A school is born
Lodoni in the war efforts
A new beginning
The two great schools
RKS today
Picture of the 1962 teachers at RKS

LODONI : A School is Born

Eighty years ago from today a school was born, a name was given and history was made. This all began in the mind and planning of the man, a high chief, of which the school later came to be known, RATU KADAVULEVU SCHOOL, LODONI, at the northern end of Tailevu Province, RATU PENAIA KADAVULEVU.

Ratu Penaia Kadavulevu, the Vunivalu of Bau, was Roko Tui Tailevu at the time in the early twenties. He was the grandson of Ratu Epenisa Seru Cakobau. Bau was the seat of administrative boundary and the difficulty of transport, he established his northern headquaters between Sawakasa and Namena. Bau literally moved there. At the time, Ratu Kadavulevu had a close friend and advisor, an English doctor, who had much influence in his decisions, and named his new headquaters, 'LONDONI', to be the 'other Londoni' this side of the world : the 'Home of Men', hence LONDONI - BOLATAGANE.

Provincial School Eastern

Education was first and foremost in Ratu Kadavulevu's mind. He foresaw then that without a western system of education, progress would be difficult to achieve. While still using Londoni as his northern headquaters, he built a school in 1924 in his compound for young men of Tailevu, Lomaiviti and Ra Provinces, the three forefront provinces of the Matanitu o Kubuna of which he was the Vunivalu, hence the PROVINCIAL SCHOOL EASTERN was established. The death of Ratu Penaia Kadavulevu, Vunivalu, Statesman, Administrator, Developer, left behind, not only for Kubuna, but for the nation, an institution for young men and later women of all races.

LODONI IN THE WAR EFFORTS : A Taste of Soldiering

Second World War broke out. The Provincial School Western at Namaka, was closed to make way for the United States Air Force Airfield at the site. The students were moved : boys from Nadroga - Navosa went to the Provincial School Southern, Sawani, and boys from Nadi, Yasawa, Ba and Tavua came to Lodoni.

In 1944 entire population of Banaba (Ocean Island) were evacuated to Rabe Island, and the boys were brought to Lodoni. Lodoni was 'A Rock of Refuge'.

Men were mobilized from villages for the various units. Because of the difficulty of communication between the men and their kiwi instructors, a handful of boys assisted them. They joined the First Commando Fiji Guerilla, the 1st Battalion, and the 3rd Battalion, and saw services in the Solomon Wars. The students had a taste of soldiering.

Before the embarkation of the 3rd Battalion to the Pacific Theatres of War, 'C' Company of 3rd Battalion camped at Lodoni and 'A' company at nearby Burerua. Soldiering inevitably became the wish of most students. The schools Cadet Corps was established and these boys became 'instant men', the school - BOLATAGANE.

RATU KADAVULEVU SCHOOL : A New Beginning

1947 brought about the greatest of changes in the school, and this disrupted the lives of both those within and the immediate environs.

At the time Ratu Penaia Kadavulevu established his headquaters at Lodoni, he moved the Yavusa Naovini end of Lodoni where they built their new village, and was renamed Lodoni as well. This was their home.

Government had other schemes on hand to extend the school compound to where the village was located, but they did not move. Early one morning, the worst had happened. The entire village population was bulldozed, their homes razed, and they were made homeless in the name of development. That year, Government moved to Lodoni the entire school population of Provincial School Southern, Sawani; the Provincial School Northern, Bucalevu. The school population of Lodoni grew overnight from 250 to 650, but the students had to suffer in silence : the scars still could be felt by many, and the school literally suffocated.

Life had to go on. The year saw the passage of generation and the birth of a new. The Provincial School which belonged to the provincial chiefs and their people had disappeared but rose again as a Government administered school at Lodoni and was named RATU KADAVULEVU SCHOOL to honour the Statesman, Administrator, Educator, and Great Leader of a new generation of men, the Vunivalu of Bau, RATU PENAIA KADAVULEVU.

LODONI : The two great school

The beginning of the 1949 school year brought surprise and miseryto many. Two - thirds of the 1948 student population of the newly established Ratu Kadavulevu School were directed not to return in 1949. No reasons were given. To the surprises of those who survived the purge, the old Provincial School end was occupied by new and unfamiliar faces; students of Queen Victoria School who had moved from the former school site at
Nanukuloa, Ra. The Ratu Kadavulevu School students who had lost their former classmates and acquaintances wondered; was it necessary to expel two - thirds of a student population for the sake of an entirely different school ? The other third that remained fought on and proved against all odds that they were the survivors to begin a new way of life for the school, to build again from the ashes and rise up like a phoenix to endure the test of time. What Ratu Kadavulevu is of today was built from the tears of those who did not make it, and the sweat of those who survived. We made it !!

Ratu Kadavulevu School occupied the village end, housed in former army barracks which were resited all along the landward wide of the old village. The "boys" of 1948 became 'men' of 1949 with responsibilities and dedication to establish a newer horizon for their new school. This they did and time had proven that year after year the records of the school continue, and continued it would, despite the odds; we survive the test. Queen Victoria School moved to their new site at Matavatucou in 1952 and left Ratu Kadavulevu School to live day by day as a heron / dock never bothering, always searching, and forever achieving.

RATU KADAVULEVU SCHOOL TODAY

Ratu Kadavulevu School now has a student population of 625 : multiracial, co-educational and multi-streamed. It has an academic stream, and a vocational stream made up of a building and carpentry section, and an automotive engineering section. A number of other vocational courses had been unfortunately dropped due to lack of facilities and staffing. This school is the biggest boarding school in the country with a predominantly Fijian student population. The facilities in the school cannot cater for the school's expansion in the student population, areas of study and staffing. The classrooms and dormitories are literally breaking at the seams; the dormitories being the worse of the two where students still occupy sixty year old wooden structures and the old army barracks of World War Two.

In spite of these inadequacies, the staff, students and friends of the school (parents and old students) continue to make do with what are available to achieve excellence academically, in sports and in related cultural and leisure activities.

After twenty years of dormancy, the school reactivated in 1988 its Cadet Corps with four companies, each with three platoons. The lower forms (1-3) take their school uniforms and the school wishes to provide both uniforms as soon as possible. This is a combined project now.

Ratu Kadavulevu School has come a long way. The name itself bears greatness. What Ratu Penaia Kadavulecu foresaw then has begun to materialize to prepare boys as men to face up to the rigours and challenges of time and change. With the same view the school and the Nation as a whole must take up the challenge and prepare for the future as nation builders. Now we must rise together victorious : worthy of the name it bears: RATU KADAVULEVU.

Picture of the 1962 teachers at RKS

Sitting L/R- Ulaiasi.Tira, I.Kawa, Paula.Sotutu, Mrs.Margaret Sotutu, Peter Capon, H.L Botting(Principal), Pauliasi Koroi, Sekove Roboiliku, PitaTuvuki, Dan Sinclair, Jemesa Robarobalevu.

Middle L/R - Amani Racule, Levaci Beitaki, Charles Kingdon, Wesele Vualiku, Penisoni, B.W Taylor, Joeli Naucabalavu, Jofiliti Tadu, Sailosi Kepa, Isireli Volau, Taniela Sevuka.

B/Row L/R - Josevata Bolatakeu, Luke Tunabuna, Orisi Cagilaba, Apisai.Nabou, Aporosa.Duwai, K. Bai, Meli Waqa, NeoriCama, Esira Lero.