Paul Jaduram is the newly appointed chair special administrator of Labasa Town Council.

He is believed to be the oldest special administrator in the Northern Division.

Even at the age of 84, the former Labasa Town’s councillor and mayor believe he has a lot to achieve and offer.

He served on the Labasa Town Council for 24 years, from 1975 to 2004.

 

“My appointment is effective from December 27, 2023, and I will be working with two special administrators, Edwin Chand and Samuela Ligairi,” Mr Jaduram said.

He revealed that he had applied for this position because, like other knowledgeable people in the world, he felt there was no retirement age for him.

“I have a lot of experience, as I have worked with the council and ratepayers before,” he said.

“The only difference between then and now is that before I was elected as a councillor and mayor, and now I am being appointed as chair special administrator.”

 

Plans to achieve

Mr Jaduram spent his New Year weekend outlining some of the much-needed projects to be done in Labasa.

Firstly, he plans to work on beautification projects such as upgrading the Botanical Garden beside Lions Park.

“We need to create a space for our people on the other side of the Labasa River to have sporting events and other leisure activities,” Mr Jaduram said.

“With the opening of Damodar City and other developments, we expect a lot of movement.”

 

Secondly, he plans to build the first state-of-the-art public convenience in the middle of the town.

“We will construct some toilets, a bathroom, and a space allocated for mothers to breastfeed their children and change diapers,” he said.

“I have seen mothers struggling while sitting on public areas, footpaths, and the back of the shops, breast-feeding or changing a baby’s diaper.”

Thirdly, he aims to work with relevant authorities to help the street beggars and mentally challenged people who sleep on the streets of Labasa Town find a place to stay.

 

“We need to do our investigation to find out the background of the street beggars, as some have been there for a long time,” he said.

“We need to put them in the right place.”

Lastly, he promises to continue to highlight the need to build a bypass road in Labasa.

“I have spoken to a few ministers about this and will continue to do so as traffic congestion is a real problem now,” he said.

“I have a lot of things planned, and I am really happy and looking forward to working with Mr Chand and Mr Ligairi.”

 

Background

Originally from Labasa, Mr Jaduram is the owner of the Jaduram Plaza Building and trades as Hotel Northwinds and Paul’s Rental Cars.

His late grandfather from the maternal side, Jaganath, was one of the founders of Labasa Town. Mr Paul’s father, Seth Jaduram, a girmitya, went to Taveuni Island, where he worked for one of the biggest landowners, JV Tarte.

When Seth Jaduram came to Labasa around 1920, he married Jagwanti, the only daughter of Jaganath, who was the first settler in Nasea, Labasa.

They had 13 children, and Mr.

 

Paul is the ninth child.

He studied at Saint Mary’s Primary School, All Saints Primary School, and then went to SVC College in Nadi and then DAV College in Suva.

He went to Pembridge College of Electronics in London, where he graduated with a certificate in radio and television servicing and a certificate in basic electrical engineering.

He got married to Stella Warlow and returned to Labasa in late 1964.

Today, he has three children and nine grandchildren.

 

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