The stories of Afoafouvale’s antics at Biarritz beach and that of Mata’afa’s white handkerchief were, for me, invaluable life lessons on what it takes to succeed and how to be responsible for public resources.

When our first Prime Minister, Fiame Mata’afa Mulinu’u ll and the government nominated Afoafouvale Misimoa, alias Harry Moors, for the post of Secretary General of the South Pacific Commission (SPC), the main drawback was that, after several years as a successful businessman and a Member of Parliament, Mr Moors was considered far too old for the position which was for a five-year term.

So he took the advice of our SPC senior commissioner, Lauofo Meti Meredith, at the 1970 SPC meeting, not to stay too long at the meeting, in case he dozed off during the often boring discussions, but to go swimming, and look healthy and energetic by doing exercises at the beach. He did so enthusiastically. 

Prime Minister Fiame Mataafa also attended that year’s meeting along with Ratu Sir Kamasese Mara of Fiji, Prince Tungi of Tonga, Sir Albert Henry of the Cook Islands, Sir Robert Rex of Niue, and the representatives of the five remaining countries that set up the commission by the Canberra Agreement of 1947 – Australia, France, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States. The sixth member, the Netherlands, withdrew in 1962 after the release of its territories. 

The aim of the commission was to strengthen international cooperation in promoting the economic and social welfare of the peoples of the non-self-governing territories in the South Pacific. 

However, the commission was not authorised to deal with political matters or questions of defence and security.

It was this no-politics policy that frustrated Pacific Island leaders who wanted a platform to discuss their common concerns freely and independently without the influence of colonial powers, that led to the establishment of the South Pacific Forum in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1971.

The Cook Islands, Fiji, Nauru, Tonga, and Western Samoa (Samoa) were founding members but so were Australia and New Zealand, despite their colonial past.     

It was at this 1970 meeting that the commission was formally told of the decision to form the new body, the South Pacific Forum. It has since been renamed as the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) following the participation of countries and territories from the other sides of the Pacific.

When the commission meeting ended Lauofo told me to accompany the Prime Minister to Fiji to connect with the Polynesian Airline flight to Nadi, and I was then to go back because I was the delegate to the South Pacific Conference meeting that followed the commission meeting. 

“E leai ni a tatou tupe.” “We have no money,” the Prime Minister said, in vetoing the plan for me to accompany him to Fiji. 

Pulling up his big white handkerchief, “Tie that to the handle of my suitcase, I’ll be able to easily get the case myself.” And that was that.

We did contact the Fijian Foreign Affairs people and the Polynesian Airlines Fiji agents as well to look out for the Prime Minister and ensure he did not have to find his suitcase on his own. 

Back in Noumea, the campaign for the Secretary General’s post went on. Till 1970 the post had been filled by candidates from the original members of the commission. Samoa, as the first Pacific Island to gain independence in 1962, also became the first island full member of the commission in 1965. It was thus entitled to nominate a candidate for the secretary-general’s position.

The plan was to approach all the delegations and ask for their support for Samoa’s candidate. We were early assured of support from the Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga and Niue, but we had to work on the others as best we could as our French did not go far beyond - Bon jour ca va and tres bien.

Anyway, while Lauofo was doing the talking the Cook Islands Premier and I provided the entertainment: he danced while I did my best with my three chords on the guitar and some half a dozen words of Hoki mai e te mama, te haki te haki… Yes, it was a Maori song, but after a few merlots and pinot noirs very few noticed or gave a damn.

And I also sang Que sera sera, whatever will be will be, the future’s not ours to see, que sera sera.

Whether it was Sir Albert’s dancing or Lauofo’s French being much better than I thought, we were quite surprised when the lovely delegate from Tahiti, a school teacher, voted for our candidate in defiance of the French commissioner’s order to vote for another candidate.

We did see the future. Our candidate, Afoafouvale Misimoa, got the job. It was Tres Bon. Aurevoir.