On August 4, 1973, The Fiji Times featured an amusing story about a caddy named Josua Baleiwai. The article included a photograph of him perched atop a 20-foot coconut tree at the Fiji Golf Club’s Vatuwaqa course. Baleiwai had climbed the tree to retrieve a golf ball hit there by New Zealand amateur golfer Bill Page.
Although Page, a 47-year-old semi-retired farmer from Taupo, did not achieve the best score during the first round of the Air New Zealand Fiji Open golf championship held in Suva, his game was certainly eventful. Page created a stir by sending his ball into the top of a coconut palm alongside the third fairway.
After an unsuccessful search for the ball by Page and fellow competitors Len Thomas of Australia and Titus Deoki of Suva in a nearby drain, Baleiwai managed to find it in the tree. Due to the challenging situation, Page incurred a one-stroke penalty for an unplayable lie.
Both Page and numerous other players struggled on the tricky greens, finishing with a score of 82, which is 10 over par. Leading the day’s play was New Zealand professional Dennis Clark, who recorded a score of 70.