Living in Fiji for the last 63 years, Ronald Gordon Welsh has visited 90 per cent of the islands in Fiji.
The 93-year-old is the first winner of Fiji Sun’s letter of the week competition.
Mr Welsh in his letter titled ‘Castrate, life term for child rapists’ said the appalling incidence of rape must stop and the only way it could be done was through harsh penalties to perpetrators.
Mr Welsh wrote his letter to Fiji Sun after reading an article on Mere Ailevu’s rape and murder.
He is saddened by the incident where 14-year-old Mere, a student of Lomary Catholic Primary School was found dead with a Tee-shirt tied around her neck at Loloma Beach, Pacific Harbour.
He won himself a Parker pen from Fiji Sun.
“I was shocked after reading the Fiji Sun,” he said.
“I felt the issue of rape was appalling and something should be done about it.”
He also sent the same letter to The Fiji Times but they did not publish the letter, he said.
“In terms of letters The Fiji Times coverage is not as good as Fiji Sun,” he said.
Mr Welsh said for the last two weeks he had been taking interest in reading ‘Letter to Editor’ sections in the two newspapers and their content is different.
“I hope to write more letters on different issues to Fiji Sun,” he said.
About Mr Welsh
Originally from England, Mr Welsh has been residing in Fiji for the last 63 years. His father was Scottish-Irish and his mother was of English-French descent.
At the age of 14 in 1937 Mr Welsh was still in school and worked part-time at an electrical company in Britain.
It was during Easter in the same year, he decided to do something different.
While working he saw some boys filling in forms to join the army. He decided to leave school and join the British Army.
As an army man he served in countries like Malaysia, Burma, Sri Lanka, India, United Kingdom and parts of East Pakistan. He was a Sergeant in the army where met his wife Muriel who was a Corporal in the army.
They got married in 1948 and had a daughter Susan who now resides in Ireland. Mr Welsh was part of World War II.
After WWII he and his family came to Fiji on February 28, 1953 and he worked at a local company, Millers Limited, now part of Morris Hedstrom, as a hardware manager.
His wife Muriel passed away 21-years-ago in Fiji and he now lives alone with his 7-year-old dog named Charlie.
He resided at Colo-i-Suva before moving to Pacific Habour in 1986.
After retirement from Millers Limited, Mr Welsh became a commercial diver and he was a dive guide for the BBC series Nomads of the Wind which took place in 1992.
The retired army sergeant, manager and diver is also interested in sports and has won numerous medals.
In 1971, he represented Fiji in the South Pacific Games in Tahiti and won a team gold medal in archery. The four member team included, Mr Welsh, Arnie Anfinson, Les Thompson and Prem Singh.
Mr Welsh is a good carpenter and built a boat known as Blue Dolphin, and others, alone.
Feedback: maraia.vula@fijisun.com.fj