As the family of former President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau prepares to lay him to rest, a shoe shiner who worked outside Suva’s QBE Building has described the former Head of State’s simple, regular acts of kindness — and the weight of a final, unexpected goodbye. Vetaia Taladai, a veteran shoe shiner of 20 years, said Ratu Epeli would always stop for a shine and a chat, treating him with the same warmth he showed to others.
“I received the news from a client, a close friend of Ratu Epeli, that he had passed away,” Vetaia recounted. “When I was told, I realised he had just gotten his shoes shined from me the day before.” The revelation that their last conversation had been only hours earlier has remained with Vetaia, who said the routine had been more than a transaction — it was a human connection that cut across rank and status.
Stationed each morning at the QBE Building entrance, where civil servants and office workers stream in for the day, Vetaia told of a relationship built on small talk and laughter. “Ratu Epeli wouldn’t pass me without getting his shoes shined. He would always make sure to stop,” he said. The former president, he recalled, did not travel with a retinue. “He came down to my level and spoke to me like an ordinary person… he didn’t elevate himself.”
Vetaia — originally from Moala in Lau, with maternal links to Sawaieke Village in Gau — has polished the shoes of countless people over two decades. Still, he said Ratu Epeli stood out for the respect he showed to workers who often face public disdain. “Sitting here, we get a lot of criticism from people who walk by. They think shoe shining is not a proper job. But Ratu Epeli didn’t care about that. He treated us with great respect, and we value those moments with him.”
A former president of the Fiji Shoeshine Association, Vetaia begins his day early to prepare for the steady flow of commuters. He said part of the pride in his work comes from helping others present themselves neatly for the office. Yet beyond the practical, he treasured the humour and warmth Ratu Epeli brought each time he stopped. “He would share a joke with me… laughter was always part of our conversation before he went on about his day,” Vetaia said.
In the quiet intervals between customers since hearing of Ratu Epeli’s death, Vetaia said he has been reflecting on those small, human exchanges and what they reveal about leadership. “I truly feel privileged to have crossed paths with him, especially a man of his calibre,” he said. “I pray that we get future leaders who will come down to our level, get their shoes polished, and share some laughter with us, just like Ratu Epeli did.”
With family preparing funeral rites, Vetaia extended his condolences and said he will continue to work from his usual spot, carrying the memory of those everyday moments. “I’m going to sit here and remember those special moments with him,” he said, underscoring how a simple daily ritual became, for him, a lasting testament to humility and respect.
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