Choir Singer, Military Linguist, Scottish-Fijian — this is Ray’s story
Ray joined the Royal Scots as one of only a few Fijians in the Army in 1999. Since then he has become a linguist, speaking English, Fijian, Hindi, Dari and Farsi and mentoring the Afghan National Army. And he has sung around the world in the Army’s Fijian choir.
My father was one of the first Fijians to join the British Army in 1961, when the doors were opened to Commonwealth soldiers.
I was born in Malta and grew up all around Europe for the first 16 years of my life, in a bilingual, mixed race household, which was relatively uncommon at the time.
In November 1983, I went to live in Fiji. I still stood out, but for a new reason, being very fair skinned I looked more Italian than Fijian. The culture is very close and respect for elders is very important. Being there also re-educated me on core values and standards.
After my time in Fiji, I joined the Royal Scots in 2000. Early on in my career I was able to mentor and be a role model for the younger lads coming in, who didn’t have an understanding of the cultural values, the “do’s and don’ts”, national insurance numbers, how to rent a place, and so on.
A wave of Fijians then joined after some Fijian bandsmen had been posted to perform at the Edinburgh Tattoo.
It was a new time in the British Army, we hadn’t had such an influx since at least 1961. There had been dribs and drabs of Fijian soldiers coming in, but not on that level.
I became part of the Fijian choir for the Battalian, performing at different events, including for Princess Anne. We sang all around the world on tour, in Bosnia, Afghan, Iraq, and on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh to celebrate the lives of two soldiers killed in Afghan in the winter 2009.
In 21 years I have worked as a rifleman, mortar-man, detachment communicator, and in many other roles. I learned Dari to become a mentor to the Afghanistan National Army, conducting lessons in their language. I then became a military linguist, able to speak English, Fijian, Hindi, Dari and Farsi.
We truly need to show there are success stories of people from the Commonwealth who have made it to decent roles in the British Army. This is a safe place. You can work in an environment that is diverse. There are opportunities to rise to what you set your mind to.
I’m part of the Fiji Support Network and am slowly diving into a study group for the recruitment, retention and progression of both Commonwealth and UK BAME (Black and Ethnic Minority) personnel. The different BAME networks in the military are important for providing that one-stop shop to people coming to the UK for the first time.
