New Samoa

The Women’s Part In Shaping The New Samoa

Anyone interested in seeing

how one family of strong character may influence the shape and progress of a nation is invited to study the family established in Western Samoa by

August Nelson.

THAT goodlooking young Swede came from Calmar, in Sweden when he was about 30 (he was born in 1838), became a trader and planter, and married a Samoan lass, Sina Tugaga, of Safune. He had four children—two daughters, who married planters in Samoa, and two sons, Olaf Frederick and August.

We are concerned most with O.

F. Nelson, who was born in 1883 and who— • Established O. F. Nelson and Co. Ltd., one of the “big firms” of Western Samoa. e Fought stubbornly against the “heavy-booted Colonels” whom New Zealand sent to govern Western Samoa after it was taken from the Germans in World War I; was banished from Samoa by the New Zealanders; but who came back in time to see his independence move ment recognised officially before he died in 1944. • Married the daughter of H. J.

Moors (who wrote With Stevenson in Samoa ) and gave to Samoa five daughters, who were educated in Europe and America and whose in fluence on the new nation is con siderable and far-reaching.

The first was Irene. She married Tupua Tamasese, now one of the two Heads of State.

The second was Olive, who became a barrister and solicitor. She married Mr. G. F. D. Betham. member of another old Samoa family, and now Samoa’s Minister for Finance.

The third was Joyce, better known as “Billie” Nelson— highly-educated, clever, effervescent. She married Mr.

Hermann Ratzlaff, a planter, and is now the general manager of his successful merchandising business.

The fourth, Sina, married Edward Annandale, now managing director of O. F. Nelson & Co. Ltd.

The fifth, Calmar (O. F. Nelson called a daughter, a ship and a plantation after his father’s Swedish birthplace) married a planter and later they went to live in New Zealand.

O. F. Nelson’s brother, August, married a daughter of Samuel Meredith (another old Samoa family) and they had one son, F. C. F.

Nelson, who is today the Minister for Public Works.

It doesn’t end there. In the Legislative Assembly, and regarded by some as the likely leader of a

The Masiofo Irene, wife of Tamasese, one of the two Heads of State, with Lutu Malietoa (left) former wife of Malietoa, the other Head of State. They are now divorced.

Mr. Eugene Paul, leader of an important Samoan family.

Opposition, is the ;s and redoubtable Harry Moors, tion by marriage of the Nelsons also, for good measure, of ifluential Paul family).

Another Powerful Family

i original Paul was a German i, and he married in Samoa lughter of a high official named y. The outstanding descendant it line is Eugene Paul, who has swathe in Samoan commerce lublic affairs almost as wide as ). F. Nelson. »ene Paul either owns or tales a large group of businesses d and air transport, a hardware a newspaper and printing busi a cinema or two, shipping, oring and numerous associated ms. He is one of the Terri ablest public men, and when a turned over to limited self nment he was Government and a doughty political fighter.

I health forced Mr. Paul out üblic life just as the new. mdent State was taking final ; but he still is an influential in the background. He is id into the MacDonald family, sr strong Samoa group of rs and traders. His handsome Peter and Norman, are top lives. through Samoa’s modern y, the European-Samoan com y has been divided between the ns and the Pauls, and the war ildom stopped. O. F. Nelson jaw like the Rock of Gibraltar, 3 has Eugene Paul—jaws which □n stubbornly, and never com se. the moment, the Nelsons are lant in the political scene, and 3 auls are quiet—biding their maybe. : situation has its piquant angles. example, the daughter of Moors, related away back to lelsons, is happily married to : Peter Paul and lives in the felson camp. Public Works ter Nelson, who might be ex l to fly the Nelson flag, is very ely an “independent”. ;ene Paul says he is no longer sted in politics, and his hearty wishes go with the new State, hrough his newspaper he sniffs urrent breezes on The Beach, 'onders what the New Year has le New Nation, and the Old ies. hose handsome, educated, clever n of the European-Samoan lunity do not have some voice future of Western Samoa, then les which usually govern human i will have been side-tracked.