Macuata veteran reflects on 22 years in British Army

At 19, Maikali Baleitilagica Rabaro left Fiji for England, beginning a 22-year military career that took him far from home and exposed him to challenges he had never experienced.

Now 84, the Naduri Village, Macuata, veteran remembers arriving in the United Kingdom (UK) in November 1961, particularly the freezing temperatures that greeted him and eight other Fijian recruits.

Coming from Fiji’s tropical climate, adjusting to the bitter cold was one of their biggest challenges during early military training in northern Wales.

“When we arrived in the UK, it was very cold. So, imagine yourself coming from the tropics to England at that time. It was freezing cold,” Mr Rabaro recalled.

Beyond the freezing weather, Mr Rabaro also faced the challenge of leaving his family and familiar surroundings at just 19. Adjusting to life in a foreign country and unfamiliar military training environment was a difficult transition for the young recruit.

He joined the British Army after a recruitment team travelled to Fiji in 1961 to interview potential recruits. Although he was working at the time, he eventually attended the selection process in Nausori and secured a place.

Mr Rabaro served for 22 years before retiring in 1983, describing his military experience as a lifetime of memories.

After retirement, he returned to Fiji, partly driven by his desire to save his brother, and joined the Fijian Affairs Department.

As Fiji marks 65 years since 212 Fijians, including 200 men and 12 women, joined the British Army, Mr Rabaro has urged young Fijians serving today to complete their military careers.

“My message to them is complete your 22 years,” he said.