On January 1 1969 The Fiji Times announced that Chief Minister Ratu K.K.T.Mara was to be knighted in the Order of the British Empire in the New Year’s Honour list.
He was the second Fijian to receive the honour.
The first was the late Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna who like him was a high chief of Lau.
The names of seven other awardees were also announced.
The award of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (C.B.E) went to Dr Charles Gurd, O.B.E. the director of Medical Services and Justin Lewis, Q.C, the Attorney General.
The O.B.E (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) was awarded to Ratu J.A.R. Dovi.
Charles Cheng and Mohammed Ramazan received the M.B.E. (Member of the Order of the British Empire), and Colonial Police Medals went to Superintendent Ronald Hubert Bateson and Inspector Jone Nakutu Sawau.
Ratu Sir Kamisese, as he was later known, was born in May 1920, the elder son of the late Tui Nayau, the hereditary chief of Lau.
Education initially at Queen Victoria School, he went on to Marist Brother High School in Suva, where he passed his junior Cambridge in 1939.
In 1940, he went to the Sacred Heart College, New Zealand, where he spent two years and passed his University Entrance. He played for the first XI at cricket and broke the college high jump record.
He held various responsible posts in district administration before becoming member for natural resources when the membership system of government was introduced in 1964.
He was a member of the Legislative Council from 1953 to 196 and of Executive Council and Council of Ministers from 1964 onwards.
When the Alliance Party was formed in 1965, he was chosen to be its leader.
He resigned from the Administrative Service in order to contest the elections under a Constitution in 1966.
The Alliance Party gained a majority of seats at the election and Ratu Mara became the leader of Government Business and in September 1967, the Chief Minister.
