Deaths Of Islands People

Mr. Arthur Freeman One of the pioneers of Fiji’s once prosperous banana export market to Australia, Mr. Arthur Freeman, died at his home in Queensland on October 9, at the age of 92.

Mr. Freeman was bom in England and arrived in Australia in 1880. In his early days he was a stockman and goldminer in Australia, but he left Australia in 1906 to join his three brothers in Fiji with the CSR.

There he began buying and shipping bananas and soon became one of the largest traders exporting to Aus tralia.

The ships were specially built for the banana trade and had their tween decks insulated and cooled by fans to a regular temperature of 52 degrees. Except for one occasion, when a stoppage of the fans caused a total loss of the shipment, which was dumped at sea before entering Sydney Heads, the bananas used to arrive in perfect condition with a loss rate of less than one per cent.

Mr. Freeman would draw £450 in gold and silver from the bank in Suva each week and travel up the Rewa River by launch, buying bananas.

In 1910 he married Frederica Carter of Sydney, and their daugh ters, Marie and Jane, were both born in Suva.

When World War I commenced, the banana boats were gradually withdrawn from the Fiji-Australia service to be used as troop ships, so Arthur Freeman sold his interests in Fiji and settled in Queensland, where he entered the local banana trade.

He called his property “Viria”, in memory of his days in Fiji.

In recent years Mr. Freeman travelled a great deal in the South Seas, and was well known as a constant visitor.

He retired from the Australian banana industry only seven years ago.

Mother Mary Irenee Mother Mary Irenee, the first Roman Catholic Sister to arrive in the British Solomon Islands Pro tectorate, died at Visale, Guadalcanal, on September 23.

Mother Mary Irenee arrived in the Solomons in 1904 after spending four years in Fiji. Her first station was at Rua Sura, Guadalcanal. From there she went to Tangarare to open the first school for girls.

She was at Visale when the Japan ese invaded Guadalcanal, but escaped to Tangarare with other missionaries

and was later taken by Liberty ship to Noumea.

Mother Mary Irenee returned to the Solomons in 1946 and was stationed at Visale as Mother Superior. She was awarded the MBE in 1959.

Mr. A. G. Kemp Mr. Arthur George Kemp, who did notable work in education in three Pacific territories, died at Christchurch on October 11, aged 54.

Mr. Kemp was a former Director of Education in both the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony and Tonga.

He went to the GEIC in 1950 after teaching in Fiji from 1937, except for war service in the Solomons.

He became Tonga’s Director of Education in 1955.

When he died he was a school inspector in Canterbury, NZ.

In his younger days in New Zealand he was a prominent Rugby footballer.

He is survived by Mrs. Kemp, a son and a daughter.

Mrs. Heather Johns Well-known P-NG personality and charity worker Mrs. Heather Johns died in Port Moresby on September 26 after a short illness at the age of 52. * She was the wife of Mr. W. H. (Bill) Johns, general manager of South Pacific Brewery Ltd.

Mrs. Johns, then Miss Heather Leslie, first went to the Territory in the mid-1930’s when the Leslie family moved from Cairns to the New Guinea goldfields. There she met Bill Johns, and they were married in Wau in 1937. Two years later her daughter, Heather Joan, was bom in the tiny Wau hospital.

At the outbreak of the Pacific war, she and her baby daughter were evacuated while her husband stayed on. During the war they lived in Broken Hill.

In 1950 they all returned to the Territoiy, this time to Port Moresby where Bill took up an appointment with PMF Co. Ltd.

Heather became keenly interested in the in 1952, the year after the Port Moresby branch was formed. Her activities and interests remained with that association for the rest of her life. She became the first Territorial president in 1963 and was elected a life member last year.

She excelled at golf; held a number

of official positions with the gob Associates; and was holder of sev< championships, including the Te tory Championship, which she i her husband held jointly for 1 years.

Mrs. Johns was a member of Inner Wheel Club, of Port Mores and the Victoria League

Commonwealth Friendship.

She is survived by her husbz and daughter, Mrs. Alan Hutchins and two grandsons, Mr. A. F. Williams Mr. Alexander Francis Williams descendant of a pioneer Europe family in Fiji, died on October 1.

For several years he worked assistant purser and later as pur in USS Co. ships.

He then joined the firm Williams and Gosling, of which ; father was a co-founder.

Mrs. S. M. Turner Mrs. Stella Mary Turner, wid< of Mr. P. J. Turner, member of well-known Fiji family, died September 28 at the age of 84.

Mr. E. L. Grant The death occurred recently at t a ge of 69 of Mr. Eric Lewis Gra: a Fiji-Indian, who served with t NZ Maori Battalion in World W I-..He was a member of a promine Fiji family.

He was in business on his ov account for some time before ret ing, because of ill-health, in 1953.

Rev. Father J. Schlicker The Rev. Father Joseph Schlickt who served in Papua-New Guinea f 33 years, died in Germany at the ei of September while on leave f medical treatment and rest. He w 64.

His last appointment was at Pat patuai, Buin, where he was in charj of boys’ and agricultural schools.