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“Ba Civic Museum” Source: Nicholas Halter 2018
Ba Civic Museum

Ba Civic Museum was opened in 2014 and celebrates the township’s history. It also documents the diverse cultural history of the region which is the most populated of the 17 districts in Fiji.

Remnants of the Veiuto Battery in 2012 (taken from Nebraska Anthropologist and researcher Allison Young).
Veiuto Gun Battery

The gun battery now nestled within the Veiuto Parliament House compound was constructed in 1939-40 to protect the capital’s coast. Today the battery has deteriorated somewhat, existing in less-than-ideal conditions. Its guns have been taken away and a phone tower has been mounted within a part of its remains.

“St Andrews Presbyterian Church” Source: Nicholas Halter 2020
St Andrew's Presbyterian Church

St Andrew’s is one of the oldest surviving wooden buildings in Suva, constructed in 1883 soon after the capital was established. It serves a diverse congregation including regional students who attend the University of the South Pacific.

“Sacred Heart Cathedral, Pratt Street, building began 1894, completed in 1939” Source Nicholas Halter 2018
Architecture

Architecture in Suva is reflective of the many different influences over time. These include the indigenous itaukei people who first occupied the land, other Pacific Islander, Asian and Indian migrants who settled since the late 1800s, and government officials and traders who built large colonial dwellings in and around the town centre.

“Swimming Baths Suva, About 1930” Source: Fiji Musuem P32.4/17
Suva Olympic Pool

The Suva Olympic Pool is the oldest colonial pool in Fiji. Built in 1925 it was originally called the Suva Sea Baths. It has since hosted countless swimming competitions, including the first Pacific Games.

“Samoan Congregational Church, view from Thurston Street” (Source: Nicholas Halter 2020)
Samoan Congregational Church

The Samoan Congregational Church was constructed in 1988 and offers religious and pastoral support to the Samoan community in Fiji, including many Samoan students who come to Fiji to study at USP. Originally established by the London Missionary Society (LMS), the Samoan Congregational Church today is known by Samoans as the Ekalesia Fa’apotpotoga Kerisiano i Samoa (EFKS). The church has played an important role in safeguarding  the ethos of fa’a Samoa in Fiji, symbolized by its motto e lele le toloa, ae maau ile vai (meaning “the Toloa water-bird flies away yet always goes back to the water”.)

“Roman Catholic Cathedral, Pratt Street”, no date. Source: Fiji Museum, P32.4/41.
Sacred Heart Cathedral

The Sacred Heart Cathedral is the headquarters of the Catholic Archdiocese of Suva. The construction of the Cathedral began in 1894 and was not completed until 1994, 150 years after the first Marist missionaries arrived in Fiji. The grand European design includes sandstone blocks imported from Australia, concrete staircases and balustrades, and two towers. The central stained glass window above the altar contains an image of a bilo cup beneath the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

“Q.V. Memorial Hall, Suva, Fiji”, Unknown, c1904, shortly after completion. Source: Max Quanchi and Max Shekleton, An Ideal Colony and Epitome of Progress: Colonial Fiji in Picture Postcards, forthcoming.
Suva Town Hall

The Town Hall was originally named the Queen Victoria Memorial Hall when it was opened in 1905. Over a century it has hosted many tenants, including the Fiji Museum, an aquarium, a theatre and restaurants.

“Great Council of Chiefs, Waikava”. Senior members of the Great Council of Chiefs with Cakobau seated at the top of the ramp above his brother Ratu Josefa Celua. The chief to his left, wearing a white masi turban is likely Musudroka, the Vunivalu of Rewa. Waikava, Vanua Levu, Fiji. Possibly photographed by F. Dufty, December 1876. P.99842.VH Source: http://maa.cam.ac.uk/photo-great-council-of-chiefs-p-99842-vh/
Great Council of Chiefs

The Bose Levu Vakaturaga was a formal gathering of Fiji's indigenous (iTaukei) chiefs. It was established by the British Colonial Government in 1875 as an advisory body and named the Council of Chiefs (the term “Great” was added sometime later in the twentieth century). The complex at Draiba was completed in 2009 for Council meetings but was destroyed by fire ten years later. The North and South wings of the complex house the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs, Ministry of Lands and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

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Website content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. All material used on this site retains the original Creative Commons Licences and can only be re-used under their respective licences. Note that corporate logos (such as the Fijian History logo) and images used in some collections and branding are specifically excluded from the Creative Commons Attribution Licence, and may not be reproduced under any circumstances without the express written permission of the copyright holders.

Fijian History © 2018 - The University of the South Pacific
About

This project was a collaborative effort by staff and students of The University of the South Pacific to document some of the historic sites of Fiji.

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