IN the late 1960s, when young girls from rural and maritime islands completed their secondary schools — a hostel was provided to accommodate them.
The Nawela Hostel which was adjacent to the main museum building acted as an accommodation for young single women who had just left high school and entered the workforce.
It accommodated girls from Adi Cakobau School, Suva Grammar School, Lelean Memorial School, who had made the long trip from rural areas and maritime islands, during their high school days and after graduating had been offered employment by the then colonial government.
Thurston Garden holds a lot of memories for these young women —who grew up around the area.
More than 60 years ago, Susana Tuisawau had left her village in Lekutu, Bua, to attend Adi Cakobau School.
After graduating from high school she later became a teacher and was teaching at Ratu Sukuna Memorial School when former ACS principal Ms Charlton advised her that an accommodation was provided.
“At the time, working girls in Suva were being advised that there was a hostel here, this was organised by my former principal Ms Charlton who organised me to come to Nawela Hostel. It had just been opened and there were a few of us that stayed here and we got married until we got transferred and we moved on.
“We were the first lot to occupy the two buildings, one on this side is for the upstairs, and the kitchen and dining downstairs, while we occupied the other rooms,” said Mrs Tuisawau.
It was also here that she found the love of her life and as she puts it “the guy was from down the road, he was a police officer at Nasova, and it is just hilarious when we talk about it now, we all have a special spot in this garden.
One big tree I know who used to own this big tree,” she said with a big laugh.
“I think that was the first wedding and it was organised by the girls here, unfortunately, you will not want to know why but we then went to the GPH for the reception and it was called the Isa Lei rooms,” added Mrs Tuisawau, whose late husband, former police commissioner Mosese Tuisawau, passed away in 2002.
So when government announced that the land had been earmarked to accommodate the new Indian High Commission, Mrs Tuisawau objected saying “it is a shame”.
“This place holds a lot of memories, I was teaching at RSMS at that time. Because we are usually at work during the workdays, our fun starts towards the end of the week. On Thursday there would be sports such as basketball, netball and this place would give a lot of joy to us because we would always hear the different dialects of girls and boys who come in to play. This was a very special social gathering place for us on Saturday. It was a sea of colours.
“And for me, I just love sports, I didn’t care much about academic, I just love sports.
“We know this place very well and it is dear to us.
“I think it is a shame because this place holds such significant memories and in my book it has a tribal historical significance to the owners.”
Minister for Land and Mineral Resource Ashneel Sudhakar when questioned in Parliament this week, said Government had approached the Suva City Council in 2014 for the possibility of it being surrendered as the land had not been occupied for the past 100 years.
When questioned why traditional landowners from Suvavou were not consulted, Mr Sudhakar said it was State land.
