Policeman. Restaurateur
p. 88 · Read in the full issue
A Brett Milder Profile:
And Knighted
For Good Citizenship
FRANCOIS ROSSI, veteran citizen of the New Hebrides, comes from a Corsican family which settled in the NH in 1882.
Francois was born in 1903, at Rannon on Ambrym, the second son of Mathieu Rossi and Maria Tristan!, who died the following year at the early age of 20 years.
Francois went to school at Nice in France; then in Corsica for two years; and, finally at St. Joseph's College in Sydney.
His father, meanwhile, had settled on a plantation called "Les Lagunes" near Vila, and Francois worked there from 1919 to 1937.
Rossi, Sr., died in 1929, and in 1937 Francois joined Big Business —Ballande's (CFNH in Vila) —transferring four years later to the finance section of the local French Administration. In 1943 in the period of virtual American occu pation, he was appointed Commandant of Police, stationed at Vila. In 1950 he was transferred to Santo in the same capacity. In 1951 he was made assistant French Delegue at Santo, but soon afterwards retired, to manage the Civil Club of Santo, on the fore shore of the Segond Canal.
Francois had married Paule Ohlen, of the well-known Danish pioneer family of New Caledonia and New Hebrides. The lovely Paule is also an excellent cook, so after two years at the Club, the Rossis opened a new establish ment at Santo, called "Corsica", which is still the only real hotel in Santo.
Francois' brother, Antoine, runs the hotel at Vila, which he is rebuilding into a very modern establishment. He has a large family and like Francois, is a solid citizen of the Condominium.
Francois and Paule have two children, a son Marco who is married, lives in Noumea, an[?] is an engineer with Messageries Maritime; and a daughter Diane, whose husband, Pierr[?] Beurier, is an engineer for the French Airline;
Tai.
In 1956 Francois was created Chevalier d[?] L'Etoile Noire du Benin for his public services