A man who fell ill and could not do strenuous work, and a group of people of the Tavanaki mataqali, in Ba, who wanted electricity in their homes, joined forces to set up a handicraft centre at Nailaga Village.
This was reported in The Fiji Times of Monday, November 8, 1976.
The centre had many customers since it opened in August and $800 was collected for the electrification programme, twenty-five per cent of it through sales from the centre.
The idea for the centre came from Joseva Katautoga, a retired soldier who served in Malaya during WWII,.
After spending many years working on a canefarm in Koronubu, Ba, he fell sick which left him without any income because he was unable to do strenuous work.
He heard of the financial difficulties the people of Tavanaki mataqali faced in getting electricity and thought why not set up a business to give him a steady income and help the mataqali.
Helped by the assistant Roko Tui Ba, Mr Alusio Navosailagi, the centre was built as a cost of $500.
Handicraft sold there included beads, lali, swords, masi, baskets, mats and tablecloths made by the youths of Nailaga Village and women’s clubs in the area.
Mr Nakautoga priced the goods and got 25 per cent from the sale of each item.
