72-year-old florist blossoms at Garden City Market Day

At 72 years of age, Vidya Singh of Nakasi is not slowing down.

The retired hospital maid has swapped mops and wards for soil and petals, proudly selling her homegrown flowers at the Garden City Market in Raiwaqa.

Having worked for 18 years at CWM Hospital, and with experience in hospitals across Australia and New Zealand, Singh says she retired with no intentions of staying idle.

Instead, she turned to her lifelong passion, which is gardening.

While speaking to fijivillage News, Singh says she had just started planting her flowers, and this is her third month at the Garden City Market.

Singh’s humble stall features a colourful variety of flowers and plants, with prices ranging from $5 for small potted plants to $30 for larger blooms.

Despite the effort, she admits it’s not always easy.

She says it is quite difficult to earn money, especially for florists, because everything is expensive and people don’t usually buy plants, but it is also not impossible to do.

Singh says she continues showing up each market day with quiet determination and a deep sense of purpose, and is encouraging other women, especially those at home, to find small ways to earn an income.