Nadi/Sabeto, October 15, 2026. When one of the Trees of Peace was planted on June 17, 2022, at the Tifajek Mud Pool & Hotspring near Nadi, this commemorative breadfruit tree (Artocarpus altilis) lacked proper signage. The planting was organized at the time by the Pacific Island Farmers Organisation Network. Following the planting, the local community constructed a makeshift concrete memorial pillar, though it lacked the necessary inscriptions. Now, four years later, a delegation from Servare et Manere has returned to this beautiful site; with the permission of the Reverend Ilimeleki Susu—the owner of the hot springs—we carried out the necessary aesthetic and technical enhancements to the pillar.

As this memorial tree was planted to mark the 111^th anniversary of General Milan Rastislav Štefánik’s visit to Fiji, the pillar now features this information, along with a likeness of the astronomer—presented in the form of a 10 Kčs coin from 1991. Notably, both this coin and the copper plaque on the pillar were minted by the Kremnica Mint from Slovakia.

In keeping with Fijian tradition, the visit began with a kava ceremony—a deeply rooted social and sacred ritual that symbolizes respect, a sense of belonging, and friendship. The beverage is prepared from the crushed or ground dried root of the Piper methysticum (Piper methysticum), which is mixed with cold water in a large wooden bowl known as a tanoa. This was followed by a presentation on the activities of Servare et Manere, Slovakia, and the Kysuce region—the home of the association’s partners—as well as the presentation of gifts to the community leadership: a bowl crafted from wire and a publication on the traditional Slovak craft of wirework. Among the gifts was a portrait of Ondrej Sobola (*1880 – †missing since 1915; officially declared dead on December 31, 1918), a native of Lalinok village (Slovakia) whose true story inspired the launch of the international Tree of Peace initiative in 2018. Following the opening ceremony, work began on preparing the commemorative pillar. The copper components, designed by Marek Sobola, were crafted by “Medikováčstvo Juraj Čiernik”—an artistic coppersmithing workshop based in the village of Zemiansky Kvašov village, in the Považská Bystrica district. Marek Sobola placed stones from his home region at the roots of the Tree of Peace—specifically from the villages of Divina, Lalinok (the birthplace of Ondrej Sobola) as well as from Kotešová, the birthplace of Katarína Rybáriková.

The visit concluded with an awards ceremony. In recognition of their exceptional support for Servare et Manere, Mr. Lisala Ledua Ligavatu and Ms. Katarína Rybáriková was presented with the Tree of Peace Around the World Commemorative Medal. Mr. Ligavatu has long been associated with our organization and serves as our collaborator in Fiji. He assisted in organizing the Servare et Manere visit to Fiji and also provided significant technical support.

The second trip to Oceania was supported by the Municipality of Divina, the Municipality of Zborov nad Bystricou, the Kysuce Museum, and the Honorary Consulate of Romania in Žilina.