People
pp. 33-34 · Read in the full issue
Mi Sapolu, a Western Samoan woman, recently made a clean sweep of a tennis tournament held in California for employees of Pan American World Airways and de pendents. Mi, a stewardess, won the women’s overall singles, women employees’ singles, women’s dou bles, mixed doubles and the outs tanding player award, all in straight sets.
Mr Stanley Arthur, the UK High Commissioner to Fiji, has been ap pointed the first British High Com missioner (non-resident) to Nauru.
Mr Arthur will continue to live in Suva.
Mr Gordon Upton, Australian High Commissioner in Fiji, has been accredited as Australian High Com missioner to Tuvalu. He made his first visit to Funafuti at the end of October. Previously the Australian High Commission in Nauru has been Australia’s representative for
Tuvalu affairs. But in view of infre quent air communications between Nauru and Funafuti, the change of representation was requested by the Tuvalu Government.
Fuiono Faaiuaso, formerly of Radio 2AP of Western Samoa, has been appointed a Faamasino Fesoa soani (Samoan judge) in the Western Samoa Land and Titles Court. His appointment followed two others several months ago. The ap pointments were made to fill vacan cies when three faamasino were dis missed earlier this year and one retired. One more faamasino fesoa soani is needed to bring the court to full strength.
Tongan-born resident of Sydney, Ms Fatai Slender, was the moving spirit behind a group of Polynesian dancers who performed at Sydney’s Carnivale ’77 in October. Items pre sented by the group in Martin Place and at the Opera House originated in Hawaii, Tahiti, Tonga, the Cook Islands and New Zealand.
Dr Shiu Ramrakha, Secretary for Health in Fiji, will retire at the end of 1977, and may return to surgery.
He studied medicine at Sydney
University and the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh, before return ing to Fiji in 1962 to become a medical officer at Lautoka hospital.
At that time he was the only Fiji born surgeon in the country. Dr Ramrakha became superintendent of the CWM hospital, Suva, in 1970, and in 1974 became Secretary for Health. Dr Ramrakha is a brother of Fiji lawyer and politician, Mr Karam Ramrakha.
Dr Dirk A. Ballendorf, 38, re cently appointed Director of the Community College of Micronesia, is no stranger to the Trust Territory.
He was once a Peace Corps staff member in Micronesia, which he has visited many times since his initial Peace Corps tour in 1966-68. He has written several articles of human and historic interest on Micronesia. Before his latest ap pointment he was Director of the Office of High Education in Pen nsylvania.
Papua New Guinea’s former am bassador to Indonesia, Mr Robin Kumaina, is now chairman of the board of directors of the PNG
Development Bank.
Papua New Guinea’s former Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sir Maori Kiki, who lost his seat in the July parliamentary elections, is now chairman of the board of directors of New Guinea Motors Pty Ltd.
Mr Donald King Middleton, 55, has been appointed British High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea. Mr Middleton, 55, replaces Mr George Baker.
Sir Josua Rabukawaqa, the only Fijian commoner to receive a knighthood, has been named Fiji’s Ambassador in the Pacific. He’s no newcomer to diplomatic circles, having been Fiji’s High Com missioner in London. Linked with his new job is the title of Chief Pro tocol Officer. His appointment reflects some deep thinking by Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara. Apart from the Forum and the South Pacific Conference, Fiji has had no continuing links with the rest of the South Pacific, an omis sion which Sir Josua (just Jo to his friends) can repair. He’s had two trial runs this year as a member of the Fiji team at the South Pacific Forum in Port Moresby and the SP Conference in Pago Pago.
Mr A. J. Melhuish has been ap pointed Australian High Com missioner to the Solomon Islands.
He succeeds Mr Philip Jackson, who has been Australia’s representative in Honiara since 1975. Mr Melhuish, 52, is married with three children. He has previously served as Deputy High Commissioner in New Zealand and India.
Mr lan R. Higgins, 27, has been appointed Qantas area manager for Papua New Guinea, succeeding Mr R. Porter, who has gone to Fiji as area manager for the South-west Pacific. Mr Higgins joined Qantas in 1968 as a clerical trainee. He was assigned to the airline’s advance planning department on completion of his training, and in 1975 he was appointed a marketing development officer. Mr Peter Chown, who was acting area manager in PNG for about three months before Mr Hig gins’ appointment, will become regional director for New Zealand and will be based in Auckland.
Joe H. McDonald has been named director of corporate information systems for C. Brewer and Co, Ltd, Hawaii. Before his appointment, Mr McDonald was a financial analyst for C. Brewer.
Mr A. J. Frizell has been ap pointed Bank of New South Wales manager at Vila, New Hebrides. He was previously American area man ager in the international division at the Wales’ head office in Sydney.