IN 1881, the shipping line known as Union Steam Ship Company commenced operations to the Fiji Islands when their vessel “Southern Cross” established service from New Zealand.
The shipping company established services to and from New Zealand and Australia and across the Pacific to North America. It was once the biggest shipping line in the southern hemisphere and NZ’s largest private-sector employer.
According to the website nzshipmarine.recollect.co.nz in its heyday, the company “ran a hotel in Fiji, owned offices and wharves in Australia, a printing works and coal business in New Zealand and a chain of branch offices that stretched throughout the South Pacific. It also ran airlines”.
The Fiji Times records show, its first Suva office, which was a timber structure, was constructed in 1900 and lasted until 1934, when a modern building had to be built. Prior to setting up its own office, it was served by shipping agents, such as Ernest Ford in 1884 and A.M.Duncan in 1888.
The land on which its first office property was located had its backyard facing the sea so reclamation work was necessary. This added 220 pounds to the company’s budget of 650 pounds when erecting the wooden block.
Though the structure’s wooden walls and shingled roof looked cool it was primitive and its backyard was easily exposed to water inundation during extreme weather.
Electric lighting was not installed until 1920 and until then the only source of light at the office was from kerosene and petrol gas lamps.
Then, the only telephone system on the island was the private exchange run by the CSR Company and until the office had its own telephone connected with the CSR exchange, it borrowed the use of telephone at Brown and Joske’s office down the street.
From 1920 onwards, the wooden office became increasingly dilapidated with rotting boards and a roof that made it a challenge to “hold out the rain”.
Nevertheless, the company’s Fiji business continued to expand and over the years they serviced many famous ships including those which became household names in Fiji such as Aorangi, Niagara, Matua, Tofua and Tarawera.
The company also carried out agency work for Union South Pacific, the first vessel to commence RoRo services in Fiji.
In 1934, the wooden office in Suva was taken down and replaced with modern concrete structures costing 3000 pounds. This new building was described in The Fiji Times as “handsome edition to Suva’s rapidly growing number of modern premises”.
In 1939, further reclamation was made to the seaward side of the property enabling it to survive the hurricanes of 1941 and 1952, and the earthquake and tidal wave of 1955.
In the years that followed there were various changes to its interior layout and decoration but it remained uncharged for at least four decades.
Another major renovation was done to the building in 1980 to make way for the construction of the Union Travel Plaza but before this could happen, the office moved temporarily to Harris Street in 1979 to allow upgrade work to be carried out.
The plaza offered one of the best shopping experiences in central Suva. Nestled between the general post office and the Westpac Bank, the spot was the place to go for the latest bargains.
One of the shops that opened up at the plaza was The Crossroads, owned by Jane Usher who made connections with Italian craftsmen from Florence, Venice and Milan, where her alabaster ware, onyx glass and decorated wood were sourced from.
She also bought tableware from Johnson Brothers in England, Figgjo Fijanse from Norway, Procelaince de Paris products from France and other items from Korea, Austria and New Zealand.
Boomerang Duty Free was another business that sprung up in the plaza. It was owned by enterprising businessman Jayanti Lal who first established his shop on Nina Street in 1973.
Lal dealt with a range of products distributed in Fiji at the time by Motibhai and Company (today the owners of The Fiji Times newspaper), such as Akai equipment, Casio watches, Sharp radio, Olympus cameras, Sanyo hi-fi system and Hitachi products. Other shops were A.J.Swann Pharmacy and The Shoe Tree.
Grand Pacific Hotel
One of the reasons why Union Steamship Company was a household name in Suva during the colonial years was its link to one of the country’s biggest and most spectacular projects in the early 20th century, the building of the Grand Pacific Hotel.
GPH’s preliminary planning was mooted in 1908 by Union Steamship Company of New Zealand (sometimes called Union Line).
The company was incorporated by Wellington-born James Mills in Dunedin, 1875 with the backing of a Scottish shipbuilder, Peter Denny before being bought by shipping giant P & O around the time of the World War I.
The spot where GPH was built was once a landing place called Na Vunivesi, named after clumps of native vesi trees that grew there and on a stretch of beach locals called Na Mulomulo, named after the many mulomulo (a native coastal plant) trees that lined the coastline.
The final plans, prepared by New Zealand company, Salmon and Vanes, were based on contemporary colonial architecture which featured high ceilings and big double, louvred doors that opened out onto a broad verandah designed to provide cool comfort and style in a tropical climate.
Construction was undertaken by Hall Hogg and Company from Dunedin,NZ and the hotel opened its doors on May 23, 1914 with 35 rooms for “tourists who broke their sea journey for a short stay in Fiji”.
According to historical records the design of the hotel emulated the typical first class accommodation offered on board Union Steamship Company ships (and others) in those days.
At its debut year, The Fiji Times proclaimed the GPH as a “magnificent structure” designed to “catch the cooling tradewinds”.
“All rooms are well protected from the sun by 15-feet wide verandas and balconies which surround the whole building. Electric fans are provided throughout….the front balcony overlooks the Parade along which there is always passing a constant stream if natives, in forming a fascinating procession,” described The Fiji Times.
The GPH’s Roof Garden was her popular feature. This place was where guests retired in the evening to catch the cool evening breeze, sip a few drinks while watching the sun set over Suva Harbour.
The ladies had their drawing room and the men enjoyed a billiard room with two tables, the smoking room, writing room and a bar.
Bathroom fittings all came from Britain, the only drawback being they were in a communal location and shared with other guests. Still these were praised and described as “most lavish and as sanitary as modern science can make”.
When the hotel opened in 1914, rooms were priced from 15 shillings.
The Herald Handbook of 1921, detailed the GPH in the following way: “a palatial building with broad verandas and luxurious lounges, coffee rooms…where cooling drinks or the refreshing cup of afternoon tea are served in truly oriental style by white turbaned waiters”.
In 1958, after the Union Steamship relinquished their lease, the hotel was owned by Cathay Hotels (Fiji) Ltd under the chairmanship of the Honourable Wesley Barret M.L.C.
Today, the plaza space where the shipping company’s first Suva office was located still stands, sandwiched between Westpac Bank and the Suva’s post office but called Marchant Finance Plaza. Over the recent past, the 1900 front shop space was taken up by various businesses, including KFC. It is now accommodates Optic Eyecare and Macquarie Travelworld.
