DAVUILEVU THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE

TERM PAPER

A Brief Report On the Life of the late Viliame Mataitoga, One of the

Missionaries Sent by the Methodist Church of Fiji to the Solomon Islands in

the 1960s

Jone Saraqia

CH 133

Lecture: Rev. Lasawa J.

Date of Submission: 01/11/2022

1.0 Introduction

Whilst I was serving my term as the circuit minister for the Nauluvatu Methodist Circuit in

the Suva Division from the year 2016 to 2021, I came across an elderly man who had long

retired. Despite his age, he seemed to be humbled and disciplined and we could gauge his

integrity and spirituality on entering his home either on pastoral visitation or just for an

informal discussion.

However, little did I know that this elderly man was one of the Fijian Missionaries that boldly

volunteered to be commissioned as a missionary to the Solomon Islands way back in the year

1964. During this particular period, the Solomon Islands was deemed to be one of the most

volatile island countries in terms of accepting missionary activities.

With the above being said, in this paper, I will be narrating the life of this missionary who

was known by the name, Viliame Mataitoga. This paper is divided into two (2) sections. The

first section covers the historical background of Mr. Mataitoga, including his career and his

family. The second section covers the story of his missionary assignment and his life after the

mission.

In the conclusion, I will analyze and reflect on the story of Mr. Mataitoga and relate the same

with possible pathways on how such an experience may benefit the church as a whole in the

field of missionary assignments.

2.0 Family and Career Background

2.1 Geneology

Viliame Mataitoga was the son of Penijamini Madrai Cokotuiqele and Salanieta Tanumi. His

father hailed from the village of Sila whilst his maternal side hailed from the village of Cuvu.

As such both his parents originated from the district of Cuvu in the province of Nadroga.

They had eight children and they were, Asinate Bulou Bativunilagi, Joveci Nagagavoka, Litia

Matamalumu, Josua Kubukawa, Viliame Mataitoga, Apakuki Vasuitaukei, Suluana Dukece,

and, Timoci Rokomatu. Viliame Mataitoga was their fifth child who was born in Sila village

on the 28th of May 1931.

2.2 Educational Background

Viliame Mataitoga began his primary education at Lomawai Primary School from 1939 to

1940 and he moved to Cuvu District Primary School from 1941 to 1942 where he completed

his primary education.

In 1943 Viliame furthered his educational journey when he left his home village for

secondary education at Lelean Memorial School. He spent two years at Lelean from 1943 to

1945.

After accomplishing his secondary school level in 1945, he moved on to the tertiary level at

the Nasinu Teachers College from 1946 to 1950, where he trained as a Vocational Teacher.

2.3 Career Background

In 1951, he began his teaching career at Lelean Memorial School, where he taught at the

junior level as well as the vocational classes. He was later posted to Niusawa Secondary

School in Taveuni and it was there, that he met his wife, Miriama Wati, who was a Staff

Nurse at the Taveuni Hospital. Miriama was from tokatoka Vunibakavula, in the mataqali

Daunoco and in the yavusa Daunoco in the village of Naivilaca in the province of Rewa. The

matrimonial service of Mataitoga was conducted at the Somosomo Methodist Church in

Taveuni.

Figure 1: Mr. and Mrs. Mataitoga

2.4 Mr. and Mrs. Mataitoga’s Family Background

Mr. and Mrs. Mataitoga had four children, three girls, and a boy. Two children were born in

Fiji whilst the other two were born in the Solomon Islands. Their eldest child, Litia Mataitoga

was born on the 26th of February 1963 in Waiyevo Hospital in Taveuni.

On February 22nd 1965, the Mataitoga’s second daughter, Torika Semo Mataitoga, was born,

at the Helena Goldie Hospital in Munda, which is part of the Western Province in the

Solomon Islands. On November 11th, 1966, their third daughter, Emi Kaulotu Mataitoga,

was born, also at the Helena Goldie Hospital at Munda. Emi was named after Amy Leadley,

who was the wife of the main Administrator of the Methodist Church in the Solomon Islands

at that time - Clarry Leadley and was from New Zealand. Their youngest child, Joveci

Gavoka Mataitoga was born in Suva on the 14th of May 1973 when they had returned from

the mission. Joveci was the only boy in the family.

Figure 3: Mrs. Mataitoga with her second Figure 4: Joveci Gavoka Mataitoga
daughter Torika and third child Emi
3.0 Mission and After Mission

3.1 The Twist of Events

Whilst in Taveuni, on his first teaching posting, he was contacted by his elder brother, Joveci

Gavoka, who was then the leader of the Public Employees Union, advising him to join the

government’s Works Department, where he would receive a higher salary than his teaching

career as he was skilled in carpentry and other related activities. However, he declined the

offer, as his mind was focused and settled to be involved in the Church and possibly to the

extent of becoming a missionary spreading the Good News which God would like to send

him to. In 1964, the same year that the Methodist Church in Fiji gained independence, Mr.

Mataitoga left the country with his wife Miriama, and their eldest daughter Litia, for the

Solomon Islands. They had settled at Simbo Island, in the Western Province, which was

known to early Europeans as the Eddystone Islands. Locally, it was known as Mandegugusu.

Figure 5: Pictured from left: Viliame Mataitoga, Miriama Mataitoga and their daughter Litia at Simbo
They did not regret the course that they had chosen, even though his elder brother had tried to

entice him to leave the teaching profession in the name of better salary hence plunging them

out of the furnace of poverty considering what they were paid during those early years. Their

goodwill gesture reminds us of the words of Jesus Christ, “No one, having put his hand to the

plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God 1”. They did not look back, hence, they

took a bold step in living our shores and heading to the mission field for the sake of the

Kingdom of God.

3.2 In The Mission Field

While in Simbo Mr. Mataitoga worked at a Mission School where he taught life skills like

planting, gardening, carpentry, the building of houses, as well as other trade skills. He also

taught them how to play rugby. In line with that, he also shared God’s Word and Biblical

principles with the school family.

On the other hand, Mrs. Mataitoga used her nursing skills to assist those with ill health and

also enlighten the girls with domestic skills such as hygiene, cooking, baking, sewing, and

even sports, like netball. Furthermore, she introduced the wearing of rumpus for sports for the

girls. She had recounted how after their rumpuses were sewn, they could not come out of

their changing room for their game, as it was the first time for them to wear something short

like that. Even though they were called to come out, they were very reluctant to do so, and it

took them a long time to finally come out to play.

3.3 Some Challenges in the Mission Field

Mr. Mataitoga recalled the difficult circumstances he had faced, especially with his wife and

their little daughters. They had lived in thatched houses with stilts and it would often leak

during the rainy weather and was very cold. When it leaked in one corner of the house, he
1
Luke 9:62
would move his wife and her daughters to another corner of the house. He would keep doing

so until the rain stopped. The only blanket and pillow were used by his wife and his

daughters, so he had to resort to using the mat to wrap himself in to keep warm.

This was a challenge for the family because they encountered these dreadful events in a

foreign land that is not fully developed. Mr. Mataitoga kept this hardship within the family

because the other members of the community were also struggling and for them, the struggles

that the Mataitoga family encountered were a routine of how they lived their lives in such

extremely unfavorable climatic conditions.

Below is a picture of the type of house that the Mataitoga family lived in while on their

mission journey in the Solomon Islands.

Figure 6: The thatched houses with stilts

3.4 The Holy Spirit Moves in the Mission Field

On February 26th, 1964, there was a large gathering of all the villagers at Simbo, to celebrate

the first birthday of their eldest daughter Litia. Mr. Mataitoga recalled how there was so

much food that the villagers had prepared for that particular day. There was so much joy and

festivity for everyone.

Whilst residing in the Solomon Islands, the modes of transport between the islands varied via

the use of punts or canoes. When Mr. Mataitoga returned to Fiji, he would often share about

how one day, he and his daughter Litia had traveled by punt from Simbo to Honiara, the

capital of the Solomon Islands. The other passengers were all Solomon Islanders. Midway

through their travel, the weather became stormy, with rough seas and strong winds. The

passengers were all frightened as the punt was being tossed into the angry seas.

Somehow, they all looked towards Mr. Mataitoga, who then, with a steady voice, offered a

prayer in Fijian. Part of his prayer included: “Lord, if you know that I would still be of use to

you, please allow us to reach our destination safely.” When he concluded his prayer in Fijian,

there was a loud Amen! from all the passengers, even though they did not understand what

was being said. Two hours before arriving at Honiara, the weather then became fine again.

Figure 7: The route from Simbo to Honiara

The couple was able to understand the Pidgin language well and thus were able to

communicate effectively with the villagers and those that they encountered. It made it even

easier for them to share God’s Word with them so that they would understand the Biblical

truths and principles.

3.5 The Life After Mission

Upon return to the Fiji Islands in January 1966, Mr. Mataitoga re-joined the government and

was posted straight away to Richmond High School in Kadavu from 1967 to 1969, where he

taught for three years.

He was then transferred to Nabua Secondary School in 1970, where he established the

vocational department and later became its head. He taught there until he retired in 1990.

In 1991, he was reemployed by the Ministry of Education where he taught the Junior Forms

as well as the vocational classes at Lelean Memorial School until 1993. On the other hand,

Mrs. Mataitoga rejoined the Ministry of Health and worked in the Colonial War Memorial

Hospital where she became a Nursing Sister until her retirement. They were still involved

with the Church upon their return, where Mr. Mataitoga became the Lay Catechist for the Mt.

Sinai Methodist Church in Namadi Heights, in the Nauluvatu Circuit for the years 1997 to

1998 and the year 2000. Mrs. Miriama Mataitoga passed away in 2004. In 2018, at the age of

87, Mr. Viliame Mataitoga was called to eternal rest.

4.0 Conclusion

Mr. Mataitoga’s life story innovates us to revisit the words of God of the prophet Jeremiah

where He states, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; Before you were born I

sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations2.” Before Viliame Mataitoga was

formed in Salanieta Tanumi’s womb and before he was born, that was back on the 28 th of

May 1931, God had ordained him to be a missionary and an agent of change for the sake of

the kingdom of God to the Solomon Islands. His path was already paved by the Lord.

Furthermore, turning down the call from his elder brother did not happen accidentally,

however, it was all in God’s plan and the professional combination between him and his wife

as a teacher and nurse were so handy in the field of mission. As partners in the mission, they
2
Jer 1:5
adhered to the call, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore, be

wise as serpents and harmless as doves”.

Lastly, the mission vocation or being part of the mechanism of God’s kingdom is a lifelong

benefit. This is proven by the achievements that the Mataitoga family has achieved before the

mission tour, during the mission tour, after the mission tour, and most of all in the lives of

their children. The mission work is the source where individuals, families and the church

have to invest to expand the spread of the kingdom of God and the betterment of the future.

Litia later became a secondary School Teacher; Torika Cakacaka is currently a Senior

Manager of Information Systems at the Reserve Bank Fiji, Dr. Emi Bayameyame became a

Consultant Specialist Physician at Oceania Pacific Hospital while Joveci Mataitoga is a

Lecturer at TPAF (FNU) in Nadi.

To conclude with the words of Jesus, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but

whoever loses his life for My sake, this is the one who will save it 3. Mr. and Mrs. Mataitoga

loses their lives for the sake of Christ, however, on the other hand, their loss was repaid

through the lives and works of their children.

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Luke 9:24
Bibliography

Mataitoga, Litia. 2022. “Interview.” By Jone Saraqia, 30 August.