04/11/2024
This past week was preparation for the Grand Pacific Hotel Suva Clients Appreciation Week, my role was to at the cocktail held on Friday last week give a history talk, and a short tour around the hotel and to bring in some artistic flair into the evening. I always work with Koto from Matemosi Masi Artisans as not only do they do great work, Koto is from a long line of masi makers and weavers.
I spent two full days at National Archives of Fiji and big Vinaka to Asena that is their lead Librarian and she not only is generous with her time and knowledge, she is so absolutely kind and gentle to anyone that goes to their library seeking help.
My one takeaway from last weeks event as that the spot that the Grand Pacific Hotel Suva sits, was reclaimed in the early 1900s to make way for development and before that there was a clump of trees and the area was called 'Vu ni Vesi' after a small clump of vesi trees that used to grow there.
I would love to talk with iTaukei Affairs Board to find its indigenous names for parts of Suva that we now refer to as street names and maybe in the distant future we can change these street names back to its original names.
