Martha Vir celebrated her 95th birthday on July 12, 2014 at Wesley Methodist Church, Mt Roskill Auckland.
A large circle of family and friends attended the event, held two days after her actual date of birth (July 10, 1919).
She was the youngest and only daughter of a farming family in Varoka, Ba (Fiji).
Her family moved to Rakiraki where she spent her childhood and adolescent years.
She married Samuel Vir on April 11, 1935 and shifted to her marital home in Navua and later relocated to Tavua. In 1944, the couple established their home in Toorak, Suva.
Prior to moving to Auckland in 2001 to be united with her children Martha lived with her husband in Tamavua and Lami.
Mrs Vir has six surviving children (four daughters and two sons). She lost a son in an accident during his adolescence and another son before she arrived in New Zealand.
She has 18 grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren.
Visit to India
She has visited India six times. During her initial trip in 1959, she met the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. She was also delighted to meet in her subsequent visits numerous other celebrities including Hindi film stars Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, Premnath, Sashi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Nirupa Roy and Farida Jalal.
Mrs Vir is well versed in the Hindu and Biblical scriptures and is still able to expound and recite passages from the Bhagavad Gita and Ramayana.
True Christian
She grew up in a staunched Hindu family but converted into Christianity in 1947.
She strongly believes in the power of prayer. When living in Fiji, her home became a refuge for deserted children, single mothers and victims of domestic violence.
Despite her increased frailty and medical concerns, she still insists on walking to her local Church for worship. She never ceases to amaze those close to her with her courage, resilience, determination, devotion and commitment.
She is a source of inspiration to many and continues to help those in need in her quiet, unassuming and unpretentious way.
Mrs Vir is a remarkable person. We wish Martha many more years of happy life.
Pratima Nand is a community leader, social worker based in Mt Roskill, Auckland. She has three CDs of devotional songs on Lord Krishna to her credit, the third of which was released earlier this year, as reported in Indian Newslink, April 15, 2014 issue.
