Young pair lead 668 hibiscus festival volunteers

Behind the lights, crowds and celebrations of the 70th Hibiscus Festival are young organisers Jasanna Newton and Abel Roy, helping keep 668 volunteers on the move each day at Albert Park in Suva.

Ms Newton, 20, from Savusavu, and Mr Roy, 23, of Suva, are part of the team managing the logistics behind the festival.

Ms Newton initially joined as the events manager’s personal assistant before taking on responsibility for coordinating volunteers.

“Looking after volunteers, I didn’t really have that in mind. I was actually the events manager’s assistant,” Ms Newton said.

“Until looking after volunteers just came in, and I thought, okay, why not give it a try.”

Mr Roy said Ms Newton later invited him to join the team.

“It’s not easy, it’s challenging, but after all it’s getting experience and confidence,” he said.

Their volunteers range in age from 12 to 55, with parental consent required for those under 18.

The volunteers work across two shifts, morning and night, handling duties at the sports centre as well as cleaning, ticketing, media, security, contestant escorts and backstage operations.

For the two young coordinators, the scale of the job quickly became clear.

“At first I didn’t think that it would be this big. I didn’t think that I would be very stressed,” Mr Roy said.

Despite the pressure, he said decisions were made together, with the wellbeing of volunteers kept in mind.

“We don’t want anybody to get tired or, like, for their health conditions,” he said.

For Ms Newton and Mr Roy, the week is proving to be more than just running shifts and filling roles — it is an opportunity to gain experience, confidence and a firsthand look at what it takes to keep one of Fiji’s biggest festivals running.