Fiji Residents
p. 60 · Read in the full issue
Death Of Two Old
Messrs. J. A. H. Chapman and Victor Rodan
TSUVA, March 22.
WO of Fiji’s most picturesque figures have died recently.
One is Mr. J. A. H. Chapman, who came to the Rewa River with his parents 80 years ago when a child of seven.
Mr. Chapman was born in Victoria, but lived most of his life on the family property at Wainivou, where he saw the rise and decline of the European planters in the Rewa River area. To-day there virtually are none left.
A good deal of planting was once done at Wainivou and later Mr. and Mrs. Chap man (formerly Miss Minnie Cant, of Melbourne) ran a general store there.
Several years ago they closed the store and let the land to Indian tenants.
Mrs. Chapman, at the age of 85, is now the sole survivor of the early Europeans on the Rewa. s A son, Mr. W. Chapman, is on the engineering staff of the CSR Co. at Nausori.
MR. VICTOR ROD AN, a part-European reputed to be 108 years old, died at his home at Lami, Suva, on March 4.
His father, the late Frank Rodan, was believed to have been born in Spain and to have arrived in Fiji as a member of the crew of the French barque “Aimable Josephine,” which was wrecked at Kaba, not far from Bau, in 1834. (The ship’s anchor is still at Bau).
Rodan, Snr., was befriended by King Cakobau himself —who had a war with Rewa on his hands at that moment.
It is recorded that Frank Rodan made bullets of lead salvaged from the ship and thus became of considerable use to Cako bau in the struggle between Bau and Rewa.
Victor Rodan was the last survivor of three sons and a daughter. He worked in several parts of the Group (including several years as overseer for Mr. J?
Palmer, at Levuka) but for 30 years he has lived at Lami. Three of his six chil dren are alive, as well as 12 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren.
Teu Howard, the 66-year-old Ellice Islander who was charged with attempted murder and unlawful wounding in the Suva knife-slashing case of December 23, was sentenced on March 15, by the Chief Justice (Sir Claud Seton), to seven years’ hard labour on the first count and three years’ hard labour on the second, the sentences to run concurrently.