The Ka Levu, Ratu Kinijioji Vosailagi;
Respective Chiefs;
Respective Turaga Ni Koro’s;
Roko Tui Nadroga/Navosa;
Provincial Administrator Nadroga/Navosa;
The Chief Executive Officer and
Staff of Sigatoka Town Council;
Distinguished Guests;
Committee Members and Judges of the Vodafone Sigatoka Coral Coast Carnival Association,
Ladies & Gentlemen, Boys and Girls and not forgetting the beautiful Contestants, their Sponsors and Vodafone, the main Sponsor of this year’s Carnival.

It gives me great pleasure to be here today for the opening of the 2015 Vodafone Sigatoka Coral Coast Carnival.

A big vinaka vakalevu for the Traditional welcome and thankyou too to the organizers for their warm words of introduction.

I wish to begin by thanking the Sigatoka Town Council for reviving this Carnival after a lapse of six years and I am told that the whole community, business houses, and resorts are behind you so I challenge you all to ensure that after this year the Carnival will once again become an annual event.

Carnivals like this brings people of all races together to share the common goal of one nation, one people and I encourage all of you in the audience to participate in the Festivities over the next week.
And to the beautiful and courageous Contestants – you too are encouraged to have some fun amidst your very busy schedule.
I salute each of you for grabbing the opportunity to participate in this event and for being wonderful examples to all young women in Fiji. This event is not just about beauty, it is about bringing to the forefront, developmental issues, that all Fijians must be aware of and for which we must all work together as a people to address; It is about nation building, climate change, education, trade, employment, health, agriculture, culture and youth issues.

I can tell you from my own experience as a former Miss Hibiscus Queen many decades ago, that these types of events will certainly promote values of good self-esteem and self confidence in each of you. It will present you the opportunity to develop your personal skills, public-speaking ability, and deportment, which will help you throughout life, not to mention the lifelong friendships than will be formed along the way. I look forward to seeing you all become great Ambassadors of your hometown and Fiji beyond your contestant journey.
I am told that the winner of this carnival will be given the opportunity to represent Sigatoka and the Coral Coast at this years ‘Miss Fiji Pageant’ next month so I urge you all to do your best and do your Home Town proud. Do not forget that whatever the outcome, you are all winners in the eyes of your families and the people you represent. Being a contestant is an honour which you should embrace and value as a young woman and you will carry this with you forever.
Contestants, I am sure you are all very nervous on this first day – as I was on my first day back in August 1982, but rest assured, you will never go wrong if you are thoughtful, honest, humble, and always speak from your heart. I wish each of you the very best and please – do try to have some fun as well.
This year’s Carnival Theme Ladies and Gentlemen is - “Save the Coral for our Future” and this is very appropriate seeing as you are located on Fiji’s famous Coral Coast. Coral and Coral reefs are the first line of defense that protects our villages, communities, roads, bridges, hotels and homes, and more importantly, provides the many vital services that uniquely recognizes you as a beautiful destination for our tourists.

We must advocate their protection because they are some of the most biologically rich and economically valuable ecosystems on our Planet. They provide food, jobs, income and protection to billions of people worldwide. However, coral and coral reefs, and the magnificent creatures that call them home, are in danger of disappearing if action is not taken to protect them. They are continually threatened by development, pollution, invasive species, disease, bleaching and global warming.

The rapid decline and loss of these valuable, ancient and complex ecosystems, will have significant social, economic and environmental consequences for everyone and our Coral Coast is no exception.

Rising sea levels caused by global warming, and unpredictable weather and storm surges have silently eroded many of our beautiful coastlines without our notice. Global warming, Ladies and Gentleman has also had a significant impact on the survival of coral through coral bleaching. This has directly and indirectly impacted the sources of livelihood that many of our coastal communities depend on and I wish to remind and request all us here today to proactively protect our coral and reefs within the means that are available to us.
We need the people of Fiji and the region to recognize how critical the issue is - how our daily actions can have long term consequences and how we can avoid this. If we act now and work together at it, we will make a difference.

One such easy fix would be to Just Stop Littering! As the Ministry responsible for Local Government, Housing and Environment it is our Mission to do everything in our power to Clean Up and Keep Clean the entire Country. But Ladies and Gentlemen, we need your help. A Clean Fiji is not just the Government’s responsibility – it is every Citizens responsibility. And the sooner we take ownership of this fact the sooner we will embark on the road to a Clean and Pristine Fiji.
Our Council has set up an information booth here at the Carnival to share ideas with you on the famous 3R program of Re-Use, Re-Cycle and Reduce, and I urge all of you to stop by and listen to what they have to say. You will be surprised how very easy some of these processes are.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am informed that some of the proceeds of this Carnival are earmarked for beautification projects for your Town. These are exciting times for Sigatoka and I can assure you that our Government has also embarked on a number of much needed projects in all Towns and Cities including Sigatoka. Our Fiji First Government Ladies and Gentlemen is a ‘CAN DO’ Government – we believe in Positive Action – and we don’t just talk – we actually deliver!

With those few words I again thank Vodafone, the Council, and the other kind Sponsors for your contributions and I now have great pleasure in declaring this year’s Vodafone Sigatoka Coral Coast Carnival, Open!

Thank you, Vinaka Vakalevu and Good Luck Contestants!

END.