Leadership within the Victorian Samoan Community

Translation from Samoan

Muagututi’a Lemalu talks about the importance of the tulāfale | orator chief in the Victorian community.

Muagututi’a Lemalu: I have the following chief titles: Muagututi’a, Lemalu, Muliagatele, Sola, Vaofusi. I left Samoa in 1970, in the month of March. I was 19 years old at the time. I moved here in 1982. at that time there weren’t that many Samoans here in Melbourne.

To explain my story, in 1989 I was the president of the Samoan Victorian Rugby team. This was during my youthful days of rugby. We travelled to Samoa—there were many Samoans who went in 1989, and you could say that it was from this time that my service to my Victorian Samoan community began.

1990 saw the formation of the fono faufautua |advisory council, for the Samoan people of Victoria. This was presided by the Reverend Elder Urika Saifoloi. The advisory council was formed by church leaders and chiefs.

After three years was done, the church leaders moved aside and passed on the leadership role to us, the chiefs, where I was then elected as President of the council. There were many years where I took on the President role, and nowadays I still play an active role, especially in my supporting advisory role with community groups such as PICAA (Pacific Island Creative Arts Australia) and MSV (Miss Samoa Victoria), and that’s how it is today.

There is a difference between an orator chief and a high chief; the orator chief speaks on behalf of the high chief. An orator chief plays an important role in the community. The orator chief is not a dreamer, his mind is alert at all times. For whatever happens, he will always be prepared with a speech, his mind always ready.

Even though this body is old and weak, it’s important for me to continue to support the younger generation in whatever they need me to do.