A year after the Hibiscus Festival in 1983, successful Hibiscus Festival contestants turned to The Fiji Times with their gripes, claiming they hadn’t received all the prizes they were promised.
On September 19, 1984, The Fiji Times published an article about the contestants complaining they did not receive a rice cooker, a track suit and vouchers for free luncheons and weekends at restaurants and hotels.
The contestants had earlier signed legal agreements not to speak out against the organising committee in public.
One of the winning contestants, who chose anonymity because of that agreement, said she was very disappointed.
“We were also disappointed because the value of some of the prizes was grossly inflated by the committee and the donors in advertisements during and prior to the festival itself,” she said.
“For example, a four-burner gas stove was advertised as $780 when in fact it was worth only about $500; a washing machine was advertised worth $600. When we got it, we found that it was worth only $120.
“It was very disappointing, and the worst thing is that we are still waiting for some of our prizes.”
She said when they enquired about the 10 missing prizes after the prize-giving ceremony, an urgent meeting of the prizes committee was called. The girls were then promised they would get their remaining prizes as soon as possible.
“But we are still waiting,” the contestant said.
The Fiji Times article reported committee chairman Maganlal Dahya as confirming some prizes were not collected from the sponsors.
“But these were mainly cinema tickets, a voucher luncheon at the Southern Cross and a voucher for a free weekend for two at Hotel Tanoa,” Mr Dahya said.
He claimed he was told by his superiors in the executive committee of the Fiji Hibiscus Festival Association not to collect several other prizes, including the rice cooker and the track suit, and that these were to be collected by other members of the committee.
Mr Dahya said he did not know what happened to these prizes.
“I collected the rest of the prizes and handed them over to the president, Mrs Shahima Stoddart, and others,” he said.
“I had nothing to do with the distribution of the prizes. Mrs Stoddart gave the prizes along with several other executive members.”
In her response, Mrs Stoddart said she had nothing to do with prizes.
“I was only the president in 1983 and had nothing to do with the prizes,” she said.
“If various committee chairmen like Maganlal Dahya can’t do their job, then why come to me.”
The 1983 Miss Hibiscus was Annie Raymond. Debbie Francis Jack was first runner-up and Rosie Patel second runner-up. Roslyn Gibson won the Miss Charity title.
