News Notes From Tonga
p. 147 · Read in the full issue
(From Our Vava’u Correspondent) The annual Tongan Medical Prac titioners’ Conference has recently been held in Nuku’alofa. This meeting, which is attended by TMP’s from all the different island groups in the Kingdom, is planned so that they may discuss their interesting and difficult cases and make plans for the new year’s work. The meeting this year gave the TMP’s an opportunity to become acquainted with Dr. Simon Cotton, newly appointed Chief Medical Officer.
Advice has been received from the United States that Amanaki Havea, the only Tongan in a group of students chosen from Pacific countries to attend a special course at Drew University, Madison, New Jersey, has done such fine work that he has been granted a scholarship to enable him to study for the degree of
Bachelor of Divinity.
Havea’s family has been prominent in church affairs in Tonga ever since the introduction of Christianity. He carries on the tradition of scholarship established by his forbear, John Havea, who headed the group of Ministers who made the official translation of the Bible into the Tongan language.
Head Tongan Dentist Kapukapu, of Nuku’alofa, is now in Auckland where he is taking a special six months’ course in Dental Surgery. Since the death of the late Mr. Franzen in October, 1951, Kapukapu has conducted Tongan dental services without the help of a European dentist. He is to be congratulated on the high standard of work which has been maintained throughout the Kingdom and especially commended for his surveys of the dental health of school children in the island of Tongatapu.
TMP Lutui Fonua, head of the Gnu Hospital in Vava’u, has been granted a six months’ refresher course in General Medicine at the Central Medical School in Fiji.
It was with regret that Vava’u said goodbye to the Rev. Kaivia Heimuli who has been transferred to Lifuka in Ha’apai. During their stay in Vava’u, Kiavai and his charming wife, Melika, won the affection and respect not only of their own Wesleyan congregation, but of all members of the community.