Remembering Ba

from w
It's th 11th of the 11th and I remember about 11 p.m. after reading one chapter of a James Bond novel, I gave birth to our second son at the Ba Methodist Mission hospital. So though today is Remembrance Day and to do with the world wars, I only think of that day at Ba. Sister Satya Bali was the Matron at the time and what a fine woman she was in her lifetime, dedicated to the care of sick people and women giving birth. Even in retirement Satya thought of others and was involved in the foundation of a Senior Citizens Centre in Ba. This town of course is focussed on a sugar mill that may or may not be closing down. The Methodist Indian Division have had a significant mission there with a hospital, school, and a training institute for young men. When I first went to Fiji on a work camp in December 1961 our first stopover was at Namosau and I remember the gorgeous flowering trees there. Peceli lived in Ba earlier on as a young minister, to establish a Bible School at Nailaga.