Lockington's Everyday Fiji ... Life Goes On

Good Show

The Agriculture Show being held in Lautoka has been an inspiration to many people. A taxi driver who is a very good friend wants to become a farmer again but he has no land. His family had to vacate the land when their lease expired a few years ago. He wonders if the lands department will soon advertise vacant land available in Lautoka so that him and his family can go back to farming. He still has callused hands and is muscle bound from doing hard labour on their farm. Sadly he will soon lose all that and could even develop a pot belly. Farming kept him and his siblings all fit and healthy and they ate vegetables that they grew. He was also a supplier to Lautoka market a hotels but all that is gone.

Anyway, as I made my rounds amongst the wonderful tents full of vegetables and animals, a friend said that a civil servant had mentioned that after seeing all the root crop and vegetables, he was thinking of resigning and going back to his land that lay unused back in the village. All he needs is a little bit of muscle and the will to do so.

Here is a story. On a lighter note – somewhere in Lautoka a tavioka farmer was weeding his plantation and decided he would take a nap. He found a shady spot, spread some sacks and lay down to sleep. After a while he was awakened by the sound of footsteps and the rustling of tavioka plants. In the past he knew that he was not the only one who harvested tavioka from his plantation. But he knew that some children were also benefitting and he simply replanted the stolen tavioka.

As he watched he spotted his brother-in-law begin to pull tavioka that was not matured. So he called out, “Tavale, kua ni cavuta qori, sebera ni matua, o ira na tei tu e yasana ya sa matua, lai cavuta ya.” (Brother-in-law, don’t pull those ones, they are not matured, go over to the other side, all those are matured.)

His tavale took of from there like Usain Bolt and they never met again for three years.

Camping

The school holidays will be here soon.  Parents will be happy to have the children home and of course some will have mega headaches.

Could we have summer camps like they have in the US? Children choose to go to summer camp where there are no mobile phones, no TV, no radio, no electricity and no flush toilets. They live with the very basics and it can be a huge learning curve for children who come from well off homes where they have everything, and it will be a learning curve for all.

I remember going on camping trips with the Catholic Youth Clubs way back in the 70s and 80s, cooking on the fire, drinking water for drums and wells,   mosquito bites at night but it was fun.

Lets revive camping trips.

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.