LATEST NEWS Sunday, 29 June 2003

"THE GREAT OUTDOORS"
In the middle of May, we were visited by a film crew from one of Australia's top rating TV travel shows - "The Great Outdoors". They came to do a story on Levuka for their show. The two days they were here was a very busy time for them, but at the same time most enjoyable.
Di, Kristy, Rod and Martin, it was great to have you here. Thanks for helping to bring our small island to the world.

SOUTH PACIFIC GAMES TORCH RELAY
The South Pacific Games, involving the countries of the region, are held every four years. This year the Games are being held in Suva, starting on 28 June.
As part of the lead up to the Games, the Games torch went on a tour of the country. It was Ovalau's turn to host the torch on 27 May. It arrived by naval vessel in Levuka to much pomp and ceremony.
The town was alive with people and everyone had the opportunity to touch the torch. Children's cries of "I touched it" and the look on their faces was something special to see. From Levuka, it was taken around the island and every village took the opportunity to welcome the entourage in the traditional way. It was a tremendous day and a wonderful community building event.

OUR FIRST ATM

Early in the month of June, David Evans, General Manager Fiji of Westpac Banking Corporation, unveiled Levuka's first Automatic Teller Machine at a small ceremony at the bank. It has been a while in coming, but then again the pace of life in Levuka is very slow - nothing happens very quickly here.
The machine is a great boost to our small community - no more long queues at the bank on Friday paydays and easy access for tourists who need cash in a hurry. The ATM operates 24 hours a day and takes Visa, Mastercard, Cirrus, Maestro and Plus cards.

The Staff