People

• After 11 years in the sunny Pacific, South Pacific Commission demographer, Dr. Hans Zwart, de parted for Holland in March, sadly returning to a European winter and, as he put it, “fields of frozen potatoes”.

Mr. Zwart has worked since 1959 at census and population studies in West Irian, Auckland, Fiji and the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. He is succeeded at the SPC in Noumea by fellow Dutchman Dr. Ko Groene wegen, formerly at the University of Auckland. One of Mr. Groenewegen’s first tasks is to work on the census held in the British Solomon Islands on February 1. • Mr. L. W. Bergstrand, last of the early directors of Pacific Islands Mines Ltd., Misima Island, Papua, minerals explorer, resigned recently after nine years on the board. He will remain in close association to PI Mines as “alternate” to deputy :hairman, Mr. J. G. Fuller.

Mr. Bergstrand, an engineer, first went to New Guinea from San Francisco in 1931 to construct dredges for Bulolo Gold. He retired Prom Bulolo in 1957 and moved to Sydney. • Twelve members of the Papua- New Guinea House of Assembly left on a three-week political tour of Fiji and Australia on April 3. They were first to visit Fiji for five days, then fly to Sydney for the remainder of the tour. This brings the number of elected members of the House who have visited Australia up to 42 of a total of 84. • Commander G, J. B. Simeon (RN ret.), project manager of the UN Development Programme survey of the transport system in Fiji, returned to Suva on March 7 after three months leave in the UK and New York.

Although the project was concluded last year, it has been extended for two years to continue hydrographic work initiated under the project.

During his leave, Commander Simeon discussed with the British Minister of Defence the purchase of a hydro graphic vessel for the project. • Terry Shick has become (it is believed) the first Lord Howe Islander to be called up for national service in the Australian Army.

• Mr. Donald H. Crothers, 46, of Fargo, North Caroline, has been appointed Chief Justice of American Samoa, succeeding the territory’s Chief Justice since 1965, Judge H.

Edward Hyden. • The Bishop of Melanesia, the Rt. Rev. J. W. Chisholm, is a busy man judging by a recent trip he made to the New Hebrides. During the tour he travelled more than 2,000 miles by sea, made innumerable bush walks and climbed dozens of hills to inland villages. He made 15 con firmations, dedicated three schools, seven churches and a hospital clinic, preached more than 50 sermons, con ducted three ordinations, addressed more than 20 public meetings, held a three-day staff conference—and took a week off, • Professor A. B. Weston has been appointed Professor of Law at the University of Papua and New Guinea.

The Foundation Professor of Law, Professor P. G. Nash, resigned in October, 1969, and will shortly take up an appointment as Professor of

Law at Monash University. Professor Weston, who has held teaching posts in several Canadian universities, has been Professor of Law in the Uni versity of East Africa at Dar es Salaam since 1961 and was Dean of the Faculty from 1961-1968, He takes up his appointment in June. • Dr. Mary McDonald of Canadian University Service Over seas (CUSO), left the New Hebrides at the end of March, at the same time as Mr. Gordon Skipper, sec retary of the New Zealand Voluntary Service Association. Both had had discussions about the possibility of sending volunteers to work in the Hebrides. 9 Papua-New Guinea’s Assistant Police Commissioner, Mr. B. J.

Holloway, took control of the terri tory’s police from April 1 as Acting Commissioner, following the resigna tion of Commissioner, Mr, R. W.

Whitrod. Commissioner Whitrod left Moresby in late March to become Police Commissioner in Queensland.

He had been in NG less than a year ( PIM, Feb., p. 29). • Mr. Gerard Chenais, Condo minium Assistant Statistician, was due to leave the New Hebrides at the beginning of April for Noumea to attend a Sonth Pacific Commission Statistics Conference, • Mr. lan Mance, Public Admin istration Liaison Officer at Britain’s Ministry of Overseas Development, spent three days in the New Hebrides at the end of March after visiting Fiji in connection with administrative training at its university. A specialist in training for localisation, he had discussions with officials at the British Secondary School in Port Vila. • The Pope has appointed the very Rev, Father Desmond Charles Moore, of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, Bishop of Sideia, Papua-New Guinea, in succession to the Most Rev. John Doyle, who has resigned his office owing to age and ill-health. • The Rev, Bernard G. Thorogood left Rarotonga in the Cooks with his wife and family in early March to take up a new appointment in London. He is to become the assis tant to the general secretary of the Congregational Council for World Mission, with a view to succeeding him on his retirement in 1971.

Mr. Thorogood first went to Raro tonga in 1953 as a member of the London Missionary Society (later, the Cook Islands Christian Church).

Fiji Military Forces officer cadet, Alexander Eastgate, was due to begin a two-year course at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst on April 27.

Since September last year he has been attending a series of army courses in New Zealand.

Mr. Eastgate, who represented Fiji in the 200 metres at last year's South Pacific Games, is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Reg Eastgate of Suva.