People

• After 18 years of service in the Cook Islands, Mr. David Murray has returned to New Zealand with his wife and family to settle in Auckland.

For the past nine years he has been Registrar of Co-operative Societies, a post to which he rose through various appointments, first in the Fruit Control office and then in the co-operatives. He spent several periods overseas gaining knowledge of that field, including a year at Oxford University. • Mr. John Dumit and Mr. Jack Wartovo are teachers from Papua New Guinea who have been seconded to the Fiji Education Department for a year to gain experience in a wide variety of teaching positions. They will work in schools in both urban and rural areas, and are expected to take further responsibility on their return, under PNG’s localisation programme. Mr. Dumit is from Buka Island, Bougainville and Mr. Wartovo is from Kabakada, near Rabaul. • Mr. Tuingariki Short returned to Rarotonga on January 19 with a BA degree he had gained in New Zealand, to become acting first as sistant at Tereora College in 1972.

He is a New Zealand trained primary school teacher and has been in inter mediate departments in NZ where he was involved in Form one to four curricula in science, mathematics and social studies. He is the brother of Mr. laveta Short, a solicitor and the local representative of the Auckland firm of Kidd, Short and Short. • Jean-Michel Costeau, a son of Jaques-Yves Costeau, and president of the Living Sea Corporation, based in California visited New Guinea’s Wuvulu Island in February. He came away enchanted by the unspoiled nature of the marine habitat. He and marine biologist Dick Murphy told PIM of fish there they had never seen before, and that their organisa tion would take delight in proposing measures to prevent despoilation of the reef which could occur in a development programme. “We’re usually asked to suggest a cure after the damage has been done,” he said.

• Back in he South Pacific after seven years, and looking fit, is Cap tain Alastair Couper. These days he’s Professor Couper, head of the Department of Maritime Studies at the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology, Cardiff, and for the next few weeks he is making a special study of Bougainville ship ping and transport patterns. He’s accompanied by Captain Charles Cotter, senior lecturer in Alastair’s department, and also a master mariner.

The Bougainville survey is being done for the PNG Department of Transport, the PNG University and the Australian National University (where Alastair earned his PhD for his study of Islands shipping), • Mr. Lincoln Gordon, a manage ment consultant with the Common wealth Development Corporation, has set up a regional office of the CDC in Fiji. Mr. Gordon, who recently examined economic prospects of the GEIC, arrived in Fiji, from London, in early March. • Mr. Arthur Helm, who has been general manager of the Cook Islands Tourist Authority, resigned late last year and returned to New Zealand in February. An inveterate world travel ler, beginning from his service with NZ forces in World War 11, his interests have taken him to 70 countries, including a spell in Antarc tica, and he proposes to continue his career in the tourist trade. • Mr. Gustav Petersen has taken up a two-years appointment as Financial Secretary to the Cook Islands Government. He is seconded from the New Zealand Government and has 32 years service with the NZ Public Service, 20 of which were spent with the Department of Maori and Islands Affairs—previously the Department of Islands Affairs. Mrs.

Petersen is expected to join her husband in Rarotonga in June. • lan Ball, New York correspon dent for the London Daily Telegraph, is back in his office writing a book about his experiences during a recent two-month stay on Pitcairn Island. lan visited Pitcairn with his wife and children. • Stan Proud, director of W. R.

Carpenter and Company, spent a week on business in London in mid- February. Among Mr. Proud’s respon sibilities at Carpenters is the com pany’s extensive tea interests in the New Guinea Highlands. WRC’s tea is selling well on the London markets, at high prices.

• Captain Nason Saeve, a Solomon Islander who has commanded the Ozama Twomey, a Lepers’ Trust Board’s transport vessel in the Solo mons, has retired at Munda, He was in charge of the vessel, one of three the Trust has built for medical mis sions work, for the past 10 years.

This is Mrs. Eileen Sheppard, of Sydney, president of the North Sydney Soropti mists' Club and the pendant round her neck is the club president's badge of office. And thereby hangs a tale. Mrs.

Sheppard was in Fiji last year at a charter dinner of the Suva Soroptimists' Club. On her way back to Nadi by bus she lost her suitcase which had in it, among other things, the badge of office. Despite many inquiries she never got it back. Now she's in a dilemma. Shortly, the presidency will change hands and Mrs. Sheppard has no official badge to hand to her successor— unless some honest person in Fiji recog nises it—it must be there somewhere— and returns it. PIM would be glad to receive it to pass on. It's an oval-shaped badge pendant of sterling silver, hand made, incorporating opal chips. The badge bears the French fleur-de-lys, the words "Soroptimists Club" at the top and "North Sydney, 1958" on the bottom. Attached to the royal blue ribbon are seven sterling silver clasps engraved with the names of past-presidents. Recovery would bring a reward.