About Islands People

Captain A. S. Fitch, managing director of Steamships Trading Co., Ltd., of Papua, arrived in Australia in October, and has spent two months’ furlough in Victoria and New South Wales. He will return to Port Moresby by this month’s Macdhui.

Mr. Charles B. Nordhoff, well-known American author, who arrived in Sydney from Tahiti in November, has spent some very busy weeks in the Mitchell Library, Sydney, where he has been gathering material for a new book which will deal with incidents in the early colonisation of Australia. Mr. Nordhoff intends to leave Sydney on his return to Tahiti by the Maunganui on December 20, Ratu D. I. Waqanivavalagi, the late Roko Tui Kadavu, Fiji, died at Kadavu on November 8, at the age of 52. Joining the Fiji Government Service in 1910, this old Fijian High Chief held various posts in the service, and in April, 1917, was ap pointed Native Assistant Commissioner at Kadavu. At the end of 1925 he was given the position of Acting Roko Tui Kadavu, which office he held until he retired last year owing to ill-health.

Mr. E. G. Seagoe, district officer and British police commandant at Vila, New Hebrides, arrived in Sydney on holidays from the Condominium by the Morinda on December 10,

Miss Amy Richardson, an Australian nursing sister in charge of the infant welfare and maternity centre at Buka Passage, New Guinea, arrived in Victoria recently to be present at the Eucharistic Congress. On the completion of the Con gress, she left Melbourne on a lecture tour throughout Australia.

Mr. D. A. Butler arrived in Samoa by the steamer Indien on November 22. He has taken over the managership of the Union S.S. Company’s office at Apia. Mr.

Coster, who formerly was manager, left Apia in November by the Maui Pomare for Wellington, New Zealand, en route to Tahiti, where he will take up the posi tion of Union S.S. Co. agent at Papeete.

Mr. W. Macnaught, managing director of Messrs. Macnaught Shoe Stores Ltd., who left Sydney for Rabaul by the Sala maua on October 12, returned to Aus tralia by the Montoro on November 23, after a combined business and pleasure tour of the Mandated Territory.

Captain Post, who for many years was well known and highly esteemed in the Central and South Pacific as the master of the New Zealand Government steamer Tutanekai, died recently in Melbourne at an advanced age. He retired from the sea some years ago and interested himself latterly in civic work, Mr. George Frederick Sidery, well known Islands traveller for Mr. W. M.

Reid, of Sydney, died at Cairns in No vember, at the age of 28. Contracting malarial fever in New Guinea, he left Rabaul with Mr. Reid by the Montoro early in November to seek medical treat ment in Sydney. On the voyage to Aus tralia his condition became very serious, and on reaching Cairns he was rushed from the ship to hospital, where he passed away on November 22.

Fraulein Vandlandt, of Berlin, Ger many, arrived in Sydney in December on her way to New Guinea. Before leaving the Territory for Singapore she intends to fly over to the goldfields.

Chief Judge J. H. Luxford, formerly of Samoa, who is now S.M. of Thames dis trict, New Zealand, will visit Apia, Samoa, on High Court circuit, by the Maui Pomare on February 7.

Major F. Hewitt sat as a member of the Solomon Islands Advisory Council for the last time, at its session in Octo ber, as he has been appointed to the Sydney headquarters staff of his company (Lever’s Pacific Plantations Pty., Ltd.).

Tributes to the excellent service rendered and the public spirit displayed by Major Hewitt during his association with the Council were paid by the Resident Com missioner and by the various members of the Council.