People

• Western Samoa-born Dr lan John Fairbaira, member of the economics staff of the University of Newcastle in New South Wales, has got a new job—acting as economic co-ordinator for development pro grammes in the Islands. As he is an economics graduate of the University of Washington, Seattle, and has a Ph.D. in economics from the Aus tralian National University, as well as being Island-born, he was a “natural” for the job of Economist with the South Pacific Commission. Much of his attention over the last 10 years has been concerned with the economies of Western Samoa, Fiji, New Guinea, Tonga and Australia.

• Peter Wandau of the University of Papua New Guinea has won the $lOO prize in the Literature Bureau’s National Unity play competition with “The New Dawn”, a play on uni versity life and its aid in breaking down language and other barriers.

Second prize of $5O went to Eleanor Perno of Lae and third prize of $25 to Allain Jaria of Deßoismenu College. • Although the Rev. H. A. Brown, MA, retired last year from service with the United Church of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands after more than 30 years as a mis sionary in Papua’s Gulf District, he finds himself working as hard as ever.

On reaching London he acquired a Ph.D. in Anthropology at the University of London for a thesis on the linguistics of Toaripi and its cognate languages. Now he’s returned to Papua to complete a translation chore for the British and Foreign Bible Society—a complete bible in the Toaripi language. In addition to his prowess as a missionary, anthropo logist and translator, Bert Brown is an accomplished artist and has designed two very attractive series of stamps for the PNG Department of Posts and Telegraphs. These depict art forms and legends of the Toaripi people. • Bishop Leslie Boseto has been appointed Moderator of the United Church of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands following the retirement of Rev. Jack Sharp, Bishop Boseto, 39, a Solomon Islander who was born at Boe Boe on the island of Choiseul will be Moderator for the next four years. He was educated at Sasamugga and Goldie Pastoral Col lege where he also tutored for one year. Bishop Boseto then attended the New Zealand Bible Training Institute in Auckland for two years followed by further studies at Rarongo Theological College in Rabaul. In 1968 Bishop Boseto was elected Chairman of the Solomon Islands District of the Methodist Church, becoming a regional bishop of the newly created United Church in 1969. Bishop Boseto with his wife, Hazel, and their three children will be located in Port Moresby. • One of the little group of expert advisers whose work helped Nauru gain control of her phosphate, and later gain her independence, Mr.

John Melville, QC, was in August appointed a judge of the NSW Dis trict Court. Judge Melville is handling a variety of general and criminal court hearings, although unfortunately his great love, equity (where he was

so valuable to Nauru) is not part of the district court jurisdiction. • The names of the editors and journalists who took part in the first South Pacific Editors’ Conference, held in Suva in August, would fill a newspaper column, but among them were two men from Western Samoa (Leota Pita Alailima, managing director of the “South Sea Star”, and Faalogo Pito Faalogo, editor of the “Samoa Times”), two from American Samoa (Jake King, managing editor of the “Samoa News” and Ed Engledow, director of the govern ment’s Office of Samoan Informa tion), two from Tahiti (Michel Anglade, editor of “La Depeche” and James Boyack, editor of “Tahiti Bulletin”) and two from Papua New Guinea (John Fitzgerald, managing editor of the “Papua New Guinea Post-Courier” and Austin Sapias, of

This is Himalea Ikimotu Douglas, Niue Island's first university graduate. The eldest son of Mr and Mrs L. Douglas of Avatele, he was awarded a NZ Govern ment scholarship while at primary school on the island and went to the Wanganui Technical College, now Wanganui Boy's College. Since graduating at Victoria University, Wellington, with a degree in commerce and administration he has worked with 0the Islands division of the Maori and Island Affairs Department in Wellington. He hopes to pick up an air pilot's licence shortly.

Here is the latest photograph, taken only a few weeks ago, of one of the best known missionaries in the South Pacific Father Edward Tremblay, who served in Tonga for more than 30 years until ill-health forced him to leave in 1951.

He went to Honolulu and was there for more than 10 years; then retired and now, aged 80 and somewhat feeble he lives at St Catherine's Residence and Nursing Home in North Bend, Oregon, USA. According to his friend, Capt. Fred Klebingat, friends are attempting to raise money to allow him to spend his last days with his sister who is a nun at a college in Maine, USA. Fr Tremblay wrote several books including two on Tonga.

the “Post’s” Rabaul bureau). Also there, were Robert McClelland, editor of the “Tonga Chronicle”, Henry Raraka, editor of Honiara’s “Kaka more Reporter”, and Stuart Inder, editor of “Pacific Islands Monthly”.

A big group from Fiji who attended the week-long seminar included Nat Gandhi, president of the Fiji Press Club (which sponsored the con ference with the East-West Center’s Communication Institute), Ten Usher, publisher and editor of the “Fiji Times”, Shirley Barker, direc tor of the South Pacific Area News Service and G. D. Sharma, editor of “Shanti Dut”. James Richstad, Ralph Barney and Paul Grimes were active participants and organisers from the US', supported by Juan Mercado from the Philippines (Press Founda tion of Asia). • Mr Rudolph Fabian, who has managed Intercontinental Hotels in Melbourne and Karachi during his 25 years in the hotel business, has been appointed general manager of the Fijian Hotel on Yanuca island on Fiji’s Coral Coast. He succeeds Mr Paddy Doyle who becomes director of development. His past jobs include the top position at the Park Court Hotel in London. • Twenty - one - year - old Miss Margaret Loko, of Port Moresby, doesn’t like staying in one place for long. She’ll get plenty of travel as new secretary of the Local Govern ment Association of PNG when she takes over next year. She is one of three girls scheduled to graduate from the University of Papua New Guinea with a BA degree in August. • Sister Helen Roberts of St Peter’s Hospital at Wanigela in Papua is wondering how long is temporary? She has just completed her first quarter of a century with the Anglican Mission at Wanigela.

She was sent there in 1947 on a “temporary” posting, since when she has seen the building of a new mis sion station at Sarad to replace the first station, built in 1901 and “invaded” by the sea. One of the instigators of the building of the present Wanigela airstrip, she helped in the Mount Lamington disaster in 1951. • Miss Julia Hecht of the University of Chicago has left Rarotonga for Pukapuka to carry out anthropological research work there, especially with regard to kin ship, Her work will take about a year and will be the first of its kind on Pukapuka since 1935 when Ernest and Pearl Beaglehole spent seven and

half months there, from November, 1934 to June, 1935, later publishing their “Ethnology of Pukapuka”. c i f tt i u • Mr Samuela Mis., of Folaha, Tongatapu, Tonga, who has been living in Hawaii for the past two years, has been appointed US market ing manager for the Tonga Export Company Ltd. His headquarters will be at the company’s head office in Honolulu. • Mr Ernest Alec Startin-Field has been appointed chief magistrate of Norfolk Island’s court of petty sessions with Mr Wilfred Metcalfe

Randall, Mr John Arthur Davidson and Mr Clarence Lindsay Hermes as magistrates. Two magistrates whose appointments have been terminated at their own request are Mr Alfred , d McCo y and Mr Richard Alh f t Rafai n e Albert BataiUe ' o King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV, of Tonga and Queen Mata’aho have been invited by Queen Elizabeth to stay for three days in September as her guests at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. They left Nukualofa on July 3 in the Bank Line copra carrier “Rowanbank” for a private holiday in Britain and the Continent.