The thing about celebrity

Tuesday, 15 July 2008

There’s something strange about appearing on television, especially on the nightly news in Fiji.

For me, in Fiji, this firstly means being sprung by loved ones. Damage control usually involves frantic late night calls. But my friends and relatives refuse to accept that I have been busy doing what I was brought into to do in the country. All they tell me is they have been waiting for my call ever since they saw me on television. Oh, and they saw me three nights in a row so it means I am still around. Sprung!!

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Green thumbs

Monday, 14 July 2008

The thing about leaving Fiji as a young teenager is that, no matter how old I get, my return home is always infused with the enthusiasm of a teenager about to take on the world.

It is no different this time round , except I am with a team of doting colleagues, egging me on. Bernadette, Tania, Les and Murray ask me about the tree I planted on behalf of class 7 at Stella Maris Primary School. I yell out, “Yeah yeah, I’ll take you there”.

They want to taste curry, so I haul them off to my Aunty Del’s for the quickest bite en route to Suva.

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On Sacred Ground

Saturday, 12 July 2008

I come from a family of deeply religious priests, devotees and worshippers of different faiths. And so when I approach any place of worship or hallowed ground, I acknowledge the sanctity of the place, even if it isn’t related to my being.

And I couldn’t help but mentally genuflect as, on my second day in Vanuatu, I approached the large simple, yet visually arresting Vanuatu Cultural Centre and National Museum. For years, Isabelle Genoux (my co presenter of Radio Australia’s In the Loop program) has been visiting the Centre and sharing her experiences with us. We’re talking events such as the Fest Napuan Music Festival, the World Heritage listing of the sand drawing traditions and many other significant achievements over the years.

So I knew I was on hallowed turf.

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