Islands People
p. 114 · Read in the full issue
Deaths of Islands People
Mr. Henry Cocker The death occurred on March 3 of one of Tonga’s few remaining veterans of World War I, Mr. Henry Cocker. He was accorded a full mili tary funeral. Mr. Cocker was a grandson of the first British Consul in Tonga, from 1862 till 1866.
Kilisitina Tu'ivakano Kilisitina Tu’ivakano, well known Nukualofa resident, died on February 17, aged 92. She was the widow of the late Tu’ivakano Polutele, a mem ber of the Tongan nobility and Premier of Tonga from 1912 until his death in 1923.
Kilisitina travelled to Australia and New Zealand with her husband and for many years was a popular hostess to many distinguished and official guests.
Mr. Frank Clune Sydney author Frank Clune, who wrote dozens of travel and histori cal books, many of them on the Pacific, and who had travelled widely in the Islands, died in Sydney on March 11, aged 77.
Mr. Thomas Alfred Schilling New Guinea oldtimer and gold prospector, Thomas Alfred Schil ling, died in Canberra Hospital on March 12. He leaves a wife, Marie, and two daughters, Mrs. Irene Bogie and Mrs. Betty Hutchinson.
Another New Guinea oldtimer, Ernie Shepherd, said this of him in March. “I knew ‘Tosh’ Schilling and Alf Belfield when they were pros pecting the Arabundio and Kara wati rivers in 1929. I met them just after they had been washed out in a tremendous storm in the moun tains, losing their equipment and stores. They enjoyed a good meal on our boat, and I supplied them with enough rations and trade to see them at least to Marienberg.”
In the story of his epic expedition into New Guinea (page 43 this issue), Ernie Shepherd also refers to Mr. Schilling’s hospitality when he was in charge of the old German Club in Madang in 1930. • A broadcasting and newspaper corporation has been established in the Cook Islands. Previously both the Cook Island News and the Cook Is lands Radio came under the Internal Affairs Department.