Australian Serviceman Laurence Turner (right) with a Fijian sergeant in Malaya in 1955.
The 2018 Returned Soldiers and Ex-servicemen’s Association of Fiji (RSESA) Poppy Day Appeal is being launched today.
Over the next month you may see Poppies on sale in downtown Suva.
If you’re unsure about why you should buy one, then here’s why.
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The Poppy is the symbol of soldiers lost in battle.
November 11 is Remembrance Day. Remembrance Day is about the fallen.
Fiji has a proud military tradition with soldiers serving in World War I, World War II, the Malayan Campaign, Christmas Island and numerous peacekeeping missions up to the present day. Nearly 300 Fijian soldiers have lost their lives serving the nation.
This is the ultimate sacrifice, which led to the famous saying: Lest we Forget.
Ultimately, we are judged by how we respect the fallen.
But the nation is also judged on how it treats living veterans.
Remembrance Day is a poignant reminder of sacrifice, but we should also not forget those who have served the nation and are still living.
For every life lost there are thousands who served. Many of these men and women returned home to parades and accolades and then simply faded back into civilian life.
For instance, you might be surprised to hear that on their return from Malaya in 1956 the veterans were given a spade and some supplies and sent on their way.
Despite these humble beginnings many veterans went on to become key players in society, politics and the economy and as such continued their service in the name of nation-building.
Ratu Peni Volavola, President of the Returned Soldiers and Ex-servicemen’s Association of Fiji (RSESA), is a good example of how servicemen have also contributed to nation-building.
Ratu Peni served in the territorial forces while building a successful career, but when he was called to duty he responded and was deployed as a peacekeeper to Lebanon and the Sinai.
He then went on to be the Mayor of Suva for an unprecedented six terms.
Ratu Peni is a tireless supporter of veterans and also connecting youth with their military past.
Many returned servicemen and the families of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice have faced great challenges and this points to the real significance of the Poppy today.
The legacy is for those who never returned home and for those who they left behind.
These brave sons and daughters of Fiji served with distinction and with no concerns for their own safety.
They gave up their jobs, the comforts of home, and often their lives to face hardship and unspeakable horrors.
So many of us owe the freedoms we enjoy today to their bravery.
It is only fitting, therefore, to repay them with help as once they helped us.
The Poppy Day Appeal
Each year the public rallies behind the cause with over $12,000 raised last year and the hope is that this sum can be increased this year to allow the Veteran’s organisation to undertake more benevolent activities, but they need your help!
The Returned Soldiers and Ex-servicemen’s Association of Fiji (RSESA) has a new executive committee and has commissioned a corporate plan to allow it to provide greater resources for veterans facing hardship because of the impact of the rising cost of living on their fixed incomes.
So, in the lead up to Remembrance Day on November 11 please support the veterans selling Poppies.
Your donation will go a long way toward repaying an eternal debt.
