“They were absorbed in their work, oblivious of the drizzling rain, biting cold wind and mud when we visited them the other day.”
This was the opening line of an article published by The Fiji Times on March 14, 1976, highlighting the work done by the military in assisting local communities with their development.
The report stated working tirelessly in their uniforms while drenched in rain and sweat, the men continued to work with the hope of finishing their task.
The government agriculture station in Nawaicoba was 12 miles from Nadi Town, so the men were living in a cluster of tents below the slopes at the time of the project.
“These young men are soldiers in the Royal Fiji Military Forces who, under Government direction, have been sent to work on rural projects and help in the nation’s development,” The Fiji Times reported.
According to the report, the group was formally known as the rural development squadron of the RFMF, which was the first of its kind. It was noted that a group had been working at Nawaicoba for the past four weeks when the article was published; it was also revealed another group was cleaning and fencing the area of Makogai.
This was all shared by Sgt Duikete, the head of the squadron in Nawaicoba who had also taken The Fiji Times team on a tour.
He said the team proudly showed their tasks which were nearing completion; these included 51 soldiers working on the wall and roof of the pens.
“Higher up on the slope, another group worked on a 14ft-high concrete water tank to hold 11,000 gallons of water,” according to The Fiji Times, adding the tanks would be highly utilised during the dry periods of the year.
The article stated, the projects had furthered the sense of duty and responsibility from the soldiers.
The soldier’s resorted to the rivers and streams to carry out their washing and laundry but tap water was available for cooking. The youngest soldier then was Suliasi Daunitutu, an 18-year-old former student of Suva Grammar School.
