Organiser Of Coronation

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31412, 4 July 1967, Page 10

Organiser Of Coronation

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) NUKU’ALOFA, July 3. One man has the task of organising, explaining and interpreting the historic and tradition-en-cased coronation ceremony of King Taufa’ahau Tupou on Tuesday. He is Veehala, Keeper of the Palace Records, chief of the nearby village of Faheefa, and special protege of Tonga’s late Queen Salote, who ruled this island kingdom from 1918 to 1965. Veehala, educated at Auckland Grammar School, speaks fluent Samoan, Fijian and English. He is an authority on customs and traditions of the scattered Tongan isles and holds the key to the success of the week’s ceremonies. As the custodian, procedure and protocol, he becomes — like Britain's Duke of Norfolk on a similar occasion—-

the architect and supervisor of the once-in-a-lifetime ceremony. Veehala has spent months visiting the outlying Tongan islands to organise local craftsmen weaving the ceremonial mats for the ceremonies, and produce typically - Tongan souvenirs for the thousands of guests pouring into the kingdom. He had also to organise food crops for the week’s feasts and compose chants, songs and dances for the ceremonies, many of which have become obscure over the centuries. Veehala is one of the bestknown broadcasters in this part of the Pacific—broadcasting in four languages, explaining Tongan customs and history and playing Tongan music. He is also an accomplished player of the fangufangu, or Tongan nose flute, the only musical instrument used in these Islands in ancient times.

Veehala's hard work will be rewarded at the moment of Tuesday’s crowning. It will be his privilege to ring the royal chapel’carillon that will announce the great moment to the people of Tonga and is expected to set up a chain reaction of cheering, church bells, sirens, ship's horns and happiness.