Have you ever thought about what Fiji Day means to you? For each one of us Fiji Day means something different. As we reflect back on how, when, why and where it all began allow me to share some personal insights leading up to that monumental day in our history.

On October 10th 1970, I was one of the thousands of students standing on the grounds of Albert Park eagerly waiting for the handover of the Instruments of Independence by Prince Charles to our first Prime Minister, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara.

Yes, King Charles was a Prince back then and representing his mother Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain. Then when it came time for the Union Jack to be lowered from the mast, the RFMF band began playing the Last Post.

In the respectful silence of that solemn moment, 96 years of Colonial rule was seconds away from coming to an end. As Fiji’s new flag was hoisted on the flag pole, the noble banner blue fluttered majestically.

A hushed silence echoed across the park as our very own flag and the symbol of our new nation began fluttering proudly in the breeze. It seemed to be beckoning a beautiful bright new star that was about to guide us into our promised land.

People everywhere choked back tears of joy and gladness. Yet there was also a sense of overwhelming sadness flowing with the tears. Because it was like a parting of ways from the only mother we had come to know.England.

We had been tied to the apron strings of the British Crown for as long as any of us could remember. But in a heartbeat we were saying ni sa moce. In that precious moment in time a single exchange of a bit of paper had sealed and settled our separation.

That piece of paper carried a signature. The seal and signature were authenticating the agreement that had been reached after several years of dialogue and discussions in various forums including what was Fiji’s Legislative Council and finally at the London Constitutional Conference in 1965.

It was a warm and sunny day in Suva on 10th October 1970. Thousands of schoolchildren were decked out in their school colours to herald a new beginning for our young nation.

I felt excited about our future because I’d grown up seeing the struggles many of our leaders had to endure for this significant moment in history. But there was also a sense of anxiousness knowing that a new unknown era was about to unfold in the land of our birth.

At the time, I couldn’t quite put into words why I felt these strange feelings of nostalgia mixed with emotions of sadness.

Looking back on that day it was like we were being handed something of profound value. It was like we were being handed a key to open the door to a room filled with untouched and untold possibilities so that we could rewrite our history and create our own destiny.

To fully understand and appreciate this moving moment in time we need to go back further into our history to understand the complex nature of what had transpired and what was happening at that moment when we were being handed the Instruments of Independence.

Well before Independence some of our communities had been excluded from just rocking up to a hotel to enjoy a drink. Some of us weren’t permitted to set foot on the hotel premises let alone enjoy the amenities of swimming in the pool or even enjoy the resort beach.

Sounds like something from some historic ancient movie. But it was a fact of life we lived with every single day of our lives. Europeans and part Europeans were given special privileges.

They could go almost anywhere they pleased and enjoy the countless facilities and attractions of our great country without fear or feeling they were encroaching on an area they weren’t permitted to be in.

Locals were barred from entering all of the resorts and private clubs like the Royal Suva Yacht Club, the Defence Club, the Fiji Club and other hotels like the GPH. Suva Grammar School was set aside only for Europeans and part Europeans.

It was the accepted way of life at the time and we knew our place and the boundaries we weren’t allowed to cross. Some of the founding fathers of our nation like the high Chiefs of old including my late dad decided to establish their own meeting place.

They called it the Union Club. It was founded to remind them of the uniting spirit of collaboration they needed to build and forge a new frontier. Because they knew it was the spirit of collaboration that was necessary to reset our nation’s future.

Union Club sat on the corner of Kimberley and Loftus streets in Suva and it was established for people of all races to join regardless of their status or standing in the community.

It’s here where many of the founding fathers sat socialising and having dialogue about how to develop the blueprint of achieving independence from Great Britain. While there were boundaries on the social and recreational fronts there were also boundaries where marriage between people of different ethnicities was concerned.

There was an unwritten code about marrying anyone other than someone from our own ethnic community. It was considered taboo marrying anyone from another race.

In the 1950’s when my dad brought home an Australian wife and a little Australian girl who would become my stepsister it was frowned upon by certain people from the different communities.

He was breaking an unwritten code of conduct. And whether her he knew it or not at the time, his brash and outrageous move meant he was ping into a social and cultural step- minefield.

As destiny would have it, our family got caught right in the middle of the massive blowout. My dad’s unconventional move had him ostracised from various organisations. And his circle of friends quickly dwindled.

He was considered a pariah who had overstepped his racial boundary. Going back to the 1950’s, did you know that locals weren’t allowed in the Suva Olympic pool? So when my stepmum took me to the Suva Sea Baths for a swim one day the lady looking after the place didn’t want to allow us into the pool because of me.

However my step-mum was not one to take no for an answer. She was adamant and wouldn’t back down. So the caretaker finally relented and let us into the pool. Even as young as I was at the time I felt awkward and uncomfortable.

I felt as if I’d broken some sacred rule. My dad was livid at the treatment we received. And he was so incensed by the incident that he decided to do something about it. At the time he happened to be a member of the Suva City Council.

So he took the fight into the council chambers. They eventually put it to a vote. The outcome was a win for social justice. They agreed to lift the ban on locals. l All races were allowed to use the pool from that point on.

It was just the beginning of change to come. But it was a very awkward time in the life of local people who felt they were second class citizens in the land of their birth.

However we persevered through the discomfort and awkwardness knowing that one day we wouldn’t have to deal with the indignity of being considered second class citizens.

It’s why those of us who were teenagers at the time of independence were so vocal and excited about what we were witnessing at Albert Park.

It was a changing of the old guard. As we struggled with our new found freedom, some of our politicians in their haste for change, tragically, made mistakes. Instead of collaborating they started becoming adversaries.

Instead of uniting us it led to divisiveness and a string of coups ensued supposedly to try and resolve the problems. But as many of us have come to understand and appreciate, no coup can solve a problem.

Fiji is on a new path and road to recovery from all the turmoil. We must learn to leave the past where it belongs – in the past. And we must learn to live for each other and with each other so that future generations never have to live under such oppressive conditions ever again.

Freedom always comes at a price. The price our forefathers have paid is what I celebrate every year on the anniversary of Fiji’s independence. Treasure it. Embrace it. Celebrate it for what it truly means – freedom to be who you want to be, marry who you want to marry, go anywhere you want to go and build a future for yourself and your loved ones in your beautiful island paradise.

Happy Independence Day Fiji. May your journey be filled with love for your fellow countrymen and may the Almighty shower you and your family with happiness and countless blessings for a proud and prosperous life together.

I leave you with the profound words of our first Prime Minister, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara from that historic day: “Ladies and gentlemen, let us salute the Union Jack. The symbol that has governed this country for the last 96 years is coming down for the very last time.

We are going to be masters of our destiny. We have come of age. Let us say farewell and ni sa moce to Her Majesty the Queen and to the Union Jack!”

• COLIN DEOKI is a regular contributor to this newspaper. The views expressed in this article are his and not necessarily of this newspaper