Freedom and Freebies
Hartley Robinson,
Labasa
Need for freedom and not freebies, says Sitiveni Rabuka
This is excellent advice to hear from someone with so much experience on the above two; freedom and freebies.
Hearts of gold
Joan McGoon, Nadi
The simple, kind and free service of Suva’s hair-dresser, Semisi Qalica, continues to display the ‘hearts of gold’ that Fijians are famous for.
We are simple people who can live with much and live with almost nothing at all, yet our acts of service continue to change the lives of those we come into contact with.
As Mr Qalica offers free hair-cuts to the homeless in the capital city, he continues to restore dignity stripped away from those that fate hasn’t exactly been kind to.
Restoring the dignity of others transforms them as we see the recipients of the free hair-cuts start to look human again. And I’m sure, start to ‘feel’ human again too.
Mr Qalica is probably being transformed himself. While others may deem this ‘unfair’ as these acts are free and a waste of resources and time, others look at it as a way of restoring dignity and humanity once again to those who need it the most.
We do not need to wait for relief organisations to turn up and do the job that we as a community must do in our own ‘Jerusalem.’
This is worth more than gold.
Bati ni Tanoa
Tomasi Boginiso, Nasinu
I use to love this programme when it started but as it went on I seem to lose interest due to the fact that the programme is now about presenters only teasing one another for their own laughter and not for the public to do the laughing.
There are less jokes or none on certain programmes. When the programme started the public use to share the jokes, but now there are no jokes to share.
Maybe it’s business that they are to promote other programmes that they appear on or the tours that they are involved in, but the home audience adores them with what they are good at, but it seems they have been there for too long or the yaqona has shown its effect or they are being told what to do.
Please make the Bati ni Tanoa our favourite again. They are good and could be even better.
Sevens rugby questions
Floyd Robinson, Suva
Given Fiji’s performance at the finals of rugby 7s at the 2016 Rio Olympics, there are a number of questions arising.
Firstly, has this taken the standard or the class of 7s to another level? Obviously other national coaches will want to better this record come 2017. Does this signify the alarm bells calling for a resignation of the New Zealand Sevens Coach?
Gordon Tietjens won almost every tournament including World Cups and Commonwealth Games, but to manage a New Zealand side which lost two pool games and the lost at the quarter finals may not go down well with some Kiwi fans, especially their national women’s rugby side team that won silver.
Has the performance of our national side had an impact on tourism in Fiji?
Whatever one’s views, the Uprising Beach Resort has more reason to be proud of hosting the Olympic gold medallists.
How and what did it take Ben Ryan and his team to deliver perhaps the best ever performance to date of a Fiji sevens team?
Whatever one’s views, one can be sure that it’s still taking time for the nation to really believe the performance by the national sevens team?
3/82 basic recruit personnel
Isireli Bolaniveimau,
Lautoka
With reference to Republic of the Fiji Military Forces 3/82 basic recruits personnel as from the outset figuratively, the number 3/82 symbolises the third in-take of military troops in 1982.
Whenever I come across the initial syndicate RFMF or QEB (Queen Elizabeth Baracks) , my first impression instantly flashes back to the first time that I was selected to joined more than 100 young men, in our early 20s, ear marked as budding soldiers, to be part of the overseas peacekeepers – namely the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) Sinai.
Realistically though, there were three platoons and I was part of the second platoon with a lone Fijian of Indian descent from Labasa who later join the Police Force before running his own business in Lautoka.
Moreover, most of our RFMF 3/82 basic recruits personnel still holding senior positions while others joined the TF (territorial force). The rest of us had retired, not forgetting those who had passed on.
However it would be remiss of me if I did not include those specialist instructors who worked tirelessly 24/7 moulding and instilling in us a disciplinarian lifestyle.
If not for their commitment and dedication, most of us 3/82 members would not have tasted the prosperity of life.
In retrospect, the RFMF 3/82 basic recruit personnel is probably the very first one to implement and organise a reunion for all three platoons; the first of its kind.
Last and not least, we were very fortunate to be under the commander Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, the former President of Fiji.
In a nut shell, a friend in need is a friend indeed and it takes more than one colour to make a rainbow and more than one player to make one team.
The 3/82 basic recruit personnel had all stood together.
We all share the same hopes and fears, joys and sorrow and the truth is that God measures us all by His standards.
Feedback: jyotip@fijisun.com.fj