Deaths Of Islands People

Mrs. Ella Beckett

fte death was reported recently m Lae, New Guinea, of Mrs. Ella jkett. irs. Beckett was a very well >wn Territorian, having spent r 30 years in NG. She was Bident of the Lae Sub-Branch the RSL Ladies Auxiliary and a ininent member of the Lae Golf b. trs. Beckett is missed by her ly friends in Wau, where she ded for many years before the with her husband, Mr. Charles kett, of OTC.

Mr. L. Dietrich

r. Lance Dietrich, 71, died at aka on September 29 after a f illness. He went to Fiji from tralia in the early ’twenties to ' his brother-in-law, the late C. de Mouncey, on Wakaya id. From 1930 to 1938 he was Assistant Agricultural Officer; manager of the Hotel Metro in Suva for a brief period be joining the Department in In 1948 he became a Copra ector for the Board and was oned at Levuka. He is survived iis wife and one daughter, Mrs. [. Hedstrom, of Suva.

Mrs. I. E. Booth

ssed to her rest is another eer Australian woman of New lea, in the person of Mrs. slla Ella Booth, who died on ember 24, at Singleton, NSW. nng in New Britain in the 1900’s, she lived on the Metho- Mission plantation at Ulu, in Duke of Yorks, where her hus was manager. In 1912, the hs moved to Numanuma, in [amville, and her husband ted up much of this very fine e. During War I, she and her i children returned to Austra- One of her sons, Bruce, is a ir in the Engineers, and was in Japan. She was

Mr. J. T. Kenny

Pular Joe Kenny, of Nama , New Ireland, has gone to his earned rest. John Thomas iy passed away on September [e was associated with Namat frqm the first Australian Occu n in 1914, and for many years District Officer there. Then squired land in that area, and tore was a popular rendezvous ie local residents. He returned istralia during War II and had living • at Killara. Many an imer will drink a silent toast mour of Joe.—GT.

Mr. C. R. W. Doyle

. C. R. W. Doyle, well known ikopo New Guinea, died at his 1 on , „ Tokua Plantation, on Sep er I°. The funeral took place .abaul the following day and ae graveside the Ex-Service

men’s ritual was read by Mr. F.

Wilson, Kokopo President of the

Rsl.

Mr. Doyle, who was 53, leaves a wife and two young sons who are at school in Sydney.

Mr. Doyle went to New Guinea as a plantation manager in 1934. He was on Bougainville when the Japanese invaded the Territory. He enlisted and served in P-NG.

After the war he took over the management of Tokua Plantation near Kokopo.

Mr. Seeto On

A well-known Chinese merchant, Mr. Seeto On, trading as Leo Sam,

died suddenly in hospital on Sep tember 14. Mr. Seeto On arrived in Rabaul in early boyhood, and be gan his business career as a photo grapher.

Madame Rosina Coulon

Madame Rosina Coulon, third wife of M. Pierrot Coulon, of the Tahiti Health Department, died in Papeete recently following the birth of a daughter. M. Coulon’s second wife died only three years ago as the result of an accident.

Mrs. Esma Reay

Mrs. Esme Olivia Dor Reay, wife of Mr. C. Stuart Reay, Director of Labour in Fiji, died suddenly in Suva on September 20, aged 57 years. Mrs. Reay is survived by her husband, three daughters, and two sisters, Mrs. Kingsmill, of Sydney, and Miss Joan Livingston, of Suva.

She was born at Navua, Fiji.

Mr. Durocher Francis

The death has occurred under unexpected circumstances of Mr.

Durocher Francis, of Papeete.

A veteran of the Second World War, Mr. Francis left Papeete on July 31 aboard the liner Tahitien on a visit to France. Six days later he died aboard the vessel from a heart attack. His body was embalmed and taken to France for burial.

Mr. Francis leaves a widow and a wide circle of friends in Tahiti and New Caledonia, where he and his wife spent their honeymoon two years ago.

Mr. Emmanuel Rougier

Mr. Emmanuel Rougier, nephew of the late Father Rougier, one-time owner of the coconut plantation on Christmas Island, died in France on August 21.

It will be recalled that Mr. Rougier was in Suva several years ago negotiating with the Western Pacific High Commissioner for re

tention of the lease of Christ Island, which, though British,, leased to the Rougier farnil;!

Tahiti and staffed from theres It was announced, however' that time, that the lease had terminated and that the igj might be used to settle emign from the overcrowded Git Islands.

Iptain Frank A Johnson

Japtain Frank A Johnson, of the tson liner Lurline, which main is the passenger service between I Francisco and Hawaii, diecr penly at his home in California

August 17.

[e served in many Matson lanic vessels and was well known ig their South Pacific routes. He j 62. He leaves a wife and a fried daughter.

I Commandant Brault

twnmandant Brault, Legion Mineur, Croix de Guerre, died 'apeete August 31. He first came fahiti in 1937 and was for two ods master of the Makatea sphate Co.’s vessel Oiseau des He served at sea with distinc in World War I—making 256 id trips between France and land with a troop transport, ng which time he engaged Ger submarines on four occasions.

Adi Torika Drodro

li Torika Drodro, wife of 2nd t. Julian Toganivalu, who is ng in Malaya, died in Suva on ist 31. She was a teacher at Matavelo Girls’ School and is daughter of Ratu Savenaca, er Assistant Native Lands missioner,. and Adi Miriama aicama. She was a great-great d-daughter of Ratu Namo lua, paramount chief of Viwa, was one of the earliest converts hristianity.

Mr. C. W. Tucker

. Charles William Tucker died iva recently, aged 53. He re from the Fiji Police in 1949, 33 years’ service, and had re s' been employed as Com ty Officer at Vatukoula gold s. He is survived by his wife two daughters.

Mr. W. Lyons

. W, Lyons, chief engineer on nalaita, became very ill in the aons recently, and was flown r dney; but he died on October was aged 65, and, having been le Burns Philp service for a time, he was very well known ghout the Southwest Pacific.