Tongan History

She's A Link With Early

From a Correspondent

One of the interesting chapters of early European history in Samoa and Tonga will pass out of sight shortly when Mrs. Bella Riechelmann retires finally from the ownership and management of Beach House, Nuku’alofa

MRS. RIECHELMANN, a well-loved figure in Tonga all her ? conducted her Beach House for years, after World War II, and MRS. RIECHELMANN, a well lived figure in Tonga all her ? conducted her Beach House for years, after World War II, retired.

Five years later, in 1950, she was ced by Fiji Airways to resume direction of Beach House. Fiji Airways were running a new service Nuku’alofa and the Tongan capital had no accommodation for passengers ut Mrs. Riechelmann was not ous to carry on; and in a few ks’ time Beach House will be n over, at Fiji Airways’ request, Mrs. M. Emberson, of Suva, and . Riechelmann will return to her ie in Nukualofa. It is thought Mrs. Emberson, who has interests Fiji, will put a manager in to Beach House.

Mrs. Riechelmann’s family tree is interesting. She herself comes from Samoa, where an old English family named Crichton produced a daughter who married another Englishman named Parsons. Their daughter was Rpll p„ r „ nn<;: Bella Parsons - Meanwhile, over in Tonga, there was another Englishman named Joshua Cocker, who was Britain’s first Consul there. He and his young wife were friends of King George T [ ub< ? l , l ' of T ° n f- and,h J; first child r - aad Mrs. Cocker was a daughter. A young German, Riechel mfn. who arrived m Tonga when onl 7 , 17 > marr ' e ! l ,hat M ‘ ss Cock .er; and « was the ‘ r O son who marned Bella Parsons, of Samoa.

There have been Cockers and Riechelmann in Tonga for over one hundred years.

[?]ong Mrs. Riechetmann's many interests is sea shell collecting. Here she explains the [?]Ferent types of shells in her collection to Mr. Chris Ritchie, manager of Fiji Airways, en Mr. Ritchie visited Nukualofa recently. There are thousands of shells in the collection. Photo: S. A. Whippy.