Deaths Of Islands People

Sir Murchison Fletcher,

Kcmg

Sir Arthur George Murchison Hetcher died recently in England, iged 74. For seven years, from L 929 to 1936, he was Governor of F'iji and High Commissioner of the Western Pacific. He served for two rears (1936-1938) as Governor of rrinidad and Tobago, and then he ’esigned; and he had lived since hen in London. He went to Hong :ong as cadet in 1901; filled many jositions there in the ensuing 25 fears; and had three years as Colonial Secretary in Ceylon before )eing sent to Fiji. His was not a orceful personality; but he made nany friends in the South Pacific luring the years he was in Fiji.

Mr. O. P. Blanden

Mr. O. P. Blanden died at the Vau Hospital, New Guinea, on lO.

His funeral, conducted by the lev. J. T. Given, of the Anglican Church, was attended by all sections )f the community, some coming rom Bulolo and Lae.

Mr. Blanden was highly respected ,s a civil servant and as a citizen, ,nd his death has been felt keenly n Wau.

He first joined the Administration n 1926, and resigned in July, 1927. le later rejoined the Service and iroceeded to Edie Creek in 1928, /here he acted as Mining Registrar.

In 1931 he was transferred to dtape with the Department of Dis rict Services. In 1938 he was ppointed Mining Registrar at Wau, nd during the Pacific War he erved with the PNGVR and INGAU. At the cessation of hostil :ies he returned to Wau as Acting assistant District Officer, and in 947 he was appointed Mining Varden for the Morobe Goldfields, le retained that position until his eath.

Mr. Blanden was also a Returned servicemen of World War I; he erved then with the 7th Light lorse and Camel Corps.

He was a keen sportsman, a foot all player and an amateur jockey f some note. He represented Wau i the Levien Trophy at tennis and ricket and for some time had been n ardent golfer.

Mr. Blanden was Past Master of he Morobe Masonic Lodge; past 'resident of the Wau Sports Club, Branch of the RSS & AILA nd the Wau Club. He was a merri er of the Wau-Bulolo Town Ad isory Countil and was awarded the ioronation Medal in 1953 for his ivic activities.

He is survived by Mrs. Blanden nd their two daughters who are t school in Australia.

M. Maurice Leenhardt,

M. Maurice Leenhardt, ethnologist, rell known for his books on the

natives of New Caledonia (they in clude Da Kamo, Gens de la Grande Terre, and a book on Art in the South Pacific —recently died after a long illness in Paris, where he was attached to the Musee de I’Homme. He is survived by his wife and children.

As a Protestant missionary, he arrived in New Caledonia in 1902.

There he founded the important mission village of Do Neva, at Houlaiou, one of the show places of the country so far as native life is concerned. He returned there in 1910 and 1920, after brief holi days in France; and his final visit was after World War 11. His books are authoritative works of per manent value, and his keen interest in native welfare and his friendly ways endeared him to all. He was considered the greatest European authority on several of the dialects of the main island, and of the Loyalty group.

Mr. Loui Ting

Mr. Loui Ting, one of the best known Chinese residents of Fiji, died at Lautoka on March 21, aged 75 years. He went first to the Colony from Canton in 1911. Fol lowing a period of trading, he was employed by the Colonial Sugar Refining Co., at Labasa, Loutoka and finally at Ba, from where he retired.

Loui Ting is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter in China and by four sons and two daughters in Fiji.

Madame Badot

Madame Berthe Badot, wife of the late Marius Badot —a pioneer settler of French Oceania —died in the

Colonial Hospital, Papeete, on March 21.

Mme. Badot was a daughter of the well-known Chauvin family.

Mrs. Polly Jones

Mrs. Polly Jones, wife of the late Captain Phil Jones, MM, of Levuka, Fiji, died there recently at the residence of her daughter, Mrs. I. D.

Cammed.

Mr. Albert Morris

Mr. Albert Morris, an old resident of Levuka, and a veteran of World War I, died at Levuka, Fiji, early in March.

Mr. Vincent Ashley

Mr. Vincent Ashley, who was born in Fiji and has lived there for over 50 years, died at Suva recently. He had been employed by Burns Philp (South Sea) Co., as wharf superin tendent for the past 18 years. He is survived by a brother, Mr. Bert Ashley, of Suva.

Mr. T. H. Terry

Mr. T. H. Terry, who was born in Fiji 55 years ago, and has for the past 20 years been a resident of San Francisco, died there recently.

He is survived by a brother, Mr.

E. H. Terry, of Walu Bay, Suva.

Mr. W. G. Chapman

Mr. William G. Chapman, a former Town Clerk of Levuka, Fiji, and for many years prior to that a planter at Savusavu Bay, Vanua Levu, died in Suva recently, aged 94. He was buried at Levuka.

Mr. R. P. Frank

Mr. R. P. Frank, a well-known and widely respected teacher at Indian schools in Fiji, died there recently, aged 50 years.

He was lately headmaster of the

Navua Indian School. He was very well known in the educational field in the Colony and is survived by his wife and eight children. Two of his children are teachers for the Methodist Mission and another is a teacher at Nesinu Teachers’Training College . „ TTTT „ TT , TTTTIkT

Mr. A. P. Khunkhun

Mr. Ajoddhya Prasad Khunkhun, a very well known Indian musician of Suva, died on February 7. He was immediate past-president of the Indian Music Association of Fiji, in which capacity he had been instrumental in arranging a musical scholarship, allowing local music students to study in India. Mr.

Khunkhun was born in Fiji 62 years ago. He is survived by a brother, Mr. George Latchman, of Labasa, and three sons,

Mr. Edward Grant

, „ . Mr. Edward Moradhuj Grant, of Fiji, managing director of Grants Theatres, of which the Lilac Theatre, Suva, is head of a Viti Levu group, died suddenly at the Christchurch Hospital, New Zea land, on April 20, aged 43.

Mr. Grant was the only son of Mr. John F. Grant, MBE, and the late Mrs. Grant. He was educated at the Marist Brothers’ High School, Suva, and St, Joseph’s College, Hunter’s Hill, Sydney. He is sur

vived by his wife, three sons and five daughters. His eldest son is at Auckland University College and another eon and two daughters are at school in Sydney.

Mr. Grant had travelled from Suva to New Zealand in the Matua, which called first at Lyttelton. He intended to make a business visit to the Dominion. He took an active part in Suva affairs and particularly in the interests of the Indian com munity. He was a member of the Suva Rotary Club and in 1952 was Deputy Mayor. He was prominent as a promoter of nrofessionai box ing.

The body was flown to Suva and the funeral, on April 25, was one of the biggest ever seen in Fiji.

The Grants Theatres chain, founded by Mr. J. F. Grant, in cludes cinemas at Samabula, Lau toka, Ba and Nadi.

Mr. John Andrews

Mr. John Andrews, a well-known Samoan sportsman, was so severely injured while at football practice in Apia Park, on March 18, that he died subsequently in hospital. He had played a prominent part in the promotion of football, cricket and tennis in the Territory. He leaves a widow and young children.

Mrs. A. E. Pearce

Mrs. A. E. Pearce, of Suva, died on April 8. She was born in Queens land and went to Fiji over 40 years ago. Some time ago she went to New Zealand for health reasons, and was living in Auckland at the time of her death.

Mr. O. Bieri

The death occurred suddenly in Sydney on March 14 of Mr. O.

Bieri, well-known former resident of the Upper Watut, Morotae Dis trict, New Guinea, and managing director of O. Bieri & Co. Pty., Ltd., Sydney merchants.

Mr. Bieri went first to the gold fields in 1926, was joined by his wife in 1927, and they remained there until the outbreak of war with Japan. Mr. Bieri served with Security and ANGAU during the war, and during his ANGAU service became ill and was repatriated to Sydney, where he spent six months in Concord Military Hospital.

After the war he felt that his health did not permit of his return to the Territory and he left goldmining and formed his Sydney trading firm.

Mr. Bieri was born in Switzerland, in March, 1892. He is survived by his wife, who is carrying on the Sydney business. if Mr. F. Brocklehurst has been appointed an Executive Engineer in the Public Works Department, Fiji.] He has served on important pro jects in England. Wales, Bahamas] and Nigeria.