Deaths

of Islands People

Paul Sa’Engeika

News of the death of Paul Sa’engeika of Bellona Island, south of Guadalcanal, evoked this tribute from Professor Tor ben Monberg. chief curator of

the department of ethnography

at the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen; ‘Paul Sa’engeika was born in the years immediately prior to the turn of the century.

Although Bellona ‘lsland, in spite of its Polynesian culture, does not recognise “chiefs” in the usual Polynesian sense.

Sa’engeika came as close to

being one as the culture would permit. Truly, he was a “big man” in the proper sense of the word: an extremely impressive personality, firm in his

Dpinions. yet immensely toler

ant: witty, yet serious in his be liefs of right and wrong. ‘He was a famed gardener, fisherman, composer. and iancer. In spite of the turmoils ollowing the conversion to rhristianity on Bellona Island n 1938. he. having been one of he outstanding priests of the

)re-Christian religion, vividly

emembered the old rituals, eremonies and myths to the ninutest details until his leath. ‘I was fortunate enough to njoy a very close friendship /ith Sa’engeika for 20 years, ie has been my teacher and uardian during all these years, nd treated me like a true son. lis death is a great loss to us 11. and to the Solomon Islands

in general. Paul Sa’engeika can never be replaced.’

Louisa Miller

Louisa ‘Lulu’ Miller at

Vunapope Hospital, East New

Britain Province. PNG. after a long illness aged 84. Lulu Miller, born Louisa Schoevres. was a grand-niece of Queen Emma, the Samoan-American woman who won fame for the commercial empire she built across the South Pacific. Mrs Miller accompanied Queen Emma in 1910 on one of her

grand European tours, winning

much admiration for her

beauty.

Norman Dixon

A longtime president of the Boroko RSL in Papua New Guinea, Norman Dixon went to PNG in the fifties to work for the Department of Civil Aviation. At Greenslopes Mili tary Hospital, Brisbane.

Tau Boga

Tau Boga, an executive mem ber of the Central Province As sembly, Papua New Guinea, in Port Moresby, after a long ill ness. A bridge near his home,

Kapa Kapa Village, now under

construction is to be named after him in tribute to his ser vice to the Central Province.

Mr Tau Boga was for many years associated with the scout

ing movement.

Peni Tove

Corporal Peni Tove, who joined the Fiji Police Force in 1940. after a long illness, aged 58. He served until his death.

Tuala Paulo

Tuala Paulo, formerly a mem ber of parliament and cabinet minister in Western Samoa, aged 49. After a career in jour nalism. during which he be came editor of the Samoa

Bulletin, he entered parlia

ment. He was justice minister in 1970 and education minister from 1971 to 1973 in the Tamasese Government. He lost his seat in parliament in 1973 and went back to jour nalism as editor of the South Seas Star, and later as editor of the Catholic newspaper. Tau tai, a post he held until he died.

Paul Sa’engeika... truly a ‘big man’