Drysdale Calls It A Day To Spend Quality Time With Wife

Founder of the Fiji Rota-homes project and Model Towns Charitable Trust, Peter Drysdale, recently retired at the age of 73 to reunite with his wife and family in Brisbane, Australia.

Mr Drysdale’s father came to Fiji in 1936 and his mother was born in Levin, New Zealand but travelled to Fiji as a war nurse in 1940.

“They married and along I came,” Mr Drysdale recalled.

“I was educated in Suva and completed my tertiary studies in the United Kingdom under three Commonwealth Scholarships.”

He met his wife, Josephine, while he was a student in Parkend, Gloucestershire England.

“Interestingly, my brother, Andrew Drysdale, was instrumental in establishing Air Pacific/Fiji Airways as the premier airline in the Pacific,” he said.

But Mr Drydales’s career in Fiji began in the pine industry, organising and supervising the planting of more than 47,000 hectares of pine trees where he was joined by First Landing Resort co-founder, Jim Dunn, establishing the Tropik Wood sawmill and wood-chip export operation.

He recalled fighting around 487 forest fires that arsonists lit after the first military coup in 1987.

“It was one of the hardest things I have ever done and I regard the planting of 47,000 hectares of pine forest on mostly steep land as my greatest physical achievement,” he said.

He said he ended up serving 22 years in the pine industry and 30 years in the logistics and shipping industry.

Joining Rotary Club

“In 1984 I joined the Rotary Club of Lautoka and social housing became my passion. By February 1985, I began building cyclone-safe homes and supplying water tanks and other essential items for families in need.

Model town homes in Koroipita,Vakabuli,Lautoka. Photo: Model Town Charitable Trust

“On average, a home was built every 10 working days, despite the very challenging logistics involved in getting materials to remote areas.”

He said more than 700 homes were built with the assistance of Saten Kumar, Rotary clubs, the European Union, Fiji tourism operators, donors, and volunteers.

“By 2000, Saten and I were travelling up to 500 kilometres on weekends in an old two-wheel-drive Toyota to scout for families in need of secure homes,” he said.

“Eventually, I decided to find funds to purchase a land lease and develop a “Model Town” to resettle families in need of homes closer to urban areas so they could find employment and access education.”

He said the Model Town Charitable Trust (MTCT) was founded and registered in 2011

“Becoming a registered trust allowed funding from aid agencies to flow and, as a result, the town has grown to 263 houses that accommodate more than 1100 people,” he said.

“Stage 4 of Koroipita started in April 2022 and when complete, will add another 105 houses to the project by mid-2024.”

He said the MTCT had the vision to implement a community development programme to advance families into mainstream society to manage rural-urban drift and resettle climate change refugees.

“Through this programme, children can advance through their education years receiving assistance from our staff and, if they take advantage of the programmes offered, escape the cycle of poverty,” he said.

“For the past decade, the management of the project has been supported and funded by the New Zealand Aid Programme, while Rotary clubs and the Fijian Government have funded the CAPEX developments.”

Mr Drysdale was appointed a member of the Order of Australia in 2015. He also received the Fiji 50 Independence Commemorative Medal in 2020.

Taking the reins now is new general manager Paul Forrest who has project management background and oversees the building and civil works for the 105 houses underway.

“The demand is too high for us to back away, we will be planning another Model Town as Koroipita nears completion,” he said.

“Who will fund it is unclear, but this is too good a model not to strive to have it replicated elsewhere or even nearby,” he said.

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