04/07/2023
Married 45 years ago in Samoa, Michael and Hilary.
Fantasizing about a tropical, Polynesian island, we chose Independent Western Samoa because, at that time, it was still very traditional. The people, who wore lavalavas and lived in thatched, open sided fales, were delightful and so very kind. They went to some trouble to help us achieve our South Seas Island wedding idea/dream.
The sad postscript to this is, that when we returned, 41 years later, there was almost nothing left of the traditional, Samoan way of life we had witnessed.
Worse, everyone we had known there, was now dead.
P.S. May 2nd......Wow! This post appears to have gone viral among people in, or from Samoa. I shall have to search and see if I can find any more photos. e.g. I believe I have one of Langa, the lovely wife if Rev. Faatuva, making a wedding cake for us, the night before. Langa also did Hilary's hair on the morning of our wedding.
