FRIENDSHIP | Guy meets Samu after 30 long years

Time seemed to stand still as good friends Guy Edwards and Samuela Tupou reunited in Suva last week – after 30 long years.

The two men, who first bonded over their shared passion for triathlon , were overjoyed to meet again—picking up effortlessly where they had left off three decades ago.

Though the years had left their gentle marks, their friendship remained as strong as ever. Their laughter came easily, their stories flowed naturally, and their connection was unchanged by time.

Now aged 63 and 70, Guy and Samu still share the same humor, energy, and camaraderie that first brought them together.

Guy, who had traveled from Australia last week to visit old friends, decided to look for his longtime mate—former Olympic swimmer Samu Tupou—whom he hadn’t seen or heard from since 1988.

Their reunion was a touching reminder that true friendship never fades, no matter how much time passes.

Work in Fiji

Guy’s first time in Fiji was in 1986, when he worked at the Fiji Bureau of Statistics as a census cartographer.

“I was doing mapping for the 1986 population census for the country” he said.

“I’ve always been a keen sportsman and when I worked at the Bureau, which was at Ratu Sukuna House at the time, I would go to the Suva pool for a swim.

“I was always interested in staying fit, so every lunch hour I would go over the road to the pool and swim 20 to 25 laps.”

Guy was not only into swimming but also enjoyed running and cycling, amid his busy work schedule.

Becoming friends

It was at the Suva pool (Olympic Pool) that the two friends met for the first time.

Guy had heard about a triathlon competition starting in Suva and thought it would be great way to show off his cycling, running and swimming abilities.

“I remember that first triathlon because I had to swim against Samu. I clearly remember the race start, I dived in and I saw Samu take off.

Jokingly, he said Samu was swimming at a thousand miles an hour because he was so fast that day.

“That was where I met Samu and we quickly became friends for the last 18 months I spent here.

“We enjoyed competing against each other in triathlon and I was fortunate to win Fiji’s first National Triathlon competition in 1988.”

Guy had beat Samu in the triathlon trials in the final lap during the run phase and went on to represent Fiji in Noumea.

It was there that their bond grew further.

For Samu, becoming friends with Guy was one of the highlights of his life as an athlete.

He said meeting his friend again after 30 years, in good health, was a wonderful moment he would cherish forever.

When asked to name one of the best memories he shared with his friend, Samu said it was when Guy ran past him in a Triathlon race in Nadi.

“Guy had a big smile on his face,” Samu said.

“It’s really good seeing him again after all these years.”

Leaving friends behind

After completing his term at the Bureau of Statistic eventually, Guy left Suva and returned to Australia.

“I missed Fiji terribly because I had a fantastic time here,” Guy said.

He said he made a lot of friends during his stay and this made leaving Fiji overwhelming.

When he left, he lost touch with people because communication wasn’t as good as it is today.

“In those days we only wrote letters, so it was hard to stay connected. As the years went by, I lost touch with a lot of people.”

Finding Samu

Guy returned to Australia and life basically continued and became busy.

He moved to several countries for work, so the thought of reconnecting his friends was completely lost.

Guy finally travelled back to track his friends down last month.

He revisited the place that he loved and asked about Samu.

“When I got here I didn’t know how to find Samu because when I left in 1988 there weren’t any internet and so no emails, Facebook or even mobile numbers,” Guy said.

But by coincidence when visiting Ovalau, Guy met a man who happened to be his good friend Samu’s nephew.

It was there that Guy was able to contact Samu and set up a date to meet in Suva.

“It was really by chance and I’m very grateful it happened,” Guy said.

“Now we can stay in touch after I leave.”

The two friends have now exchanged contact details with the hope that they will not lose track of each other ever again.