Deaths Of Islands People

W. H. (“Tavua”) Johnson

e of the old pioneers of Fiji, William Henry Johnson, known tionately by all as “Tavua”, at his home in Suva on August i his 99th year. :n in Lake Erie district, Canada, rew up in a hard school, fol g a variety of professions and s, among them cigar-making, ligrated to Australia in 1891, in the tobacco industry in i Queensland and in Sydney, threw it up to go to Levuka, to grow tobacco.

Levuka, he married an Aus n girl, Miss Blanche Wadeson. i he left Ovalau, he took up ng at Tailevu, on Viti Levu, .rtnership with Rev. Floyd the ter at his wedding, ving to Tavua, in 1893, the prising Mr. Johnson obtained ge area of land, leased most to Indian farmers for growing its and maize, and then opened rge general store. Another •taking was maintaining boat lunication with Levuka, for were no overland roads on Viti in those days. *ause of his championing of little northern settlement he for himself the nickname xa”, and it stuck to him all fe. 1907 he sold much of his land igs to the CSR, his trading ists to Picker Bros, and went Canada with his wife and f son William Granger, on a holiday. er returning to Fiji, he settled e growing township of Suva, i had superseded Levuka as il, and he engaged in the de ment of residential property, be end of World War I, he reached middle-age and as a rty-owner and investor took lore easily, devoting much of ime to the civic activities of Municipal Council and his e hours at Suva Bowling Club, igh the years, he maintained iterest in public affairs, is survived by his only son, V. G. (“Tui”) Johnson, who is ging director of W. R. Car r & Co. (Fiji) Ltd and allied anies. His wife died in 1938.

Mr. C. B. Dupertuis

irles Bernard Dupertuis ended ? and distinguished life in the e of his adopted country, the Hebrides, in August. He was 81.

Charles Trautwein, he was in Switzerland in August, 1879, was educated there and in . He was ordained in 1904 and ' same year went to the Gilbert Ellice Islands Colony as a mary. left the mission in 1918 and

married, taking at the same time the name of his mother’s family as Charles Bernard Dupertuis. For some time he and his wife lived in Australia, where their only child was born. The family then went to hve in the New Hebrides, where Mr.

Dupertuis opted for British nation ality and where he held numerous positions. For a time he was in terpreter at the Joint Court, and for a short time a teacher of agronomy in New Zealand, and at another he was British Resident in one of the New Hebrides Districts.

His main interest, however, was in entomology and his great con tribution to New Hebrides economic life was the study of the insects that ravaged the coconut trees, par ticularly that of Promethoca, a sort of stick-insect that skeletonises the fronds of this palm and causes loss of production.

In 1935, he was in consultation with two British entomologists in Lau, Fiji, where the same coco nut problem was being experienced, and in 1937 he went to Java to visit the famous Dutch institution of Buitenzorg. He took with him back to Vila, parasites that were known to attack the Promethoca insect.

In 1939, Dupertuis visited New Guinea and the Solomons at the time that the latter was having a great deal of trouble with prema ture nutfall in its plantations.

The war interrupted his research, and for some years before his death he was living in retirement in Santo, He is survived by his daughter, Cecilia, wife of Mr. Jean Ratard, of Santo.

Mr. Frank Allen

Mr. Frank Edwin Allen, who died while visiting relatives in Western Australia on August 8, was well known in Fiji, where his association with the Colony went back to 1906.

An accountant, he was with CSR Co. at Sigatoka in the period be fore World War I; then he was stationed at Lautoka until 1920. He married a local girl, Miss Queenie Berry, niece of Sir John Thurston, then Governor of Fiji, and they had one son, Peter.

Later. Mr. Allen, was CSR man ager at Adelaide, then at Mel bourne. He retired in 1942; but joined the Australian Ministry of Supply in Queensland during the war.

Finally, in 1952. he returned to Fiji and made his home at Lautoka, where his residence became a garden show-place.

Mr. Harold Adcock

An Englishman who had lived in Fiji for over 30 years, Mr. Harold Adcock died suddenly in Suva on August 11. aged 70.

Going to Fiji from Australia in the late 1920’5, he followed his trade as a draper at Levuka, with Burns Philp (SS) Co. Ltd. Then, he went to the drapery department of Morris Hedstrom Ltd., Suva, for some years. Apart from a period with Fiji Customs Department, at Suva wharf, he was employed’ by one or other of the Big Firms in Fiji all his life.

A skilful and keen bowler, he lived at the Suva Bowling Club house and was SBC s publicity officer for some 20 years—his reports and comments on bowling in the Colony, written under the pseudonym of “Jack High” were a regular feature of the Fiji Times.

Mr. John Price

The death of Mr. John Price occurred suddenly at Savu Savu, Fiji, on August 6, at the age of 73 years.

In Mr. Price the district has lost one of its oldest and best-regarded residents. He had lived at Savu Savu for about 36 years.

Mr. Price was born in Wales and, as a young man, migrated to New Zealand and made his home at Morrinsville. There he met and married Miss Rosella Knight, of Fiji.

In 1924, Mr. Price moved to Fiji to take over “Qaranikula” c£>pra plantation at Savu Savu West, and the property has remained the family homestead to this day.

Travellers on the roadless coast of that portion of Savu Savu Bay will recall the hospitality extended to them over many years by the Price family. Mr. Price was renowned as a vocal entertainer.

He is survived by Mrs. Price; son Jack (second-officer on MV John Williams ); and his daughter, Mrs.

Lema Low (of Norfolk Island) His younger son, Teddy, was killed in action in North Africa while serving with the NZ Forces in World War 11.

Arthur H. Cresswell

As this issue goes to press, word comes from USA that Mr. Arthur H. Cresswell, of Rabaul, aged 60, died on September 6, at the Mayo Cliniq, after an operation for a double tumour of the brain.

Ratu Eroni Buresova

A Fijian who had a notable career as a Native Medical Practitioner, Ratu Eroni Buresova, died at Rewa on September 3. aged 87.

He was among the first Fijians chosen to train in hospital work and. after qualifying as an NMP, served for 36 years in the Medical Department.

Ratu Eroni was NMP delegate to the Council of Chiefs and, after he retired from the Government in 1924, he continued to serve the Council as representative for Rewa Province.