Heaths Of Islands People
pp. 155-156 · Read in the full issue
Mr. Sam Mervin
Mr. Sam Mervin, who with his brother John, has operated inter island vessels in French Oceania waters for many years, died in Papeete, October 5, aged 54.
He followed his father as master of local vessels before coming ashore to operate the fleet.
In recent years the Mervin com pany seems to have had its troubles and the fleet is now dispersed through loss or seizure.
Mr. Ernest Weaver
Mr. Ernest Weaver, well known resident of Suva, Fiji, died on Sep tember 11 at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital. He had been ill for some time.
Mr. Weaver was born in Downe, Kent. He migrated to Australia and, in 1914, at the outbreak of war, joined the 29th Battalion, AIF, as a quartermaster. In 1919 he and his sister, Isabel, went to Fiji where they both held positions in Walter Horne and Co.’s store. In the ensuing years Mr. Weaver held several posi tions with Island companies and worked for some time in the hotel business, both in Suva and Sigatoka.
He finally became caretaker at the Suva baths.
He is survived by his wife and five children, two brothers still in Kent, and two sisters.
Mr. Paul Poznanski
Mr. Paul Poznanski, a resident of the Gilbert and Ellice Is. Colony since 1923, died at Betio, Tarawa Island, on August 6, at the age of 53 years.
Mr. Poznanski was a well-known employee of Burns Philp Company until the outbreak of the Pacific
War in 1942. During the Japanese occupation of Tarawa he was cruelly treated by his captors, but at the end of hostilities he was the first man to attempt private trading in the Colony. He later worked for the Colony Wholesale Society and re mained with them until his death.
Mr. Poznanski was originally from the Marshall Group.
Mrs. Janet Snow
Mrs. Janet Snow, member of an old established Fiji familly, died at Viti Levu Bay on October 2, aged 86.
She was a daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. T. Lawrie who went to the Colony in 1866 from Aus tralia. The family at various times lived in a great many different parts of Fiji. Mr. Snow died in 1934. There are two sons and six daughters all still living in the Colony.
Mr. J. J. Real
Mr. J. J. Real, a former Land Officer and Deputy-Registrar of Titles in the Fiji Lands Department (1938-46), died in September in Tanganyika, aged 57.
Mr. G. R. Robertson
Mr. G. R. Robertson, for many years with the Colonial Sugar Re fining Co. in Fiji, where he was born, died recently in Brisbane. He joined the CSR staff in 1910 as a junior clerk, transferring to the field staff at Sigatoka in 1912; at the outbreak of World War I, he joined the AIF, serving in France.
After the war he was appointed cane inspector and head overseer at Lautoka, becoming Assistant Man ager of the mill there in 1928. From then until his retirement in 1946 he
served as Manager at Lautoka or Labasa. He left the Colony after his retirement. His father was a mill manager with CSR in Fiji in the 1880-1890’s.
Rev. Father Theophile
Estibal, Sm
Rev. Father Estibal, SM, died at Moa Moa Catholic Mission head quarters in Samoa on October 13, aged 74. He was born in France and went to Samoa with retired Bishop Darnand 49 years ago. He retired, like Bishop Darnand, last year, after serving the mission at various stations in Eastern and Western Samoa.
Mr. J. Clarkson
Mr. J. Clarkson, 60, a resident of Fiji for 20 years, died suddenly on Fanning Island in October. He was foreman in charge of a team which went up there last year in the Vasu to carry out reconstruction work for Cable & Wireless Ltd.
He was employed by Whan Con struction Co. of Suva, the con tractors.
Mr. Clarkson is survived by his wife and two children.
Mrs. Blanche Helsen
Mrs. Blanche Helsen, mother of Mr. M. H. Helsen, Manager of Burns Philp (South Sea) Co., Suva, died in London recently, aged 87. She is survived by her daughters, the Marchioness M. de Goesbriant, of Nice; the Countess of Lubiensky, Salisbury: Mrs. Philip Oliver, of London: Mrs. G. Stocken, of Corn wall; and by her son in Suva.
Mr. William Riley
Mr. William Riley, a well known and respected resident of Fiji—he was born there on Naigani Island — died suddenly on October 22, aged 57.
Mr. Riley served his apprentice ship with Mr. Arthur Whippy, well known Fiji boatbuilder, and married Miss Julia Whippy, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Everard Whippy, of Wainui. He was later employed by various firms in Suva and Levuka, and at the time of his death was a License Inspector for the Fijian Development Fund Board. He is sur vived by his wife, two sons, and two daughters.
Under the management of Aus tralian boxing promoter Mr. Joe Lynch, Doug Brown, Australian light heavyweight, and Bill Price, Indonesian middleweight champion, visited Papeete at the end of August. There Price was matched against Ernest Gavinet, the latter winning on points in a contest of 10 three-minute rounds. Brown fought Rene Teharuru, winning on a foul from the Tahitian. Teharuru, who made an unpopular showing against a Samoan visiting boxer in July, was again active with rabbit punches.