This year in Nov/Dec marks 100 years since the influenza epidemic desolated thousands of people in Samoa due to a grave mistake by a NZ administrator to allow a ship with many sick passengers to dock at the Apia harbour only to wreck havoc on the population with many dying within weeks of contact.When I was in Samoa, I was able to visit my Great grandfather's grave, in Faleula, in only being told a few years ago that his unmarked grave there was due to his death during that time. We can only summarize that the reason for why he was buried there was because the family didn't want him to be taken with other bodies to the mass grave where many were taken as his village of origination was in Safata.
This is one of the stories that I want to research further and to write about for releasing at the end of the year as a commemoration of my maternal Great grandfather and many other families who were affected by this devastating decision and the bad decision of a NZ administrator.
In NZ, there is a commemoration stone that marks over 8000 lives lost, including doctors, nurses and volunteers but in Samoa, I did see nor heard mention of anything although I didn't get to have a look at the museum to see if there was any information regarding this catastrophic event in which villagers were recorded of having many able people dying in the span of two months.
In honouring our past loved ones. Lest we forget...
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