Getting to know the vibrant history of several of Suva’s prominent schools creates a greater sense of awareness of how some of our oldest religious bodies understood the fact that to bring about spiritual enlightenment to the human soul, the human mind had to be liberated first through quality education.
In this week’s Discovering Fiji, The Sunday Times team visited Suva’s proud all-girls primary school with a 120-year history of moulding bright, empowered, and fearless Fijian women – Saint Anne’s.
The Cluny Sisters
The Sisters of Saint Joseph of Cluny is a Catholic religious foundation established in 1807 in France, whose members stationed around the world, have dedicated their lives to charitable and missionary work, as well as providing education to the poor.
According to the foundation’s historical records, in 1888, after a request by the Bishop of Suva, Julian Vidal, four foundation members arrived from Noumea. They were Mother St. Martin, Sr. Tarcisius Mongin, Sr. Mary of the Holy Name, and Sr. Francis Chambers.
For the first two years, the sisters resided at the corner of Toorak Rd, on Waverley Hill, they were provided with a nearby property called Mrs Houns House, which served as both the convent and the school. The sisters opened the school in Toorak on December 3, 1888, with 15 students. As the school’s enrolment grew, the original buildings became too cramped.
In 1890, the bishop purchased three small cottages on Pratt St for the sisters, which were used as a boarding and day school for 14 years.
During this period, the St. Joseph Sisters established another school in the Sacred Heart Cathedral Crypt, named St. Peter and Paul’s. This was later replaced by the current St. Anne’s School, which was built and opened in 1932. The original St. Anne’s School then became the Catholic Mission Office and Procure, until Nicholas House was constructed in 1956.
In 1938, marking the Golden Jubilee of the St. Joseph of Cluny sisters’ arrival in Fiji, St. Philomena’s Secondary School was opened on the third floor of St. Anne’s School on Pratt St.
In 1956, the secondary students from St. Joseph’s and St. Philomena’s schools on Pratt St were transferred to St. Joseph’s Secondary School on Waimanu Rd, with the first wing of the new school completed that year. The sisters who staffed the school remained part of the Pratt St Community until 1961.
In May of that year, a house adjacent to the school property was purchased, and a separate community was established at Waimanu Rd. The primary school continued to operate at St. Joseph’s on Pratt St until December 1968, when it merged with St. Anne’s.
At the end of 2011, the sisters transferred the administration of St. Anne’s to the local order of sisters, the Sisters of Our Lady of Nazareth. Although this decision was a sad and painful one, it was a genuine act of missionary spirit, marking the end of 107 years of the sisters’ leadership at the school.
St Anne’s at 120 years old
Current Head of School, Miliana Caginavanua has served at St. Anne’s for almost a decade. She rose through the ranks from class teacher to assistant head teacher and now to her current role, which she has held for three years.
Mrs Caginavanua is a staunch woman of faith, having come through a Catholic upbringing at home and then attending St. Joseph’s Secondary School at Waimanu Rd in Suva. She hails from the village of Nasilai in the Rewa delta with maternal links to Qeleni in the Garden Island of Taveuni.
“Firstly, I would like to mention that this school was set up by the Church to cater mostly for the daughters of the indentured labourers who had come from British India,” she said.
Mrs Caginavanua shared that during this year’s anniversary celebrations, an alumni of the school 93-year-old Mani Sundarji who now resides in Australia paid an emotional visit to the school.
“She is from a family that owned a building that used to be located where Deluxe Footwear at FNPF Plaza in Suva is. They sold school mostly school uniforms, particularly the St Joseph’s uniforms.”
The traditions and values of St. Anne’s Primary School are something that Mrs Caginavanua believes sets it apart from other schools in Fiji.
“Secondly, are the charisms adhered to in the school today have been in place ever since its establishment, these include mannerisms for the girls to abide by, how to speak, how to dress, how to pray, even walking in a single unbroken line to town after school.”
The head of school also went on to reveal how the second floor of the current school building was used as a hospital ward for American soldiers during the height of World War I.
Furthermore, the school has also produced a good number of pioneering women leaders who have gone on to hold significant positions in government, and business and set up successful careers in the legal fraternity.
“Some notable names I can recall include the Apted sisters, Jalals, and also Wati Seeto who was earlier this year appointed as Fiji’s first ombudsperson,” she said.
A beacon of empowerment and unity
While many of us may not be around when the school marks its 200th anniversary, Mrs Caginavanua hopes that those who will be looking back at the school’s journey at that time will see an institution that has empowered, enriched, and nurtured fearless young women thrive under any circumstance.
“The importance of prayer, meditation, and self-discipline cannot be overemphasised. Young women today tend to get too carried away when it comes to the gender issue.
“But here at St. Anne’s we want young girls to grow up to be women of substance and integrity and to understand the value of hard work, nothing comes easy,” she said.
Mrs Caginavanua also paid tribute to the strong network of parents, alumni, and teachers who work behind the scenes to ensure that the school continues to thrive and prosper.
“In the end, everything we do here is for the benefit of students – our girls. We want them to go out into the world and be an example of what a cultured yet fearless woman should be,” she said.
“That has always been and will continue to be the legacy of this great school.”
The school has remained largely the same over its 120 year history. Picture: SUPPLIED
Looking up at the school’s main building along Pratt St.
Picture: ALIFERETI SAKIASI
Then Education PS Selina Kuruleca cuts the anniversary cake with current students and sisters of the convent.
Picture: SUPPLIED
2000s decade alumni during this year’s anniversary march through Suva. Picture: FT FILE
The school’s main building and the RBF building in the
background. Picture: ALIFERETI SAKIASI
