Welcome to the Peace Corps Fiji I 1968-69 site. As a member of that very special first PC program in Fiji, we all felt a special bond, pride and camaraderie in being a part of it.
Peace Corps Fiji I
Welcome to the Peace Corps Fiji I 1968-69 site. As a member of that very special first PC program in Fiji, we all felt a special bond, pride and camaraderie in being a part of it.
Government Buildings in Suva
Even after some 30 years, our individual and collective experiences are still very much a part of us. And while we all served in different areas of Fiji, doing different jobs, we still felt a sense of belonging.
The success of Fiji I paved the way for many later Peace Corps groups and we are proud of our achievements, accomplishments and contributions.
Venerable Metropole Hotel, Suva
That spirit of camaraderie and bonding began in the early days of training in fall, 1967, at Ninole on the Hamakua Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. It was instilled in us by the warmth and enthusiasm of our Fijian and Indian language and cultural instructors. Those feelings carried us through our various assignments and experiences in Fiji during 1968-69.
Nadi plain and hills, Nadi, Fiji
This Fiji I site is meant to be a vehicle to reconnect us to each other, to reflect and remember the experiences we had in our young lives so long ago and far away in a special place called Fiji.
We hope you enjoy navigating your way through this site and reconnecting with old friends. We've done our best to update our address/contact list and hope we can eventually reach and invite every Fiji I member to participate.
Waimanu Road intersection just below the
Peace Corps office in Suva
Just to get you in the mood, you'll find a couple of "Before" and "After" photos below. We hope these might rekindle some pleasant memories for you as you take a stroll down memory lane through your days in Fiji so long ago.
So, take a look through this site and let us know what you think. We'd especially like to hear from or about those who are "missing" addresses/contacts.
In Memoriam
This site for Fiji I is dedicated to the memory of John Pohlman our fellow PCV who was drafted out of Fiji into the military and sent to Viet Nam where he made the supreme sacrifice sometime in 1970. We won't forget. We also remember Fred Schuierer of the Peace Corps Suva office staff who passed away a few years ago.
Ni sa bula mai!
John Penisten
Click here to Contact John Penisten by email
Click on photos below to see full size. Large pictures are slow to load, as you know, but you can see every face! Hit your "back" button to return here.
fiji1group.jpg (140084 bytes)
Fiji I Peace Corps group in training program,
Ninole, Hawai‘i, fall, 1967. Slow to load.
fijigroup2.jpg (150839 bytes)
Fiji I group at termination conference,
Nadi, Fiji, September, 1969,
now caption has names of members
click on photo to see all that!.
More Fiji Fotos?
This section or another page will include any photos of Fiji you'd care to share with the group. These could be images you have from 1968-69 or from return visits you've made since. If you can send digital images, send them directly to Bill Eger via email billeger@gte.net with appropriate identification and caption info.
Otherwise, send your photos (prints or slides) with identification info to John Penisten, 570 Iwalani St., Hilo, Hawaii 96720; you can also email them to John at: pacpics@aloha.net . After the photos are scanned etc. they will be returned to you.