From the Archives (September 1, 1970): Fiji prepares for independence

September 01, 2020 12:15 am | Updated 12:15 am IST

Prince Charles will represent Queen Elizabeth at Fiji’s independence celebrations in October. Royal assent has been given to the Bill providing for Fiji’s independence on October 10, the 96th anniversary of the cession of the islands to Queen Victoria. Warm feelings of goodwill to Fiji and its people were expressed during debates on the Bill in both Houses of the British Parliament. It has been decided that October 10 will be known as Independence Day and not Dominion Day. The Independence Celebration Committee has decided against a midnight ceremony of lowering the Union Jack and raising the new national flag. Instead, it has proposed that the Union Jack will be lowered at sunset on October 9 at a ceremony of Beating the Retreat by the Fiji military forces. The new flag will be ceremonially hoisted throughout Fiji on October 10 at 10 a.m. To mark Independence, every child in Fiji will receive a medallion. It will bear a replica of the Queen’s head on one side and the Dominion Coat of Arms on the other. The Suva Indian Chamber of Commerce has initiated three projects to mark Independence. They are the setting up of a fund by the Indian business community to be known as the Prime Minister’s Fund; erection of a monumental clock tower in the capital, Suva; and a gift of 51 dollars to the first Fiji citizen born at the biggest hospital in Suva, after the raising of the new national flag on October 10.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.