Thank you, Buna! You're right. It does need a lot of work. I've been receiving so much wonderful feedback on the sort of place it was many years ago. It was almost like a lost world. :)

I'll be going back again soon, Filimoni. 😃

@@ThePaleBlueDotthats great, thank you for all the updates. So nice to see all the familiar places which still there till now. Im not too sure if the Supermarket, Dispensary & the St John Hall dtill there in Loloma. Its further down from the Loloma Bowling Club .

@@filimonitokoni3430 My pleasure!

Thank you, my friend! That might be the subject for a future vlog: a tour inside one of those tank houses. 😎👍🏽✌🏽👌🏽

I'm sorely tempted to go back and do a third vlog, Carol, and visit some of the side streets, delve deeper into the homes further away from the main road, visit that lady mentioned at the outset and find out what happened to the airstrip.

@@ThePaleBlueDot - so much history there as you’ve just discovered ay? A hidden treasure…a very special place for all us ex-Vatukoula residents 👍🏼❤️ - oh yes you should consider that…And I am sure/know you will find out a lot of information from that “special” lady 👍🏼🌺

@@calmma0105 Yes, exactly right, Carol. I knew very little about Vatukoula until I made the vlog. I've learnt so much from the comments! :)

Sadly, Vatukoula is not what it was. Your sentiments are similar to others who have commented on this vlog; that is used to be a bustling place with a huge sense of community. The current owners don’t really care for its upkeep. They’re interested in the money earning potential of the mine and that is it.

Thank you, Jiare. I plan to go back there soon. I've been given a few leads of other things to see and people to speak to.

From NZ

Thank you for that truly wonderful history lesson. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Absolutely fascinating!

Vinaka!

Thanks, will do!

Thank you, Daiana Carra! Very kind of you to say so! :)

Thank you, Shushil! 👍🏽✌🏽😎👌🏽

Those were probably the good old day, Rakeshwar. Much missed from what I can tell.

@@ThePaleBlueDot when you were there. I started with new employees just after the big strike at mines 1977-78s

@@rakeshwarprasad4667 that was the famous strike, right?

Thanks for that, "Uncle Max". That sort of information is really invaluable to building a picture of how and why Vatukoula came to be.

@@ThePaleBlueDot Did you receive the info emailed through

Thank you, AJ.! It was my pleasure! I’ve got another one on Vatukoula on my channel and I’ll probably do another one soon. You must have some fascinating reminiscences of your time.

No worries, bro. Glad you liked it. 😃😃

Thank you so much 🙂

Glad you like them! Stay tuned for more!

I do declare, "Uncle Max": you have an encyclopedic knowledge of Vatukoula! :)

Thank you so much 😊

Thank you! My prospective Momi vlog shouldn't be too far away. :)

My pleasure, Joseva. Thank you for watching. So many ex-Vatukoulans are now all over the world.

Glad you're enjoying it! 😎👍🏽👍🏽✌🏽

Thank you, Mahendra. That was a very beautiful reply. Your sentiments are very heartfelt.

@@ThePaleBlueDot WE NEED MORE EXPOSURE ACTUALLY FIJI IS A VERY BEAUTIFUL PLACE WE JUST REALIZE WHEN WE LEFT THE COUNTRY..I LEARNED MORE ABOUT FIJI FROM USA 🇺🇸 THAN WHAT I LEARNRD LIVING THERE..UNFORTUNATELY. LACK OF $MONEY$ ECONOMIC POWER MAKES THE THE WORLD OF DIFFERENCE FIJI IS ALSO VERY RICH IN LAND AND RESOURCES SAD ITS NOT BEEN MANAGED WELL .AGRICULTURE POTENTIAL WAS NOT FULLY DISCLOSED BY FOREIGNERS WHO WERE IN FIJI..THATS WHY FIJI WAS STUCK IN ONLY SUGAR PRODUCTION BROWN CRYSTALS. ONLY / IT WAS FURTHER PROCESSED IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES THATS WERE THE MONEY WAS..FSC FAILED TO DO FINAL PHASE../ FIJI COULD HAVE RICH DAIRY FISHERIES..BUT ITS IMPORTING OR PROCESSED ✔️ OVERSEAS.. FIJI IS SO BIG THAT IT CAN SUSTAUN 2 5 MILLIONS PPLE PLUS EASILY..GOVT IS REFUSING OR NOT ENCOURAGING BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OR BRING NEW INDUSTRY'S .ONLY SUVAS NADI LAUTOKA HAVE PPLE HAVE INCOLME. REST OF COUNTRY IS TRAILING DESPERATELY..FIJI NEED TO DISTRIBUTE ITS POPULATION FROM SUVA TO OTHER TOWN BY BRINGING INDUSTRY'S OTHER TOWN...FACTORIES TECHNOLOGY IS READILY AVAILABLE IN WEST NO NEED TO INVENT JUST INVEST..IN CITIZENS. UNIVERSITY GRADUATES YOU RE NOT EDUCATING THEM FOR OVERSEAS CONTRIES . WHAT THE PURPOSE.? UNFORTUNATELY CANT SAY MUCH COZ FIJIIANS WILL FEEL THAT WE ARE HERE IN OVERSEAS TALK IS EASY..? BUT FIJI BRAINDRAIN CAUSED LOT OF ECONOMIC HAVOC.....AND FEW POLITICAL PUNDIT HAVE CAPITALIZED ON THE WEAKNESSES OF THE COUNTRY..INDO ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE..NATIVES AND INDOS GOT TO WORK TOGETHER. NO BODY IS GOING TO TAKE THE LAND WITH THEM..BEST IS UTILIZATION TO GENERATE TAX INCOME.TODAY THIRD WORLD IS FAILING MISERABLE DUE TO INFRASTRUCTURE.FAILURE AND ITS NOTHING NEW..WE BEEN REPEATING THIS OVER AND OVER AGAIN...BRING THE FUNCTIONAL PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEMS AND AND NOT HALFWAY...WE HAVE ALL SOUNDED OFF MOSTLY ALL FROM OVERSEAS IMMIGRANTS AND NONE IN FIJI ARE TALKING EXCEPT FOR OLD SHREWD POLITICIANS WHO NEEDS TO BE RETIRED AND BRING NEW BLOOD.... I COULD GO ON AND ON BUT COUNTRY IS IN DIRE NEED.. 🙏 IN EVERY SECTOR.. BEST WISHES . MhndraUSA 🇺🇸

@@mahendrarathi2677 Very well said again, Mahendra. The potential in Fiji is enormous. Let's hope a future government can do something about it.

Vinaka, Kayer!

Thanks, Hilton! Couldn't agree more. It should look like Ballarat in Victoria, Australia, with its gold history. Lots more to come, don't worry! :)

😎

Vinaka Seveto! He is such a lovely old man. Was that young lady outside the shop his granddaughter?

You must have some fond memories, Semisi.

@@ThePaleBlueDot yes my dad worked in the mines in the colonial era the guy you spoke to Christopher whippy was my school mate at convent it was managed by the missionaries the Marist nuns vatukoula was a thriving gold mine town vatukoula was discovered in the 1930'S by two Australians who were river panning and discovered gold at nasivi river and they built a town with the concept of the mineral mines of Australia in the outbacks in vatukoula their names were Mr Bothwick and Mr Smith and yes it self sufficient it had everything it needed to the contentment of the people that worked and lived there for us that lived there during it's glory days would like to remember it as it was then,now it's the remanents of what it used to be..

@@ThePaleBlueDot carol Wooley we were living at vatukoula at the same time she was my sister's good friend we all went to school together

@@semisiwaqa6861 Very true, my friend. Seeing it now was a pleasant surprise but I would dearly have loved to have seen it during its heyday.

@@semisiwaqa6861 the MAYOR OF VATUKKOULA...

Sure 😊 Nadarivatu is high up on my list as is Monasavu! ✌🏽👍🏽👌🏽

Welcome! I hope you've subscribed! 😊

Wow! Thank you, Nagma Soma, for that update! I've been getting such a fascinating series of comments about my two Vatukoula vlogs. I really appreciate your info. :)

The Library had a snooker table where they held snooker competitions. Meanwhile, Fong Lee had a billiard table in their shop where people paid 20cents per game.

@@margiemuller2116 Wow! Thank you for that snippet of info. A library with a snooker table sounds wonderfully eccentric! 😃

A special place with special memories. 😃

Lovely place.

Thank you, Carol! By the way, I've been in touch with your sister Lynette who, like you, has been a ton of wonderful information on the Vatukoula vlog series.

Thanks for watching, John. Lots more on my channel. :)

I’m afraid I don’t know. Sorry.

Thanks Sir. Just an old family friend, I thought maybe I could catch up with.

Yes of course Wally still lives in Nasivi

😂😂😂

helo bro

@@amamuddin1839 👍🏽✌🏽👌🏽😎😂

😎

@@ThePaleBlueDot what time is it

Thank you for sharing this video. Awesome pictures and memories.

I know! Hilarious! 😂😂

I appreciate what you're saying, FIJI TIME, but it's hard to corner the right people to chat with to build up a fuller picture of what Vatukoula was like back in the day. I am looking to go back so perhaps I might meet up with some old timers.

Thousand apologies, aunty.

Wow! That's incredibly kind of you to help, Robert. It's a GoPro Hero 8. I have just one battery left that's stuck inside the GoPro because the battery tab (the thing you grab to pull it out) came off the other day. I can still charge it but I can't remove it without destroying the battery which for some reason has become swollen probably with the heat. I'll give you my mother's post box address: Azeem Sahu Khan. P.O. Box 14, Ba, Fiji Islands.

Thank you! Will do! I would love to do a vlog on it when I'm next in Suva.