Deaths Of Islands People

Dr. C. M. Churchward One of the Islands most noted linguists, the Rev. Dr. C. Maxwell Churchward, died recently in Suva.

He was 79.

Dr. Churchward’s most recent work included the preparation of an English-Tongan dictionary and a Tongan grammar. He was commis sioned by the Tongan Government in 1953 to carry out this work.

When he died, Dr. Churchward had been working for two years on a translation of the Old Testament into Tongan, The work is not com pleted.

Before starting work in the trans lation of the Old Testament, Dr.

Churchward revised the Tongan New Testament —a task which took him three years.

The revision of the New Testament will be published when the translation of the Old Testament has been com pleted.

As a Methodist missionary at Rotuma, Fiji, in the 1930’s Dr.

Churchward prepared a Rotuman Grammar and Dictionary which was completed in 1940.

He also prepared A New Fijian Grammar published in 1941.

A funeral service was held for Dr.

Churchward at Centenary Methodist Church, Suva. He was buried at Old Suva Cemetery.

Mr. Andrew Leslie Michel Mr. Andrew Leslie Michel, who more than earned the unofficial title of New Guinea’s “Mr. Sport” dur ing the 1950’s and early 1960’5, died in a Sydney hospital on March 16, aged 68.

Mr. Michel first arrived in New Guinea during World War II as a captain in the Australian Army, based at Rabaul.

A couple of years after the war he left the Army and joined W. R.

Carpenter and Co. Ltd. for five years, working as an accountant at Rabaul.

Mr. Michel took a keen and active interest in most territory sports— these included Rugby League, swim ming, athletics, basketball just about anything.

It wasn’t unusual to see him selling programmes or tickets at cricket matches.

As president of the Rabaul Cricket Club he boosted membership and introduced native members for the first time.

About 1951 he left Carpenters and moved to Port Moresby as secretary for three Papuan rubber companies—

Kerema, Rubberlands and Mariboi.

It was a position he held for the next 15 years.

He increased his already big in terest in local sports, encouraging sportsmen and sportswomen in almost every field.

When the first New Guinea team went to the Commonwealth Games, at Perth in 1962, Mr, Michel wasn’t the manager, but he did more than anyone else to get it there, to see the team was well organised, and that funds were raised. More than £B,OOO came from NG.

He had formed a P-NG British Empire Games Association, with him self as president, to ensure P-NG sport came of age in 1962.

Soon after the Games, he was awarded the MBE for his services to NG sport.

In January, 1967, he retired to Syd ney to live with his wife, Anne, in the Sydney suburb of Ashfield. Mr.

Michel is survived by his wife and his two daughters and one son.

Ratu Josefa Lalabalavu Ratu Josefa Lalabalavu, Tui Cakau and Paramount Chief of Cakaudrove, Fiji, died in hospital at Suva on March 16, aged 52. He suffered a stroke at Taveuni on March 15.

Ratu Josefa was educated at Taveuni and at Queen Victoria School.

He joined the Fiji Military Forces at the outbreak of World War 11, and on his discharge in 1944 joined the Fijian Administration.

He later became a Fijian magis trate and served in several provinces before resigning to return to Somo somo on Taveuni.

He was a member of the Great Council of Chiefs for more than 10 years and a member of the Cakau drove Provincial Council for more than 20 years.

He left a widow and two daughters.

Mr. C. S. Reay Mr. Charles Stuart de Cairos Reay, who died in Fiji on March 18, aged 72, gave a lifetime of service to the Colony, which con tinued well past his retirement.

Much of the credit for the Colony’s bus transport system was due to him.

It may not be a particularly modern service judged by best over seas standards, but it was in chaos when Mr. Reay, as chairman of the

Transport Control Board and backed by a competent field staff, started to bring some orderliness to the transport industry in the mid-1950’5.

Mr. Reay was born in Fiji, and worked there all his life, except for service in France in World War I and a short period in Mauritius and East Africa.

Mr. Reay joined the Fiji Public Service in 1914. He was a Districl Commissioner from 1927-1938; and was posted to Mauritius and Northern Rhodesia in 1939.

In 1940, he returned to Fiji as Industrial Relations Officer and be came Commissioner of Labour in 1942, He retained the post until 1954, and then was appointed chairman of the Transport Control Board.

Under his guidance an informal atmosphere developed for public hearings of the board, which was often a major factor in bringing “warring” factions in the transport industry together.

In 1960 he became the first chair man of Fiji’s Public Service Com mission, and without any guidelines soon had it operating smoothly.

Mr. Reay married in 1934, and his wife predeceased him.

He left three daughters, two of whom are married to top Fiji Public Servants —Jill, the wife of Mr. J. P, Barron, the Director of Public Works, and Margot, wife of the Director of Audit, Mr. K. A. W.

Johnson. The other daughter, Judy, lives in England.—HNß.

The late Mr. Les Michel.