Published author NOEL BEDDOE continues his occasional series on some of the things that make living in Canberra so wonderful.

It is not in every part of the world that you can go for a morning stroll and find yourself face to face with royalty. 

It’s possible in Canberra – it happened to me in November last year. I went out one Saturday to pick up newspapers and get a coffee; walking past Timpson Park in Belconnen I saw a group of people gathered, and heard the most intriguing music. 

I went into the park and encountered Her Highness Princess Angelika Latufipeke Yuku’aho, daughter of the king of Tonga and Tongan High Commissioner to Australia, there to provide the official opening to Canberra’s first festival of Tongan culture.

I went home to tell Vivienne what was happening and we returned. By now Princess Angelike was comfortably beneath a marquee, enjoying the performances that were taking place on a stage at the northern end of Timpson Park. 

We bought some curry and rice from one of the many stalls and an enormous middle-aged man left the entourage of Her Highness to bring us some chairs to sit on comfortably in the shade to enjoy our food and the remarkable performances.

The festival was staged again this year on November 2, closest Saturday to Tonga’s national day, November 4. 

Performers, most in traditional Tongan dress, took to the stage to dance and perform that remarkably-melodic singing native to Pacific Islander people. 

Festival organiser and driving force behind the celebrations, Ms Toa Takiari told me that some 15 performance groups took part, many from the ACT from as far away from Belconnen as Tuggeranong, several making the trip from Sydney.

“Some groups had more than 30 participants,” Ms Takiari said.

“We had to split some of them into two performances because they wouldn’t fit on the stage; we were only able to afford half a stage so there was a limit to how many people could perform at a time.”

Thereby hangs something of a tale – Ms Takiari informed me that the entire activity was funded by individual commitment and by two donations of funds – one of $3000 from Fair Canberra (an extremely interesting organisation, of whom I had been previously unaware) and $500 from the Belconnen Labor Club. Access Canberra made Timpson Park available for nothing. 

“After requests, a lot was donated for the day, the sound system for example. We had to hire the outdoor seating. In years to come if someone had outdoor seating they could let us have for the day, that would be a very great help,” Ms Takiari said.

This year there were 20 or so separate stalls selling various craft items, woodwork, woven goods and the like, and foodstuffs varying from traditional Tongan foods and drinks to the sausage sandwich which, apparently, knows no regional barrier. 

Tongan attendees were in their native dress as were almost all of the performers; some of the boys from The Brumbies turned up in their casual uniform.

Entrance was free. I asked Ms Takiari was it intended that this would always be the case?

“Of course,” she replied. “Our intention is to preserve and share that beautiful culture from which we come. Last year all stalls were made available to stallholders for free – we were determined that everyone attending would find prices for food and drink would be held as low as possible so that everybody could attend, have something to eat and drink and enjoy the performances in comfort.”

One of the greatest responsibilities? The clean up on Sunday morning to see that the park was returned to pristine condition.

One of the performers, a Tongan man from Sydney, originally spoke to us in Tongan, and it gave that thrill you get hearing the fluent speaking of an indigenous language. 

He then sang in English, having firstly assured us of the little-known fact that, secretly, Louis Armstrong had been Tongan [the Louis Armstrong House Museum begs to differ saying he was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, August 4, 1901]. The man from Sydney then sang What a Wonderful World. 

We were sharing a glorious late-spring afternoon, the new season’s foliage was out in the established trees around Timpson Park ruffled in a light breeze, three generations of families sat together in glorious sunlight, proudly dressed in the traditional garments of their country of origin, and many of them sang along with those optimistic lyrics. Just in that moment, Gaza, Russia and the housing crisis were forgotten, it was easy to agree.

For information about Tongan cultural activities or to donate time, goods or funds to the Tongan cultural festival 2025 contact Ms Toa Takiari on pacificislandsc@gmail.com