Islands People

Deaths of Islands People

Sgt Thomas Wangu

Sergeant Thomas Wangu, who was in the police force in PNG for 29 years, died early in February, at Kokopo, aged 56. He served in several areas and was described as an able and distinguished policeman.

He was a member of the PNG con tingent at the Queen’s coronation in 1953. He was a soldier during World War 11.

Mrs Eileen Carfax-Foster One of Nadi’s best-known residents, friend and confidante of many Fijians n the area and wife of Mr Jim

Mbe, Mc, Mm And

-roix de Guerre, Mrs Eileen Carfax-Foster died on March 8 from njuries received in a car crash. She vas 57.

Mrs Carfax-Foster, a senior ;mployee with Qantas for 18 years, vas driving home from work when icr car and a taxi collided on the oad outside Nadi Airport.

She went to Fiji with her husband J 1937 and joined Qantas in 1955 fter working for several local firms, he and her husband quickly be ame involved in the affairs of the ladi community, Mr Carfax-Foster 'ith the Township Board and the ladi Chamber of Commerce, which e founded and Mrs Carfax-Foster ith the families of the Fijians work 's at the airport where she was ayroll compiler. The workers looked > her for advice both for them- Jves and their families and she be ime their unofficial welfare marama ady). The esteem in which the )mmunity held her was evident at e funeral which was Fijian in laracter with gifts of tapa cloth r the casket and shrouding for the ave.

She leaves her husband and two ns, Bill, aged 35, who lives in astraha and Richard, aged 25, an astralian Army lieutenant. Mr irfax-Foster, who will stay for some ne with his elder son in Australia, s had a chequered career as a mtation owner in the Cook Islands dairy farmer in New Zealand, a iter and journalist, shipping mager and building manager. For /eral years he managed The Fiji mes branch office at Lautoka He wed m the two World Wars and d a unique career as a soldier.

Mrs F. M. Christoffersen Mrs Frances Marguerite Christof fersen, daughter of a Methodist mis sionary, died recently in Auckland.

She was born at Nausori, Fiji, in 1917. She spent her early childhood in Fiji, India and Australia. She lived most of her life in Fiji, where her husband, Mr C. R. Christoffersen, was a customs officer. They left Fiji in 1953, when Mr Christoffersen was transferred to Cyprus. When he retired in 1958 the family lived in Melbourne. In 1966, the family moved to Auckland.

Mrs Christoffersen’s mother, a daughter of Herman Wilhelm Luks, a trader, was born at Nadi, and was believed to be the first white woman born there.

Mrs Christoffersen is survived by her husband, four sons and a daughter.

Mr David Westren Among the 15 victims who died when the Whisky Au Go Go night club in Brisbane was fire-bombed early in March was 19-year-old David Westren, an ex-Suva Grammar School boy.

Employed as a part-time barman at the club, he was seen making several trips in and out of the club, helping people to safety and was finally trapped and asphyxiated.

The principal of Suva Grammar School, Mr Colin Ussher commented that it was typical of David—“a very friendly fellow and an extremely good mixer”, to do such a thing.

Mr Basa Wayaki Mr Basa Wayaki, a prominent cattleman in the Eastern Highlands of New Guinea, died in January.

He was held in high esteem, and his family and his village looked to him to lead them, through the cattle industry, to a better life. He had natural ability to farm cattle, and was active in cattle industry affairs.

P. F. Tufele Puiai F. Tufele, who was in the government service in American Samoa for about 40 years, has died aged 60, shortly before he was to retire. After serving as a district health officer, he trained as a dentist with the US Navy and became the first American Samoan dental practi tioner. He served a short term as acting director of the Dental Division in American Samoa. He leaves a widow, a daughter and son.

Captain Y. Kaseroff Captain Yank Kaseroff, master and navigator of the Dublon, in the US Trust Territory, died at sea late

in February, aged about 65, He ap parently suffered a heart attack as the ship ran into bad weather about 100 miles from Guam while on the way to Truk.

As a young man he became part owner and captain of a fishing ship which plied through most of the Pacific. Later he decided to dedicate his life as a fisherman to helping under-developed countries with their fishing industries. Some years ago he was assigned to develop a fishing project for Truk.

Mrs A. A. Jacquier One of the New Hebrides oldest inhabitants, Mrs Augustin Angele Jacquier, 96, died in February. She lived 71 years in the New Hebrides.

Born Angele Loquet in the north of France, she accompanied her father to New Caledonia in 1881, where she married Rene Jacquier, a merchant at Kournac. The couple went to the New Hebrides in 1902 and after a few years working on plantations, set up the first hotel in Santo, Hotel Santo, in 1905.

Kari Eka, MM Mr Kari Eka, MM, former police man and soldier, died in his village, Moveave, Gulf District, PNG, re cently. He was a policeman from 1930 to 1957, except for the war years.

He distinguished himself during the war when he led an army patrol in an attack against the Japanese at Sabari, near Misima Island in January, 1943. He was awarded the MM.