The Royal Visit To The South Pacific

Fiji, Tonga, Australian and NZ Territories Share in Festivities

BEFORE this issue of the PIM reaches the public, Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh will have concluded their visits to Fiji and Tonga and be on their way to New Zealand and Aus tralia where they will meet repre sentatives of other Pacific terri tories which they will not be able to visit personally.

In Fiji and Tonga, in mid- December, finishing touches were being made to the preparations for the welcome of the Royal Party which was then steaming across the Pacific in the Royal Yacht Gothic after some memorable days spent in Bermuda, Jamaica and Panama.

In Fiji, rehearsals for the Royal visit on December 17 and 18 have been the order of the day. The last street decorations have been going up and the last arrangements being made for two days of celebrations which will long be remembered in the Colony, and, it is hoped, also by the Queen and the Duke.

In Tonga, Queen Salote and her lousehold, turned out of the Palace it Nukualofa in order that it should be entirely painted and refurbished :or the stay of Queen Elizabeth and ;he Duke of Edinburgh on Decem ber 19 and 20.

[N Charge Of Tongan Staff

Queen Salote announced in November that she had appointed Hr. Moli Ilolahia, of Auckland, to ake charge of the palace staff at Nukualofa during the Royal visit. 3e was on the staff of the British Residency in Tonga for four years snding 1942.

About 60 newspaper reporters and >ress photographers representing )apers from all parts of the globe, ire converging on Fiji, and are naking arrangements to then go m to Tonga so that the world may ead and see just what the Royal isits to Fiji and Tonga were like, n addition, film units from the JK, NZ and USA will be there to tiake colour films for movie screen nd television.

Ttcairn Island

Representatives

Mr. John Fletcher Christian, Jhief Magistrate of Pitcairn Is., nth his wife, journeyed to Suva ia Auckland in December and will epresent the Island there during he celebrations. They took with hem some typical examples of •itcairn handicraft to present to he Queen and the Duke.

Fiji Has Special Stamp

To be on sale for on week only as rom 3 p.m. on December 17—the ay on which the Queen and Duke f Edinburgh arrive at Suva—a

special Royal Visit stamp is being issued. It is the current 8d stamp but with an overprint.

Island Leaders in NZ for

Royal Visit

From New Zealand’s territories of Western Samoa, Cook Islands and Niue, 17 Chiefs and other leaders will go to the Dominion to be

SUVA, December 15. Thirty journalists and Mr. L. G. Usher, who is in charge of arrangements for Fiji’s Royal Visit, were stranded at Tonga when the aircraft on which they were making a one day check visit broke down. A special plane from NZ is on its way to their rescue but it is not expected that they will get back to Suva until the evening before the Royal party arrives.

present during the Royal visit to that Dominion in December and January.

The Islands party includes, from the Cook Islands: Makea Nui Teremoana Ariki, Piri Maoate,Tuaivi Mose, Tangi- Trego Ariki, Mrs. Jane Tararoa Ariki, Tihau Napara.

From Niue: Mrs. Malama Head, Sergeant Tohovaka.

From Samoa: Malietoa Tanuma fili 11, Mata’afa Mulinu’u, Matai’a Europa, Tulele Masoe, Jacob Helg, Lilomaiava To’omata, Gatoloai Peseta, Talamaivao; and from the Tokelaus: Peato.

Australian Territories

Representatives to Canberra

The Administrator of Papua and New Guinea, Brigadier D. M.

Cleland, accompanied by Mrs. Cle land, will lead a party of repre sentatives from Papua-New Guinea during the Royal visit to Canberra between February 13 and 20.

Four European representatives from Papua will be in the party; and four from New Guinea. Mr.

Gabriel Achun will represent the Chinese community.

They are, from Papua: The Anglican Bishop of New Guinea, The Rt. Rev. P. N. W. Strong; Mr.

E. A. James, M.L.C., who is also chairman of the Port Moresby Town Advisory Council and secre tary of the Papuan Planters’ Asso ciation; Mr. E. J. Frame, general manager of Burns Philp (NG), Ltd., and Mrs. Myra Humphries, the widow of Mr. D. W. R. Humphries, who was killed during the Mount Lamington disaster in 1951.

From New Guinea: Mr. D.

Barrett, MLC, well-known planter; Mrs. Doris Booth, OBE, who is one of the pioneer gold-miners of Morobe district and a nominated member of the P-NG Legislative Council; Mr. James Leahy, one of the three pioneer Leahy brothers, now of Goroka; and Mr. Paul Mason, Bougainville planter, who had an outstanding war record with the Coast-watchers.

Also in Canberra at the same time will be two officers and 20 native seamen from Manus; one officer and 12 O.R’s from the PNGVR; three officers, 100 O.R’s and the Pipe Band of 28 from the PIR; one officer, 20 native Police and the Police Band from the

Rpnc.

In early December there was a move to send also, some of the

native leaders of P-NG to meet the Queen.

Norfolk Island

Representation

Norfolk Island will also be repre sented there by two residents whose names have not been announced.

Royal Programme

Dates of interest to the Islands

during the Queen’s visit to the South Pacific are: December 17-18, in Fiji.

December 19-20, in Tonga.

Late December - early January, NZ Islands Territories’ repre sentatives meet Queen and Duke of Edinburgh in New Zealand.

February 13-20, representatives of Australia’s Islands territories meet the Royal party in Canberra.