Deaths Of Islands People

Mr. S. Hollander

Samuel Hollander, general ager of Northern Hotels Ltd., died suddenly at his office in oka on May 23. . Hollander was born in Eng but spent most of his life in Zealand. He went to Fiji com tively recently and in 1952 took is appointment with Northern Is. was a member of the Lautoka i Council for a period. He was inent in musical circles, and he i keen chess player. )bably he was best known out business interests for his asso >n with Rugby football. He was w Zealand Test Referee and in lid much to further the sport, le time of his death he was lent of the Northern Districts y Union. is survived by his wife and two 1 sons.

Mrs. C. J. Beddows

2 death of another pioneer sentative, Mrs. Caroline Jane ows, widow of Mr. William jws, occurred at Suva on May Mrs. Beddows was 88 and was in Fiji. . and Mrs. Beddows had a coconut plantation in Taveuni, j they reared a large family V respected in Fiji. Later, Mr. tfrs. Beddows retired to live at the plantation being carried r their sons. i surviving members of their y are Mrs. Louise Howell (Syd- Mrs. Roger Heard (Sydney), W. A. Barton (Suva), Mrs. T. eld (Suva), Mrs. J. Hinchey ritius) and Messrs. Frank )ws (New Zealand) and Alfred )ws (Suva). Two sons, George irthur, were killed in France in 1 War I.

John Thomas Pinner

* death occurred at Canberra ay 17, of John Thomas Pinner, , FIPA, and until a few years tommonwwealth Public Service aissioner since 1947. was known to old TNG resi as Accounts Member of the ipriation Board in Rabaul 1922 to 1925, and was at all a popular identity with all ns of the community, taking en interest in cricket and s. was born in 1888 in Mel le, was educated in that and practised as a public ntant in Adelaide and Mel ie, joining the Australian Pay Corps during War I. He vith the Taxation Dept, for a time before going to TNG. m 1929-43 he was Common h Public Service Inspector, being appointed Commissioner, leaves a widow and two iters.

Mr. Max Nicholls

Mr. Max Nicholls, of Lord Howe Island, died at the Concord Repatri ation Hospital, Sydney, on April 9, at the age of 76.

Mr. Nicholls went to Lord Howe in 1924 as the Education Depart ment teacher. On his retirement in 1927, due to ill-health (he was badly gassed in World War I), he decided to remain there. He was a bachelor and spent the remainder of his life at the island except for visits to relatives in Sydney and Tasmania.

He collected data on the history of Lord Howe, and wrote A History of Lord Howe Island, compiling a botanical section with the help of Captain J. D. McComish and Mrs.

McComish.

A violin he made from a German telephone box during his war service is now in the Canberra War Memorial Museum.

Mr. Nicholls evolved a method of making baskets and other articles from palm-fronds with the result that nearly every tourist leaves the island with a “Lord Howe basket”.

Sister M. Borgia

One of the oldest members of the Roman Catholic Mission at Vunapope, New Guinea, Sister M.

Borgia died on April 19 at the age of 87.

Born at Ipswich, near Brisbane, Sister Borgia was for a time a State teacher in Queensland, but she joined the Order of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, and received the religious habit from Bishop Navarre, the first Bishop of New Guinea. After teaching in the Order’s schools in Sydney, she went to Vunapope in 1900 with a band of missionaries who accompanied Bishop Coupe. (Brother Saule, still living at Vunapope at the age of 86, is now the only surviving member of the group).

Sister Borgia worked at many stations in the Gazelle Peninsua, and in 1925 Bishop Vesters ap pointed her to found the first

Chinese school at Rabaul.

In 1941 Sister Borgia refused to be evacuated and underwent the rigours of Ramale Camp. After the war she had a holiday in Australia, but, although 77, she re fused to retire.

Since January, 1953, she had been suffering from paralysis.

The Rev. H. A. Fa Yell

The Rev. Harold Albert Favell, whose death occurred at Suva in April, was 77 years of age.

Born in London and ordained in New Zealand in 1904, he went to Tonga in 1929 and was in charge of the Anglican Mission there until he retired in 1946. He con tinued to live at Nukualofa until he had to go to Suva for hospital treatment.

A memorial service was held at St. Paul’s Church, Nukualofa, on April 24.

Miss C. H. Wedgwood

Miss Camilla Hildegarde Wedg wood, a brilliant English anthro pologist who died at Sydney on May 17, was a lecturer in native education at the Australian School of Pacific Administration, Mosman.

She was aged 54.

Miss Wedgwood, daughter of the first Baron Wedgwood, was a Master of Arts of Newnham College, Cambridge. From 1935 to 1944 she was principal of the Women’s College, Sydney University. With experience as an anthropologist in New Guinea, she was an honorary lecturer in anthropology at the University for eight years.

The Minister for Territories (Mr.

Paul Hasluck) said in Canberra that Miss Wedgwood had done much work for the people of Papua and New Guinea. Anew school to be built at Goroka, New Guinea, would be named the Camilla Wedgwood Central School for Girls.

Mr. Charles Procter

News has recently been received in the Cook Islands of the death last August at Ramos, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, of Charles Procter, veteran Cook Islands trader.

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Mr. Procter arrived aim penniless at Mangaia Island ea this century, starting life thr by living in a cave. He left island a rich man in 1931 aften years of independent trading Tavaenga village. He was au nearly 90 at the time of his des Nothing had been heard of him ten years past until Mrs. Proc* a Mangaian, recently wrote friends. She and the four child]] plan to remain in Brazil, wlr Charles had lived in retirement.,

Mrs. Isabel Rennie

Mrs. Isabel Ronnie, widow of I John Rennie, died at Suva on M 31. She was in her 86th year..

Mrs. Rennie (formerly M Lang) was born in New Zealas and arrived in Fiji in the eas 1890’s. In 1895 she married Jo Rennie, a canefarmer of Baule? on the Rewa. The family New Zealand for several years, 1 returned to Suva to settle p< manently.

Mrs. Rennie is survived by a s< Mr. John Rennie, of Suva, and t daughters, Zena (Mrs. Borron) & Doreen (Mrs. A. Stafford), bothi Suva.

Mr. E. L. Baker

Mr. Ernest Laidlaw Baker, w, died at his home at Manly, Sydn~ on May 30, at the age of 75, arm in Fiji in 1901 to work as a cleJ in the Colonial Secretary’s OfH3 In 1906 he became Clerk as Reporter to the Legislative Count and in 1914 was commissioned : Provincial and District Cox missioner. For a time he acted .

Assistant Colonial Secretary.

As District Commissioner, I served in almost every district* Fiji and retired in 1938 as Senr District Commissioner, 1st Grade.-.

His wife, formerly Miss M. 1 Griffiths, whom he married in 19G survives him. There are three so —Arthur (Establishment Offio Fiji), Bruce (a chartered accounts in Sydney) and Denis (a farm at Mt. Macedon, Victoria).