24/08/2026
Restoring the Spirit of Kamonai Hanuana⛓️💥.
The aftermath of the 21st birthday celebration held in Gabagaba over the weekend has raised serious concerns about lawlessness and disorder within our community. What should have been a celebration of a young person's important milestone was overshadowed by excessive drinking, swearing, loud boombox music, fighting, homebrew and alleged drug consumption, leaving many community members questioning where we are heading as a village.
But while these incidents are concerning, perhaps we need to look beyond what happened over the weekend and ask ourselves a much bigger question, What has happened to us as a community?
First, let us make one thing clear. Having a 21st birthday celebration in the village is not a problem, and it should not be treated as one. We live in a democratic nation, and people have every right to celebrate important occasions with their families, relatives and friends. However, every right comes with responsibility. If we have the right to celebrate, we also have the responsibility to respect the community around us. That means being conscious of the time, understanding that an invitation card is an invitation for one and not an open invitation to everyone, drinking responsibly, controlling our behaviour after the formal celebration and ensuring that our activities do not disturb the peace of other families.
The problem is not necessarily the celebration itself. The problem is the mentality and behaviour that sometimes comes with it.
And this is where we need to have an honest conversation.
Whenever something goes wrong involving young people, our immediate reaction is often to point fingers at the younger generation. We say the young people are disrespectful, irresponsible, drunk or influenced by drugs. But before we place all the blame on them, we need to look at ourselves as parents, guardians, elders and community leaders and ask, Where did they learn these behaviours?
Every parent who had a finger to point at the younger generation over the weekend should also ask whether their own child, relative or family member was among the crowd. Are we doing enough as parents? Are we teaching our children correctly? Are we correcting them when they are wrong? Are we setting the right example through our own behaviour?
Learning begins at home. Correction begins at home. Respect begins at home.
We cannot expect the community to raise our children while we remain silent inside our homes. Parents have a responsibility to teach their children discipline, respect, responsibility and self-control. We must be willing to have difficult conversations with our children, correct them when necessary and teach them that having fun does not mean losing all sense of responsibility.
Perhaps the biggest issue we need to address is not simply the behaviour of our young people, but the gradual loss of our community spirit.
There was a time when Gabagaba was proudly regarded by our fellow Motuans as “Kamonai Hanuana”. That name represented more than just a description of our village. It represented our unity. It represented a community that stood together, listened to one voice and moved forward as one.
In those days, we had one recognised community leadership structure, we had our mother church and, most importantly, we had a strong sense of unity. When something happened in the village, people did not ask, “Whose program is this?” They simply understood that it was a community matter and everyone had a responsibility to contribute.
But as the years passed, things changed.
New churches emerged (no disrespect to churches). Different groups were formed. More leaders and different interests came into the picture. Eventually, even our mother church became divided for reasons many of us know.
Today, Gabagaba has many groups and many voices. Unfortunately, in many situations, we have allowed our differences to become more important than our common identity.
We hear comments such as, “Idia edia program” or “Ia ena gaukara.” We sometimes look at a community initiative and decide to support it, or not support it, based on who organised it.
There is simply too much politics and division in matters that should unite us, from Ward Member's programs to church activities and community events.
But Gabagaba is bigger than any individual, church, group or political interest.
A community program should not be about whose program it is. It should be about what is good for the community.
This is also why we need to be careful when blaming the younger generation for everything that is happening today. We need to ask ourselves whether today's problems are partly the result of what previous generations planted.
The younger generation did not create the community they inherited. They inherited it from those who lived in before them.
If we planted unity, discipline and respect, those values should have been passed down. If we allowed division, indifference and a lack of accountability to grow, then we must also accept that today's generation may be reflecting some of what they have seen around them.
This is not about blaming our parents or elders. It is about accepting responsibility as the generation currently raising and guiding the next one.
If we want change, we cannot continue pointing fingers. We have to become part of the solution.
Law and order in Gabagaba should not be seen as the sole responsibility of our Ward Members. Yes, our elected leaders have responsibilities, but maintaining peace and discipline is also a community responsibility.
We need to bring back the spirit of neighbourhood watch.
We need neighbours to look out for neighbours. We need parents and elders to be brave enough to correct young people when they are doing something wrong. We need young people to respect the advice of their elders. We need community members to act up instead of pointing fingers.
If someone is disrespecting the community, we cannot continue to look away and wait for somebody else to deal with it.
Gabagaba is our home.
Therefore, the responsibility to protect its peace, reputation and future belongs to all of us.
And to the parents, the responsibility begins with you.
Do not wait until your child is arrested, injured, involved in a fight or caught in serious trouble before you decide to correct them. Talk to them now. Teach them now. Guide them now.
Correct them around the dinner table. Explain to them why certain behaviours are wrong. Teach them to respect other people's families, property and peace. Teach them that alcohol is never an excuse for violence or disrespect. Teach them that freedom comes with responsibility.
Most importantly, let God's Word be at the centre of our homes and our children's upbringing.
If we want to see a change in our young people, then change must first be visible in the adults around them.
Gabagaba does not need more arguments. We do not need more blame. We do not need more division between groups, churches, families or leaders.
What we need is to rediscover what made us strong in the first place.
Unity. Respect. Discipline. Responsibility. Accountability. Community.
Let people celebrate their birthdays. Let families enjoy their important occasions. Let our young people have fun and create memories.
But let every celebration be guided by responsibility and respect for the wider community.
The question before us is not simply whether the 21st birthday celebration was good or bad.
The bigger question is: What kind of Gabagaba do we want to leave behind for the next generation?
Kamonai Hanuana should not simply be a name that reminds us of what Gabagaba used to be.
It should once again become the way we live.
The restoration of our community will not come from one Ward Member. It will not come from one church. It will not come from one family or one group.
It must come from all of us.
Gabagaba is our home, and if we genuinely want a better, safer and more united village for our children, then the responsibility to rebuild the spirit of Kamonai Hanuana begins with each and every one of us.
