Many schoolchildren in rural areas walk long distances to get to school. There are many reasons for this like late or irregular bus service, bad roads that cause bus companies to stop service and breakdowns.
In Mulomulo I was at the Community Post when I saw this gentleman ride up on his horse. I thought nothing about it because this is a common sight over here. Then he tethered his horse to a clump of grass and went down the driveway to the Mulomulo school. After a while he appeared with his daughter who is in primary school, he carried her onto the horse, then he hopped on and took her home.
Later I found out that's what he does everyday. He doesn't have to worry about bad roads, e ticketing cards, bus fires, irregular bus service or rude drivers. The sight of the father and daughter made me think of those cowboy movies and coupled with it was the dedication of the parent to use his resources in giving his daughter an education.
Then on Friday night Mulomulo secondary school had its variety night and together with teachers and the police officers we were directing traffic and looking after the parked cars. At around 8 pm we heard the "clip clop" of horse hooves and out of the darkness appeared a man on horseback and he said, "Boss, how much is the parking?" Of course it was free.
The scene was unique. There were Pajeros, hi-luxes, $100,000 posh cars, beaten up 4x4s, and "parked" right beside them was a horse.
Three hours later he returned with his children and rode into the darkness bound for home. It was a unique sight for me.
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.
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