 |
| pn467 |
Fiji Labour Party (FLP) President and former Minister for Women, Culture and Social Welfare, Lavinia Padarath passed away early this morning at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva.
She was 74.
A well-known women’s rights activist and trade unionist, Lavinia or La as she was popularly known, was a founding member of the Fiji Labour Party and served a Minister for Women, Culture and Social Welfare in the 1999/2000 Labour Government.
She was appointed a Senator in the Upper House in 2006.
Along with five other Labour Ministers, she was held hostage at gun point in Parliament for 35 days following the 2000 coup.
She was appointed Party President in 2011, following the passing away of former President Jokapeci Koroi.
Mrs. Padarath had a long and distinguished career in the public arena.
A NZ trained and registered nurse by profession, she served as general secretary and President of the Fiji Nurses Association, a post she held for 7 years.
She maintained her link with the nursing fraternity by playing an active role in the Retired Nurses Association and also had a long involvement with the National Council of Women, serving as both its secretary and President.
Early in her career, Mrs. Padarath left government service to join the US Peace Corp (Fiji and Tuvalu) as its Associate Director of Health.
When her husband, the late Adishwar Padarath, a well-known Fiji journalist, was posted to the Fiji mission at New York in 1988, she moved there with her family and worked as a nurse clinician at the United Nations Medical Centre.
In New York, she maintained her active involvement with NGOs that held consultative status with the UN, representing the World Federation of Methodist Women and the Pan Pacific South East Asian Women’s Association.
FLP Leader Mahendra Chaudry said Mrs. Padarath was a wonderful person and had a curious sense of humor which she occasionally displayed.
“A devout Christian, she insisted on beginning every Party meeting with a prayer.”
"She was deeply committed to her role as Party President. She succeeded Jokapeci Koroi in 2011, and proved her mettle over the years as one who could take up any challenge.”
“La’s passing away is a great loss to the Party,” said Mr. Chaudhry.
She is survived by her two sons, Ben and Julian, daughter Anna and four grandchildren.
Her funeral details will be announced later.
By Reginald Chandar
Post a Comment
Email this Story
Print this Story
