Everyone knows that Suva is the capital of Fiji.
However, it was not until 1877 that a decision was made to shift the capital to Suva from Levuka in Ovalau and it was not until 1953 that Suva was proclaimed a city.
Many will know at least the name of one street in Suva.
Suva was first occupied by settlers in 1870. The Suva City Council — history of Suva states the settlers arrived in the steamer “Alhambra” to take up allotments of land granted by the Polynesian Company, a Melbourne Association which in 1868 had obtained rights over the land by charter.
However, it would be safe to assume that not many would know how these streets got their names.
This week we take a look at some streets in Suva and how they were named.
We begin with Toorak.
Albert J Shuts in his book Suva: A History Guide published in 1978 wrote, with majority of Suva’s first street settlers having come from Melbourne, there was the perception they would name a section of the new town after the city’s most fashionable and exclusive suburb.
A less like explanation of the name is reported by a historian who maintained that in one of the Australian languages, Toorak means — where the chief is and that the area was called by the owner of the land Charles Augustus Huon, because he was chief of the estate. At any rate it was regarded as the best location for a residential section with an unobstructed view of the Suva Harbour.
“Early in its development, Toorak was a bone of contention between two pioneer settlers: Joske Huon. Actually the property of Huon’s father who had since gone to San Fransico, the property was sold by the son to Joske and eventually a lawsuit developed over ownership. But surviving the squabbles of nearly a century ago, streets with names from both families — lie side by side or across each other.”
The informations below were extracted from a book written by AJ Shuts.
Pictures were sourced from the books Fiji’s Past Picture & Postcards by Elsie Stephenson and the Cyclopedia of Fiji reprinted by the Fiji Museum
Amy/Huon/Augustus streets
All these streets are named after one person.
Aime Augustus Huon, who with his son Charles Augustus, came to Fiji in 1872 to grow cotton. The elder Huon bought 40 acres at the top of Nubukalou Creek (now Toorak).
After he moved to San Fransis—-co, the son sold the land and an adjoining 40 acres to Paul Joske, evidently without a clear title. The sale was a subject of a lawsuit in 1882.
In 1907 the Cyclopedia of Fiji reported: “Mr Huon during his career in Fiji acquired considerable landed property in the vicinity of Suva. The spelling of his name changed from Aime to Ami then to Amy.
Huon St
Charles Augustus Huon — librarian of the Supreme Court also of the Suva Public Library — is the son of the late Aime Augustus Huon, a well-known pastoralist of Australia and one of the pioneers of settlement in the Riverina district of New South Wales.
He was born in Fitzroy, Melbourne in 1853 and was educated at the St Patricks College, Melbourne.
He accompanied his father and arrived in Levuka in January of 1872 and almost immediately entered upon cotton cultivation. This enterprise failed and he engaged for some years in trading in Fijian productions exporting to Australia and New Zealand
Brown St
Leslie Edward Brown, principal in the firm of Messrs Brown and Joske, a leading firm of wholesale and retail merchants of Fiji, was a native of South Wales and was educated in Germany and France.
Upon the termination of his school career he joined a brokers office where he remained until he left London for Sydney in 1883 and arriving in Suva at the end of the year, after accepting an appointment in the service of Colonial Sugar Refinery Co Ltd.
He later established himself as a successful businessman. He was also director of the then Fiji Shipping Co Ltd.
Allardyce St
Sir William Lamond Allardyce was appointed clerk and interpreter in the provincial department and came to Fiji in 1879.
In 1880 he was transferred to Rotuma as clerk and subsequently as stipendiary magistrate.
In 1882 he received the appointment as native commissioner and stipendiary magistrate at Kadavu.
In 1890 he was promoted to the office at Suva of assistant native commissioner and that of native commissioner in 1896.
In 1898 he was called to fill the position of assistant colonial secretary. From February 14-20 of 1901 he acted as deputy governor and in July of that year, upon the departure of the late Sir George O’Brien he was commissioned with the administration of the government.
Brewster St
A distinguished family perpetuated by the Joske family. Mrs Joske was a Brewster, part of a family which went to America in the Mayflower.
After a suicide in the family, the name was assumed (years after the street was named by Paul Joske’s son, Adolph Brewster Joske who arrived in 1870 as a 16-year-old with his parents and the Polynesian company.
Young Joske late served as resident commissioner Colo North and after changing his name, became well known as AB Brewster, author of The Hill Tribes of Fiji (1922) and King of the Cannibal Isles (1937.)
Dudley Rd
Hannah Dudley (1863-1931) was a Methodist missionary teacher who is especially remembered for her work among families of Fijians of Indian descent in Suva. The street named in 1976 was originally Prince St and was part of the Polynesia Company’s Toorak town.
Holland St
Sir Henry Thurston Holland (1824-1914), secretary of state for the Colonial 1887-1892. He was in frequent correspondence with Des Voeux, who often wrote of Holland’s praise.
The street was once a narrow track leading to Toorak with a wooden foot-bridge across the creek near Na i Samuni pool. Now it is a full-fledged road, with the creek culverted and the road rebuilt up.
At night the road’s sinister aura had given it the Fijian name “sala buto” — dark road.
Johnson St
WH Johnson was a land and estate agent. He was one of the early settlers of the Polynesia Company and held 45 acres near Suva Point.
* Next week we look at streets in central Suva.
