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crossing a river 26 times, it gets a bit annoying. So, luckily, they Australian schools. Obviously, Christianity is a key part of the
have horses there, and I can ride. There's no saddle or reins, curriculum. Generally speaking, students are respectful to their
but these horses seem to know where to go. And so, they're the teachers. I mean, in the urban schools, the classes are very
kinds of schools that we help,” she said. big. I love the children cleaning up the schools. I wish we did
She noted: “It's just unfair that people in remote areas don't that in Australia. I think, you know, often people in Fiji, they may
have good books. So we're seeking as best we can to iron out be apologetic, that they don't have this or that. But I see them
some of this unfairness so these kids can really achieve [their making use of the resources they have.
dreams]. “I see a lot of love for the children, and I see a lot of teachers
“The former principal of John Dudley High School said to me really going above and beyond their pay grade; it's a vocation,”
a couple of years ago, ‘Fiona, you're not just sending boxes of she said.
books, you're sending boxes of love.’ That was very touching to
me. I thought it was a very true statement because there is a
whole chain of people, many of whom have never been to Fiji,
who love the idea of children having access to quality books,”
said Luth.
Thanks to partners such as Australian law firm, Clayton Utz and Local ambassadors
others, Fiji Book Drive has been provided with free warehouse
space in Melbourne to store and package the books for delivery. Marie Hilda is one of the five local Fiji Book Drive Ambassadors.
A kindergarten teacher at Vunidawa Sanatan Primary School,
FIJI BOOK DRIVE SHARES BOXES a monetary sense, the cost would be huge. And because we she has been running a community library in Naluwai, Naitasiri
“We get a lot of donations in kind, which if you added that up in
for the past two years.
get a lot of free services, it allows us to keep the cost down. I
“We have a small library here. It's just a small room, and there's
mean to send one shipment of approximately 50,000 books, this
OF LOVE ACROSS THE NATION is a guesstimate for me, it takes about 500 people, so there's so many books there, but you know, I try my very best to make
sure that all the students borrow them. Apart from children, we
the people dropping off the books. There's the people giving the
have a few adult borrowers, like we have some seniors who like
free services. There's the handling agents. There's the Fiji side.
There are teachers in Fiji. There's the financial donors. There's to read,” she told Fiji Traveller.
my Board. It's actually really huge.” The community library allows borrowers to pick books at their
Luth says running Fiji Book Drive has taught her that there's own pace, she said.
a huge amount of goodwill in the community. “It really touches Hilda says 135 children joined at the start of the program, and
my heart that so many of them have never even been to Fiji, and now there’s 60.
they give up their time. They pack books, they give their money.
I think it's very important for the Fijian people to know that they “A few parents whose children come to the book club, they're
very supportive. And thank God, we have the Turaga-ni-Koro,
have many friends in Australia, not just tourists, but people who they are behind the project too, which is good in many ways,”
have never been to Fiji that want to help,” she said. she said.
Expressing gratitude and humility is a key part of the Fijian
culture, says Luth. “I tell people that it's really not the quantity. It's actually the
quality. We're looking for quality readers,” she said.
“To be frank, I could not do this work if I didn't get the vinakas
that I'd get. They are heartfelt vinakas. The respect was shown, “I’ve had some of the students who have actually said to me that
whether we're being garlanded at an awards ceremony, whether when they're reading books from Australia, it's like they don't
we're being given a bu (green coconut juice), whether it's using have to go there,” she said.
anybody's toilet at remote areas, whether it's a cup of tea after Hilda hosts other activities at the community library, including
being caught in a rainstorm. That is the first thing that sticks out spelling competitions to help the students.
to me.” And her message to local parents and teachers is to be more
She reflected: “In Fijian schools, there's a good sense of attentive when listening to your children as they read.
discipline. I noticed that. So I really noticed that they have signs
saying kindness, respect, walk, don't run. Like there's a similar
kind of protocol in the schools. I mean, it's very different from

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