Families of the Nanuku Nine gather for a commemorative Mass, holding photos of their missing loved ones in prayer and hope. Photo: Fr Frank Hoare SSC
WE’RE GOING FISHING
One morning at the beginning of May this year, nine men, ranging from 20 to 57, farewelled their families in Nanuku, an informal settlement in low-lying marshy ground close to the sea in Suva, Fiji. The men readied the boat they had hired from a local woman and set out towards the island of Kadavu to fish in waters where they had fished before. They rested at a lighthouse on the way.
From there, one of them phoned a friend and was advised to ask permission from the local owners where they intended to fish. “No, we don’t need to do that because we often come to this place to fish,” was the answer.
None of them have been heard from since. The boat was found in waters off the main island of Viti Levu a few days later. There has been no sign of the men. The Fiji naval service and a helicopter searched the area where the men were last heard from and where they were going for three days. They had no success and regretfully gave up.
THE VILLAGE
Nanuku mostly consists of tin shacks built close together. The few people who have electricity share it with their neighbours.
THE FAMILIES
The nine men were closely related. The eldest was Osea and with him were his three sons, a nephew and other relatives. All the men except the youngest of Osea’s sons were married. Two of the wives are pregnant. Other wives have multiple children.
COMMUNITY PRAYER
Ten days later, a special commemorative Mass was held in the Columban parish of St Pius X, Raiwaqa. All the wives, children and families of the nine men were present, bringing framed photos of their lost ones. The large congregation heard Fr Vincent Ratnam, the parish priest, speak words of consolation and hope. The choir and people sang touching hymns from their hearts. Afterwards, a large crowd packed the
Methodist Hall in Nanuku to drink kava, the traditional drink and eat together as a community.
The parish community invited the grieving relatives to the parish hall for a commemorative function about a week later and parishioners gave generously to a collection for the families. Some parishioners requested a team from the Department of Social Welfare to visit them.
Kelemete mourns the loss of his son and another relative among the Nanuku Nine. Photos: Fr Frank Hoare SSC
TRAUMA COUNSELLING
I invited a group of counsellors to visit the families in Nanuku with me on two successive Saturdays. The counselling was to help them support each other by sharing their grief. The wives, some with babies in their arms, shared in one group. Three men, two of them brothers and fathers of some of the missing men, shared in another group. A third group comprised supportive relatives and friends.
Some of the wives cherish the hope that their husbands are still alive. Others told of neighbours speculating about what traditional taboos the men must have broken for this tragedy to have happened. Grandparents spoke of the pain of seeing the effect on the children - some young ones waking up asking where their dads were. The three men said that they no longer felt like attending social functions. They just drank kava and kept their grief to themselves.
A week later, I listed some of the common signs of trauma to normalise their experience. I advised them to pay no attention to speculations about why the tragedy had happened. The wives all shared about how they were trying to cope. Some said they prayed a lot; others said they could not pray. One twelve-year-old girl, with tears in her eyes, asked who would now help her through secondary school.
HARDSHIP AND LOVE
With their breadwinners gone, the families are struggling to survive. Osea’s wife told me she is selling her husband’s tools to provide food for her children.
We distributed some money to the men’s wives. I wrote to the Minister of Women, Children and Social Protection, who is a friend of mine, asking for her help in getting the families registered for aid. She replied immediately, assuring me that she has a team working on it.
What brought the most joy to the women’s faces was the gift of a beautiful handmade rosary in a pouch, which a counsellor gave to each woman. The rosaries had been made the previous week by her aunt, who is suffering from stage four cancer and can barely walk. She spends her time making rosaries from materials bought online. Her only condition in giving out the rosaries is that they are not sold.
The families of the Nanuku Nine are going through a heartbreaking journey. But they are being accompanied by Fiji’s strong community spirit. They need and deserve our continued support and practical help.
Columban Fr Frank Hoare lives and works in Fiji.
Related links
- Read more from The Far East - August 2026
Electric wires criss-cross the homes of Nanuku, an informal settlement in Suva, Fiji. - Photo: Fr Frank Hoare SSC
