"Hi Rob ~ not yet! We had to get a "Memotandum of Understanding" from Savusavu Town Council for the ground lease so the Tourism Association could fund raise! That's now done and we need to raise FJ$60K to finish the park. It will take…"
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Collin McKenny
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Collin McKenny's Discussions
A big VINAKA to Rotary!
2 Replies
One of the projects for the Savusavu Rotary this year is building furniture for the local kindergartens. The schools are primarily in villages and the kids normally sit on the floor.A big VINAKA to…Continue
Started this discussion. Last reply by Collin McKenny Apr 30.
It's Time Foundation ~ solar installations
4 Replies
This slide show has some wonderful photos from the recent solar installation at Navatu Secondary School (about 30km from Savusavu town and not far from Lomalagi Resort). They have completed another…Continue
Started this discussion. Last reply by Collin McKenny Oct 15, 2011.
Fiji auction package to benefit Queensland Flood Relief
5 Replies
A Fiji package has been put together to help with Queensland Flood Relief. 100% of the package is donated and 100% will benefit Queensland.The donors are: Lomalagi Resort (Savusavu, Natewa Bay) with…Continue
Started this discussion. Last reply by Robert F. Kay Feb 8, 2011.
Natewa Bay dolphins
3 Replies
A nice write-up about our Natewa Bay dolphins on the Gawaya Travel Blog! Continue
Started this discussion. Last reply by Robert F. Kay Nov 11, 2010.
Collin McKenny's Page
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Robert F. Kay replied to Collin McKenny's discussion A big VINAKA to Rotary!"Collin,
Did they complete the park project in town? If so can you send some photos?
mahalo"
Collin McKenny's discussion was featuredA big VINAKA to Rotary!
One of the projects for the Savusavu Rotary this year is building furniture for the local kindergartens. The schools are primarily in villages and the kids normally sit on the floor.A big VINAKA to the Rotary Club for the two tables and 8 benches (one set seen here) they gave to our Nasinu Village Kindy last week. The kids are thrilled! The class meets in the mornings and the photo was taken in the afternoon, which is why there aren't many kids in it.See More
Collin McKenny commented on Robert F. Kay's blog post 2012 Newsletter--Back from Fiji"Diane, I'll get Rob up here again NEXT time!"
Collin McKenny commented on Robert F. Kay's blog post 2012 Newsletter--Back from Fiji"It was great to see you again, Rob ~ if only for a quick hello!"
Collin McKenny's blog post was featuredBig news in Savusavu. A couple of weeks ago, work was begun on a new Children's Park! Our Savusavu Tourism Association is funding this, with a lot of help from friends of Savusavu. Fill work is now…
Big news in Savusavu. A couple of weeks ago, work was begun on a new Children's Park! Our Savusavu Tourism Association is funding this, with a lot of help from friends of Savusavu. Fill work is now finished. NOW we need to fund-raise to acquire playground equipment and landscaping!Anyone interested in hel…See More
Collin McKenny replied to Collin McKenny's discussion It's Time Foundation ~ solar installations"Thanks, Rob! Here's what our morning looks like......Bandit was having a sun bath! :-)
"
Robert F. Kay replied to Collin McKenny's discussion It's Time Foundation ~ solar installations"Bula Collin, Glad to see you alive, well and active on Fijiguide.com!"
Collin McKenny replied to Collin McKenny's discussion It's Time Foundation ~ solar installations"It's a wonderful initiative. Rob Edwards, the founder, is passionate about it and has involved many Aussie schools as well as corporate and individual sponsors.
"
Robert F. Kay replied to Collin McKenny's discussion It's Time Foundation ~ solar installations"Thanks Collin,
I went online and dug up this quote about the It's Time Foundation, based in Oz, which is doing some really cool things.
"Its Time Foundation has both an environmental and social focus. We deliver renewable power solutions…"
Collin McKenny posted a discussionIt's Time Foundation ~ solar installations
This slide show has some wonderful photos from the recent solar installation at Navatu Secondary School (about 30km from Savusavu town and not far from Lomalagi Resort). They have completed another installation on Kioa Island and have many more planned. THANK YOU!!!http://www.iitime.org/projectnavatu.htmlSee More
Collin McKenny replied to Brad Anthony John Fenton's discussion Regarding new roads and electricity infrastructure"It's been on our wish list for YEARS! We actually had a commitment to go ahead with a 200 meter extension this year. Then AFL decided it needs to be 300 meters and widened (again), which no one can actually explain. That increases the cost by a…"
Collin McKenny replied to Brad Anthony John Fenton's discussion Regarding new roads and electricity infrastructure"Hi, Rob - my pleasure! The only other significant thing I can think of is the initiative to get the runway extended but until we KNOW it's going to happen, it's a bit premature. An extension will let the ATRs land here = much bigger…"
Collin McKenny replied to Brad Anthony John Fenton's discussion Regarding new roads and electricity infrastructure"Hi, Brad....Levukalailai will be in "stage 2" of the project. The first section goes a little past La Dolce Vita. I haven't heard ANY timeline for the power so your solar/wind system is a good plan. You always need a backup for FEA…"
Collin McKenny replied to Brad Anthony John Fenton's discussion Regarding new roads and electricity infrastructure"The new tar-sealed road will go out 30km from Nagigi Village so it won't reach all the way to Buca Bay. It's a 3 year project, 10km at a time. Eventually the power will follow along. Power now reaches about 5km past Nagigi. The contractors…"
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- Language, Culture, Other
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- Viti Levu, Vanua Levu, Taveuni, Mamanuca, Yasawa
- Website
- http://www.lomalagi.com
- Tell us a bit about yourself, your profession, reason for visiting, etc
- I own (built) a small resort in the Fiji Islands on Vanua Levu, Fiji's second largest island (the resort is near Savusavu) as my "Escape from Corporate America". The resort name ~Lomalagi~ means HEAVEN in the Fijian language! I was born and raised in (West) Seattle WA, graduated from the University of Washington and the Pacific Coast School of Banking. My professional career was all in retail banking, taking me from Seattle to Northern California to Cincinnati OH over the years. I "retired" VERY early, as a Senior Vice President. I moved to Fiji with my now-ex in 1997 after purchasing an incredible 25 acre coconut plantation on Natewa Bay, the largest deep water bay in the South Pacific, and have been here even since!
I have two Twitter accounts. My "social account" is @FijiLomalagi. For posts ONLY about Fiji, I use @LomalagiFiji. You are invited to follow either or both!
Collin McKenny's Photos
Collin McKenny's Blog
Big news in Savusavu. A couple of weeks ago, work was begun on a new Children's Park! Our Savusavu Tourism Association is funding this, with a lot of help from friends of Savusavu. Fill work is now…
Big news in Savusavu. A couple of weeks ago, work was begun on a new Children's Park! Our Savusavu Tourism Association is funding this, with a lot of help from friends of Savusavu. Fill work is now finished. NOW we need to fund-raise to acquire playground equipment and landscaping!…
Continue
Posted on January 11, 2012 at 3:45pm
So, you want to be a millionaire? Start with $2 million!
My “Escape from Corporate America” stories are about my experiences in the Fiji Islands but they could have happened in ANY “emerging nation”.
Since you’re setting up a business that’s going to cost a lot to build, the locals think you have LOTS of money. Therefore, it’s perfectly okay – expected, in fact -- to cheat you! You won’t notice, right? And, you DON’T notice until you figure things out…. My lawyer here had recommended that we wait for a bit before starting the resort, until… Continue
Since you’re setting up a business that’s going to cost a lot to build, the locals think you have LOTS of money. Therefore, it’s perfectly okay – expected, in fact -- to cheat you! You won’t notice, right? And, you DON’T notice until you figure things out…. My lawyer here had recommended that we wait for a bit before starting the resort, until… Continue
Posted on December 16, 2009 at 11:41am
An Expat's View of Fiji Politics - Part 2!
After the 2006 coup, I spoke with lots of people here, especially other business owners and resident expats as well as educated Fijians & Indo-Fijians. The common thread was that Bainimarama effected the coup the wrong way for the right reasons. Does that make sense? Nobody wanted to see guns on the street although in many parts of the world, that's the norm - police carry guns in America, but not here. (The guns went "off the streets" here after a very short time.) People living in the… Continue
Posted on November 22, 2009 at 1:35pm — 7 Comments
An Expat's View of Fiji Politics
I had planned to tell resort construction "war stories" next but since there's such intense interest in Fiji politics (especially in Australia and New Zealand!) let's go THERE....with some history first and then current events!
I've been here since 1997 so my knowledge of events prior to that time is anecdotal. Fiji was a British colony until 1971. The Brits brought citizens of India to Fiji to work the sugar cane fields in the mid-1800's -- the Fijians wouldn't do it. Neither would… Continue
I've been here since 1997 so my knowledge of events prior to that time is anecdotal. Fiji was a British colony until 1971. The Brits brought citizens of India to Fiji to work the sugar cane fields in the mid-1800's -- the Fijians wouldn't do it. Neither would… Continue
Posted on November 19, 2009 at 11:23am — 1 Comment
Comment Wall (6 comments)
- At 2:10pm on November 12, 2009,
Mika Leuck said… - Welcome, Collin! I am so glad to see you on fijiguide.com!!
- At 6:31pm on November 12, 2009,
Daniel Leuck said… - Bula Collin! We are very happy to have you.
Thank you for the fantastic experience at Lomalagi! Please say hello to your team from us.
We set up a Vanua Levu group for you.
- At 9:59pm on November 12, 2009, Robert F. Kay said…
- Hi Collin,
It's Rob and I'm in LA! Welcome aboard. I've got some very smart people working with me. Thank goodness for that!
- At 7:29am on November 16, 2009, Robert F. Kay said…
- Hi Collin,
That has yet to be determined! My trip plans are still in flux. Will keep you posted...
- At 11:09pm on January 19, 2010, Robert F. Kay said…
- Was thinking, you *really* need a proper display case for GH's uke. You gotta do that.
- At 6:46am on March 28, 2010,
Diane Money said… - Hi Collin,
Yes, it's so nice to connect with you as well. I came on board Rob's site in 2000 while planning my second trip to Fiji. Over the years Rob and I have stayed in touch and I also keep in touch with Jerry Bounds aka Mr. Fiji. Jerry visited me here in Vancouver two years ago and it was so nice to meet him and spend time with him. You are living my dream. The first time I visited Fiji was in 1981 and I fell in love and left my heart in Fiji. I was back in 2000 and it was such a defining time in my life. I had been in a bad marriage for many years. When I saw what little the Fijian villagers had and yet how happy they were it was life changing for me. I have been a single Mom to four kids since then and although life has been difficult it is better than being in an unhappy marriage. Financially, I will probably never have the means to get back to Fiji but the memories are always in my heart. I have read your article on the escapeartist website and so admire what you have accomplished. I truly hope to one day meet you and see your beautiful property.
All the best,
Diane
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