LONG before their names became associated with leadership and business, two young boys from Wairiki shared the same classrooms, scout activities and a friendship.
One would later become Fiji’s first Prime Minister, while the other would become a businessman and continue building one of the island’s most recognised family enterprises.
Meridian Store managing director Champak Lal Dayaram said his late father, Ambaram Dayaram, and Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara were best friends during their childhood years.
“My father and Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara were best friends.
They attended primary school together in Wairiki and they were both part of the Scout movement,” he said.
The friendship between the two young men was not only remembered through family stories but also preserved through photographs taken by Ambaram Dayaram himself.
Mr Dayaram said among his father’s collection were photographs showing the two friends together, smiling and enjoying moments from their younger days.
“There are pictures of my father and Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara together.
“They are smiling in those photographs, and you can see the friendship they shared.”
He said the images captured a simpler time when the two were simply young boys growing up in Wairiki.
“At that time, nobody knew what the future would hold for them.
“They were just friends going to school together and taking part in activities together.”
Mr Dayaram said the scout movement played an important role in shaping their friendship.
“Scouting brought people together. It taught discipline, leadership and responsibility.
“The friendship started when they were young, and those memories stayed with them.”
He said despite their different journeys, both men remained connected to the community that shaped them.
“They both came from Taveuni, and they both contributed in their own ways.
“One contributed through leadership, and the other contributed through business and service to the people.”
While building the family business, Ambaram Dayaram also developed a passion for photography.
His camera captured thousands of images documenting the people and events that shaped Taveuni.
“He photographed everything. He photographed schools, teachers, chiefs, community events and ordinary people.”
Among the collection are images of Scout activities, school events and important moments from the island’s history.
Mr Dayaram said those photographs have become more valuable with time.
“When my father took those photographs, he was just recording memories but today, they have become historical records.”
He said the photographs of his father and Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara together were among the special memories preserved in the collection.
“Those photographs show the person behind the name. They show two young friends before they became known for what they achieved later in life.”
He said the images captured more than just two people standing together; they captured the journey of two friends who grew up in the same community.
“Looking at those photographs, you can see the happiness and friendship they shared when they were young.”
He said preserving such memories was important because they allowed future generations to understand the relationships and experiences that shaped the people who contributed to Fiji.
For Mr Dayaram, the photographs remain a treasured link to the past, a reminder of two boys from Wairiki whose friendship began in the classroom and Scout movement before they went on to make their own contributions to Fiji.
