The oldest municipality
LEVUKA was the first municipality proclaimed in Fiji and the township dates from 1877. Commonly known as the town hall, Queen Victoria Hall was built in 1898 in a style that evokes the British colonies and might be found in the West Indies as much as the South Pacific.
And for some reason, the architect of the town hall building is not known.
One could site the town hall around the end of Henning St across the bridge over Totogo Creek. From the looks of the outside, the building is the focus of the part of town where is it situated. The town hall building is situated close to what has been described as the oldest Masonic
lodge in the South Pacific.
When the municipality was established, the head of the council was the warden, a position which has been held by many distinguished members of the community. The council was instrumental in establishing the Levuka Public School and for some time was its board. The town hall was the focus of much social activity and was used as a theatre until 1961.
The town of Levuka was created in 1877 and it remains the oldest municipality in Fiji, the town hall served as the Levuka Town Council offices from the time of its construction until today, and the main gathering place for the townspeople.
Today, the building is in active use as the building is an extremely important place in the administrative and social history of the town. For over 110 years it has witnessed performances and meetings of the townspeople and of those from all over Ovalau. It is significant as the representation of the municipal government in Levuka, the oldest in Fiji, for its association with the community’s life in Levuka, for its architecture, and for its critical contribution to the streetscape.
Last year, during her visit to Levuka Town, the Minister for Local Government, Premila Kumar said the council was planning to preserve and maintain the original heritage buildings and sites owned by Levuka Town Council.
“One such site is the magnificent town hall,” she said.
“The Government provided funds last year and again this year to paint the internals of the building. The council through appropriate consultation assured that the right colours were chosen to reflect its heritage.
“There are other buildings that we would like to restore. One is the Governor’s House. We would like to turn that into a public gallery, with a coffee shop and a restaurant so that visitors to Levuka can experience the atmosphere of the original home.
“I hope the residents of Levuka will respond to this wonderful opportunity and start their catering business from that site when it is advertised for rental.”
During an interview with this newspaper, the town administrator said he took up his post in 2016 and the developments had been progressive.
He said the number of ratepayers in Levuka Town was less and so the council was dependent on assistance rendered to them by the Government and also non-government organisations (NGOs).
Through the assistance, he said the council worked to preserve and maintain buildings such as the town hall because it was of great significance to the people of Levuka and also those who visit Levuka Town.
He also said the council only had 258 rateable properties and a lot of visitors, especially tourists who visit Levuka were so fond of visiting original heritage buildings such as the town hall.
The town administrator also said that Levuka Town was famous for numerous sites such as Fiji’s first bank, post office, club, town hall, and even municipal government. He said Fiji’s first national newspaper was also founded in Levuka in 1869 and even the Royal Hotel (which is still in operation today) is the oldest hotel in the South Pacific.
For many Fijians, Levuka remains in a special place among Fijian hearts. In the future, its significance as part of Fiji’s development history will become more prestigious and unique, especially as our towns and cities evolve in modernity and makeup, among other areas.
UNESCO, on its website, says Levuka is easily recognised for “its low line of buildings set among coconut and mango trees along the beachfront” – a “rare” and “outstanding example of late 19th century Pacific port settlements”.
It says it is the result of “development by the indigenous community” and “integration of local building traditions by a supreme naval power” – Britain – had led to “the emergence of a unique landscape”.