A ceremonial march through Labasa Town on Thursday marked the formal end of weeks of intensive training by the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) under Exercise Guadalcanal on Vanua Levu, the military said in a statement.
“The event is to mark the end of Exercise Guadalcanal that was conducted in Vanua Levu,” the RFMF said. A total of 171 officers who had been deployed across training locations in Macuata and Bua stepped off from Labasa’s Y‑Corner and marched in unison through the town centre before concluding at Katonivere House, the building that houses the Labasa Court.
Hundreds of residents lined the streets to watch the parade, according to the RFMF release, which said a convoy of military trucks — the same vehicles used for combat and troop transport during the exercise — formed part of the display. Many spectators took the opportunity to inspect the vehicles and speak with service members after the march, making the event both a ceremonial close and a rare chance for local people to engage directly with uniformed personnel based in the Northern Division.
The exercise, conducted over several weeks on Vanua Levu, focused on intensive training of officers and units deployed across the island’s northern provinces. While the RFMF’s statement did not give specifics on individual training activities or objectives, the presence of troop transport and combat vehicles in the parade underlines the operational and logistical elements practiced during the deployment in Macuata and Bua.
Local leaders and members of the community used the parade as a public showing of the forces’ presence and preparedness in the region. For many residents the march was a visible reminder of the military’s role in national security and disaster response, and an opportunity to express support and ask questions of serving officers. The turnout suggested strong public interest in military activities on Vanua Levu, where opportunities to see large-scale RFMF movements close up can be limited.
The RFMF has run a series of domestic exercises in recent years aimed at maintaining readiness across Fiji’s islands. Exercise Guadalcanal’s completion in Labasa now transitions the units involved back to their regular duties, according to the statement. The military did not indicate whether further public events or after‑action briefings would follow the parade.
Thursday’s march closed with the officers assembling outside Katonivere House, bringing to an end a visible chapter of training in the north and offering residents a direct glimpse of the personnel and equipment that took part in the exercise.
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