Many patrons who have had the chance to clink their glasses at the Nausori Club will agree with this story headline, especially if they were served by bartender Rajbahadur Singh.
Fondly known as Ram Singh, the 70-year-old resident of Buiduna, outside Nausori served his last drink late last month (July) after 50 years of bartending.
With that brand of achievement, there is no wonder why he is no stranger in the township of Nausori.
Formerly of Sarasawati Secondary School, Ram grew up in a family of eight siblings and never thought he would dedicate five decades of his life to serving patrons with their favourite beverage.
On July 30, 1974, at the age of 20, a young Ram started work at Nausori Club, starting as a cleaner.
“I did this (cleaning) for six months before I was moved to the bar,” the septuagenarian told The Sunday Times.
“I was serving drinks and giving change from orders. Customers were very good and kind.”
Being a new employee, the happy-go-lucky environment made his work enjoyable, so much so that he clocked up 50 years of service to the club and its financial members.
“During that time, I started at 10am and finished at 11pm.”
Ram said he also assisted with the serving of food.
That daily routine remained uncharged for decades but he never regretted taking up the job
Ram Singh’s day started 9am every and ended very late at night – which is the usual routine for a bartender.
One of the things that kept him faithful to his job was the amiable environment at the club and the friendships he was able to forge.
He said he met and served government officials, businessmen, politicians and society’s creme de la creme, including the late Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, Ratu William and Ratu David Toganivalu.
“I’ve learnt many things from those I worked with and served,” he said.
“Gaining knowledge helps your experience. You can’t learn things overnight. It took me months to know what to do.
This helps improve the quality of your work.”
Many people know what bartending work involves the intricate task of serving drinks and attending to the patrons and after 50 years of doing this, Ram Singh has called it a dayt.
With countless hours of knowledge and skills under his belt, he said two of the most popular drinks he served at the club during his career were whiskey and beer.
This was usually consumed “dry” (undiluted), he said.
Ram Singh said another contributing factor to his successful time at the Nausori club was the successful leadership of club committee members, especially its current president Ambika Nand and secretary Uma Kant Patel.
Ram said throughout his time at the Nausori Club, Mr Nand’s leadership resulted in “many prosperous ventures”.
“I’m very proud to have been part of the Nausori Club family. It hurts to leave but I will still visit every now and then.”
Ram Singh said working at the club allowed him to help his extended family over the past 50 years.
“My late mother would have been proud to see me retire from Nausori Club,” he said.
Now the question we might all ask is, where the 70-year-old bartender will go next?
Ram Singh says he will plant a small garden back at home with help from people who live in his neighbourhood.
While Ram Singh will surely miss the hustle and bustle behind the bar, he will enjoy more time with his family.
“For me the support and guidance of my family at home and here at the club helped me a lot.
“I had a lot of great memories and moments.”
He said enjoying work had a lot to do with the environment one was surrounded by.
“So try to have fun wherever you work but make sure you’re doing the right thing.”
We rarely hear or see stories about bartenders who retire from their work at 70.
If there’s one thing, we can all learn from his story it is there’s truly no limit to stopping someone from achieving his or her goals.
