On a day in 1971, the Minister for Social Services, Jonati Mavoa, with an entourage of education officers and his personal assistant, travelled more than 50 miles into the interior of Naitasiri to open a new school.

According to an article published in The Fiji Times on March 30 that year, the journey entailed a two-hour 12-mile trip upriver on an outboard-driven punt.

The article stated that while opening Naitavuni District School, on the upper reaches of the Waidina River, the minister congratulated the people for their drive and hard work in building the school without any outside help.

“May I say that during this period of transition, when there is an urgent need for the rural area such as this to be developed, you have been sufficiently farsighted to see the need for such an institution,” Mr Mavoa said.

The school served the villages of Delailasakau and Nasevou.

According to The Fiji Times, Ratu Manueli Roseru, of Nasevou, said the people of the two villages decided to build the school the year before.

In the past, the children of the two villages had to attend the Roman Catholic Mission School at Vanuakula, about 20 miles away, or Nasele District School, about six miles downriver.

The newspaper reported that village menfolk had gone as far as Suva to find work and had cleared the roadsides from Sawani to near Lomaivuna to raise funds for the school.

“They have a part of the money they received for packing bananas,” Mr Roseru said.

Another means of funding was a regular collection among the villagers, and within three months they had enough funds to start building.

Assistance was also provided by Millers Ltd, which agreed to give $1000 worth of materials on credit.

Maikeli TK Ratu supervised the building with voluntary labour provided by the villagers.