THIS year The Fiji Times is celebrating its 150th anniversary and unbeknownst to many, neatly stacked in an air-conditioned room in Nadi are copies of rare The Fiji Times’ editions dating back to 1910.
The collectors’ items are owned by Nadi businessman Babu Ganesh.
The Nadi resident said he bought 195 copies of The Fiji Times dated from the 1870s to 1970 at an auction in Melbourne, Australia, about two decades ago.
“I love antiques and I have been collecting old things,” the 60-year-old said.
“A friend from Melbourne, Bruce Sowter, knows my interest in antique collections and he told me about the papers.
“He had these The Fiji Times collections which were up for auction in Melbourne so I bought them from him and this was in the early 2000s.”
Since then, the publications have become part of Mr Ganesh’s life.
He said they served him well during his free time as he would go through the copies and relive Fiji’s pre-independence history through the articles which captured the mood, times and events of yesteryear.
Mr Ganesh said the articles in The Fiji Times inspired him to set up a museum of his own.
“They are a precious collection for me because it is me looking back to many years ago, especially the advertisements and what they were doing those days.
“They used to be displayed in my shop in Nadi and a lot of people, especially university students, used to come and have a look.”
Mr Ganesh said he was proud to have copies of the country’s oldest newspaper and he hoped to put them up on display in the near future.
“I welcome all the younger people to come and view the publications themselves and have a feel of what life was like in those days.
“Congratulations The Fiji Times and all that you have been doing all these years. Keep up the good work.”
