The 2022 Fiji Sailing Outreach Programme with traditional Drua.
By Henry Myers
70 years ago, Fijian elders talk of the horizon been filled with Drua. They are the thousand year old sea transport used by Pacific Islander people for their entire way of life. Now in Fiji, transport and fishing mostly use only motor boats. Many Fijian children live by the sea and not all can swim. The art of sailing has declined. This is the case all over Fiji, including where I spent this Easter, in Viseisei village. My sister and I ran our annual Sailing Outreach Programme this year partnered with the Uto ni Yalo Trust.
I am Henry, a 14-year-old who has sailed Elliott’s since 2019 within the CYCA youth sailing programme. My family have always volunteered. My mother was a volunteer Physiotherapist at the 2000 Paralympics working with the sailors, based at the CYCA. So I grew up volunteering annually in Fiji.
I have spent every year of my life in Fiji on visits accompanying my parents on Orthopaedic Outreach Hand Surgery trips to Lautoka Hospital. My family have had over 20 trips to Fiji since 2005. They take a team of around a dozen Australian medical volunteers with them. While they provided Hand surgery and Physiotherapy training to Fijian staff and patients, my sister and I spend the time in the hospital and later on we went to a Fijian school.
From age 6, we set up libraries with donated books every trip, including within the hospital children’s wards.
As soon as I could sail an Optimist at Woollahra Sailing Club (WSC), we connected with nearby Vuda Marina in Fiji. We discussed how we could assist their volunteer free sailing programme for Viseisei village children. Teaching these children to sail provides them with so many life opportunities. Not only in learning sailing skills and racing, but also in being able to have possible careers in sailing.
Prior to Covid, we had taught over 60 children how to sail on earlier visits.
Learn to sail operates with Vuda Marina’s 9 fibreglass Optimists, 6 wooden Optimists, a Radial Laser and 4 Pacers. The Pacers, Laser and an Optimist were donated by WSC 4 years ago. We arranged transport of them in 2018 with the assistance of a generous Sydney Hand patient.
All boats are used in weekly free learn to sail classes, but they are desperately short of working sailing parts. All Optimists have wooden rudders and centreboards, and only 1 Pacer has enough parts to sail.
Every trip, we bring in donations which we leave. Items include lots of medical equipment for the hospital as well as children’s books and sailing items. This all comes in our luggage as we have a great deal of difficulty getting donations into Fiji and we are frequently charged duty on them if they are formally freighted in.
This year, we had well over 130 children to teach. Vuda marina is owned and run by Lisa Philp and her husband Adam Wade. Lisa organised for us to be partnered with Uto ni Yalo. This is a 72 foot replica traditional Drua . The Drua presence exposed the Fijian children to the incredible sailing tradition of their forefathers. The children were so proud to see their heritage on the water , and to be able to sail in mini 6 metre Drua with their friends. The children who attended had travelled from all over Fiji. Some coming overnight from Savusavu. Every child moved through each area from how to sail, race, sailing the Drua and traditional navigation. My sister assisted me with the sailing sessions, as well as running Ocean Awareness through art classes herself.
We all learnt how the Pacific Islanders navigated using only the signs of nature, the sun and the stars. We also learnt from the crew of Uto ni Yalo about culturally based ocean education and research. On the last day we had a sunset sail on Uto ni Yalo. Helming with a 72” boat with a rudder was amazing. I have so much respect and admiration for the Drua sailors. This Drua has been on a voyage with 6 other Drua from Fiji to San Fransisco in 2011.
I am dedicated to continuing my longstanding association with this programme every year I visit Fiji I the future. We took time to make an inventory of sailing parts needed. That list includes Optimist and Laser sails, rigs and boats.
To date, we have been generously supported by Zhik, who provided prizes for the winning sailors, Lanee Beashel gave us 6 Optimist sails, WSC donated second hand hats and rash vests, Woollahra Library donated hundreds of books for teenage Fijian girls, and Ascham School provided children’s books for the hospital libraries.
We next have a shipment going mid June 2022, and any sailing donations would be greatly appreciated. My families next Orthopaedic Outreach trip is April 2023 when we can continue the Sailing Outreach.
I am very grateful to the CYCA youth sailing programme for giving me their incredible sailing education which I am able to share in Fiji. I really look forward to this winter season on the water with them.
Contact
Visit www.orthoreach.org.au and www.myhand.com.au/fiji-outreach and www.okeanos-foundation.org for more information.