New Zealand’s involvement with Fiji goes back beyond 1874 when Fiji was ceded to Britain and became a part of the Empire where “the sun never set”. Prior to cession, beachcombers combed the South Seas for adventure, treasures, release, renewal and the ropes for a new beginning. The backgrounds of these overflows from Europe were as colourful as their motivations.

After the colonial structures were better established and Fiji became an economic entity, the notorious Colonial Sugar Refinery Company, which had refineries in Melbourne and Auckland, recruited kulambars (supervisors) from Australia and NZ. This was the first formal large-scale private recruitment of Kiwis into Fiji and many surnames and genetic manifestations bear witness to this relationship. 

On the national front, aid programmes were set up and lots of New Zealanders saw Fiji as a good alternative place to work in. Fiji’s judiciary and the school system had New Zealand written all over. Kiwi judges presided in Fiji’s Courts and the two main school exams were the respected NZ School Certificate and New Zealand University Entrance exams.

In one of these programmes, a young volunteer Catholic teacher was deployed to Wairiki Secondary School on the island of Taveuni. Maria Theresa Jones taught me mathematics in 1975 and was one of the kindest prettiest teachers I’d ever known. I’d be delighted to meet up with her again as the last I heard was that she was in New Zealand.

In the backdrop of this, the All Blacks and Rugby had become the other big bond between Fiji and New Zealand. This relationship started off as keen rivalry, then dismissive nonchalance, and now a focused attempt to ensure that Fiji rugby never threatens the All Blacks and by extension, the nation’s peace of mind.

In 1939 Fiji had blitzed through New Zealand unbeaten with a 14-4 shellacking of the Maori in the final match. It was during that tour that Ratu George Cakobau introduced the cibi for the first time to counter the Maori haka and it has ever since been part of the national team’s repertoire with some misguided attempts being made to remove it in the name of religion every now and then.

In 1961, a Kiwi teacher with the inevitable rugby background came to Fiji and two years later became a radio sports commentator. His name and fame grew with Fiji rugby and Graham Eden is now a veritable encyclopedia on Fiji rugby. He will forever have his name indelibly linked with rugby in the country.

When I joined University of the South Pacific (USP) in the 1980s, another Kiwi, Professor Ron Crocombe was already an institution in that hallowed institution. Cutting a commanding figure he was constantly on the move between meetings and offices of the inner sanctum. A member of every decision-making forum at USP at the time, any function without the good professor was easily noticed.

This “go-getter” side of the professor made one student scribe refer to him as “Professor Crocile” in the weekly student newsletter, USP Beat. A loyal friend and feared foe, Professor Crocombe had another side that only his closer associates saw at the time. I say “at the time” because this side of Ron was private and became much more evident in later years.

I recall vividly how I managed to “spy” this side of Ron. It was semester-end party season and somehow I managed to get into Ron’s den in Mariko Street across from the USP main gate through a Tongan friend. There he was, the man himself, wearing a flowery Bula Shirt, a Fiji Bitter stubby at his elbow, and stories to keep anyone enthralled for the night.

Some 5 years later, I presumptuously contacted Professor Crocombe through USP from Tokyo where I was desperately looking for an eminent referee to get a prestigious government scholarship. Ron’s response was unexpectedly quick and complete; he raised his contact, Professor Kimitada Miwa, and placed me in his capable hands like magic.

Eight years later, when I finally met him in Rarotonga and thanked him for the help, Ron revealed with a chuckle that he remembered me from the night I attended his party uninvited! He said he’d seen enough that night to gauge that I was an inquisitive student with a keen Pacific sense of humour.

Five years after that Mariko Street party, Ron had arranged Japanese connections in response to an SOS from me. Others like Professor Brij Lal and Dr. Morgan Tuimaleali’ifano have talked emphatically about Ron’s keen interest in helping Pacific Island students. I also am a recipient of that generosity.

Professor Ron Crocombe will be long remembered by those who knew him. This Cook Island-New Zealander has left footprints in the South Seas that will be hard to fill. It is with wistfulness that I look forward to our next meeting and know that he will surprise me again by remembering details that I myself may have forgotten. 
--
The opinions contained here are Subhash Appana’s own and not necessarily shared by any organizations that he may be affiliated with, both here and overseas.
Email: subhasha@ais.ac.nz