People

A chicken, and a very nice one at that, has come home to roost for Kanaka Jack. Who?

Colonel J. K. Murray, other wise known during his six years as Administrator of Papua New Guinea as Kanaka Jack. He is now Sir Keith Murray, having topped the Queen’s New Year Honours List for Papua New Guinea with a knighthood (KBE). His chicken was one he nurtured when he was Administrator.

“A quarter of a century ago,” writes Gus Smales from Port Moresby, “his approach to colonial administration in Port Moresby earned him the nickname ‘Kanaka Jack’.

Long-entrenched whites coin ed the name because they believed he was wasting too much effort on the Papua New Guinean people. One of his sins was inviting leaders from nearby Hanuabada village to Government House func tions.” It’s obvious the Papua New Guineans haven’t forgot ten him, even though it’s 25 years since he retired to Australia. He has long held an OBE from an Australian list.

His KBE from the PNG honours list shows that his Papua New Guinean friends, now in high places, have remembered his“sinful” friendliness. Colonel Murray, who is now 88 and lives in the Brisbane suburb of St Lucia, was appointed first admin istrator, after World War 11, of a united Papua New

Guinea. He was in authority from June, 1946, to June, 1952.

The latest PNG list contains 20 names one KBE, two CBEs(Father Bernard Franke and Mr James B. K.

Williams), two OBEs (Dr James E. Jacobi and Mr John M. Middleton), an ISO (Mr John D. Fitzner), three MBEs (Mr Harry H. Jackman, Mrs Anna Nombri, Mr Timothy Pohai), five BEMs (Mrs Ellen D. Birchley, Mrs Lasi Daku, Senior Police Sergts Daun and Kelekele, Mr Laiku Sii), three military OBEs (Colonel Anthony T. Hall, Lieutenant- Col Rex Howe and Lieute nant-Col Gago M. Mamae), two military MBEs (Major Thomas Poang and Warrant Officer Class 2 Geoffrey J.

Wildblood) and one military BEM (Corporal Raphael P.

Wahanduo). Fr Franke, of Rabaul, has served 51 of his 52 years as a priest in PNG and was a Japanese war prisoner. Mr Justice James Boyd Keith Williams was ap pointed Judge of the PNG Supreme Court in 1971 and, at Independence, became a Judge of the National Court.

Harry Jackman, who gets his MBE for service to co-op eratives and business develop ment, is now at the Mitchell College of Advanced Educa tion at Bathurst (NSW). His name appears frequently in PIM as a book reviewer.

Nine Fiji citizens were honoured with three OBEs, three MBEs, a military BEM and two police medals for meritorious service. The re cipients are: OBE, Dr Ganga Ram, Medical Officer of Health; Meloma Tui Savai lu’u Sanerive, former Govern ment Printer; Commander Stan Brown, RFMF Naval Squadron; MBE, Wilfred Waring Bentley, Suva busi nessman; Mrs Tulia Koroi, head teacher; Sakeasi Koroinalovolovo Sovanivalu, retired head teacher; BEM, Temporary Warrant Officer Isoa Bainimoli Makutu, Fiji Infantry Regiment, and Police Medals, Senior Superinten dent Josefa Lewaicei and Superintendent Prakash Chandra.

Seven people associated with the New Hebrides re ceived awards. Heading the list is the late James Alex ander “Sandy” Burgess, former Chief Secretary, who was promoted to Commander

in the Order of the British Empire. Mr Burgess’ award was advanced when it was known that he had not long to live, so that he had the satisfaction of knowing that the Queen had further re cognised his services. John Christian Stegler (ex GM, BPs) and Christopher John Turner (Finance Secretary, British Residency) become Officers in the Order; Captain Robin Bibby, Matron Joan Denham, and Dr Joeli Taoi (a Fijian) are made Members, and Captain Osea Tunidau, Fijian captain of BP’s MV Ko nanda, receives the British Empire Medal. Mr Burgess died on Dec. 1, nine weeks after retiring after 31 years’

Crown service in Africa, UK and New Hebrides.

At a ceremony late in December the Indonesian Consul in Noumea, Mr Prawirodirgo, named 37year-old Marie-Jo Sukiban as “Ideal Mother” of Indone sians in New Caledonia. She

was presented with a cup. The lovely Marie-Jo was chosen by a committee of the Federa tion of Indonesian Women in New Caledonia. Criteria for the choice were tough. She had to be well spoken of by her compatriots. Her conduct of her house and upbringing of her family she nas an 11 year old daughter had to meet high standards and her work for the federation and her standing in public were also taken into consideration.

The choice was a popular one.

There are about 3 000 In donesians in New Caledonia.

Most are descendants of those brought to New Caledonia in the days preceding World War II as indentured labour a period New Caledonians would like to forget. At the conclusion of the war they returned to Indonesia but quite a few, not finding things to their liking, returned to Noumea. Marie-Jo Sukiban was born in the lucky years

and was educated in the Nou mean Primary schools.

Following this she went to Jakarta and there studied ac countancy in the French sec tion of the university. She de cided to return to New Caledonia to take up her career and for some years has occupied a key position in the office of Jean Brock, general agent for Qantas and Air New Zealand to mention a few lines he represents. She is warmly spoken of by he r boss.

Her position incurs a great amount of responsibility. The Indonesian community has contributed quite a bit to New Caledonian culture. There is at least one medical doctor practising in Noumea and there is a professor of English at the Noumea college. Both were born and educated in Noumea and obtained their degrees in France.

Mr Justice Dermot Renn Davies, from the Solomon Is lands, has been appointed a judge in the Tuvalu High Court this year. His ap pointment became effective on January 1, and ends on June 30, 1979, Dr Deo Dutt Sharma, 38, is the first Fiji doctor to hold three fellowships in surgery.

Dr Sharma, who is a senior consultant surgeon at the CWM Hospital, Suva, has passed the examinations for the Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of Surgeons. He is already a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh and England. Dr Sharma, who graduated MBBS from Bom bay in 1967, comes from Nadi. In Fiji he was educated at the Andrews Government School and the Natabua Sec

ondary School.

The widow of Papa Bilong 01 (everybody’s father) has given the National Library of Australia custody of a major collection of his papers. “Papa Bilong 01” was the name by which the Australian pioneer patrol officer and admin istrator, Mr J. K. McCarthy, was known throughout the towns and villages of Papua New Guinea for half a cen tury. He was born in Melbourne and went to New Guinea as a field officer with the Administration in 1927.

Between that time and 1968, he served in turn as a patrol officer, a lieutenant and col onel with the coastwatchers,

Sir Keith Murray.

an intelligence officer, district commissioner, Director of the Department of District Ad ministration and Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees in the Papua New Guinea House of Assembly.

Mr McCarthy died in 1976 and his widow lives at Mt Eliza, Victoria. The papers she has deposited in the libr ary include private diaries which Papa Bilong 01 kept be tween 1927 and 1971, corres pondence, reports, maps, seminar papers, manuscripts, photographs and a large col lection of original cartoons which he drew as a hobby and many of which were pub lished. They are available to historians and researchers in the library’s manuscript read ing room.

A leading noble of the kingdom of Tonga, Hon Ve’ehala, and his wife, were recently converted from Methodism to Catholicism. It is understood that both he and his wife had long been want ing to join the Catholic Church, but have to some ex tent been hampered by possi ble adverse reactions from the powerful Methodist circle, even though their children have all attended only Catholic schools. While there is apparent closer contact be

tween Catholics and Wesleyans, the conversion of the Ve’ehalas was seen as a severe setback to the Wesleyan hierarchy.

Hon Ve’ehala, one of the nobles closest to the late Queen Salote, and to the pre sent monarch, is the governor of Ha’apai and a member of Cabinet. He is regarded as the main authority on Tongan language, customs and tradi tions. He speaks English, Sa moan, Fijian and Niuean fluently.

Waisea Vatuwaqa, talented Fiji singer, has some eight months left to run of a three months singing contract at Le Lagon Hotel, Vila. He is liv ing in the New Hebrides with his wife and three children and also working at the Solaise Hotel, owned by local businessman lan Beeson.

Manus islander Luke Sela (34), who used to bounce around Sydney with shiny knees and short shorts while First Officer (information) at Papua New Guinea House, won’t be doing much more bouncing. He is now desk bound having reached the top of the journalistic tree in Port Moresby as editor of the Papua New Guinea Post-

Courier. Mr Sela is the first Papua New Guinean to fill the post. He has been getting groomed for the job as the newspaper’s chief-of-staff for the last 12 months. Married with three children, he began his journalistic career in 1963 as an announcer with Radio Wewak. Then he worked with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in East New Bri tain and the Highlands as a regional journalist. He also worked as a correspondent for the NBC and was a Papua New Guinea correspondent for Associated Press, ABC Radio and TV and the Lon don Times. After entering the government service he was sent to Sydney to open the in formation office there and he also helped to establish Papua New Guinea government of fices in Fiji, New Zealand and New York. He parted with the government in 1976 to join the Post-Courier. His ap pointment is part of the lo calising process and Mr Grame Boyd who was editor for the past four years becomes news editor. Con gratulating Mr Sela on his ap pointment the managing edi tor of South Pacific Post Pty Ltd, Mr Reg MacDonald, said they had localised many key positions in the Post- Courier and the factory floor was now 98% localised. It was

from the factory floor that one of Luke’s first headaches came. Factory staff went on strike on December 29. The dispute was over the dismissal of a driver and a claim for leave fares. The workers went back on Sunday, January 8.

One of Tokelau’s seven police officers is training with the Western Samoa Police in Apia this year. Sergeant Tamoa Naseri (51), from Atafu, arrived in Samoa on the December charter voyage of the Cenpac Rounder. He will be attached to the Samoan Police for about three months. This is Sergeant Naseri’s second period of training in Western Samoa, his first term being in 1973.

The police establishment in Tokelau comprises three of ficers in Fakaofo and two each in Atafu and Nukunonu.

There is little crime in Tokelau, apart from petty offences, and there are no prisons. Offences are generally punished by fines or labour which is directed to as sist with public work. But unlike larger societies, there is little restraint on personal conduct during a period of sentence. It’s possible further requests will be made to Western Samoa for the train ing of Tokelau officers.