People

WESTERN Samoan Mrs Teuane Tibbo, who lives in Auckland (NZ), has held an exhibition of her paintings in Auckland—at the age of 84. She didn’t embark on her career until nine years ago, when she saw her daughter’s paintings and told her she could do better herself. And she proved it. Now she paints Samoan scenes of the old days. For her second husband—her first was killed in a shooting accident in Samoa— she married Englishman Edward Victor Tibbo, who was banished for life from Samoa when he became involved in the Mau struggles for independence in the 19205. Her paint ings come from her memories as does the story she tells of the first white man she saw—a big man, her father’s friend, who frightened her when he asked for a lock of her hair to make himself a watch-chain. Later, she heard his name—Robert Louis Stevenson. • Neal Corbett, director of the Office of Samoan Information in Pago Pago, was expecting a Christ mas tree just before the festival. A former colleague in United Press International, for whom Neal worked for 20 years, was bringing the tree in a US military aircraft. But he never got his tree. The aircraft, on a flight to New Zealand and Antarctica, had by-passed American Samoa.

Later, Neal was told by early morn ing telephone that his tree had been ceremoniously planted near the South Pole. • Mr Lonno Joe, 36, the Trust Territory’s first kidney transplant patient, will soon return to Kusaie, where he has a wife and six children.

In May, 1973, at the St Francis Hospital, Honolulu, surgeons trans planted a kidney from one of his family—he has eight brothers and sisters. He was kept under close ob servation in Honolulu till November 16, when he was flown to Ponape for weekly blood studies. • Mr Suresh Gandhi this month becomes the assistant manager of the ANZ Bank in Fiji. He is the first “local” to reach executive status with the ANZ Bank, and it is the first time any Australian or New Zealand bank operating in Fiji has appointed a local resident to a management position. ® Dramatist, Mr. Arthur Jawodim bari, 24, is to be lecturer in practical drama at the Centre for Creative Arts in the University of Papua New Guinea. Mr Jawodimbari has just completed a tour through Asia, Africa, and the United States during which he was studying developments in the management and performance

of popular theatres, particularly those using traditional music and dancing of those areas. He was looking for ideas which will encourage such theatres in Papua New Guinea. His tour was sponsored by the Depart ment of Education. Prior to his trip he was a research assistant with the Department of English at the Univer sity of Papua New Guinea. A Bachelor of Arts he comes from Konje village in the Northern District. • Mr Mahalieel Am, of Aoba in the New Hebrides, is believed to be the condominium's first indigenous modern painter. He was in Vila in November at the invitation of artist Mr Joe Barrett to meet some of the Vila painters of whom there are quite a few. Already he has a local follow ing and what’s more, has sold some of his canvasses overseas. One is on display in Texas and another in Hawaii. His talents speak for them selves. Mr Am is a deaf mute. ® Mr John Lester Chipper, well known Rabaul resident and business man, is the new president of Rabaul Town Council, beating the former president, Mr Henry Chow, by nine votes to seven. Mr Andrew Siegers was elected senior vice-president and Mr Onias Tomano the junior vice president. • Miss Dora Moata, 28, of Bou gainville, is a one-woman orchestra.

She plays the piano, trombone, clarinet, flute, guitar and violin and has just returned home with a Diploma of Music Education which she has obtained after two years at the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music, N.S.W. She will lecture in music at the Gaulim Teachers’ Col lege, in Rabaul. • Father Edward Tremblay, for 31 years a Roman Catholic missionary in Tonga, as well known by Pacific mariners as by his flock, had three visitors call on him at Coos Bay, Oregon (USA) where he is in re tirement. Early in January, the Ton gan ship Niuvakai sailed into Coos Bay and her captain, Bologna Tav’alube, and two of his crew, radio operator Latu Akail’ola and William Ha’angana, stepped ashore for a re union with Fr Tremblay, who, years ago, taught basic seamanship to many Tongans including Bologna.