Suva Pioneer
p. 35 · Read in the full issue
Captain Cuthbert's 73 Years in Fiji
WHEN Captain William Hamilton Cuthbert died in the War Memorial Hospital, Suva, on June 10, aged 88, there passed on a pioneer who had been in Fiji for 73 years. He went to Fiji in 1869 with his father, Charles Devonport Cuthbert, who had purchased land from the Polynesian Land Company. King Cakobau, desperately pressed for money, in the sixties, wherewith to pay the American indemnity, sold 26,000 acres, in Viti Levu, to the company, for £9,000.
The company proceeded to re-sell the land for settlement.
“Fiji Times” says that the ori ginal settlers, who took up land in Suva, included C. D. Cuthbert and the Arm strong brothers, whose section was at Suva Point, extending from Domain Road at Nasese round Suva Point to the Cable Hut and bordering on Mission Hill at the back. Then there were Brewer and Joske (who held what is now the town of Suva), Dr. McGrath. Mr. Tho mas, Mr. T. B. Mathews, a brother-in law of Cantain W. H. Cuthbert, and about 30 others. In addition to Suva property, there were frontaees to Wai manu River and Samabula River.
Oakden and Richards, who were renre sented bv the Cuthberts, held a block from Walu Bay, Suva, running over the peninsula to Samabula River and em bracing part of the land now owned by Mr. J. B. Borron, of Mago Island. Cap tain Cuthbert resided at the last on an allotment of this block facing Rodwell Road, close to Walu Bay.
The total area of the land sold was about 26.600 acres, but only such portions as had been settled upon—a few hun dred acres—were eventually allowed by the Lands Commission, ex gratia, after Cession in 1874.
Of all the pioneer band who arrived in 1869 and 1870, Captain W. H. Cuth bert was the last survivor in Suva. The Cuthbert homestead was at Raiwaqa, now the property of Mr. J. B. Borron.
Captain Cuthbert led an energetic life.
He served as an engineer in Melbourne, until he came with the family to Fiji.
For some time he was a trader on Viti levu, and then he was overseer on his father’s sugar-cane plantation at Rai waqa, which supplied cane to Brewer and Joske’s mill, on the present site of the Whan Construction Company’s work shops in Suva. Later, he joined the CSR Co. and was in charge of the company’s large paddle-steamer, “Ratu Cakobau”.
This vessel was sent back to Sydney, because it was too big for the Rewa.
Next, he took charge of the little steamer Otter, which he acquired from Sharpe.
Fletcher Sz Co., who had a sugar mill on the left bank of the Navua River, not far from the present site of Morris, Hedstrom’s store. The “Otter” was after wards acquired by James McEwan & Co., the then leading business house in Suva.
Captain Cuthbert resided for some years in Melbourne, but he returned to Fiji in the nineties. He had command of the paddle-steamer “Roko”, an im ported steel ship, one of Sharpe, Flet cher’s fleet. About 1902 he took charge of the steamer “Victoria”, on the run from Suva to Lautoka, via Levuka. Later he returned to shore life and started business as an aerated water manufac turer. At the time of his death he had an up-to-date factory on Rodwell Road.
Captain Cuthbert had a family of five—Charlie, who died in Auckland; William Wood, now living in Suva; Leslie, of Ba; James, now in Auckland; and Sarah, wife of Mr. H. W. Garnett, since deceased. His widow survives him.
Another Pioneer M n R - j * lve d in Suv f 5 £ y f ar t’ ? 16d °5 June . aged 81. Scottish born, he arrived m Fiji in 1883; was overseer of native labour for James McEwan & Co., for many years; and then for 23 years, he was in the service of the Public Works Department. He leaves a widow and nine children—Mrs. E. Hopkmson, Sydney; Mr. W. G. Nicol, Sydney; Mr. Stan Nicol, Gisborne, NZ; Mr. Dave Nicol, Melbourne; Mrs. Fred. Parsons, Essex, England: Mrs. J. King, Wellington; and Doris. Edith and Harry, in Suva.