On August 4, 1973, The Fiji Times featured a light-hearted article about a caddy named Josua Baleiwai. The article included a photo of Baleiwai atop a 20-foot coconut tree at the Fiji Golf Club’s Vatuwaqa course. He climbed the tree to retrieve a golf ball struck by New Zealand amateur golfer Bill Page.
Although Page did not achieve the best score in the first round of the Air New Zealand Fiji Open golf championship held in Suva, he certainly had the most eventful outing. The 47-year-old semi-retired farmer from Taupo in New Zealand’s North Island made headlines by hitting his ball into the top of a coconut palm alongside the third fairway.
Baleiwai, a 27-year-old from Raiwasa, managed to find the ball after Page and fellow golfers Len Thomas of Australia and Titus Deoki of Suva had searched without success in a nearby drain. As a result of the unplayable lie, Page incurred a one-stroke penalty. Like many others, he struggled on the challenging greens, finishing with a score of 82, which is 10 over par. In contrast, New Zealand professional golfer Dennis Clark topped the leaderboard with a score of 70.