“My connection to Tonga comes from many years since my father, Bill Waterhouse, went through university with the late King of Tonga, Taufaʻāhau Tupou IV.
They studied Law at Sydney University in the 1940s. In the 1970s, I was traveling with my father overseas and he got a message that His Majesty has summoned him to the Kingdom. As he would, he dropped everything and cancelled all our program and flew back from America. The reality was that my father had been doing business in the Pacific and the King of Tonga said, ‘I want you to help Tonga too, don’t forget about us.’
Dad loved an opportunity to help people that he stayed on doing it. When Dad first took it up in 1975, there was probably a handful of Tongans in Australia. It’s now grown to be a thriving, strong community.
I was doing my own career in marketing which I studied in New South Wales University and then I had a calling that I wanted to help my father. I then left my role and went to work with him in the office and helped him with Tonga. That’s where I’ve been working for 27 years. It’s such a privilege for me to be able to make a small difference; not many people have that opportunity.
In my role as Honorary Consul General, I don’t have a clear limiting job description. Yes, I look after citizens, passports, and help people by giving information about Tonga for investors and helping when we have government or royal visits. But then I try and paint outside the frame and think, ‘If I can help in some way, if I can do something, why not? Why not try and help if I can make a small difference?’ That’s why I knock on doors for help or try to come up with ideas to help Tonga.
I’ve been privileged to represent Tonga, help with sports, and bring Tonga’s issues at a high level, whether that’s politically in Australia or overseas. I think the highlight of my work has been this disaster relief. Being empowered and having the community behind us under the Princess has been extraordinary with what we’ve brought together. To have 44 containers of items valued at maybe 4 or 5 million dollars, with 47,500 pieces of clothing, medical support, 900 thousand KN95 masks, and 220 beds amongst other items has been amazing.
When the [volcanic eruption] struck, of course communication was down. It was terribly traumatic for you and for us as well because people couldn’t contact their family. I was trying to contact too. The very first message I got was from His Majesty one week after. He said, ‘Our ancestors before us have suffered this and more without our learning, without our technology. Who are we to let them down? We’re not going to lie down and give up.’ I just thought that is so amazing. He’s such a wise man; such a fantastic spirit.
I always say Tonga punches above its weight. Tonga’s reputation and profile is so much more than a country of one hundred thousand people. Why is that? It’s because of the royal family. Because of that extraordinary aura that they give Tonga, their dedication and continuity to Tonga. In return, the Tongans have given me fulfillment. I often say to myself, why am I so happy? Why am I so fulfilled? It’s because of this opportunity.
It’s the fact that I can give and offer help. It’s friendship but it’s also a certain awe-struck-ness because I really revere what their Majesties do and what they stand for. I see first-hand their passion for their people. I saw it in Taufaʻāhau Tupou IV. He just wanted to help his people. When he was on his last legs in 2006, he summoned my father and I to Auckland to say goodbye. It was very hard, very traumatic. I went into the room with my father and he was really ill but he said to me, ‘Louise I want you to help the Tongan guest workers.’ He was referring to the seasonal workers. We had 1,200 Tongans as the beginning of the seasonal workers program. I give the full credit to His Majesty because he was the visionary who said I think this is what would be good for my people.
In his last moment, his dying wish was for the people. He was thinking about his people. How beautiful is that? I always say to the community and the diaspora in Australia, please keep your culture. Please keep your language. If you turn your back on that you become half a person. If you keep your culture alive, you’re better than the rest. Normal Australians can’t speak two languages and don’t have their culture to fall back on.
We can learn so much from the Tongan culture—the way that we treat each other, the way that we treat our elders, the way we revere what the people before us have done—we can learn all of that and the way we address each other.
I think the greatest asset that Tonga has is its people whether they’re in Tonga or the diaspora and for me to be in the position to be able to help when Tonga needed it has been an honour and a privilege.”
Source: Australian High Commission in Tonga – Stories of Partnership with Tonga