Deaths

of Islands People

Ratu Luke

Vuidreketi

Editor of the Fijian language newspaper Nai Lalakai from its foundation by the Fiji Times & Herald Ltd in 1962, at Suva after a long illness, aged 63. He was in the Fiji public service for about 20 years in various

capacities, fought with the Fiji

Infantry Regiment in the

Solomons campaign, and in 1959 became editor of the

Fijian language newspaper

Volagauna. He joined the CSR Company in 1960 and then Nai Lalakai. Acknowledged as an expert in the Fijian language, Ratu Luke served for five years on the Fijian Language Exam inations Board and translated a number of well-known books into Fijian. He had served on the Rewa Provincial Council

and the Fiji Council of Chiefs.

He leaves a widow, two sons and two daughters.

Reginald!.

Patterson

Oldest ex-student of Levuka Public School, in Levuka on November 28 aged 85. He and his brother installed the first

public electricity supply on

Ovalau Island. It was taken

over by the Fiji Electricity

Authority a few years ago. The two brothers also began the ferry service between Levuka and Natovi on the Viti Levu coast, a service which is now

operated by Reginald’s

nephews, Harry and Robert

Patterson. Mr Patterson’s father, Thomas, who had a smithy at Levuka, arrived there

from Newcastle-on-Tyne,

England, just after Cession in 1874. Mr Patterson, who mar ried a former student at Levuka Public School, Dora Chapman, of Savusavu, leaves four sons.

Thomas Richard

Smith

For five years Secretary- General of the South Pacific

Commission, in Wellington, NZ, on November 17 at the age of 75 years.

A Lancashire man, born in Blackburn, Mr Smith migrated to New Zealand with his parents when a child and was educated at Canterbury College and Victoria Univer sity in Wellington. He was in the public service for 22 years and later served as secretary of the Internal Marketing Depart ment and inspector for the Public Service Commission be fore becoming senior lecturer

at Victoria University College.

Then followed a year in Indonesia as a member of the Indonesian International Plan ning Bureau and guest pro fessor in public administration at the University of Indonesia, before he went for three years to Western Samoa as govern ment secretary. He was Secretary-General of the South Pacific Commission from 1958 to 1963 and later wrote a book on the commission’s first 25 years operations. He returned to New Zealand in 1963 and from then until his retirement was a lecturer at Victoria

University.