Nauru In Melbourne (For Keeps!)
pp. 16-17 · Read in the full issue
The official opening of the Republic of Nauru’s 52-level Nauru House Melbourne’s tallest on April 15, was an Island occasion. Of the hundreds of guests invited to the festivities, the majority were Naurans or other Islanders, ineluding many Pacific Island leaders Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser was invited to perform the opening ceremony by Nauruan President Bernard Dowiyogo, but other leaders present as Nauru's guests included Tupuoa Tamasese, Western Samoa’s deputy Head of State; Tongan Prime Minister Prince Tu ipelahake, Dr Reuben Taureka. Minister for Information and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea; Naboua Rateita. Chief Minister of the Gilbert Islands; Peter Kenilorea, Chief Minister of the Solomon Islands; Toalipi Lauti, Chief Minister of Tuvalu; Robert Rex. Premier of Niue; Sir Albert
Henry. Premier of the Cook Islands.
Diplomatic representatives in cluded the Japanese Ambassador to Australia and Nauru, Yoshio Okawara; Epeli Kacimaiwai, Fiji High Commissioner to Australia; L J. Francis. New Zealand High Com missioner to Australia; Vincent Eri, Papua New Guinea High Com missioner to Australia; Miss Maris King. Australian High Com missioner to Nauru, and Carlton Skinner, Honorary Consul-General for Nauru in the United States.
Other Pacific identities present in cluded Dr Macu Salato, Secretary- General of the South Pacific Com mission and Mahe Tupouniua, director of the South Pacific Bureau for Economic Co-operation.
There were many guests from Australian political and business circles. The main guests attended a lavish State reception and banquet on the top floor which was hosted by
President Dowiyogo, while hundreds of others attended an equally lavish reception on the 45th floor. Host there was Kinza Clodumar, Nauru’s Minister of Finance and Minister assisting the President.
Nauru House, Melbourne’s tallest building, is a unique octagonal de sign which takes advantage of better natural light on all floors. Its facade is composed of panels of white quartz river pebbles. The building has 24-hour security staffing with the help of two-way radio and clos ed circuit TV. The building incor porates a shopping plaza.
The $45 million building is own ed by the Nauru Phosphate Royal ties Trust, which is a statutory in strument of the republic. The Nauru Government occupies five floors, and other floors are available for leasing. Tenants include an airline, investment houses, banks and the professions.
At the opening of Nauru House, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser talks with Dr Reuben Taureka, Papua New Guinea's Minister for Information, and his Fiji-born wife, and Mrs Bernard Dowiyogo, wife of the President of Nauru. At right, Nauru House dominates the Melbourne city skyline.
TOP: These coral pinnacles from around which phosphate has been extracted, are set up outside Nauru House. TOP RIGHT: President Bernard Dowiyogo at the recep tion, with Australia's new High Commiss ioner to Nauru, Miss Maris King, and her predecessor, Mr Alan Fogg. ABOVE: Tem porary home life in the Presidential suite atop Nauru House for Mrs Dowiyogo and her two children. RIGHT: Tongan Prime Minister Prince Tu'ipelehake and Western Samoa's Deputy Head of State Tupuoa Tamasese relax at the Nauru House rece ption, which was attended by many other Island leaders.