Like many worthwhile projects around the world, Suva’s Hibiscus Carnival owes its origins to the Junior Chamber of Commerce. The Suva Junior Chamber of Commerce (now an Incorporated body- Suva Jaycees Inc.) was formed in 1956 by some of the New Zealanders working in Fiji. When a group of young men in Suva formed a Junior Chamber of Commerce chapter some 40years ago (1956), one of their early after dinner speakers was that pioneer of Fiji’s tourism industry, the

late Mr Harvey Hunt, who impressed upon his listeners the excitement of Hawaii’s “Aloha Week” which he had just witnessed. So there was the challenge! Why didn’t Fiji do something similar?

It was indeed a challenge. The Fiji of 1956 was not Hawaii! It was a stiff, stuffy, white-starched British colony- prim and proper, not really ready for any public expression of “fun”. The very idea was enough to have the expatriate civil servants and business leaders snort with distaste over their gins and tonics.

But the young Jaycees were determined that Suva should have at least 1 day of relaxation when perhaps colourful ‘Bula’ shirts should replace the standard white drill of everyday. The more difficulties were placed in their way, the more determined they became.

In 1956, Saturday was still a ½ working day and neither Government nor Private business was prepared to release their staff. Sponsorship was impossible. The Colonial Secretary would not permit workers to replace their shirts with coloured ones and although young ladies of Suva were invited to enter a ‘Ms Hibiscus’ contest, the only prize that could be offered to ‘Miss Hibiscus’ was a trip to Lautoka and back by bus!

The road was rough and dusty but Whites Travel Service operated the bus and it had real glass windows! As it happened, this price eventually went to the 2nd place getter- a Whites Travel hostess who suffered this bone-rattling ordeal everyday.

Despite these difficulties, the fledgling “Hibiscus Festival” was born. A date was fixed (Dec 15, 1956) and a puzzled public waited to see what was about to be thrust upon the City of Suva. Not everyone was apprehensive. Pan American Airlines could see the future that this little event might hold and thrilled the Jaycees with the unheard offer of a flight to Sydney for ‘Miss Hibiscus’ and suddenly the test became almost acceptable.

An infuriated airline just around the corner in the old wooden Central Building (now the CML Bldg) rushed around the place quoting on IATA prohibition of such a prize and denouncing Panam for its lack of ethics.

But the contest went ahead, the prize was won and this prize and of course the lovely winner, proved so popular that the “infuriated” airline was the 1st to offer an even more exciting trip in the event of there being a Hibiscus Festival in 1957!


THE 1ST HIBISCUS

It was small. Apart from crudely hand-made posters and some radio advertising, there was not too much publicity about it. Many people in Suva were not aware of it because the whole Festival was contained within the Town Hall- now Ming Palace. Suva Rotary Club had offered to operate a few stalls inside the hall, there were some musical entertainment and that was that!



Theses stalls operated on Friday night but the serious business commenced after midday on the Saturday.

More than 20 young ladies vying for Miss Hibiscus title. As happened every year, since there was a ‘public judging’ curtains were closed and a panel of judges mixed with the contestants discussing the same topics that be raised in 1995- current affairs, knowledge of Fiji and particularly of Suva, general knowledge and all the topics that Suva’s ambassadress should be able to discuss.

By this time, the hall was packed, more than to capacity with an excited and impatient crowd- swelled by the presence of the crew of an Italian Navy vessel who must surely have wondered just what they had struck! The police had tried to lock the doors of the Hall but no avail- the entrances were jammed with the people.

We have mentioned that government workers were not permitted to wear coloured shirts on the Saturday morning. Well some of them decided to defy this prohibition and o the Friday they were delighted when the Governor of Fiji himself Sir Ronald Garvey arrived at Town Hall in a brilliant red “Bula” shirt and with his colonial white pith helmet spray-painted silver and with the word “BULA” emblazoned on it.

It is understood that he unofficially gave permission for coloured shirts to be worn next morning. If the Governor’s shirt was red, the faces of his senior civil servants were even redder as the Directors of Health, Public Works, Education and so on went scurrying among the small shops in search of “Bula” shirts! The Suva Hibiscus Festival had certainly arrived.

So successful was the first Festival that by 1957 it had become a 3day event and there were 38 contestants vying for the crown and a trip to Honolulu. The years rolled by and the Hibiscus Festival became a long affair- a very important week in Suva’s calendar.

The week of fun went from success to success. It became too big for the Junior Chamber and was handed over to a Hibiscus Festival Association. Songs were written t o serenade ‘Ms Hibiscus’, the Festival and the flower itself; 1 year the post office issued special stamps to mark the occasion; cruise ships re-arranged their schedules to accommodate the Festival.

But after 30 years, the Festival had acquired a certain ‘sameness’- a sense of boredom threatened to kill the fun and in the mid 1980s, the Association had to announce that there would be no Festival that year.

The Lord Mayor of Suva could not accept this and called a public meeting to try to inject a new life into the Festival. The Association, although tried, still had enough energy to oppose this move to insist that they still owned the registered name of ‘Hibiscus Festival’ and the ‘Suva Hibiscus Carnival’ was born and like some phoenix continues on the same path of success.


EARLY YEARS

During early years of the Festival, it was realized that with so much goodwill, about some of it should be channeled into a worthwhile cause and the ‘Hibiscus Charity Chest’ was formed and an additional prize was made available for ‘Miss Charity’, the contestant who raised the largest amount of money for charity and over the years thousands of dollars have been raised for distribution among the less fortunate in our midst.

1st Hibiscus Queen- Mrs. Liebling Marlow (nee Hoeflich)

Mr. Graham Low of the Bank of N.S.W. And Les Hammet of Cable and Wireless had entered her name then. Her Father was tickled pink with the idea, but her Mother didn’t think it was such a great idea, and made no bones about telling the two young men where they stood. Consequently, the sewing of her two main dresses were late, as was Faga’s (her Mother’s) one. The Ball gown on the last evening’s judging had been sewn into her as she did not have time to put the zip in! She was so nervous that it would come apart and all would be revealed! The first night’s judging was in day clothes and her lemon coloured dress with the appliquéd cherries was another rushed job. She had red shoes but no red purse, so her Father took her brown one down to the PWD and sprayed it red! The enamel paint was still tacky and she had thought how it would leave red fingertips all over everyone she shook hands with! The item was clutched to her side as she had a conversation with Viti Whiteside (they had married contestants then).

The Final Judging had taken place again in the Suva Town Hall, the venue of many enjoyable Hockey dances. However, it was so packed and so hot, everyone stood in the hall from 8pm until the winner was announced some 3 hours later. For the girls, the strain of waiting backstage was unbearable. According to the article, Liebling stated that they quite often chewed the fat over those early Festival days! This was due to the fact that with no calculators, Mike Cassidy, Tony Wilkinson and other members of JC’s all counted and re-counted and then the announcement was finally made! Then the tears eventually followed when her name was announced! From there on, the evening went by in a daze. They all drove past the hospital so the patients could see them, then down to the Royal Suva Yacht Club for a dance.

She had only just turned 18 on the 11th October that year, and had never been anywhere, let alone off on a trip to Sydney on her own. From the moment of touch-down till she left, it was wonderful, though somewhat daunting experience for a young ’kai-viti’. Two members of the JC’s who chaperoned her in Sydney were: Rod Craigie, a Judge then in Sydney and Alan Butt, then Sydney President of JC’s. Interviews was carried out in an only partly finished building, with rain pouring down out-side such as the Bob Dyer ‘Pick-a-Box’ programme. On the promotional side, Lux Beauty Soap had asked if she would do a promotion for them and it was publicised in the “Fiji Times” for several weeks.

The following year, 1957 was much better organised and culminated in a Ball at the Grand Pacific, in which formal attire, gloves and gowns were worn and they were not the least mindful of the heat!

Mr. Herb Marlow, of Air New Zealand and herself were involved with the organising of the next few Festivals, as well as Mr. Don Lane who was the Manager of the Fiji Visitors Bureau, and as the past-President of JC’s, he undertook the role of organising it into the Bureau. It had gone from strength to strength, but in the last couple of years, it had lost steam, and in the year 1996, there were only 6 contestants. With a lot of discussions, after the 1996 Festival, lots of former Hibiscus Queens had promised to help organise and promote the Festival in years to come. Similarly, Suva’s Chamber of Commerce had also gotten into the act, and it was expected that the Festival would be back to its old sparkling self again.

In her last statement in the article, Mrs. Liebling Marlow stated that she still has a

Great pleasure in having people in some of the most faraway places say

“Isa, Adi Senitoa”.


Hibiscus Experience- Shital Ram (2002-2005)

The Hibiscus Festival is something that I had always looked up to from childhood. Dressing up for the Festival, going across for the Ferris wheel rides and the candy floss, and of course the beautiful ladies waving out to their adoring crowd from the beautiful floats are childhood memories that we always look back at with fondness. I remember being one of the little kids in the front row of the crowd, clamoring for the lollies being thrown across by the contestants.

It was a challenge when I was chosen by my former employer, the Reserve Bank of Fiji, to represent them at the 2002 Hibiscus Festival. The task was especially more daunting given the past winning record of previous RBF queens, as well as the huge expectation from the public as the festival was being organized after a lapse of 3 years. However, all fears were laid to rest after the first day of meeting up with the contestants. We were only 10 girls in that year, however, the contestants and the committee members were so friendly and supportive that it was very easy for all of us to strike up instant friendships and a great support network was built.

Some people have a wrong impression of the Hibiscus Festival that this is just another beauty contest. However, I must say that Hibiscus lives up to its name as the “mother of all festivals” and is so much more than that. During our year, we traveled to the Old People’s Home, St. Giles Hospital, Women’s Prison, School of the Handicapped, the Blind School and childrens homes, and the happiness that a single visit by the Hibiscus queens brings to these places is priceless. The huge media coverage also ensures awareness of these places and assists in raising charity for their projects.

My whole experience with Hibiscus 2002 was amazing, and being crowned the queen was an added bonus. The announcement by Honorable Bernadette Rounds-Ganilau in her amazing manner, the huge roar from the crowd when my name was announced and the ensuing support is something that I will always remember and treasure. Even 4 years down the line, a lot of people still remember my face and the name. There are some who remember instantly and shout out “Hey Miss Hibiscus”, and there are others who keep looking at my face and trying to recall where they saw me! What is more amazing for me is that apart from the people in Suva, those from the West also remember me clearly, confirming Hibiscus as a nation-wide festival.

The experience with Hibiscus has made me a more confident person, and I have been able to use this in every area of my life. I must say that some of the credit for the current managerial position that I enjoy with my employer, HFC Finance, is due to the exposure and the confidence that I gained from Hibiscus.

Whilst I have enjoyed the whole experience, I have been waiting very eagerly to hand over the crown to the next queen, with the hope that we will no longer have to wait for more than 1 year for another Adi Senitoa! My best wishes are with the Committee for a hugely successful festival and with all the contestants who are lucky to be part of the chosen few going in for this experience of a lifetime! Vinaka.


THE UNPLANNED BIRTHDAY PARTY - ETA (1962)

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY WAS NEVER PART OF HER PLANS. NO FIJIAN GIRL FROM A POOR RURAL FAMILY FROM A VILLAGE NEAR THE INTERIOR OF VITILEVU COULD EVEN DREAM OF IT. IT WAS NOT THE PRACTICE IN MOST FIJIAN FAMILIES IN THOSE DAYS, 8 YEARS BEFORE INDEPENDENCE TO HOLD A BIRTHDAY PARTY, AND FOR A GIRL WHOSE MOTHER SUPPORTED 7 OTHER SIBLINGS (SHE WAS WIDOWED SOME 9 YEARS BEFORE), IT WAS JUST UNTHOUGHT OF! SO WHEN THE HIBISCUS FESTIVAL STARTED, THE EXCITEMENT OF THE BUILD-UP, FROM HER SELECTION AS THE OFFICIAL CANDIDATE FROM A GROUP OF FOUR OTHER STUDENT NURSES, TO THE MEASUREMENT, AND THE SEWING OF HER DRESSES, THE SELECTION OF APPROPRIATE SANDALS & SHOES, TO THE BALL GOWN, THE COINCIDENCE OF HER 21ST BIRTHDAY FALLING WITHIN THE HIBISCUS WEEK WAS NO BIG DEAL.

THE SUPPORT FROM HER TUTORS, THE STUDENT NURSES, AND THE STAFF OF THE NURSING SCHOOL AND C.W.M.HOSPITAL, KEPT HER BOUYED IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF EXCITEMENT – HER ROOM IN THEIR DORMITORY BLOCK WOULD BE DECORATED WITH HIBISCUS FLOWERS, AND DRAWINGS, WHEN SHE RETURNED FROM PM DUTY, THAT SOME NIGHTS, SHE COULDN’T LIE ON HER BED, AND ENDED UP SLEEPING ON THE FLOOR.

AND WHAT WITH STUDIES AND PRACTICAL TRAINING 5 DAYS A WEEK ON TOP OF IT – SHE WAS KEPT BUSY.

EVEN WITH ALL THIS SUPPORT, SHE HARBOURED A SENSE OF WORRY AND ANXIETY. HER FRIENDS KEPT TELLING HER “JUST BE YOURSELF, JUST BE YOURSELF”

THERE WERE MANY FIRSTS FOR THIS VILLAGE GIRL, LIKE THE FIRST PROFFESSIONAL HAIRCUT FROM MRS. LAL, AND THE FIRST PROPER MANICURE & PEDICURE WITH PROPER NAIL POLISH FROM MISS CORSBIE, HER MANY NEW DRESSES PROPERLY SEWN BY THE HOUSEKEEPER. MUCH BETTER THAN SHE COULD EVER AFFORD ON HER 3 POUNDS A MONTH POCKET MONEY. ATTENDING COCKTAIL PARTIES, THE FIRST LEMON SQUASH. BUT BEST OF ALL THE FIRSTS, WAS THE BALL GOWN.

SHE REMEMBERS THE CROWNING NIGHT BEING ON FRIDAY EVENING. ALBERT PARK WAS FULL AND NOISY, BRIGHT WITH THE COLOURED LIGHTS, AND THE ‘RAMULILI’.

44 YEARS AGO, THERE WERE NO VIDEOS, NO FIJI TV, AND NOT SO MANY OF THE FUNDRAISING, CHURCH AND OTHER ACTIVITIES WHICH FILL OUR LIVES NOWDAYS, SO THE HIBISCUS FESTIVALWAS AN EVENT WHICH MANY IN SUVA (AND FIJI) LOOKED FORWARD TO EVERY YEAR.

THAT NIGHT SHE WORE A SIMPLE DRESS – WHITE COTTON WITH BROWN STRIPES & BROWN ROSE PATTERNS. SHIRT COLLAR, SLEEVES MIDWAY DOWN HER ARM AND A 2 INCH WIDE BELT OF THE SAME MATERIAL, WHITE SANDALS AND SULU I RA AND A SMALL WHITE CLUTCH BAG.

WHEN THE THIRD & SECOND PLACE WINNERS WERE ANNOUNCED, AND THE YOUNG LADIES ROSE TO BE CONGRATULATED, AND ACKNOWLEDGED, SHE REMEMBERS SINKING BACK INTO HER SEAT WITH A FEELING OF APPRENENSION – THAT SHE MIGHT BE THE WINNER.

THEN LIKE IN A DREAM SHE HEARD HER NAME ANNOUNCED.

SOMETIME THAT EVENING, FOR A MONENT, SHE REMEMBERED HER BIRTHDAY. BUT SHE WAS CARRIED FORWARD BY THE FORCE OF THE EVENT AND THE DETAILS OF THE REST OF THE EVENING ARE RATHER A JUMBLE OF NOISE AND EXCITEMENT, BUT AMONGST THE THRONG OF FACES SHE PICKED OUR HER NURSING FRIENDS. LITTLE DID SHE KNOW THAT AT THAT VERY MOMENT, SOMEWHERE ON THE KINGS ROAD, HER UNCLE AND AUNT, MR.&MRS. DAU WERE DRIVING FROM LAUTOKA TO SUVA, WHEN THEY HEARD THAT THEIR NIECE HAD WON THE CROWN.

THE FOLLOWING DAY, SATURDAY, WAS THE BALL NIGHT. AS SHE DRESSED AT THE PRINCIPLES QUARTERS, HER UNCLE, AUNT & SISTER MERE ARRIVED WITH A SILVER KEY TO OFFICIALLY CONGRATULATE HER AND WISH HER HAPPY BIRTHDAY – THAT WAS THE 22ND OF SEPTEMBER.

IT WAS LIGHT BLUE,THAT BALL GOWN, AS SHE REMEMBERS IT, OF A HEAVY MATERIAL AND SEWN TO ACCENTUATE HER SMALL WAIST. BOX PLEATS IN THE CENTRE FRONT & BACK, AND A FULL SKIRT. THE WEIGHT OF THE MATERIAL MAKING THE SKIRT FALL BEAUTIFULLY TO THE FLOOR. THE NECKLINE - DEEP “V” FRONT & BACK. AND SIMPLE CAP SLEEVES. THE ACCESSORIES WERE ELBOW LENGTH WHITE GLOVES & 4 SILVER BANGLES. NO NECKLACES, NO EARINGS, NO MAKEUP. HER ESCORT WAS A TALL HANDSOME YOUNG MAN, ‘TIA”, FROM DEUBA, SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS HAD BEEN MADE WITH ONE OF HER SENIORS TO HAVE HIM ESCORT HER. HE WAS DRESSED TO MATCH HER ATTIRE,AS THE PRACTICE IN THOSE COLONIAL DAYS, A BALL IS A BALL. EVENING DRESSES, GLOVES, FULL ACCESORIES FOR THE LADIES, AND THE GENTLEMEN DRESSED IN FORMAL EVENING ATTIRE.

THE BALL WAS HELD AT THE GRAND PACIFIC HOTEL. SHE REMEMBERS THAT THE WHOLE GROUND FLOOR WAS A LARGE BALL ROOM. THE TABLES WERE BEAUTIFULLY LAID OUT. LOTS OF DECORATIONS, BALOONS ETC, IT WAS LIKE CHRISTMAS. THE GOVERNOR WAS THERE TOO.

AS PART OF HER PREPARATION FOR THE BALL, AND WEARING GLOVES, HER TUTORS HAS SHOWN HER HOW TO FOLD BACK HER GLOVES INSTEAD OF TAKING THEM OFF AT DINNER, OR SHE MIGHT DANCE WITH THE GOVERNOR.

AT HER TABLE SHE HAD HER SPONSERS THE STUDENT NURSES AND THEIR TURORS. HER BROTHER AND SISTER HAD COME FROM THE VILLAGE AND WERE ALSO DRESSED OUT IN FULL EVENING ATTIRE, COMPLIMENTS OF MR. OLIVER EDWARDS.

THE GOVERNOR’S ADC CAME UP TO HER TABLE TO ASK HER ESCORT THAT “THE GOVERNOR WISHES TO HAVE A DANCE WITH MISS HIBISCUS” SHE WAS ESCORTED TO THE GOVERNORS TABLE. SHE REMEMBERS SHE WAS VERY NERVOUS. HOW LONG THE DANCE LASTED, SHE CAN’T REMEMBER, BUT SHE REMEMBERS THAT HER PALMS WERE SWEATING. AT THE END OF THE DANCE SHE WAS ESCORTED BACK TO HER TABLE. SO ENDED A VERY EXCITING WEEK FOR THIS LASS,

AS I SAID AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS STORY, HER BIRTHDAY PARTY WAS NEVER PLANNED, BY HER.

IT WAS JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS – A COINCIDENCE.

Interview Conducted with Miss Verna Thomas – Miss Hibiscus 1971

Interview Conducted With Verna Curtis-Griffiths (Nee Thomas) June 2009

Q. How did you become a contestant in 1971?

My family had moved to Suva from Lautoka in 1970. I was working at the Bank of New South Wales at the time and was approached by the ‘Fiji Hotel Association’ to become their sponsored candidate for the Festival. I had already won the Miss Bula Nadi festival in 1968, and I had also represented Fiji in 1969 in the Queen of the Pacific Quest in Australia, so I was hesitant to enter the Hibiscus Festival but soon realized the potential and the fun of the Miss Hibiscus program.

Q. What were the organizers of the Miss Hibiscus Festival looking for from

the entrants?

In the weeks leading up to the Festival entrants were briefed on fashion, grooming, social etiquette and speech and we brushed up on these finer points of decorum during rehearsals which were often quite enjoyable and then we would attend social functions, fashion parades and cocktails where we were presented. For example, one night was allocated to one-on-one questionnaires about our general knowledge which gave the judges an idea about our suitability of becoming the Miss Hibiscus representative.

Q. What was the role of the sponsor?

The Hotel Association provided me with $350.00, which was a lot of money in those days, from which I was able to choose appropriate clothes for the week of events. I was very fortunate that my mother was a fine seamstress and in collaboration we put together what I thought was an interesting range of outfits, including dresses and theme garments for example the Fijian & Indian nights. I especially liked my crowning night dress which was a bright gold yellow off the shoulder gown which I thought was stunning at the time.

Q. How did you feel when they announced that you were Miss Hibiscus?

I was very excited to win the competition. The crowning was at Albert Park on a beautiful evening and it was interesting when it came time to put the crown on because my hairstyle was so bunched up on one side of my head it didn’t allow the crown to stay on my head which caused some anxious moments, but it all worked out in the end.

Q. Where did being Miss Hibiscus lead you to?

In July of that year I was invited by the Fiji Visitor’s Bureau and CP Air to be part of a promotional tour to Canada - “Face to Face with Fiji” campaign. The team included Bill Raikuna from the tourism bureau, Allan Cameron of Air Pacific, Dan Costello from Beachcomber Island and David Wilson from Tapa Tours plus a few other tourist operators. Across Canada we were invited to many television and radio stations to promote Fiji as a tourist destination. It was one of the highlights of my reign and I was proud to be actually actively involved in promoting Fiji, as a destination, which I understood was one of the aims of the festival.

As part of commitments as Miss Hibiscus I attended many social functions throughout the year at the invitation of several organizations in Fiji. I was also fortunate to be one of the models chosen by the famous Australian designer Prue Acton for her collection, as well as the visiting French fashion designer Jarques Esterelle who created a controversial “unisex” range.

Q. What was you life like after Miss Hibiscus?

I married my husband Rex at Pacific Harbour in 1974 and we left Fiji in 1977 with our first son, Ryan to live in Melbourne. In 1980 our second son Scott was born. In 1985 I returned to the workforce and joined the ANZ Bank.

Ryan graduated with an Arts/Law degree and is a lawyer at a law firm in Melbourne. Scott graduated with an Applied Science Degree majoring in construction management and runs his own building consultancy, as well as running a small general store business.

I enjoy the arts and often go to the ballet, theatre shows and Aussie Rules football in Melbourne. In 2004 Rex and I purchased a footwear and accessories boutique in Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula.  We employ 2 staff members in the store, whilst my husband and I source new products.

Q. What are your thoughts about the festival in hindsight?

I think the Miss Hibiscus quest is a great medium for girls in Fiji because it provides them with the opportunity to gain confidence. It’s also a wonderful week of activities for everyone to enjoy, I know I absolutely enjoyed it.