Friendly North Carnival
BEAUTIFUL blue clear skies, cool breeze, the whiff of hot sizzling BBQ in the air — it’s a beautiful day in Labasa! The Friendly North Vodafone Carnival comes to a close today (Saturday). At Subrails Park, numerous people await the float procession to enter. I too am one with a freshly squeezed cumquat juice from a ground stall in my hand. As I wait, nine wonderfully dressed women in their 40s (I presume) sit before me. All with their takeaway serves delightfully conversing as they share in their meal. Totally not eavesdropping — facial expressions are universal. As the stands begin to fill up, hundreds of people flocking about, I even spot a tortoise mascot. I love how festivals like this bring people together. For those of us who are slowly uncovering weekend outdoor activities in the North, we are grateful. If there’s one thing that COVID-19 has taught us, it would have to be the appreciation of freely going about in society without the fear of contracting some deadly virus. Blessing in disguise, perhaps. VINAINA DIROIROI Airport Rd, Labasa
Superior Kangaroos
THE Kangaroos stamped their mark as favourites to defend their 2007 RLWC trophy with a superior and dominant display versus the Fiji Bati, winning conclusively 42-8. Prior to the Bati vs Kangaroos game, I watched England demolish Toa Samoa 60-6. The likes of James Tedesco, Valentine Holmes, Cameron Munster, Daly Cherry-Evans, Cameron Murray, Jeremiah Nanai, Josh Addo-Carr, Angus Crichton, Latrell Mitchell and Harry Grant proved too strong although Semi Valemei crossed over for Fiji’s first try. It was going to be a mammoth task for the Bati which lost heavily in its three previous battles versus the Kangaroos in the semis. In 2008, the Kangaroos demolished the Bati 52-0. In 2013, Australia smashed the Bati 64-0, and in the last RLWC, the Kangaroos thrashed the Bati 54- 6, which beat NZ 4-2 in the quarter-final. By scoring eight points, the Bati became the first team since 2013 to score more than six points in a RLWC game against the Kangaroos as the last team to do it was England in their 28-20 loss. Trailing 4-0, the Kangaroos responded through Nanai, Addo-Carr and Crichton to take the 18-4 lead at the break, and then showed their class with tries to Mitchell, Grant, Tedesco, and Addo-Carr. With five minutes to play, Sunia Turuva scored Fiji’s second try and brought the Fijian crowd to their feet. The Bati plays Italy next and the boys need a win. On the other hand, I’m glad Rodney Duthie has settled well and is ready to bring reports directly from the tournament. Lovely write-ups Rod! Good move The Fiji Times! RAJNESH ISHWAR LINGAM, Balgovind Rd, Nadawa, Nasinu
Reckless drivers
THANK you for Sunday’s editorial (October 16) on road safety. Can I please make a plug for the Queens highway stretch in Taunovo up to Lepononi Village and Coral Coast Christian camp, just 5km before Pacific Harbour. As I live right here, I observe daily absolute reckless driver behaviour along this stretch of flat road between the Taunovo Bridge and the CCC camp. In this long flat stretch of road motorists regularly overtake each other routinely when pedestrians – including workers, women, and their children – are walking to catch a bus. They are so close to being wiped out, time after time. One moment of inattention and there will be deaths caused by these drivers. What will it take to slow traffic down along here? Many times cars have literally brushed within inches of my body when passing another car, like a bat out of hell, as I walk this road every morning. What is their point? It amazes me that more folks are not killed in such areas in Fiji. Footpaths are non existent, made only by people’s feet, with no provisions for proper footpathing through many villages between Taunovo and Suva. It’s appalling. There needs to be a public outcr y about this. Will it take more deaths before these selfish drivers slow down when there are resident dwellings and pedestrians? I hope not, but I believe it’s a complete miracle more pedestrians are not killed by these sort of drivers every day, just being fools trying to go faster than someone else. If you kill someone playing “cat and mouse” on the roads, it’s a life sentence on the driver too, as well as the victims and their families. Slow down speed kills. JEAN HATCH TAUNOVO, QUEENS HIGHWAY
High noon on freeway
TWO daughters were injured after their dads began shooting at each other during a road rage chase in Florida. The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office said the two men William Hale, 35, and Frank Allison, 43, were charged with attempted murder for the incident that took placed on October 8. Hale’s five-year-old daughter was shot in the leg by Allison’s gun, and Allison’s 14-year-old daughter suffered from a collapsed lung when she was hit in the back. “There could have been two dead kids because of two stupid grown men,” Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said at a news conference. Police began getting calls about shots being fired at 6pm on Saturday. A witness told officers that they saw a black Dodge Ram and a gray Nissan Murano driving erratically as if in a “cat and mouse game”. Leeper said Hale was in the pickup truck while Allison was driving the sedan. The two kept driving in front of each other and slamming their brakes. Someone in Hale’s truck shouted at the sedan to pull over after which someone in that car “flicked off” the truck. In response someone in the truck threw a water bottle at the sedan, and then Allison fired a shot at the sedan and sped off, Leeper said. Hale pulled out his gun when he realised his daughter had been shot and then fired multiple shots at Allison’s sedan striking his daughter. The chase came to an end when the two drivers saw a patrol car and pulled over. “What is scarier than one crazy driver with a gun? Two crazy drivers with guns,” Leeper said. No one was killed in this incident, but it could have very easily turned out that way because two people were acting stupid and let their tempers get the best of them.” My wife thinks they are Republicans. ARVIND MANI NADI
Investigate breach
I TOTALLY agree with both the leaders of the Fiji Labour Party and NFP general secretary that merely issuing a directive to FijiFirst to remove the party logo from the banner installed at the Suva City Council car park is not good enough. The matter constitutes a serious breach of the Electoral Act. How can it be accepted as an act of inadvertence by the media agency when such publicity material needs to be vetted and authorised by the party before installation? I urge the Supervisor of Elections to do the right thing and refer the breach to FICAC for proper investigation as he has been doing with all other complaints. I wonder what is the view of the chairman of Electoral Commission on this issue. In my opinion, just like in the case of justice, the decisions of the Supervisor of Elections must be seen to be fair. Therefore, it is imperative that all complaints are dealt with in the same manner. This is exactly what Vijay Maharaj has succinctly alluded to in his letter (FT 13/10). SELWA NANDAN Lautoka
Police wives
THE Police Wives Volleyball team started in the late 1960s. I remember going with my late aunty Varanisese Niumataiwalu Lumuni — wife of my late uncle motorcycle police Corporal Maikeli Lumuni — of Sabeto. Village, Nadi, to watch them play on Saturday afternoons in front of the Fiji Museum. I remember three other police wives — Cegu of Tailevu (wife of police Corparal Bani); Salome Bukalase (wife of Sgt Bukalese and cousin of 1963 Fiji rugby fly half and South Pacific Games rugby gold medallist Nemesio Ratuveilawa, who was also a policeman); Koto Vakarewakobau (wife of late police officer Ratu Meli Vakarewakobau of Bau Island. My late father police Sgt Taitusi Sokiveta moved on to become Buli Wainibuka after 20 years with the police. In 1963 my sister and I stayed with other police relatives to finish our education at Draiba Fijian School. That’s where I started watching police wives volleyball accompanying my aunty from Nasova to the Botanical Gardens on Saturdays. In those days the police wives were the best women’s volleyball team in Suva. They also won trophies. Volleyball was still very new compared to women’s netball and grass hockey, which my late mother Ruby Evans played in Levuka in the 1930. It was great watching the police wives play volleyball. We – the children – were the cheering squad. One thing I hated after volleyball is collecting the Fiji Police rugby jerseys and washing them late in the afternoon and hanging them. They we so heavy. My dad’s younger brother police Corporal Rupeni, who was in charge of the police armoury, was responsible for the police sports jerseys. Reading about the Police Wives Volleyball Association brought back fond memories. Most of the police wives who played back then have passed on except Mrs Vakarewakobau. She still lives in Nadave, Bau Landing. She’s in her late 80s. I am 71 and just want to wish all police wives teams all the best in 2022. TAITUSI SOKIVETA Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Hong Kong 7s
THE mother of all 7s tournaments, the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong 7s, has been rescheduled from the usual April to November 4-6, when it serves as the opening event of the 2022/23 HSBC WRSS. The last time So Kon Po Stadium hosted the tournament was in 2019 which was won by Fiji which made it five wins on the road from 2015-19. In 2015 and 2016, Fiji beat the All Blacks 7s 33-19 and 21-7, and in 2017 Fiji thrashed the Blitzboks 22-0. In 2018, Fiji defeated Kenya 24-12 and then in 2019 defended the prestigious title, beating France 21-7. Hence, fans are looking forward to the mecca of 7s. Our boys are in Japan to take part in the Japan Invitational 7s tournament, and what an exposure it will be for them prior to the battle in the Happy Valley. Kaminieli Rasaku will be severely missed, but we have enough armoury in the tank to win the HK 7s for the sixth year in a row. The Gollings and Satala combo is doing wonders as the side has reached the semi-finals of all the tournaments that they have managed. RAJNESH ISHWAR LINGAM Balgovind Rd, Nadawa, Nasinu
Junction issue
THE junction consisting of Yarawa Rd now Park Rd (no more upper Yarawa Rd) and Grantham Rd is very dangerous. Drivers, pedestrians and property owners please take extreme caution here. Another serious accident yesterday around midday (15/10/22). I find it of no use addressing the matter with the relevant stakeholders. ASISH VINAY PRASAD Park Rd, Raiwasa
Left behind
AS we approach elections one thing becomes clear. More people are left behind. DAN URAI Lautoka
Candidates for election
WE will wait and see how many people of influence such as church leaders, union leaders, people in NGOs, prominent lawyers and the like will participate and put their hand up to be candidates at the upcoming election. We all know all of these people would like to see change in Fiji, but will just campaign and shout from the sidelines while keeping their high paying jobs. In my opinion, such people are disingenuous, self-centred and self-serving scammers. They have no genuine interest in improving the lives of Fijians. They are just doing things for personal gain. These types of people will never “put their money where their mouths are”. JAN NISSAR NSW, Australia
