A year after the Hibiscus Festival in 1983, winners of the event expressed their dissatisfaction to The Fiji Times, claiming they did not receive all promised prizes. On September 19, 1984, the paper reported that contestants were missing items such as a rice cooker, a tracksuit, and vouchers for complimentary meals and hotel stays.
Despite having signed agreements not to publicly criticize the organizing committee, one anonymous winner shared her disappointment, stating, “We were disheartened as the value of some prizes was greatly exaggerated in pre-festival advertisements.” She pointed out that a four-burner gas stove was advertised for $780, but was actually valued at around $500, while a washing machine claimed to be worth $600 turned out to be only $120.
The contestant mentioned that after the prize distribution, they inquired about 10 missing items and were promised by the committee they would receive them shortly. “But we are still waiting,” she added.
The Fiji Times article featured committee chairman Maganlal Dahya acknowledging that some prizes were not collected from sponsors. He mentioned that the unclaimed items mainly included cinema tickets, a luncheon voucher at Southern Cross, and a weekend voucher for Hotel Tanoa. Dahya stated that he was instructed by higher-ups not to collect other items like the rice cooker and tracksuit, suggesting these were to be gathered by different committee members. He expressed ignorance about their whereabouts.
Dahya claimed to have collected the remaining prizes and handed them over to President Shahima Stoddart and other committee members, stating, “I wasn’t involved in the distribution.” In response, Mrs. Stoddart distanced herself from the prize distribution, indicating, “As president in 1983, I had no involvement with the prizes. If committee chairs like Maganlal Dahya cannot fulfill their responsibilities, it’s not my fault.”
The 1983 Miss Hibiscus was Annie Raymond, with Debbie Francis Jack as the first runner-up and Rosie Patel as the second runner-up. Roslyn Gibson earned the Miss Charity title.