Deaths Of Islands People

Lady Des Voeux

[.Lady des Voeux, whose husband, lir (George) William des Voeux, as Governor of Fiji from 1880 to 585, died in England in August i her 99 th year.

“Her active personality and vigor is brain kept in touch with and liderstood the developments of ich new period,” wrote a corre ►ondent in The Times, London. “As le wife of Sir William des Voeux, le left her mark in Trinidad, Fiji, swfoundland and Hongkong, and is a most popular and energetic dp to her husband.”

Miss Phyllis Abel

Leader of the Kwato Mission, tmarai, Papua, and widely own throughout the Territory for r devoted work, Miss Phyllis Abel ?d at Melbourne in August at i age of 57. rhe mission was founded by her her, the Rev. Charles Abel, more m 60 years ago. Miss Abel’s ath, and the absence of her »ther in Australia meant that ■ the first time since Kwato was mded no member of the Abel nily was at the mission, diss Abel left a year ago for a rid tour and was on her way back en her death occurred.

Memorial services were held in eral parts of the Territory.

Orator-Chief Leoso

Kgh Talking Chief Leoso (Ned ►ley), a skilled carpenter who, in 2, helped to build Government ase and the Administration Idmg at Pago Pago, as well as ny churches in Eastern and stem Samoa, died on August 6 at age of 74. eoso was the late Sir Peter :k’s assistant when Sir Peter was [n pil i n g his book, Samoan tenal Culture. e is survived by his wife, three s and seven daughters. He was led at Leone.

Mr. Charles Stergios

t Charles Stergios, well known rahiti for many years, died at eete on August 1 at the age 10. r. Stergios was a member of a ek family closely associated with public life of Papeete in the 1880’s and up to the mid 'S. is father was host of a Papeete remembered by old hands as ) Tane, and his brother Alex, associated with the Restaurant le at San Francisco, was Jly famous as host of the old ‘le Bougainville, larles was for many years a iliar figure as Papeete’s only man, and as such, with his trick nitating a motor-horn, and his of greeting to mail recipients

“laorana te mau taeae, iaorana te mau tuahine” (Welcome friends, welcome sisters!) was known by everyone. He was also a noted drum-player.

Mr. O. C. Ludolph

Mi’. Owen Cross Ludolph, who died at Suva on August 21, was 72 years of age.

Born in South Africa and educated in Britain, he served in the Boer War before going to Fiji in 1909 as a Public Works Department draughtsman. He was appointed architect in 1911 and retired in Mr. Ludolph designed many im portant buildings, including Gov ernment House, the Suva Girls’

Grammar School Hostel and the sisters’ quarters at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital, and he was as sociated with the building of the hospital itself.

Many of his stage settings for Suva amateur theatricals were com parable with the highest standards overseas.

Married twice, Mr. Ludolph was a widower when he died. He is sur vived by two sons and a daughter.

Mrs. Madge Hammond

Madge Hammond, wife of Mr H, T. (Bunny) Hammond, whose death occurred at Sydney on August ff, was a resident of Wau New Guinea, in the 1930’5. She was well known to people of Wau, Bulolo, Salamaua and Lae, and was a popular hostess at social gatherings.

In the 1930’s period Mr. Hammond, who is now head of Adastra Hunting Geopbysics Pty, Ltd., was with Holden s Air Transport Services in New Guinea.

Mr. A. O’Rourke

The death occurred in August of a well-known New Britain man, Mr. Arnold O’Rourke.

The “Doc,” as he was known, arrived in the Territory 26 years ago as a European Medical Assist ant, and spent most of his life in New Guinea in the New Britain area.

He served in the First and Second World Wars.

Mr. R. L. Gaskell

Mr. Richard Luke Gaskell, an old Solomon Islands resident, died in a Sydney hospital on July 27, aged 75 years.

An ex-Royal Naval shipwright Mr. Gaskell established himself in the Kieta district, Bougainville about 1910, finally leaving the Solomons in 1940.

He is survived by Mrs. Gaskell, now living in Sydney, a son Geoffrey, of Iwi, Bougainville, and another son, Jack.

Mr. A. R. Cobcroft

Mr. Alan Ridge Cobcroft, a well known figure in the commercial and political life of Western Samoa, died at Auckland, NZ. on September 5, at the age of 70.

Born at Sydney, Mr. Cobcroft went to Fiji in 1905 and worked for the CSR Co. for six years In 1911 he was appointed man ager of Papase’ea Plantations Ltd., an Australian cocoa concern in Western (then German) Samoa.

During World War I he became manager of the Government Mulifunua Plantation, and after the war began cocoa-planting on his own account.

He is survived by his wife (formerly Miss Carruthers), a son and two daughters.