On Thursday, February 22, 1973, The Fiji Times reported a tragic story of a boy whose body was recovered from the upper reaches of the Vatuwaqa River.
He was Malu Pene, 6, of Toa St, Vatuwaqa. The boy was walking along a makeshift crossing with a sister, and aunt and two cousins when he slipped and fell into the river.
One of his cousins, Raurekua, 10, went to his rescue but could not save him because of a swift down-river flood current.
Other children swimming in the river went to the boy’s aid but he disappeared underwater.
About 40 people from the Raiwaqa Housing Estate joined the search without success.
Malu’s aunt, Mrs Tiwila Kaurasi, 34, described the crossing as dangerous.
She said she was using the crossing for the first-time and had only done so because the children told her they used it regularly.
Mrs Kaurasi said she saw Malu fall in but she could not go to his rescue immediately because her daughter Rosa, 8, began to cry.
“I took her to safety off the crossing and when I looked around, the boy had disappeared. I was frightened and excited too.”
Mrs Kaurasi said the authorities responsible should destroy or improve the crossing.
Mr Swami Nair, 34, a printer who lived nearby the crossing said hundreds of school children and adults used the crossing to get to and from school and their jobs daily.
He said one other child had drowned in the river after falling off the crossing.
Mr Nair said the Public Works Department erected the crossing when it was building the Raiwaqa sewage treatment plant.
“The crossing was a temporary one so PWD men could get to the other side off the river in connection with the sewage project.”
