A multi-faith national service was be held on Monday to mark the first anniversary of Tropical Cyclone Winston.
The service was held at Albert Park Pavilion in Suva.
Employers had been asked to let as many workers as possible attend the ceremony which was led by the president Jioji Konrote.
Representatives of some of the worst affected communities were invited to attend
A minute of silence was observed for the 44 people who lost their lives in Cyclone Winston after a roll call of the 44 people and the Last Post.
Family members of the 44 people and students from a number of schools were also present.
People came as far as Koro, Vanuabalavu and
Diplomats and government ministers also attended but opposition party leaders stayed away.
An opposition leader Sitiveni Rabuka said the service was inappropriate given thousands are still suffering in tent homes and classrooms one year on.
He said the funds spent on getting school children and civil servants to attend the event would be better spent on rehabilitation.
Ro Teimumu Kepa is not answering her phone while NFP Leader, Biman Prasad said that he had prior commitments and was attending a funeral.
The Australian minister for International development and the Pacific said i was not only an event to commemorate the death and destruction brough about by Winston, but it also celebrated the resilience of the Fijian people.
Cyclone Winston was the biggest storm ever to make landfall in the Southern hemisphere.
60 percent of the population was directly affected by Cyclone Winston, about 40,000 homes were destroyed and hundreds of schools were damaged.
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