said.
"Bring your heritage out. Put more value on your heritage because it's the truth about your past and future."

Qarase is Tui Kobuco in Mavana Village

CHIEF QARASE
3-Jan-2009 12:18 PM
www.fijidailypost.com

OUSTED Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase has been installed as the new chief of Mavana village in his home island of Vanuabalavu in Lau. The decision was reached after the chiefly clan of Tota met on Wednesday.

He was traditionally installed as the Tui Kubuca in what was described as a moving ceremony on Thursday with the full support of Mavana villagers.

The Tui Kubuca, leader of the Yavusa Qalita, is chosen from the House of Nadroga, Nukucagina, Qilaqila or Naisogobua.

Qarase belongs to the House of Qilaqila and succeeded Josefa Cagi, who passed away in April last year:

Sau kei Mualevu and Tui Mavana Josefa Basulu, who is also a representative of the Lau province to the Bose Levu Vakaturaga, gave his full backing and blessings to the newly appointed chief.

The installment service was conducted by Reverend Josateki Koroi, a former President of the Methodist Church in Fiji. Qarase has been a very influential public figure in the country especially amongst indigenous Fijians. He has worked in government organisations and banks before being appointed caretaker Prime Minister following the coup in 2000. He moved to his village after the military overthrew his Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua led multi-party government in December 2006.

By LOSALINI RASOQOSOQO


Qarase wears chief's hat
By Ana Niumataiwalu
www.fijitimes.com - Sunday, January 04, 2009

OUSTED prime minister Laisenia Qarase is the Tui Kubuca of Mavana.

Mr Qarase was installed as the new chief on New Year's Day, witnessed by villagers who went to Vanuabalavu to be part of the celebration.

The Tui Kubuca's herald, Mesake Koroi, said Mr Qarase was installed as head of yavusa Qalitu.

The title was vacant after the death of the previous holder, the late Josefa Cagi, who passed away in April last year.

Mr Koroi said since the passing away of Cagi, the four mataqali of Tota, Vatulami, Valika and Valevono looked after the affairs of the village until a new Tui Kubuca was installed.

"The Tui Kubuca is the head of the four mataqali in Mavana," he said.

"People of Mavana living in Suva and across the globe charted the Suilven to the village for the vakatarai sulu or end of mourning and installation of a new chief.

"The vakatarai sulu was held on December 27 and the procedures that followed were that the chiefly mataqali of Tota met to choose a chief.

"Ater the meeting the person chosen was relayed to the yavusa Qalitu and received that Mr Qarase was to be installed."

No Apology - Tui Cakau

No apology
By Verenaisi RaicolaSunday
www.fijitimes.com - December 21, 2008

CAKAUDROVE'S paramount chief, the Tui Cakau, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, said endorsement of President Ratu Josefa Iloilo on the People's Charter should be a lesson to chiefs that attended the Bose ni Turaga.
Ratu Naiqama, who declined the invite to attend the meeting at the army camp on Tuesday and Wednesday, said despite the vanua's decisions not to attend the BNT, 125 chiefs out of the 225 invited attended.
"This is the implication of their attendance, the President endorsed the People's Charter and it should serve as a lesson for those people," he said.
Ratu Naiqama said it was disappointing and he would not accept any traditional approach by interim Minister Indigenous Affairs Ratu Epeli Nailatikau.
Ratu Epeli said he planned to visit paramount chiefs who did not attend the meeting to seek their support.
Ratu Epeli said he would use his traditional ties to visit Ratu Naiqama, the Roko Tui Dreketi, Ro Teimumu Kepa, Tui Namosi Ratu Suliano Matanitobua and others who failed to turn up at the BNT last week.
The Qaranivalu, Ratu Inoke Takiveikata, and Ro Teimumu declined to comment on the issue yesterday.
Ratu Epeli, at a press conference on Friday, said he would approach the chiefs in their domain.
"I will go and visit them in their headquarters and at their home. This is all part of the process and if they are in Suva and want to come and see me the door is open," he said.
"In my program, there are plans to visit the chiefs and there is no hard feelings. They have the right to make their statement."
Ratu Epeli said the paramount chiefs should have said they were not attending the meeting because of their own reasons and allow other chiefs to decide on their attendance.
He said the invitation went personally to the chiefs and now they needed to go back to the vanua to haul them in to support the charter as they had done.
On how that would work, considering the chiefs had breached the stand taken by attending the BNT, he said: "It would have to be discussed at village level."
He said there was nothing bad in the charter as it had principles about good governance.
"It could be improved on and this is what the chiefs will do with the people.
"They will have a hard time but this is what they will have to do to convey the need to support the charter."
On whether the members of the BNT were disappointed that the election would not be held in March, Ratu Epeli said the election will be decided by the interim Prime Minister, Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, and it was not a cause for disappointment at all.
He said Commodore Bainimarama said six months ago that sthere would be no election in March.
"There were concerns as usually the case but the PM has made a decision for the betterment of Fiji and no one else." Ratu Epeli said.
Ratu Naiqama said Cakaudrove would not entertain any such delegation.

Follow Fijian Protocol-Tui Cakau

Follow Fijian Protocol-Tui Cakau
www.fijivillage.com - 12/11/2008

The paramount chief of Cakaudrove has welcomed the interim government's idea to have a Bose Ni Turaga next month however he stressed that nothing should be forced down on the chiefs of the country.

Tui Cakau Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu said the interim government and especially Interim Indigenous Affairs Minister Ratu Epeli Nailatikau should realize that the chiefs were badly hurt after the sacking of the Great Council of Chiefs members.

Ratu Naiqama said based on that, the interim government should now follow proper Fijian protocol to get the chiefs together for a meeting.



Ratu Naiqama said the interim government should first resolve all matters through Fijian protocol before taking the step to have a meeting with the 221 chiefs of the country.



Meanwhile, as the new Interim Minister for Indigenous Affairs consults various chiefs around the country who remain opposed to joining the new Great Council of Chiefs, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau stressed that convening the GCC is not a priority for the interim government at this stage.

When questioned on when we could see the next GCC sitting to appoint a vice president, Ratu Epeli replied that he does not wish to pre-empt anything, as Fijian protocol is the key.

'There is no such thing as a poor Fijian'

'There is no such thing as a poor Fijian'
By Alisi Daurewa
www.fijitimes.com - Wednesday, October 29, 2008

+ Enlarge this image

An indigenous farmer toils the land to feed her family
In my paternal grandfather's vocabulary, there was no such thing as a poor Fijian, only a lazy one. He died aged 89 in 1971.

One of the biggest challenges faced by agents of change today in their work to reduce poverty and hardship is the dependency syndrome that seems prevalent in the local culture.

Fiji is no different.

I wonder whether it is because we are more at fault for failing to listen carefully to those we target.

We fool ourselves with the notion that we are here to save the world and disregard their own knowledge accompanied by generations of customary practice that may seem different to what we were taught yet embrace also the common principles of human rights and democracy.

As a result, we either unthinkingly or connivingly influence a people into shifting from independent to dependent mode, only to suit our agenda.

Susan George's 'How the Other Half Dies' said "...the West had tried to apply its own conception of 'development' to the third world developing countries working through local elites and pretending that the benefits showered on these elites would trickle down to the less fortunate, especially through the whole application of Western inspired and Western-supplied technology. These methods have not produced a single independent and viable economy in the entire Third World and in fact, were not meant to. 'Development' has been password for imposing a new kind of dependency, for enriching the already rich world and for shaping other societies to meet its commercial and political needs...."

Fiji recently celebrated its 38th year of Independence on October 10.

Given our history of coup de' tat and current events, it is probably more correct to say that we celebrated our shift in dependence from one external power to the other.

Our chiefs confirmed our dependence on Britain in 1874 and we became subjects of Queen Victoria.

In 1970, our political leaders confirmed our dependence on the Western power houses including the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the Pacific Forum, and treaties that now hang us by the noose as we struggle with our National Charter for Building a Better Fiji.

The world's tune though, that Fiji is dancing to, is getting off-beat as the pyramid of economic power begins to fall starting with America. We face panic.

Whether we are in a position to counter what is to come is unknown but we can at least prepare ourselves by looking within, and, learn from our past.

What I will shortly share is about a people who lived in an era where peace was non-existent and some of the strategies they used to survive. It is about God's hand in a culture that became richer as life progressed from a time to another.

It is about a man born out of a past that gave him the skills to survive in unfamiliar territory, where there was no preferential treatment.

He coped because he did not dwell in self-pity.

He trusted his inner strength. He was not lazy.

My paternal grandfather came from a background of much diversity.

His ancestors left the colo (hinterland) of Viti Levu, a place called Nasaunokonoko, after a dispute that saw their heritage destroyed as kinsfolk fled to other parts of Fiji.

They settled for a while in coastal Vunibau, Serua and later sailed the seas where they saw land and named it Ono.

They finally made Natumua, (meaning our end, our way) in Tavuki, Kadavu their home.

Peace was a Godsend in those days because much of their effort was spent on building territories through warfare. And to maintain power, their people were placed strategically in new found places.

Such as establishing the chiefly household in Yale district and calling it Naivibati, after their people of Naivi.

And, leaving some of their own in Matasawalevu in the district of Nakasaleka whose mataqali is registered, Naivilailai.

Natumua became the centre stage for battle during those volatile days in Nacolase.

Sites that exist today in Natumua bear names like Gagabokola where the captured were soaked in the sea until their bodies became tasty meat to eat.

Nubunisona is where the weak and the sick were left soaking to die, if not from the cold southerly winds, from hunger and as food for bigger fish.

Uluimoala, previously called Uluimakawe, the highest mountain in Tavuki, is testimony to the Moala (of Lau) chiefs' gratitude to Natumua for having helped them in battle.

May I seek your indulgence for this digress.

Sir James Ah Koy's Chinese gene is often credited with his business acumen.

Yet if not for his ancestor of Waisomo's shrewdness, the chiefly house in Tavuki might instead have been elsewhere for Natumua had killed its chief and Tavuki had to seek help from Waisomo.

Waisomo, smart enough to accept Natumua's might knew its weakness for beautiful women. Waisomo mesmerised Natumua with a pretty maiden which cost Natumua's position of power.

So against this background of pain and death, God allowed the unexpected by using the same fearsome Natumua, through Naivibati in Yale, to receive Christianity for Kadavu, brought by the Methodists of Viwa, Bau.

Natumua later gave Nasalia to the Catholics. Much later, one of Natumua's own son, a recipient of the military medal for bravery during the Malayan campaign became the first local head of the Assemblies of God Church in Fiji.

God worked his miracle further.

Natumua built a church in 1979 to accommodate the seven Christian denominations which used the same building according to a roster that was prepared in unison by the people.

This practice remains today.

Natumua is only a very small example of how our forefathers lived with change. There are many others in Fiji, untold, more fascinating and intriguing. The man who said there was no poor Fijian, only a lazy one, left Natumua with his young family in the 1930s for medical treatment in Suva. He decided to remain when he saw what education in an urban school did to his children.

His daughter topped the country in the first qualifying examination for nurses.

She was also the recipient of the Florence Nightingale Plaque awarded to the best all around nurse of the year in the early 1950s.

His other children did equally well.

His only son made it to medical school but forced to join the civil service out of necessity to help feed the family which by then included many relatives.

My paternal grandfather was not at all disempowered by his lack of western education but instead showed his inherent skill of survival in many ways.

One day, on learning that his employer in Toorak refused to pay him the promised rate for some casual work, he took upon payment for himself by carrying off the white man's prized furniture down Amy street and along the way, threatening to throw it down the gulley. He was soon paid his just wage.

On another occasion, he and his kin from Naivibati decided the row of empty beer bottles decorating the graves in Lovonilase would be better used, if sold for cash to feed their families.

They had started uprooting the bottles when up came the Prisons' Officer.

The Naivibati relative on noticing the advancing officer took off with the few bottles already collected.

But grandfather trusted his sixth sense and pretended to restructure the whole grave.

The officer thinking this was very noble, allowed him to continue.

I wonder what these two men would have thought of the $20 million chiefs' building in Nasese, against a background of surrounding squatter settlements.

On another occasion during the second world war, the Fijians who stayed behind were mobilised as handymen for the army. Some of them were 'wharfees' including my grandfather.

They also underwent practice drills of fitness and were grouped according to their provinces.

During a practice march session, on leading Kadavu, my grandfather who could not speak English had to master his instructions in this foreign language.

He was okay with the pronunciation of lefte (left) and raiti (right) but struggled with 'about turn'.

He managed instead with his own Kadavu translation.

My grandfather had little tolerance for chiefs who did not know their role.

On arriving at his district meeting in a Suva house one evening, he found all the senior men sitting in a row at the top end of the room, with a handful of young men, serving them. He told the men sitting at the top that if they did not truly know their place, then he was not going to participate in a meeting with a bunch of idiots.

He walked out.

A painful issue close to my paternal grandfather's heart was being told his only son was not good enough for his daughter-in-law whose family begrudgingly accepted a marriage they believed was beneath her.

This must have rattled his pride. But he dealt with it in a subtle manner.

He made sure his 'susumadrai' grandchildren spoke the language of Natumua in his presence.

To this day, I am forever grateful for his wisdom.

It is said that the strength of a man is never without that of a strong woman.

Yes, my paternal grandfather was able to achieve what he did with the grace and quiet dignity of his prayerful wife.

She was from Wailevu in Ravitaki, nurtured by a Tongan mother from Pelehaki in Tongatapu.

This couple now lie in their graves side by side in the Nasinu cemetery.

Their descendents range from lawyers to architect, surveyor, doctor, engineer, pilot, nurses, missionary, accountants, teachers and soldiers to name a few.

During the 1998 tsunami disaster in Aitape, Papua New Guinea, the Fiji Government sent a senior military officer to assess the damage. The Australian Government through the Royal Australian Air Force recalled one of its senior officer from the Phillipines to travel to PNG to also assess the damage.

These two men are grandsons of the paternal grandfather who once claimed there was no poor Fijian, only a lazy one.

* These are the personal views of the author and not of Partners In Community Development Fiji, where she is the executive director.

The end of a 38-year career

The end of a 38-year career
Monday, October 27, 2008

After 38 years of teaching, Serupepeli Kuroyavaki Kunalagi is calling it a day and plans to spend the rest of his days with the family.
The proud educator has taught at 12 different schools in Fiji and believes the opportunity to help students learn the importance of a good education is rewarding.
Originally from Vunaqoru Village, Naqalimare in Nadroga, Seru wanted to be a policeman when he was younger.
He felt a responsibility to uphold the law as a citizen but when his parents were not keen on the idea, Serupepeli decided to join the teaching profession.
The 60-year old had a hard life growing up especially spending most of his school days away from home.
His father, Timoci Kunalagi, was the resident medical expert in their village while his mother Mere Rokoroko looked after the family.
"When I told my parents I wanted to be a policeman, they were against it because they thought I would put them in jail if they did something bad one day," he said.
"My father was a medicine man and whenever people in the village were sick or needed help, he was able to tell them what was wrong.
"He would even refer them to people in other villages who were experts in using herbal medicine to cure a particular illness.
"My mother spent most of her time looking after us and making sure we had everything we needed."
Third in the family of six, Serupepeli attended primary school at Saint Joan of Ark in Sigatoka.
Because his family lived far from the primary school, Serupepeli had to live with relatives in Yavulo Village which was close to the school.
He completed form six at Ratu Sukuna Memorial. He applied to what was then known as the Nasinu Teachers College, now Fiji College of Advanced Education.
"When I was at Nasinu Teachers College, I received an acceptance letter to attend the University of the South Pacific but it was too late because I was already enrolled at NTC," said Serupepeli.
"I trained for a year in 1970 and got my first posting in 1971 to Bua College. The experience taught me a lot and it was the beginning of a profession I've never regretted.
"In 1974, I was transferred to Navakasiga District for three years. I also spent time four years at Conua District then another three years at Noikoro District.
"In 1986, I taught at Koroinasau Primary and then spent a year at Vatulele District. Other schools I taught at include Naqalimare District, Viwa District, Nokonoko District, Nalagi Primary, Sigatoka Methodist and Yalavou Public."
He was transferred back to Naqalimare District this year until he retired on October 24.
And like any other school teacher, Serupepeli said the profession made him a happy man especially when students are happy.
The father of six children attributed his success as a school teacher to God. He said without the blessings and guidance from above, he would not have been able to carry out his passion efficiently.
"Those thinking of taking up this profession should be honest with themselves so they can teach their students honestly," he said. "I would like to thank God for guiding me especially at the different schools I taught because they were at remote places.
"I plan to spend the rest of my retirement with my family but I will miss teaching because it has helped me in more ways than one," said Serupepeli who lives in Sigatoka.