Cogito, ergo sum. I think, therefore I am. (René Descartes, mathematician and philosopher,1599-1650)

Friday 9 May 2014

Lockington's Everyday Fiji ... Life Goes On

Save the Bay

Many times we let what we call development get in our way. We cut down forests and mangrove to build so we can set up business to make money. But at what a cost. Most of the times its the city fathers who approve the development. Anyway, big business people are very powerful.One such place is the Draunibota Bay in Lami.

I grew up in Wailekutu in the late 70s and lived there until I started work in 1977. We used to swim across to Mosquito Island with our lunch packs and stay there all day. We would return in the afternoon, sometimes swimming back or if there was a kind boat owner we would hitch a ride
back.

Tourist ferries would come and go and we would meet and make new friends with them. Some of us even struck up friendships that got us being pen friends.

I always marveled at the people on water ski. I tried it once but couldn't do it. You have to be pretty strung to get on a ski and be pulled along. Some of us would cross over on tin boats and when we were tired we would paddle into the deep and fish for our lunch. Then we would tavu them on hot coals and eat it with lemon and the cassava we took with us. It was fun.

We were always tanned from the sun and sea and no one had a pot belly.

Now i read that the place is going to be zoned to make it an industrial area. What are the developers thinking?

Please, leave the Bay alone, it has so many fond memories of me, my friends and relatives.

Sometimes the rich businessman can only see the dollar sign and not a natural habitat.

Allen Lockington is a self-employed customs agent and business consultant who has regular articles published in Fiji. I thank Allen for permission to reprint some of them in this political blog. They remind us that life goes on, whatever the political situation. And it's good to know
that.


Plea to save the bay
Torika Tokalau


RESIDENTS of Lami find themselves in a somewhat similar situation to what they
had faced in 2012 as they again try to save the Draunibota Bay.

A multi-discipline construction company based in Fiji caused a bit of a stir back in 2012 with its intentions to set up its headquarters at Lot 1 Waibola, Wailekutu.

This did not rest well with the communities, settlement and landowners and after much petitioning, the bay — which is home to vast mangroves — was saved.

Now however, residents of Lami are again fighting the same fight, this time against the altered zoning of Lot 1 Waibola, Wailekutu from residential to heavy
industrial.

Numerous petitions, submissions and applications have been written to the Lami Town Council objecting to the zoning.

Lami Town Council special administrator Jasper Singh said the response from residents had been tremendous.

"We received numerous letters regarding the matter, most of them objecting to the development at the Waibola site," Mr Singh said.

He said his team was in the process of going through all submissions which it would summarise with its own recommendations.

These will then be forwarded to the Director of Town and Country Planning who will make the final decision.

"We represent the ratepayers as well, that's our concern. That will be a major factor and we won't just decide anything, we will look at the merits of every objection and compile everything and what
the council feels.

"But the final decision rests with the director."

Uduya Point property owner Luke Ragg, in his letter objecting to the zoning of Waibola, said there was blatant disregard for proper due process and consultation with all the communities in the area.

"The area is a natural food source for many in the community. The area's vast mangrove is one of the few remaining natural cleansers of the environment and the greater Suva Peninsula overall," Mr
Ragg explained.

"The area is a breeding ground for all forms of marine life and a natural habitat for other life and this must be preserved.

"The whole of the residential area of Uduya Point will be affected, from single property/ homeowners to the Uduya Point Marina Estate. In time, industrial development will cause further
extraordinary strain on the marine environment and will result in catastrophic marine death of not only Draunibota Bay, but the surrounding areas including the adjacent Bay of Islands.

"Lami could not be called the Garden Town when we destroy our greatest garden of
all."

Click on this link to the Save the Bay Facebook page.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Unbelievable that such a naturally beautiful spot would be industrialised. makes you wonder who is getting paid under the table. Bainimarama is no better than Qarase. Khaiyum is just like Qoriniasi Bale. One corrupt government replaced by another.

It's a dictatorship idiot said...

At least we knew how much PM Qarase was paid. And he wasn't paid by some illegal AG's aunt. As for this dimwit Lockington - what part of "Fiji is currently a dictatorship and the treasonous thugs can do what they like to fill their pockets" does this regime dancing girl not understand?