Deaths

of Islands People

Papaiya Naidu

President of Lautoka Soccer Association, Fiji, in a road acci dent, while returning from watching a game between Siga toka and Tailevu Naitasiri, at Navo near Nadi. He had been president of the LSA since 1977.

Saraswati Devi

Miss Saraswati Devi, 64, a leading educationist and social worker in Fiji. A teacher for 40 years, she was a daughter of the late Badri Maharaj, the first Indian member of Fiji’s Legis lative Council.

Georgette

Des Granges

Mrs Georgette des Granges,

after a short illness, in Vila, aged 75. Mrs des Granges spent 52 years in the New Hebrides, worked on her hus

band’s Bellevue plantation, was president, then honorary president, of the French Red Cross of the New Hebrides, and served for many years on the committee of management of Vila’s Cultural Centre.

P. Mehta

Dr Prakash Mehta, suddenly on March 7, in Suva, aged 42.

Dr Mehta emigrated from India to Fiji, returning to Bom bay to train as a doctor before opening a practice in Suva. He was a member of the Fiji Medi cal Council and vice president of the Fiji Medical Associ ation.

Wally Morgan

Walter Herbert Morgan in Brisbane, aged 67. Wally Mor gan, bom in Levuka, joined the Fiji civil service in 1946, retir ing six years ago as controller

of prisons.

Reno Ainui

Tolai community leader on the Gazelle Peninsula of Papua New Guinea’s East New Bri tain Province. Reno Ainui, 69.

Two thousand mourners at tended his funeral and burial at his home village of Karadui in

the Raluana area. Mr Ainui

played a major role in assessing

the views of East New Britain

people toward provincial

government and also was chairman of the Tolai War

wagira festival organising com

mittee.

D. Sharma

Deo Sharma, a Fiji-born law yer who practised in Fiji and New Zealand, aged 51. Mr Sharma had just returned to New Zealand after visiting the United Kingdom, United States and Australia.

S. D. Maharaj

Shree Dhar Maharaj, promi nent in Fiji’s passenger trans port industry for many years and chairman of several

companies including Pacific

Transport and Shreedhar Motors.

C. P. Sharma

Chandra Prakash Sharma, for mer Fiji MP, civil servant and trade union leader, aged about 50, in Melbourne. He won the Suva Rural seat for the National Federation Party at the 1977 election.

Win Ryan

At Mangakino, New Zealand, aged 68. Winton Henry Ryan, OBE, Order of King George I and Greek Silver Star, was a well-known figure in the Cook Islands where he served for 20 years in various posts, includ ing that of superintendent of the Public Works Department.

During World War II he was with New Zealand forces in Greece and Crete. In the latter campaign he, and the platoon he commanded, were given the task of escorting the Greek King George from Crete to safety in Egypt. He was awarded the Order of King George I and Greek Silver Star for his success in the mission.

Only two other New Zealanders are believed to have received these awards.

Antonio Benavente

In Saipan, of a heart attack,

aged 52. Saipan-born Antonio

Benavente was a former chief of the Marianas Public Safety Department, and had a record of police and public service going back to 1944.