IT had been four decades since Fiji became a British colony and Suva had established itself as the real hub of the Pacific.

It was 1916, the ships were calling in more often with visitors and settlers from Britain and neighboring European countries. Suva had become much more than just an administrative capital and was growing.

There was now among other things a need to grow the public service and an area that was under the microscope was the Fiji Defence Force which later became the Fiji Military Forces.

Governor Sir Ernest Sweet-Escott realised the need for the Fiji Defence Force to have a band of its own.

The initial need was to have a band perform at the Suva Botanical Garden two Sundays in a month and the fact remained that the military would be not complete without a band.

Sir Sweet-Escort, with the then Colonial Secretary, Erye Hutson discussed the need to form a Fiji Defence Force Band. There were discussions held with the only band in town, the Suva Town Hall Band.

The band which was made up of the early settlers used to perform for the various dances and charity events held at the Town Hall.

On August 4, 1916, Eyre Hutson wrote to the Suva Town Band informing that the offer of the Suva Town Hall Band to join the Fiji Defence Force was accepted.

The small Fife and Drums Band was agreed upon and approved in principal then. It was not until the following year in 1917, the Government made the necessary budgetary allocation to accommodate the band.

A sum of 30 pounds was allocated in the Government Budget for Band Expenses.

With the Government backing the band, more equipment was given and the Fife and Drums Band became a Brass Band in June 1917 giving its first public concert on Christmas Day 1917.

But with World War I raging, the band was broken as the rest of the soldiers stood by for deployment.

It was then decided to recruit soldiers to be part of the band.

The Suva Town Band would soon fade out and after a few years, the members serving on the Fiji Defence Band came in as recruits. By 1919, the band then came to be known as the Fiji Native Military Band and was an integral part of the rifle company and carried out normal infantry training when not engaged on band training or performances.

That was the beginning of the legacy that Fiji and the world has come to know of the RFMF Band.

The legacy of the band members grew even bigger when they were engaged during World War II.

The Japanese soon after the attack on Pearl Harbour had occupied islands in the Pacific region and these included the Solomon Islands between 1941 and 1945 and then the Malayan Emergency in the 1950s. In 1942, Fijian soldiers were deployed to both Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands and then during the 1950s to Malaya.

At the start of WWII, the band was broken but reformed again in 1942 as the band of the 1st Battalion Fiji Infantry Regiment and saw active service as stretcher-bearers in the Solomon then in Malaya.

After the war, the soldiers returned home and the band started on its normal operations from the band room in Nasova.

Prior to the big tour in 1965, the RFMF Band had managed to get overseas engagements.

In 1956, Captain Kiniviliame Cava rose from the ranks to become the first local bandmaster, a duty he did above expectation until 1974.

Under the guidance of Captain Cava, in 1956, the Band made an excellent entry into the Auckland Easter Show in New Zealand and wowed the thousands that attended.

In 1959, the RFMF Band toured the United States starting with the Pacific Festival in San Francisco, then in Los Angeles, Vancouver and finally in Honolulu.

Two years down the line, in 1961, the RFMF Band had the opportunity to be part of a combined services tattoo in Auckland New Zealand. This allowed the band to get a feel of how a tattoo was executed with flair.

Captain Cava using the lesson from Auckland then added the Fijian cultural flair to the RFMF Band’s performance. The band was able to put on display when they performed at the Easter Show in Auckland in 1964.

In 1970, the band again created another chapter in Fiji’s history as they played the tune when the British flag was brought down and Fiji’s sky blue flag was hoisted for the first time.

Over the years the RFMF Band has also been part of the tour of duties including Lebanon, Sinai, Iraq and Syria.

The RFMF Band not only performed its required tasking and roles locally but contributed immensely to the peace-keeping duties abroad and toured extensively around the globe.

The RFMF Band has been described as the true ambassadors of Fiji. And they have achieved a milestone at the centennial celebration.

The legends of the RFMF Band’s past have created their legacy, the RFMF Band today is walking on that same beat and ensuring that this legacy continues to inspire and serve Fijians the world over.

And this year the RFMF Band held their inaugural Military Tattoo and Centennial Celebrations at the ANZ Stadium in Suva on December 8.