The Waimea Sugar Co. and Waimea Dairy reunited, celebrated, and reminisced at the Kikiaola Land Co. Ltd.’s premises recently with a potluck luncheon.
It was a hit with a turnout of about 250 mill campers.
Everyone enjoyed personalized purple tote bags and T-shirts, songbook of oldies, old pictures display on tree trunks and croton plants hanging on a string and secured by clothes pins, group pictures, continuous running video of the 1991 Mill Camp Plantation Reunion, singing and Filipino and hula dancing.
For the keikis, there was old-fashion bean bags, blowing bubbles using papaya stalks, lessons on Filipino tinikling dancing using the long poles.
A highlight was honoring 19 old-timers and presenting each of them a canvas print of the Waimea Sugar Mill. The 19 honorees were Conrado Edayan, Betty Parraga, Pedro Costales, Yukio Okino, Frankedado Paiste, Tomiko Kabazawa, Vicky Olivas, Sylvester Domingo, Loretta Domingo King, Michiko Yamashiro, Caroline Unciano, Beverly Johnston, Lucy Ceballos, Helen Ceballos, Lorraine Agosto, Grace Acain, Florence Acain, Juanita Aquitania, Sophie Villanueva, Paniong Oroc, Genevie Delanoza and Ernest Domingo.
The oldest honoree was Michiko Yamashiro, 96, and the youngest, Ernest Domingo, 76.
The committee did an outstanding job and was commended for its efforts. It included Amy (Ataop) Sarmiento, Genevie Delanoza, Regina (Domingo) Manlic, Susan (Ibara) Arquette, Jane Ito, Linda (Olivas) Miah, Nieves (Unciano) Bobiles, Ellen (Yamashiro) Nakata and Angelita (Unciano) Mello.
“From setting up to breaking down, the Mill Camp spirit demonstrated that it totally exists,” Mello wrote. “It was truly a joyful day.”
