A year after the 1983 Hibiscus Festival, contestants expressed their dissatisfaction to The Fiji Times regarding unfulfilled prize promises. On September 19, 1984, the publication reported on contestants who claimed they did not receive items such as a rice cooker, a tracksuit, and vouchers for complimentary meals and hotel stays.
The contestants had previously signed legal agreements preventing them from publicly criticizing the organizing committee. One winner, who requested anonymity due to this agreement, shared her disappointment, stating, “We were also disappointed because the value of some of the prizes was grossly inflated by the committee and the donors in advertisements during and prior to the festival itself.” She highlighted discrepancies in advertised prices, noting that a four-burner gas stove was listed as $780 while it was actually worth about $500, and a washing machine that was promoted as being worth $600 was only valued at $120. “It was very disappointing, and the worst thing is that we are still waiting for some of our prizes,” she added.
After the prize-giving ceremony, the contestants inquired about the ten outstanding prizes, leading to an urgent meeting of the prizes committee, where they were promised they would receive the remaining items soon. However, a contestant asserted, “But we are still waiting.”
The Fiji Times article included a statement from committee chairman Maganlal Dahya, who confirmed that some prizes had not been collected from sponsors. However, he noted these primarily included cinema tickets and dining vouchers and mentioned that he had been instructed by his superiors not to collect several other prizes, including the rice cooker and tracksuit. Dahya stated he was unaware of the prizes’ current status, saying, “I collected the rest of the prizes and handed them over to the president, Mrs. Shahima Stoddart, and others. I had nothing to do with the distribution of the prizes.”
In her defense, Mrs. Stoddart remarked that she was not involved in the awards. “I was only the president in 1983 and had nothing to do with the prizes,” she said. “If various committee chairmen like Maganlal Dahya can’t do their job, then why come to me?”
The 1983 Miss Hibiscus title was awarded to Annie Raymond, with Debbie Francis Jack as the first runner-up and Rosie Patel as the second runner-up. Roslyn Gibson received the Miss Charity honor.