It was 25 years ago when the Commanding Officer of the RFNS Kula Viliame Naupoto waved goodbye to two Vanuavatu sisters who were rescued in a daring search and rescue operation in the Lau waters. They were inside an ambulance on their way out of the Captain Stanley Brown Naval Base in Walu Bay, Suva.

The reunion yesterday was made possible after the publication of a five-part series in the Fiji Sun last week by the Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, Rear Admiral Naupoto’s account of the operation.

Rear Admiral Naupoto personally drove to Namadi to pick up Liliana Gade, 39, and Lute Tubuna, 42. It was a tearful reunion.

He was accompanied by retired Kula engineer, Ravuravu Turaga.

Rear Admiral Naupoto had organised morning tea with nine members of the Kula who were part of the operation.

There were 19 personnel who were part of the rescue mission.

Only three remain in the RFMF Naval Division – Warrant Officer (Navy) Sitiveni Jitoko, chief engineer of the RFNS Savenaca Jovilisi Rokoiri and Medic Veresoni Basil.

Others have retired or moved on to private institutions.

For Rear Admiral Naupoto, the reunion was somewhat a nostalgic moment.

It was like reliving what took place 25 years ago.

“As soon as we met, we all just started crying for a good 15 minutes. We broke the rules for COVID-19. We just hugged and we are all thankful of what happened then – and for today also.”

He said it was like finding the two sisters again and bringing them home.

“As I was driving them down, it was like they were onboard the Kula again,” he said.

“That feeling that their life was in our hands. I had to be careful as I drove them to the Naval Base.

“That, I can’t fail. I told myself, now that you’ve seen them, they are alive, you can’t fail.”

Republic of Fiji Military Forces Commander Rear Admiral Viliame Naupoto with Lute Tubuna, 42, and Liliana Gade, 39, at the Stanley Brown Naval Base in Walu Bay, Suva, on May 19, 2020. Photo: Ronald Kumar

Reeling with emotion, Rear Admiral Naupoto said he was overcome with the same feeling again.

At the Naval Base, Rear Admiral Naupoto showed the sisters where they had disembarked.

Now on to his final year as Commander of the RFMF, meeting the Vanuavatu sisters again was rewarding.

“I can die tomorrow and be happy. I’m in my last year now in my five-year contract. That’s why I wanted to meet them before I shed my military uniform,” he said.

“To me, I think I lied in the part of my story when I said: ‘As I watched the ambulance drove out of the Naval Base with the two girls waving goodbye from inside, I knew, that like time and tide, one of the best moments of my naval career had just passed, never to return, but I also knew that the memories will remain with me for the rest of my life’.

“It came back.”

Vanuavatu sisters Liliana Gade and Lute Tubuna with Republic of Fiji Military Forces Commander Rear Admiral Viliame Naupoto at the Captain Stanley Brown Naval Base in Walu Bay, Suva, on May 19, 2020. Photo: Ronald Kumar

The crew

Nine members of the “chirpy, vocal” crew were at the base awaiting the arrival of the sisters.

They were Jovilisi Rokoiri – chief engineer RFNS Savenaca, Maciu Dau – CMF church elder, Ben Waqavou – tugboat engineer/USA, Vilikesa Vasukiwai -communications UN/Sudan, Sitiveni Jitoko – warrant officer (Navy), Tevita Tabanimoli – tugboat engineer, Ravuravu Turaga – retired engineer, Veresoni Basil – medic and Uraia Waqa – tugboat engineer.

From the U.S., Petty Officer Emosi Vodo was on video call to greet the sisters. He was one of the two who jumped overboard to aid the sisters to the ship. Rear Admiral Naupoto said they held a close bond.

“It was exactly the kind of noise that you’d hear on the bridge when we first found the sisters,” he said.

“And when we saw them when they were almost flipping over, and how quiet they were when we walked in. It was exactly that.”

Painful stories

There are many other stories like the successful rescue of the sisters. But there are also stories of failure.

“We also have an opposite story, a story of failure and it’s just as painful – when we go out on a rescue mission and we do not rescue.”

Still fresh in Rear Admiral Naupoto’s mind was the search and rescue operation of a boat tragedy between Cikobia and Labasa in 1996. Only one woman survived. The tragedy claimed the lives of 21 people.

“We sailed in the night and in the morning. We were at what we thought was the search area – so we started searching and then we asked the Police to interview the lone survivor again. From her story, we realised it was a different search area, so we shifted again,” he said.

“By then, time had passed. When you’re in the water, time is of the essence. Every time I hear that story, I often wonder whether we could have saved some of them or not.

“You have joyous moments like this – and when you have moments when you go and don’t find those who you’re going to rescue – it’s painful.”
Life lesson

The lesson from the Kula, both successful or otherwise, has taught Rear Admiral Naupoto several life lessons.

One of them is his unwavering faith in God.

“In the story, the thoughts that came into my mind and the decisions that I made and all those spur of the moment decisions – it’s not what I learned on the job. It just came to me,” he said.

“And that taught me that each of us have a built-in capability to face everything in life. Too often, we compare ourselves with others, and we begin to rate ourselves lowly. But the truth of life is that we are created to be great.

“And wherever God puts you in life, whether you’re a father, a mum, a reporter, the Commander RFMF or an older brother – inbuilt in you are things that will help you in that role or relationship.”

Rear Admiral Naupoto said it was a privilege to be one of those chosen by God to be with the crew – to be the ones who went out and rescue the sisters.

Edited by Naisa Koroi, Ivamere Nataro

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