People

• The University of Papua and New Guinea has announced the appointment of Dr. R. Gerard Ward as Foundation Professor of Geography. Dr. Ward, who is a graduate of the University of New Zealand and the University of Lon don, has been Lecturer in Geography at University College, London, since 1961. • The District Officer for the Ellice Islands, Mr. Peter Jackson, was married at Funafuti recently to a Funafuti girl, Miss Samoala Kofe. • A Papua-New Guinea Admin istration patrol has made contact for the first time with a group of people —ll6 of them—living in the isolated Om Valley area of the West Sepik District. Led by the Assistant Dis trict Officer at Oksapmin, Mr. L.

Bragge, the patrol was heading north to Eriapmin and the head of the Leonard Schultze River in early Sep tember. • Mrs. Betty Evans, popular secretary and receptionist in the Syd ney office of the Fiji representative in Australia, returned to Fiji in Sep tember. Mrs. Evans, Fiji-born, came to Sydney two years ago when the office was established by Colonel Basil Rogers, and continued in the post for the present representative, Mr. R, M. Major. After a holiday in Fiji, Mrs. Evans hopes to take up work in the travel business. Ellen Allan has taken over Mrs. Evans’ post in Sydney. Mrs. Allan was formerly Miss Ellen Heffernan, of Suva. • Mr. Reid Cowell, in charge of the South Pacific Office in Suva for many years, and a British Com missioner on the South Pacific Com mission, has accepted a post as assist ant to the registrar at the Australian National University. The registrar is Mr. Ross Hohnen. The South Pacific Office has been responsible for British liaison with Pitcairn, and until changes were made a few years ago it was also responsible for liaison with Tonga. • After 19 years’ service in the Cook Islands, and upon completing 40 years’ superannuation service, Mr.

W. H. Ryan, Director of the Cook Islands Public Works Department, retired on September 2.

Mr. Ryan, a much-decorated Army officer of World War 11, went to the Cooks as Resident Agent on Mangaia

in September, 1947. In February, 1951, he became Superintendent of Public Works and he remained with that Department until his retirement.

He did much to assist the progress of the Cook Islands by building roads, schools and other buildings and im proving boat harbours and reef passages.

Mr. Ryan has now accepted the position of Harbour Project Engineer for a two-year term, when further harbour development work will be carried out at Avatiu and Mangaia.

Mr. F. M. Borrell, who has had many years experience in construc tion work in the Cook Islands Public Service, became Acting Director of Works upon Mr. Ryan’s retirement.

• The Venerable C. W. Whonsbon- Aston, Archdeacon of Polynesia, de parts from Fiji on November 11 on retirement leave. He is 67, still a good-looking man with an alert in terest in his church and public life, and it is unlikely that his future years will be spent in idleness. He was a law student, a civil servant, and then a school housemaster, before he underwent theological training and became a curate in Sydney about 1928.

By 1931 he was vicar of the Anglican Church in Levuka, Fiji, and since then he has served his church in Papua, Samoa and again in Fiji.

He had some lively experiences in the war as a chaplain with the Fiji Terri

torials, and liaison officer with the American forces.

In the next few months, the Arch deacon is going to look up old friends and examine old missionary stamp ing-grounds in Australia, New Guinea, the Solomons, New Hebrides, and New Caledonia, before he returns to Suva in 1967 to live in retirement in that bustling South Pacific metro polis.

The fact that, despite his “dog collar” and the burden of his double barrelled name, he has friends and well-wishers all over the South Pacific, is sufficient testimony to the character and tolerance of this de voted officer of the Anglican Church in the South Seas. • Mr. Lindsay M. Buick-Constable, for seven years a NZ education officer in charge of radio education in Fiji, has been appointed to the newly-created post of Information Officer to the Office of the High Commissioner for Canada, Welling ton, NZ. For the past two years Mr.

Buick-Constable has been NZ secre tary-organiser of the Leadership Training Committee of the NZ National Council of Churches. • Mr. R. H. Regnault, Deputy Director of Lands, Mines and Surveys in Fiji, is to become Director of the department. He will take up his new post when the Director, Mr. D. T.

Lloyd, leaves Fiji in mid-November after serving in the Colony for about 12 years. • The associate editor of The Fiji Times, Mr. John Stone, began a 30day tour of the United States in Sep tember with journalists from 20 Asian and Pacific countries. The tour is be ing made at the invitation of the United States Government. Mr. Stone will also visit Saigon to observe the war in Vietnam. • Te Tabunawati Takoa, formerly District Officer for the Central Gilberts, left Tarawa on September 4 for the British Solomon Islands Protectorate where he will spend a tour on secondment to the Adminis tration. He was accompanied by his wife, Faasaleleanga, and four chil dren. Tabunawati will be posted to the Western District headquarters at Gizo where there is a large Gilbertese settlement. • Ratu Laione Qorere Vuki, after training at St. John’s Theological College in Suva, was admitted into the Holy Order of Deacons by the Bishop in Polynesia, Rt. Rev. John Charles Vockler, in Holy Trinity Cathedral, Suva, on September 18.

Ratu (an hereditary title of prince dom handed down from the first chiefs to land in Fiji centuries ago) Laione Vuki is the first Fijian to be admitted into Orders in the Anglican Communion. • Miss Evelyn Bingham, a great granddaughter of Dr. Hiram Bing ham (who became the first Christian missionary in the Gilbert Islands when he settled at Abaiang in 1857) arrived in Tarawa on September 3 for a week’s visit. Miss Bingham planned to travel to Abaiang to see the mission station at Morikao where Dr. and Mrs. Bingham lived and worked. e Mr. J. H. Terrey has been appointed to the board of Burns Philp and Co. Ltd., replacing the former general manager, Mr. Joseph Mitchell, who has retired. Mr. Terrey is the manager of the plantation section of Burns Philp. • Mr. Alexander Hixon has been appointed Regional Representative of the United Nations Development Programme in Western Samoa. He replaces Mr. Harry L. Spence, who has retired. Mr. Hixon, who was bom in Pasadena, California, served as Deputy Resident Representative of the Technical Assistance Board in Ghana. 1964-65. Since then he has been Acting Resident Representative of UNDP in Accra. • Mr. Lamodiere, former French District Agent at Santo and Vila, New Hebrides, has been appointed to succeed Mr. Andre Due Dufayard as Administrator of Wallis and Futuna.

Ratu Laione Qorere Vuki.