The Niumataiwalu Family from Votualevu, Nadi will be celebrating Father’s Day without their mother.

Thirty-seven year old local singer Kiti Niumataiwalu, said that every Father’s Day she bought him presents to show her appreciation as to how fortunate she was to have a lovely father, the Reverend Nacanieli Delailoa Niumataiwalu.

She said her father was always a major support in her singing career.

“I buy him gifts just to show how much I appreciate having him as a father and how important he is in my life,” she said.

Her mother is away overseas.

For the Niumataiwalu Family, their father is someone they hold dear to the hearts as he has sacrificed a lot for them.

Reverend Nacanieli Delailoa Niumataiwalu, originally from Nayau in Lau, and lives in Votualevu in Nadi. He has five children and 13 grandchildren.
Rev Niumataiwalu said normally on Father’s Day his children cooked for him and they had a small celebration with gifts and presents.

“We have the usually Do’s, my children prepare a special Father’s Day breakfast and cook my favorite dish and we have a little celebration later,” he said.

Their day begins with devotion, and later the women prepare lunch in the kitchen while the men handle the “lovo” outside, where they prepare his favorite dish “palusami” and “dalo”.

For Rev Niumataiwalu he relates Father’s Day to the biblical story of the prodigal son.

“His father provided everything for the family but this was not enough for his son, who still left due to outside influences. It’s when his son came back after he had used up all his wealth that the father showed the God given character that lies within a human being, that is the love of a Father to his son,” said Mr Niumataiwalu.

Rev Niumataiwalu added he always tried to be the best role model to his children and grandchildren.