Deaths Of Islands People

Rev. Robert Rankin

ie death occurred in Melbourne December of the Rev. Robert kin, who for 32 years was with London Missionary Society in aa-New Guinea. Mr. Rankin, was 60, was on leave in Mel ne. r. Rankin was very well known 'apua, where he first joined the > in 1928. In 1957 he and his , the Rev. S. J. Rankin, opened training centre, Chalmers’ 3ge, He is survived by his wife, son Robert, of the Department igriculture.

Mr. Reginald Steward

r. Reginald Steward, who was sident of Fiji for 53 years, from early years until he retired in , died in Newcastle, NSW, re ly, aged 68. He was, in his early , in the employ of Robbie Kaad Co. until Burns Philp took that firm. He then continued he service of BP for 46 years.

Steward did much to further the •ests of bowls in Fiji. ; left a widow and three :hters.

Mr. John Robert Young

:. John Robert Young, aged 44, at the Norfolk Island Hospital in November. son of the original Pitcairn lies, John was a popular figure orfolk life, and was always on 1 to assist in public activities. A iber of the NI Dramatic Society of the Polynesian Society, his ing is regretted by his many ids.

Ylr. Joseph Walter Jenkins

early December, Norfolk id lost another of its old ident in the death of Mr. Joseph :er Jenkins, aged 82. r ncle Joe” was known to all oik residents—he arrived there l New Zealand 47 years ago. He a keen bowls player until the

Hugh Bartholomew Burrell

i December 11, Mr. Hugh holomew Burrell died in hos , Norfolk Island.

Burrell was 63, and was a fly )fficer in the RFC during World I, from which he retired with rank of major. Active again in Second World War, and with rank of Wing Commander, he in command of the RNZAF , Hobsonville (NZ). He was "ded the OBE for his work e. s had resided on Norfolk Island the past 15 years and is sur -1 by his wife, a son and a rhter.

Mr. H. R. Gough The managing - director of Hackshalls Ltd., Mr. H. R. Gough, died in Sydney on January 7, aged 74. He was the actual founder of Pacific Biscuit Co. and Union Soaps Ltd. in Fiji. He visited Suva in 1921, and bought the land where the two factories soon afterwards were established by Mr. Leslie Brodie, and the late Mr. Malcolm Brodie, who died a few weeks ago.

Mrs. A. W. Kane The death occurred in George town, North Queensland, on De cember 21, of Mrs. Alexandra Wini fred Kane, well known pre-war resident of the Morobe goldfields area.

Mrs. Kane was the wife of Mr.

Jack Kane and lived in Bulolo, Wau and Salamaua at various periods before she was evacuated to Cairns, Q’ld, at the outbreak of the Pacific war.

She is survived by her husband and a son, Geoffrey.

Mrs. Kate Thomas Catherine Mary, wife of Gordon Thomas (“Tolala”) died in a private hospital in Campbelltown, NSW, on December 30, in her 86th year.

She was one of the pioneer Mission Sisters of the Methodist Mission in New Britain, arriving in 1905 in the first overseas vessel to berth at the NDL wharf, Rabaul.

For several years she was in charge of the Girls’ School at Watnabara, Ulu, in the Duke of York Group.

In 1912, she married Mr. Thomas, at Kieta, Bougainville, and for some years the pair lived in Buka.

Bougainville, and at Faisi, in the

Bsi.

After Mr. Thomas’ return from War I, she joined him in Rabaul in 1921. In the ’3o’s she was Hon.

Secretary of the Agnes Wisdom Library in Rabaul and during the early part of War II was a keen worker for the Red Cross and Com forts Fund.

Together with the other women she was evacuated in 1941 and for the past 15 years she had been liv ing in Campbelltown, where she de voted considerable time to the in terests of charitable and other organisations. For the last three years she had been in indifferent health.

Mrs. Thomas was born in Port Chalmers, New Zealand. She is sur vived by her husband, and in New Guinea by her nieces, Mrs. R. I.

Parker (Port Moresby), Mrs. Joan Brierley (Rabaul) and grand-niece, Mrs. Jan Saave (Port Moresby).

Mr. Albert Schaafhausen

An old, greatly respected resident of Apia, Western Samoa, Mr. Albert Schaafhausen, died on December 10, aged 85. He arrived in Samoa in 1900.

The German Governor, Dr. Solf, engaged him first to look after the valuable horses imported from Aus tralia. Later, as he had technical knowledge and experience in archi tecture and construction, he did ex cellent work for the German Ad ministration in building many roads, and planning and erecting Govern ment buildings. He acted also as Chief of Police and as Chinese Com missioner for the 3,000 Chinese in dentured labourers taken to Samoa by the Germans.

As Chief of Police, in 1912, he solved the murder of a German trader, Lehners, by some brilliant detective work—the story is told on p. 32.

Although Mr. Schaafhausen was interned in New Zealand as a Ger man national during both World Wars, he was placed in charge of the Public Works Department by the New Zealand Administration and, for long years, rendered valu able service. He was known for in flexible honesty, efficiency, and de votion to duty, and was greatly re spected by his staff and by the com munity.

Mr. Schaafhausen left two sons, William and John, and two daughters, residing in Germany and USA. His wife, a member of the Wallwork family, predeceased him.

Mr. Edward Westbrook

Mr. Edward Westbrook, a planter and former mayor of Aleisa Settle ment, Western Samoa, died recently at Aleisa. He was a son of the late Mr. George Westbrook, a very well known pioneer and writer, of Ger man and Trusteeship Samoa.

Mr. Arthur Groom Mr. Arthur Groom, who died in the CWM Hospital, Suva, on De cember 28, at 84, was a builder and contractor in Fiji for many years.

He was born at Levuka and educated at the Levuka Public School.

Mr. Groom set up business in 1903 and carried this on till 1916, when he left the Colony to join the AIF. He served in Egypt and France, where he was twice wounded.

He married five times, and is sur vived by nine children, 12 grand children and 16 great-grandchildren.

Mr. J. Probert Mr. Jack Probert, formerly of the Fiji Police Force, died in London recently at the age of 68. He began his civil service career in the Health Department in 1924, and in 1927 he entered the police as a sub inspector.

He served at most of the police

res of Viti Levu, and at Levuka. vas in charge of the traffic de nent at Suva for a period.

I\ r. A. Drummond Thomson ie of the best known planters New Guinea, Mr. Archibald nmond Thomson, died at his 5 in North Sydney on January 8, 64. He had been in poor health lome years. His passing will be i with sorrow in many places— mmond Thomson of Numa a” represented an era. ummond Thomson had only finished his education in Mel tie in August, 1914, and he was the AIF before World War I 30 days old. Early in 1915, •ugh not yet 19, he got a com on in the King’s Own York- Light Infantry. He served until i end with the British in ce, and finished as captain. 1921, as a young man, he went sw Guinea, to the staff of Buka tations and Trading Co. Ltd., ougainville; learned the busi of tropical planting; and as :al manager at Numa Numa 1927 onwards he made this jf the Territory’s most profit plantations. immond Thomson, again, was ptly into World War 11. When Japs came, he went coast ling for a few months; and he was commissioned in the 'alian naval forces, and held •ies of administrative posts in Hebrides, Solomons, Bougain and Melbourne. For his liaison with the USA forces, he was Jed an American decoration. . Thomson went back to Numa a, after the war, as managing tor of the company and about when all was running smooth l, he retired to live in Sydney, he visited the Territory fre :ly and was a well known i in Rabaul and Moresby. He led Miss Myrtle Hoddinott, of Durne, and she, and one son Dne daughter, survive him.

Mr. Colin Marshall

Colin Marshall, who was Con tor of Forests in Fiji from :o 1950, died recently in Ghana, e age of 54. was seconded to Fiji from ya, and returned to Malaya his tour of duty in the Pacific. i in Fiji he did a lot of work ng forestry to the notice of the went to Ghana from Malaya.

Marshall is survived by Mrs. aall and three children.

John D. Harrington, well n Rarotonga trader, who was ling to settle in New Zealand his family and had purchased jperty there, returned to the > in November and now plans ntinue to reside in Rarotonga.