Polynesian Club

A PICTURESQUE ceremony took place at the February meeting of the Poly nesian Club, when a gift of mats from Mrs. Wetzel, of Samoa, sister of the Faatonu Taisi, O. F. Nelson was presented to the Club by Mrs. Augusta Lembke, of Randwick, Sydney. Mrs.

Lembke, who is the daughter of Mrs Wetzel, replied to an address of welcome by the President, Mr. Leonard Moran and unrolled the mats herself, being the first to sit down on them, and wished the Club success.

A kava-making followed, at which Mrs Lembke was the chief guest. This cere mony was supervised by Mr. Richard Hahn, and was made by Mrs. Waikainga Tipene, a chieftainess of the Ngapuhi (N.Z.). The kava was also presented to Mrs. Vika Lamacraft (Tonga), Mr. Ha muera Ormsby (a rangatira of the Mani apoto people, N.Z.), Mrs. Ruth Tareta Beckman (Avarua, Rarotonga), Mrs Daisy Strachan (Butaritari, Gilbert Is lands), Miss Olita and Mr. R. Hahn (Tonga), Mr. Victor Tipene (Wellington, N.Z.), Mr. John McCoy (Norfolk Island), and Mrs. Fetch (Pitcairn Island), both descendants of men of the “Bounty”.

Others present who partook of the cere monial drink were Madame Antoinette Mourin (formerly of Makatea), Mr. Hemi Hokena (Hawkes Bay, N.Z.), Mrs. Ka tarina Ormsby (Rotorua, N.Z.).

Another gift of finely made long and short Maori “poi” was received from Mr.

Julian Waretini, of Rotorua. In the ab sence of Mr. Waretini in N.Z., Mrs. Wiki Byron, the Club’s senior Arawa repres entative, partook of the kava as a com pliment to her fellow tribesman. After the kava, a fine programme of Polynes ian folk dances was presented by the members, among them being the Samoan “Ma’ulu’ulu” and the Maori dance com memorating the voyage to N.Z. of the famous canoe, Te Arawa.

Mr. Royston Raymond Leslie Foulkes, Government Medical Assistant at Nama tanai, T.N.G.. died on February 13, aged 44. He had spent nine years in the New Guinea Public Service. At one time, he was engaged in medical work in Persia and later took part in the Great War.