Colourful Career Ends

Captain Twentyman, Extraordinary Saver of Lives

ONE of Fiji’s most respected citizens Captain E. Twentyman, MBE, died at his home in Suva, on September 21.

Captain Twentlman was born in March, 1868, at sea, and after school days spent in South Africa he returned to the sea as an apprentice on the sailing ship “Highland Chief” of Glasgow. When he gained his certifificate in sail, he trans ferred to steam and went to Australia in 1893. where he joined the AUSN Company.

Early in the century he was first mate on ships running between Sydney and Suva.

In 1904 he was skipper of the “Yaralla” which ran mail between the islands of the Fiji group.

He entered the Government service in 1910, as master of the “Ranadi” and in 1914 became harbour-master at Levuka.

He served with the Royal Navy in trawlers off the British coast in World War I, and when he was demobilised returned to Fiji to become harbour-master in Suva-, a post he held until retirement in 1935.

A MOST remarkable aspect of Captain Twentyman’s career was the number of awards and decorations he held for rescuing people from peril. When 16, he received a gold watch from the Mayor and Corporation of Capetown for rescu ing a child from a burning house. Three vears later, he went overboard in the English Channel and rescued a drowning man—and received a presentation sextant.

In 1898, he received the silver medal of the Royal Humane Society of NSW for rescuing a man from Sydney Harbour; in 1918 in Levuka, Fiji, he rescued the captain of the “King Cyrus,” who had been overcome by gas in the forepeak of the vessel.. For this he received the silver medal of the Humane Society and the Stanhope gold medal, which is reserved for the most meritorious act of the year. In 1919 he was instrumental in saving the life of a man who had gone nverboarrl in Suva harbour from the liner “Aorangi,”

Some vears ago while harbour-master at Suva, Captain Twentyman was made a member of the Order of the British Empire.

He married Miss May Sinclair in Sydney in 1895. His wife predeceased him, and he is survived by the three children of the union; Mr. Reg. Twentyman, of the CSR Company, Rewa, Piii; Mr. William Twentyman of Suva; and Mrs. J. S. M.

Park, of Nadi, Fiji.