Pioneers are happy in their Ctesiphons

ON September 24, 1960, published an article on the first three women in Fiji to live in a Ctesiphon house.

The happy pioneers were Losalini Silisoma, Mrs Abdul Lateef and Teresia Raloka.

A month or so before the move, each family was living in just one room, Losalini at Flagstaff, Mrs Lateef at Samabula and Teresia at Laucala Bay.

Losalini felt everything about the Ctesiphon was just right with her coral pink curtains that flattered in the breeze against the cool green walls of her unusual house.

Losalini’s husband Panapasa worked for the RNZAF and they paid £3/10/- a month for their Ctesiphon in the Raiwaqa housing estate.

In 1960, the Ctesiphons comprised of three rooms, kitchen, bedroom and living room as well as shower room, although the bedroom partitions still had to be installed.

— shanelle.prasad@fijitimes.com.fj

Inside, the beetle-like buildings were surprisingly spacious, and nobody had found trouble in fitting in furniture, in spite of the curved sides.

In Losalini’s Ctesiphon, a dining table and chairs stood against one of the straight end walls, a bed against the other and an occasional table and easy chairs were set in the middle of the room.

Losalini said she had found the temperature inside the Ctesiphon to stay even , getting neither too hot or too cold.

The Ctesiphons had quite extensive views of Laucala Bay and the three women started their gardens at their new houses.

The women did most of their shopping at the Raiwaqa co-operative shop, to which they had a pretty stroll past colourful gardens of the earlier conventional houses on the estate.