Deaths Of Islands People

Sir Stephen Allen The death occurred in Waikato, New Zealand, in November of Sir Stephen Allen, KBE, CMG, DSO, and Bar, who was Administrator of Western Samoa from 1928 to 1931.

Sir Stephen was a prominent bar rister, distinguished soldier, and a leading freemason. He was 82.

Mr. J. Carruthers Mr. John Carruthers, a member of a well known Fiji family, died in Auckland on November 2. He was 57.

He was once Town Clerk at Levuka and then worked for Brodziak and Co., Brown and Joske, the Fiji PWD and as chief engineer in inter-island shipping, before joining the Union Steam Ship Co, in Auckland in 1946.

He is survived by Mrs. Carruthers, a son and two daughters.

Mr. R. B. Smith Mr. Richard Backhouse Smith, a member of one of the earliest European families in Vanua Levu, Fiji, died on October 30, aged 85.

Mr. Smith, who was blinded at four, overcame his handicap to become an efficient copra cutter, and able to cany out other exacting tasks. He managed a copra estate for several years before buying his own plantation.

Supt. C. D. R. Duncan Deputy Superintendent Charles David Robert (Bob) Duncan, the Fiji Police bandmaster, was found dead in his office at the Nasese Police Barracks, Suva, on October 14 with a gunshot wound in his head and his service pistol near his body. He was a popular figure in Fiji.

Deputy Superintendent Duncan was born at Newcastle-on-Tyne, England, in 1914 and joined the Royal Marines in 1929.

He was commissioned as a band master and in 1948 became a Licenti ate of the Royal College of Music.

He retired from the Marines in 1955 and settled at Papakura, New Zealand, but moved to Fiji in April, 1957, as Police Bandmaster. Under his direction the band became a first class musical unit.

He leaves a widow, Mrs. Elsie Duncan, and two adult children who live overseas.

Pastor Kata Rangoso The death occurred in Honiara, BSIP, on October 26 of Pastor Kata Rangoso, who gave 48 years of ser

vice to the Seventh-day Adventist Mission in the Solomons, and was one of its earliest converts.

He was the son of an influential chief in the Marovo Lagoon. He re ceived his education in SDA schools, and toured Australia, New Zealand, and America addressing large gather ings in English.

He was largely responsible for the translation of the complete Bible into the Marovo language.

When it became necessary for missionaries to evacuate the Solomons in 1942, Pastor Rangoso was appointed leader of the Adventist Church in that territory.

His first action was to organise rescue parties for the benefit of Allied servicemen, of whom about 200 were saved.

Pastor Rangoso was highly esteemed by both his own people and Europeans.

Father Schafer Father Schafer, a Roman Catholic priest, who worked in New Guinea for 52 years, died in Wewak in October.

Father Schafer started the mission station at Timbunke in the Sepik Dis trict and worked there before and after World War 11.

Mrs. A. R. Hurley Mrs. Annie Rose Hurley, a descendant of a pioneer European family in Fiji, died suddenly on No vember 11, aged 70.

Mr. R. Johnson Mr. Robert Johnson, secretary of Burns Philp (SS) Co. Ltd., died at sea in the Orsova on November 12, aged 58. He had been in ill-health and was on a holiday trip.

He worked for Burns Philp for many years in Fiji and Western Samoa.

Mrs. Johnson survives him.

Mr. Michel Verges New Caledonia lost an ardent patriot and picturesque figure in the death in October of Mr. Michel Verges, at the age of 66. Mr. Verges, a member of a widespread New Caledonian family, headed a com mittee which rallied New Caledonia to General de Gaulle’s cause in World War 11.

In World War I, Mr. Verges won the Croix de Guerre with two citations and the Medaille Militaire.

In private life, he was a solicitor.

Mrs. Gregory Smith Mrs. Gregory Smith, wife of former Resident Commissioner in tl BSIP, died at her home in Gloucestt shire, England, recently.

Rev. C. Lurkhur The Rev. Father Claudius Lurkhi who served as a churchman in F for 25 years, died in Benares, Indi in late October.

Mr. J. P. Amputch Mr. John Paul Amputch, Coi missioner of Labour in Fiji sin 1960, died on November 13, ag 53.

He was the first Fiji-born Indii to become head of a Fiji Gover ment department.

He was awarded the MBE in 195 While Labour Commissioner 1 revised several of Fiji’s labour to bring it into line with mode thinking and practice.

He is survived by Mrs. Amputc two sons (Anthony, a student Armidale University College, a n John, who is studying in Rome f the priesthood), and a daughter, wl recently took her final vows as a m at Bangalore, India.

Bishop Scharmach

Bishop Leo Scharmach, form Roman Catholic Bishop of Rabat died in a Melbourne private hospit on November 26. He was 68, Bishop Scharmach, who was boi in Poland, joined the Congregatic of the Missionaries of the Sacrt Heart and left for New Guinea i 1924. He was consecrated a bishc on October 3, 1939.

Bishop Scharmach retired la year and had been living at Mary Mount Balwyn, Victoria.

Pastor Rangoso.