Deaths

of Islands People

Tuatagaloa Samaile

At Poutasi, Falealili, Western Samoa, on July 28, aged 72. He was a member of the first two post-independence Cabinets in Western Samoa, and a Faipule and Member of Parliament from 1948 to 1966. He was a former minister of Education and Justice. Prime Minister Tupuola Efi said in a eulogy: ‘One only has to look around this place to know that Tuatagaloa is no longer around.

His death marks the end of an era, because the achievmenls of his generation cannot be matched.' Even though he could say that Tuatagaloa favoured someone else to his detriment (a reference to the

fight over the title Tupua Tamasese in which Tuatagaloa led the supporters of Lealofi, the eventual winner) Tupuola said he had never changed his assessment of Tuatagaloa as a good man and a good leader.

Tuatagaloa never fought an election. He was always re turned unopposed.

Rev Robert Lye

Challis

In Auckland, New Zealand, during the weekend of July 5-6, aged 77. A Londoner from a family of 14, he left school to become a blacksmith’s mate, then studied theology at Nottingham University, and was sent to Rarotonga by the London Missionary Society in 1933. After 15 years, he re turned to Britain, but re sponded to a call to work among Islanders in Auckland, where he merged Samoans, Niueans and Cook Islanders into one congregation in the Edinburgh Street church. k We called him “Father" because he revealed the image of a father to us,’ said the Rev Teura Mave, a Cook Islander, now moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Auck land. Mr Challis was awarded the MBE for his work.

Bishop Henry Kendall

In Townsville, Queensland, dur ing the weekend July 26-27.

English-born Bishop Kendall and his wife left England in 1952 to work in Papua New Guinea following the disruption of Anglican missionary work in the wake of the eruption of Mount Laminglon in 1951. He was stationed for some years at Samarai and later at Popondelta. Wherever they worked he and his wife were respected and loved by the local

people. He remained in PNG until his retirement in 1975. His death will be mourned by many Papuans. In his later years in PNG he was stationed at Dogura and it is there that his ashes are to be taken for final burial. Dogura was the place he loved best of all in Papua.

John D. Wilkinson.

Lt-Col Paul Mench

At Ml Tambourine, Queens land, in June in a mountain climbing accident, aged 37. At the lime of his death Lt-Col Mench was commanding officer of the Third Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. Earlier, he had served in Papua New Guinea, attached to the Pacific Islands Regiment. His MA thesis on the role of the PNG Defence Force, and the general defence and security problems facing PNG, created wide in terest. He was an experienced climber and bush-walker, and died when part of a cliff face crumbled, dropping him more than 300 m into a gully.

Captain Bill Hallam

On his vessel Sir Allan en route from Rabaul to Kimbe, West New Britain, Papua New Guinea, on July 9, aged 54.

After training as a cadet for the Royal Dutch Mail Line (KLM) in Batavia, he served exten sively in Asian waters. From 1952-59 Bill Hallam was em ployed by the then newly formed, privately owned ‘glam our’ shipping firm, the Bougainville Company, made up of Bougainville planters pioneers such as Fred Archer, the Kroening family, Robin McKay, Bob (Tenekau) Stuart, Paul Mason, N. ‘Sandy’

Sandford, ‘Kip’ McKillop, Mrs Carson, Max Babbage, Wong You, and others. The company grew and battled as did the planters and under Captain Hallam’s guidance other vessels were later added to the one-ship (Pollurian) fleet, such as the Nuguria, Kilinailau, Nukutoa, and Nukumanu. The vessels were named after the islands of the crews they employed. In 1959 Bill began a five-year stint of copra planting, and later worked as marine superintend ent for the newly-formed Bougainville Trading Co Ltd.

Other ventures including man aging the Hotel Kieta, and launching his brainchild, Arova Island Resort, backed by the

Slade family. Then it was yet again back to the sea. A fine seaman and excellent navi gator, and above all a teacher, the sea and the Island peoples were his life. In the words of one Tasman Islander: ‘He helped and advised us and never asked for anything in return. We and many others will sadly miss him.’ Brian A.

Connelly.

Judge Edward Furber

At Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA, in July. Judge Furber served as chief justice of the US Trust Territory of the Pacific longer than any other person who has held the post. He was appointed during the period of naval administration, and stayed on until his retirement in 1968. Many present-day Micronesian judges were once his students or court assistants.

Pastor Kamoriki Taba

At Bairiki, Kiribati, in May, aged 60. Ordained a pastor of the Protestant Church during service on Banaba in 1959, Pastor Taba from 1963 at tended a two-year course at Mt Eden Theological College in Auckland, and in March 1965 was appointed secretary to the then London Missionary So ciety based at Antebuka, Tarawa. Retiring from the ser vice of the Protestant Church in 1972, he was recalled in 1977 to continue teaching at Bairiki and Nanakai.

David Cecil Bailey

On Norfolk Island on June 6, aged 69. Born on Norfolk Island, with the exception of his World War II service David Bailey lived on the island all his life. Joining the Royal Aust ralian Signal Corps, David Bailey, along with three other Morse operators, was isolated in the hills of Portuguese Timor for 12 months at the time of the Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies. A war injury left David with a permanent limp, but it didn’t affect his enjoy ment of life. There are are many who will miss his good fellowship and friendship.

Eric I.Brewin

In Sydney NSW, Eric Irwin Brewin, general manager of Kerr Brothers Pty Ltd, a long established Islands agency firm. Mr Brewin had close links with Kiribati and Tuvalu.