BEFORE the break of dawn, Anare Volanavanua and his wife jump right into their daily routine of preparing their produce for selling at the Nadi Market. As days go by, age catches up with the perservering couple. Fatigue and backache are some of the difficulties they face at the age of 70. Volonavanua hails from the Garden Island of Taveuni and lives with his wife in Nawaka Village, Nadi.
He has been happily married with seven children for over thirty five years. Before Tropical Cyclone Winston could wipe out his farm and house at his island home, Volanavanua and his wife were dependent on their children who lived with them and the produce they sell at Nawaka.
After Cyclone Winston his children married and now live away from them. Volanavanua knows that he can no longer depend on his children and the produce sold in the village as a source of income for him and his wife. “My children are now all married with their own children.
Even though they are willing to help us, I know they have their own families to take care of so I do not take any money from them.” The couple works hard to also provide for their children’s families if they are short of food. Root crops are sent to their children in Ba and Labasa when they can and of course free of charge.
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