Stuart Huggett (died 10 September 2021) was a British-born Fijian

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

, businessman, and civil servant, who served as Chairman of the Public Service Commission from 2004 to 2006, when he was removed from office on 6 December 2006 by the

Military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

junta Junta may refer to: Government and military * Junta (governing body) (from Spanish), the name of various historical and current governments and governing institutions, including civil ones ** Military junta, one form of junta, government led by ...

which had seized power the previous day. In addition, Huggett was a Director of Architects Pacific Limited,Architects Pacific
/ref> which is based in

Suva Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Divi ...

and in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Australia and the Honorary

Consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...

for Spain. Huggett was born in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, England. He graduated from the Royal Western England College of Architecture, now the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

. After his marriage, he spent a year in

Zaria Zaria is a metropolitan city in Nigeria which at the present time lies within four (4) local government areas in Kaduna state; it happens to be the capital city to the Zazzau Emirate Council, and one of the original seven Hausa city-states ...

, Nigeria, during the

Nigerian civil war The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Nigerian–Biafran War or the Biafran War, was a civil war fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist state which had declared its independence f ...

in the late 1960s. He founded Architects Pacific Limited in 1971, which specialized in residential, commercial and tourist resort design and masterplanning. He also organised the Fiji Muroroa Protest in 1995.

2006 coup d'état

On 6 December 2006 Stuart Huggett, as Chairman of the Public Service Commission, called together a meeting of the CEOs of the various governmental ministries, including

Nainendra Nand Nainendra Nand was the Solicitor-General of Fiji from 1997 to 2006. He had previously worked in the Office of the Attorney-General since 1983. He was dismissed from office on 7 December 2006 for refusing to cooperate with the military junta which ...

, the

Solicitor-General of Fiji The Solicitor-General of Fiji is the Chief Executive Officer of the Attorney-General's Chambers, and as such assists the Attorney-General in advising the government on legal matters, and in performing legal work for the government. The previous Sol ...

. Military forces broke up the meeting and detained Huggett and Nand, and there were unconfirmed reports that the two had been assaulted. A veiled statement by

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Foreign Minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

Alexander Downer Alexander John Gosse Downer (born 9 September 1951) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who was leader of the Liberal Party from 1994 to 1995, Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1996 to 2007, and High Commissioner to the United King ...

, on the

ABC television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...

's 7:30 report gave some credence to the rumours. The Chairman and Solicitor General were served notice of dismissal by the Military Commander, Commodore

Frank Bainimarama Josaia Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama (Fijian: ʃoˈsɛia βoˈreŋɡe mbɛiniˈmarama born 27 April 1954) is a Fijian politician and former naval officer who served as the prime minister of Fiji from 2007 until 2022. A member of the FijiFirst ...

, on 7 December 2006. However the elected Government of Fiji gave no such notice to any governmental officials. Announcing the appointment of

Hector Hatch Hector Rex Hatch (6 February 1936 – 14 April 2016) was a Fijian boxing, boxer, politician, and civil servant. He represented Fiji as a boxer at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. There, he competed in the welterweight ...

as Huggett's successor on 4 January 2007, Commodore Bainimarama said that Huggett had been uncooperative with the Military authorities, and also claimed that he was under investigation for allegations that a company he was connected with had tendered for a F$40 million government contract.

Personal life

Huggett was married to Gillian Margaret Illife, with whom he had three daughters, Catharine, Alexandra and Amitia and a son, James.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huggett, Stuart 20th-century births 2021 deaths Alumni of the University of Bristol Architects from Bath, Somerset British emigrants to Fiji British expatriates in Nigeria Fijian businesspeople Fijian civil servants Year of birth missing Fijian people of British descent