OLD FIJIAN "NAVY."
MEMORIES OF A CUTTER. [from our own correspondent.] SUVA, Dee. 9. The death in Melbourne, on November 19 last, of Mr. Warren Otley Groom, uncle of Sir Littleton Groom, recalls the fact that he was. one of the pioneers of Fiji and was caught in the cotton slump which affected the fortunes of so many planters ip Fiji during the late "sixties" and early "seventies." At that time King Thakambau was ruler of the group and Mr. Groom so won the regard of the tyrant that he was appointed commodore of the Fijian "Navy." This "navy" consisted of a cutter called the Vivid, which was armed with one brass cannon, and that cannon was at least fired once according to the records. Groom did a great deal to establish cricket on good lines in Suva. He was chief clerk and acting comptroller of customs for years and was among the first to be employed by the British Government when they took over the group from Thakambau.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19261216.2.31
Bibliographic details
New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19512, 16 December 1926, Page 11
Word Count
169OLD FIJIAN "NAVY." New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19512, 16 December 1926, Page 11
Using This Item
NZME is the copyright owner for the New Zealand Herald. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons New Zealand BY-NC-SA licence . This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of NZME. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Auckland Libraries and NZME.