Deaths Of Islands People

Eric Douglas Robinson ? death occurred suddenly in *y on February 5, of Eric [as Robinson, better known in Guinea as Sepik Robbie. He 14. was down in Sydney from the :ory on leave when his death red.

“Wobbie” Robinson —he could pronounce his “R’s” —he went j in the early 20’s and spent time up to the mid-1920’s in linville as what was known as a lik-lik Doctor —a tean Medical Assistant. He transferred to District Services patrol officer and in the late , by then an Assistant District t, he was posted to the Sepik sras “Wobbie” who in the pro of becoming “Sepik Robbie”, opened up the Sepik, and put irst mark of civilisation on •am and Ambunti which had >usly been regarded by young o 1 officers as “punishment ns”. remained there, a Sepik in on, until the late 1930’s when tired to Sydney and bought ictoria Hotel at Kings Cross, •st wife died during this period vhen the Pacific War broke re sold the hotel and went again, to join the Coast ers.

Captain E. D. Robinson he in Bougainville and New n, and won the MC. His ts during this phase of his are set out in some detail in 'eldt’s The Coast Watchers. k Robbie married again and the war bought a ship, the 7ai. It was his intention to

base it on Madang and to go trad ing along the coast and up the Sepik River, but he came into collision with Territories Minister Eddie Ward’s nationalisation of private New Guinea shipping; the scheme fell through and he sold the vessel to CPL Ltd. of Bougain ville.

Robbie set himself up as a trader at Angoram, however, and carried on business there for sometime.

Then he again “retired”, taking a job as an Administration clerk at Angoram to keep himself busy. More recently he has been living at Mt.

Hagen, and working for the Ad ministration, Sepik Robbie was born in Doncaster, UK. Of him Eric Feldt has this to say in Coast Watchers-.

“He had fair hair, now ‘gwey’, blue, innocent eyes and the expression of a child who has not yet seen any evil in the world—a paragon of all the forgivable vices”.

He was a man who fitted more easily into the old New Guinea than the new, but he leaves scores of friends of the older brigade to whom he was the symbol of an era.

Mrs. F. E. Eekhoff The death occurred in Cairns, North Queensland, in January of Mrs. F. E. Eekhoff, well known resident of Lae before and after the last war.

She was the wife of Mr. H. G.

Eekhoff who went to the Territory in 1921 for the Expro Board. When Guinea Airways established their base at Lae, the Eekhoffs started a store there, and they returned to the town after World War II and re-established their business.

They finally sold this and retired in Lae but went to live at Cairns some years ago as they felt that Australia had many social service benefits for elderly people that were entirely lacking in the Territory.

Mrs. Eekhoff is survived by her husband Harry, by her son Gordon Eekhoff and her daughter Mrs. A.

R. Priebe, all of North Queensland.

Mr. Edward Jenyns

The death occurred over the Christmas period, at Greenslopes Repatriation Hospital, Brisbane, of Mr. Edward (“Ted”) Jenyns, formerly a well known between-wars resident of the Morobe and Madang districts of New Guinea. He had been ill for a long time.

He was an ex-World War I, New Guinea Expropriation Board original, and arrived in the Territory in 1921 and thereafter was stationed in the Madang area for some time. He was married there in 1923 When World War II broke out,

he was in Lae and a major and second-in-command of the NGVR in Lae. He sold his property there after the war and had been living in retirement in Queensland — during these latter years, in poor health.

Mrs. Wynifred Wager

The death occurred in Sydney, NSW, on January 30, of Mrs.

Wynifred Wager, 77, wife of Mr.

Christopher Wager, now of Queens land, but formerly of Fiji.

Mr. Wager is an Englishman who went to Fiji about 1904 for the Eastern Extension Cable Com pany; he later joined the police force and finally took up cane farm ing. Mrs. Wager was Miss Wynifred Rock, an Australian, who went to Fiji in 1911 on a visit.

She met Mr. Wager there and they were married the same year.

Six children were born of the marriage and the Wagers left Fiji for Australia in 1924.

Although it is over 30 years since they lived there, both retained an enthusiastic interest in the Colony.

Some of Mr. Wager’s reminiscences have appeared in PIM from time to time.

Mrs. Wager is survived by her husband, one son, four daughters and 20 grandchildren.

Mr. Kati Heather A leading personality of the Cook Islands, Mr. Kati Heather, of Arorangi, Rarotonga, died there on January 9, aged 65. A member of the Islands Council since 1956, a deacon of the LMS Church, and a member of various public bodies, he was also a keen sportsman. He is survived by his wife and five children.

Mr. W. E. Wilson Mr. William E. Wilson, legal officer to the Department of Island Territories, Wellington, and a former attorney-general to Western Samoa, died suddenly in Welling ton on December 15. He was preparing to leave for Rarotonga to take a relieving position as Judge of the High Court there. A Master of Laws, he was aged 56.

Mrs. E. L. Eggers Mrs. Elizabeth Lovell Eggers, who recently died in New Zealand at the age of 92, was born at Niue Island in 1868, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Head. Mr. Head was then Deputy Commissioner of Niue.

Mrs. Eggers was educated in England, and on returning to New Zealand was married in 1895 to William Farquhar Eggers—who died in 1939 they settled in Wellington Mrs. Eggers had a distinguished record in social work in her Church. This included rais ing the funds for the maternity wing of a hospital in India which bears her name.

She is survived by five children.

[?]te "Sepik" Robbie, as Brett Hilder saw him.