FORMER Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase was laid to rest at his home village of Mavana, Vanuabalavu in the Lau Group this afternoon.
The village was packed with mourners from all walks of life to pay their last respects.
The women of Vanuabalavu sat on tapa, where the casket was carried on to his home of Naivaka, where he laid for an hour before the thanksgiving service at Mavana Methodist Church.
Men from the village blew conch shells as a symbol of a chief’s death.
Mr Qarase passed away at the Oceania Private Hospital in Suva on Monday, April 21 following a short illness.
Ratu Ene Colavanua of Mualevu Village, while delivering an eulogy today, said they had lost a humble leader.
He said Mr Qarase was behind developments in Vanuabalavu and he brought about unity among the 17 villages on the island.
Mr Qarase is survived by his wife, Leba Qarase, 26 grand children and three great-grandchildren.
The 79-year-old was finally laid to rest in a tomb near the village.
