People

• A left-right combination which landed on his nose put paid to Western Samoa’s middleweight boxing champion, Fred Tuapola, and the South Pacific middleweight crown passed to Laavasa Sagaga, the chal lenger, in the last round of the contest at Pago Pago towards the end of June. Tuapola’s nose was so badly damaged that the referee stopped the fight and gave the decision to Sagaga on a technical knock-out. Fighting on the same programme, Koroseta To’o of American Samoa beat Rama sima, of Fiji, on a tko in the third round. • Two members of the GEIC Government, Naboua Ratieta and Sione Tui Kleis, have been to York shire to take a look at the fishing industry. With likelihood of Ocean Island phosphate running out in 1978, the two MPs were looking for a sub stitute. They told a Yorkshire news paper in Hull, the big fishing port, “We have to find something else quickly. Fishing seems a logical possibility but we have only outriggers and sailing canoes. We need efficient ways of catching and freezing fish for export and possibly, later, for can ning. Britain has benefited from our minerals. What we want in return is technical assistance, experts to train our people.” • New Hebrideans who are now living and working in Noumea in larger numbers (jobs are more plenti ful and the pay is good) were joined in July by New Hebridean clergy man, Pastor Jack Louhman, of the Presbyterian Church, Nguna. He will be in Noumea for six months to help the New Hebrideans where he can. • That ship’s master, navigator, author, artist, Captain Brett Hilder is 100 per cent, fit and seaworthy after a spell in hospital, followed by a period of recuperation in Queens land, and in late July is expected to join his ship N.V. Sariba on the Gove, Weipa run. • In Rome towards the end of a world tour, pioneer PNG planter and explorer Mick Leahy, 70, and his wife Jeanette, were dinner guests of

former Apostolic Delegate to Aus tralia and Oceania, Archbishop Romolo Carboni. In Rome the Leahys were guests of the Divine Word Society missionaries who have their headquarters there and who have been celebrating the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the first Divine Word missionaries in New Guinea. Mick began his tour in March, to receive in New York (in April) the Ex plorer’s Medal, highest honour of the Explorers’ Club, for his work in New Guinea as “pioneer, geographer, author, officer”. The Explorers’ Club has a world membership of more than 1,500 men. • One of Fiji’s best known Rugby union players, William “Winky”

Samuels, migrated to Australia in July with his wife Hazel, and young children Dawn and Leonard. Samuels played for Suva and was a reserve for the Fiji side which played the All-Blacks in 1968. • Mrs. Dawa Lynch, first New Guinea woman to graduate from the university, has been visiting Australia from Port Moresby to raise money for a hall of residence for girls at the University of Papua and New Guinea. The appeal aims for a target of $200,000 and it has been run under the auspices of the National Council of Women. Mrs. Lynch said

Taking up his new job as Chief Secretary of Nauru in September is Barry Conne[?] 43, former schoolmaster, public serval and lawyer. He comes from Melbourne For a background story on him see P[?] for July, p. 29.

in Canberra that a hall of residen for women students made it easi for girls to encourage their parer to let them go to university. Ne Guinea parents were anxious th their girls be in a place that w secure. She added that there was ne for more women graduates at tl time of rapid change in the territoi Mrs. Lynch, a graduate in histo from the University of Hawaii is research assistant at the New Guin University. • Fiji gots its first indigenous he of the Royal Fiji Police Force’s Sf cial Branch at the beginning of Ju 44-year-old Superintendent Akari Nabati, of Tavuki, Kadavu. He v made an acting senior superintends and succeeds Senior Superintendent Hardy, who left Fiji for Britain May on pre-retirement leave. W Superintendent Nabati’s appointme the RFPF lowered the veil which 1 always shrouded the existence a composition of the Special Bran< They allowed publication of his pho graph, a move which would ha rocked the old cloak and dagger be of the past who fondly imagined th were unhonoured, unsung and i known. But everybody knew that t man who was coatless, with col and tie, long-sleeved shirt and sho was almost sure to be an SB m; • A former senior governme auditor in Kenya and later a teach there, Mr. J. Alsop, 41, marris with three daughters, has been a pointed chief executive officer sup< vising a training programme for t

Treasury and Audit staffs in the GEIC. He was to arrive in July. He will also set up a correspondence course. • Mr. Fred Osifelo, acting Deputy Commissioner of Lands in BSIP, has been appointed manager of the Solo mons team for the South Pacific Games in Tahiti. He is president of the Honiara Club and a former soccer player for the Honiara team.

Assistant managers are Mr. Mike Pfeiffer, of the Solomon Islands Tobacco Co., and Mr. Tom Donovan, president of the ASA. • A 35-year-old district health officer in New Ireland, PNG, Dr.

Tarutia has been appointed senior specialist medical officer for environ mental sanitation, the highest sub stantive position ever held by any ocal officer in the Public Health Department. Bom in Raluana, Rabaul, Dr. Tarutia, whose father lied in a Japanese POW camp, graduated from the Fiji School of Medicine in 1961, worked in hos oitals in Port Moresby and Lae, ectured for two years at the Papuan Medical College, and in 1967 studied n Europe for a year. Athletics, rugby inion and table tennis are among lis spare-time pursuits.

• Ebeye Island in the Kwajalein atoll group has got its first American born doctor, Dr. James R. Chandler, a graduate of McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He arrived on the island early in July and is one of four doctors hired by the Trust Territory Government from America. The others are Dr. Mary Louise Jung, who is going to Yap, Dr. Richard Monihan, bound for Palau, and Dr.

John Southerland, assigned to Saipan. • The Rev. Peter Thompson, Solomons Governing Council Member for North Central Malaita, has been given a new honorary appointment with the Diocese of Melanesia. He has been granted a licence by the bishop to act as a priest missioner, which will free him from direct pastoral duties but allow him to conduct services at any church in the diocese and at the same time continue with his political and commercial activities. He is a director of the Malaita Development Co. • Walter Prude, senior vice president of the renowned Hurok Corporation of New York, who has just visited the Cook Islands should announce soon that the Cook Islands National Theatre is to go on tour in America and that this tour will be

extended round the world in as sociation with the leading young Aus tralian entrepreneur, Michael Edgley.

Prude was delighted with the dancers who, last year, made their first over seas tour to Australia and New Zea land. • Mr. T. A. Henry, Minister of Internal Affairs, Tourism and Housing in the Cook Islands, has taken over two more departments, those of Justice and Survey. Previously, they were in the portfolio of the Premier, Mr. Albert Henry. • Dr. Teariki Tamarua of the Cook Islands has been granted a six-month post graduate course in general medicine and paediatrics at the Auckland Hospital. He was to leave for New Zealand in July. Dr.

Tamarua is a graduate of the Fiji School of Medicine. • The PNG Government Printer, Mr. V. P. Bloink, has retired after 25 years’ service. He went to Port Moresby from Cairns, Queensland, in 1946 as a letterpress machinist, was made assistant government printer in 1955 and succeeded Mr. W. S.

Nicholas government printer in 1962. (over)

• A former Western Pacific High Commissioner, Sir John Gutch, who these days is in retirement in Surrey, England, will be back in the Pacific in August to retrace some of the well worn trails. With Lady Gutch he will be visiting the New Hebrides and the Solomons, to take part in the final Bishop Patteson centenary celebra tions. In a note to PIM he says he is really looking forward to seeing how things have developed in the Western Pacific since he was here.

Sir John’s biography on Bishop Patteson, Martyr of the Islands, was published in London in June (and reviewed in PIM in July, p. 69). • One of New Guinea’s best known identities, Basil Fairfax-Ross, known to everyone as “Fax”, retires to Sydney in August after more than 40 years in the territory. For the last 20 years he has been general manager of the British New Guinea Develop ment Co. Ltd., but his work and interests in the territory cover a wide field. He first went to the territory for Bums Philp, and travelled much.

In World War II he went to the Middle East with the AIF, but was soon back again in New Guinea work ing with Intelligence and as a Coast watcher among other things. As a nominated member of the old Papua

New Guinea Legislative Council he was a most effective speaker, specialising in economic matters, and enjoying the close personal friend ship of the then Administrator, Sir Donald Cleland. He has been presi dent of the Planters’ Association of Papua, a director of many boards and recently chairman of the PNG Copra Marketing Board. The “Faxes” have a home unit in Mosman, Sydney. • New District Commissioner for Bougainville is Mr. Bill Brown, who has until recently been chief liaison officer on Bougainville between the government and the giant Bougain ville copper development. He is widely experienced on Bougainville affairs and a popular officer. • The Fiji Marine Department is in difficulties with the recent retire ment or resignation of three senior pilots and the impending retirement of the Director of Marine, Captain P. G. (Peter) Hough. No locally qualified master mariners are avail able for any of the posts, which have been advertised overseas. Cap tain Hough will retire in January after 15 years in Fiji. During that time he was a temporary assistant harbour master, assistant harbour master, harbour master and finally,

in 1969, Director of Marine. Th' other senior men who have left th department are Captain John Figgess Captain J. I. Dalby and Captain V Rowe, senior harbour master. • PNG National Labour Part organiser Mr. William Hawarri ha been fined $5 in Wewak local corn for being drunk and disorderly < Boram Tavern on June 25. Th court was told that a riot nearl occurred after Hawarri called bus nessman and former MBA M: Frank Martin a capitalist and the tried to punch Martin when h refused to shake hands. • The appointment of the Mo: Rev. Eugene Klein as Archbishop c Noumea, mentioned by Hele Rousseau in New Caledonia Dial on p. 35, has caused some hear burning in priestly circles in Papu New Guinea where Msgr. Klein w< Bishop of Bereina. A group of pries made a protest on July 7 at the coi ference of Roman Catholic Bishoi of Papua New Guinea and th Solomon Islands held at Po Moresby. The priests complaine that the notice of the transfer ( Bishop Klein had been made “wit lack of consultation”, and that h transfer would create a handicap i the territory’s development.