Death of Edouard Ahnne

Leading Tahiti Citizen

ONE of Tahiti’s leading citizens, Monsieur Edouard Ahnne, died in Papeete on April 8, at the age of 77.

He was born in Prance and went out to Tahiti in 1892 as a young man, to a position in L’Ecole Libre Protestante. He was for 50 years director of this school, but did not regard the post as a mere job to fill in time until he could return to France, but identified himself with the life of the Colony, particularly its

political life.

He was a member of the General Council, the Administrative Council and the Privy Council, but had also, wide interests outside those circles. Realising that the principal source of the Colony’s wealth was bound up in agriculture, he did all he could to further the interests of the primary producers, and was for many years president of the Chamber of Agriculture.

He was interested also in Pacific peoples, and was associated with the Soclete des Etudes Oceaniennes.

After the fall of France, in 1940, he became one of the most ardent supporters of de Gaulle, and was awarded the Legion of Honour and the Cross of Liberation for his patriotic work.

He is survived by a widow and a grown family. One of his sons is a Papeete solicitor; another . was a Doctor of Dentistry, but died some years ago.

Madame Ahnne has connections with some of Tahiti’s earliest missionary families.

In a message of condolence to the Ahnne family, the Governor of Tahiti said: “You have lost a husband and a father; we have lost a g/uide and a friend.”

The Governor of Fiji, Mr. A. W. G. H.

Grantham, paid an official visit to Tonga in May. He was accompanied by Mrs.

Grantham, and attended by Major E. W.

Harrop as ADC.