Apia 1975-77: Former diplomat Paul Cotton recalls his service as high commissioner in Western Samoa.

AuthorCotton, Paul
PositionREFLECTIONS

The death of Fiame Mata'afa, the first prime minister of independent Samoa (then Western Samoa), came only a few weeks after I had called on him and presented my letter of introduction. On the day of his death I was to see something of the remarkable organisational abilities of the Samoan people.

Custom decreed that one of the Tama a Aiga (high chiefs) must be buried the day he died. There were no customary precedents when he was also the prime minister of the state. Over the next twelve hours his widow, Fetaui, took complete charge and planned and put into action a day of ceremonial and memorial that would have taken New Zealanders several weeks to arrange. Church services were planned and executed. Prayers written and invoked. Parades were arranged and took place.

There were no other diplomats stationed in Samoa at that time and the vast Pacific made the presence of representatives from other states impossible save from the Kingdom of Tonga. I represented the New Zealand government and Wellington agreed with my suggestion that I share this position with Paul Gabites, who had been the first high commissioner after independence and by chance was in Apia visiting his old friends the prime minister and the head of state, Malietoa Tanumafilii II.

After a day of gripping ceremony, the sun was setting as the crown prince of Tonga, Prince Tuputo'a, arrived just in time to share in the last rites at the tomb. His monumental presence set a fitting Polynesian seal on such a day that Samoa had never seen before. Nor me!

The new prime minister was Lealofi Tamasese IV, a gentle man of charm and courtesy who constantly reminded me, by his very presence, that New Zealand police had shot his father in the streets of Apia in 1929.

New Zealand had a lot to answer for in Samoa and the position as high commissioner was fraught with excitement, not from physical danger but from the more serious error of not taking seriously the proudest people in the Pacific. After a short time at home on leave following the abrupt ending of our posting in New York we set off for Samoa, leaving Andrew and Derek behind at Wanganui Collegiate. Gill's mother, Phyllis Burrell, was on the family property 'Awapiri' at Cheltenham, near Feilding and not far from Wanganui, and she generously gave much of her time acting as a home base for them.

At this time there were no direct air services to Apia and we flew first to American Samoa landing at Pago Pago. There we trans-shipped to Polynesian Airline turboprop and even on our first flight to our new country were brought up sharply by new and unexpected customs. A Samoan had died in New Zealand and his casket was being taken to Samoa for burial. The casket was too large for the hold of the Avro 748 and had been placed in the main cabin. The many mourners who had accompanied it from Auckland placed their coats and hand baggage on top. We landed at Faleolo airport where I was met by staff and taken to our residence. My first arrival in a country in which I was to be head of mission.

Our official residence, Letava, was one of the triumphs of the New Zealand government architect. The other was Scott base in Antarctica. Cultural sensitivity was not known in those days so the residence had been built higher up the hill than Vailima, the official residence of the Samoan head of state. Vailima, originally the home of Robert Louis Stevenson, had been the residence of the New Zealand high commissioner when the position was that of governor and administrator of the New Zealand trust territory.

The Apia climate was seriously tropical and ventilation was achieved in those days through thousands of Cooper louvres (shifting panes of glass) and breezeways rather than air conditioning. Spacious reception rooms were furnished in Danish modern (I gave up counting chair and table legs at 400) and these opened onto broad terraces hanging above the jungle and in the distance a coral reef.

The view was spectacular and the clear waters of the Pacific stretching endlessly in every direction took the place of a pool. There were two compounds of New Zealand staff houses in the more occupied areas of Apia and further construction going on behind us.

The usual routine of a diplomatic post enveloped us as soon as I had called on Malietoa Tanumafilii II and the prime minister. My staff of political, aid, immigration and consular people were experienced and hardworking.

After the drama of the death and funeral of the prime minister and when calls were...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT