Deaths

of Islands People

Archdeacon Charles William Whonsbon-Aston In Sydney, Australia, in June, aged 82.

Archdeacon Whonsbon- Aston, Archdeacon Emeritus of Polynesia, was one of the best known Anglican clergymen in the Pacific before his retirement from active duty in 1975.

After theological studies at Moore College, Sydney, he served in various capacities at Anglican churches in that city before becoming a missionary in 1931.

He served briefly in Papua New Guinea, and was then made Vicar of Levuka, Fiji. He later held a number of posts in Fiji and Western Samoa. He became Archdeacon of Fiji in 1958, and later Archdeacon of Polynesia, and Deputy Vicar- General. In 1967, he was given

the title Archdeacon Emeritus.

An obituary in an Australian newspaper described him as ‘missionary, raconteur, and an Islands “character” in the Somerset Maugham tradition’.

A keen reader of PIM, his last letter to the magazine appeared in the April 1981 issue (p 5).

Clifford lanamu In Port Moresby in June, aged 61.

As a member of the pre independence Legislative Council in Papua New Guinea, Mr lanamu was one of the ‘reluctant’ nationalists of the time committed to indepen dence but worried about the pace at which it was approach ing. This in part may explain his failure on three occasions to gain election to the

subsequently-formed national

parliament, although he was a respected representative of his people and was involved in their politics for nearly 20 years.

Mr lanumu came from Selae Village near Abau, southeast of Port Moresby. He became a member of the Amazon Bay Local Government Council in 1963 and later served as its

president. After his period in national politics he became a member and later chairman of the Central District Advisory Board.

Tuatagaloa Tofa

Siaosi In Apia in June, after a heart attack.

Tuatagaloa was a two-term member of Western Samoa’s parliament and a former Finance Minister under the Tamasese administration.

After losing his seat in the 1973 general elections, he worked as an accountant with the Peter Meredith company.

He first entered parliament about 1966 representing Faleata under his title Taneolevao. He was then the youngest member elected to parliament.

James Valentine Tarte At Taveuni, Fiji, in June, aged 77.

Described in an obituary in The Fiji Times as ‘one of the most colourful of the old breed of major copra plantation owners’, Val Tarte came from one of Taveuni’s few surviving plantation families.

A son of Herbert Valentine Tarte, and grandson of the first James Valentine Tarte who settled at Vuna, Taveuni, in 1868, Val Tarte spent most of his life on Taveuni.

When H. V. Tarte died in 1936, the estate was divided and Val Tarte became owner of Waimaqera which, despite a severe depression in copra prices, he developed as one of the finest copra plantations in the South Pacific.

As a prospector, he dis covered gold at Waimoto, Natewa Bay, the Udu Point copper deposit, and manganese in Lau.

He served on many com munity boards and committees in Taveuni, and was a nomi nated member of the colonial Legislative Council.

Ratu Timoci Rakuita At Nabukuluka Village, Naitasiri, Fiji, in May, aged 49, after a fall from a bulldozer.

A chief of Naitasiri, Ratu Rakuita’s mother, Adi Litiana Maopa, who survives him, comes from the chiefly yavusa of Kubuna which is the same yavusa of the Vunivalu, Fiji’s Governor-General Ratu Sir George Cakobau.

Ratu Rakuita’s body was taken to Nabukaluka for burial by the people of Kubuna. They were led from Government House by Ratu Sir George.

Terrence Thomas

Mackey

In Sydney, Australia, in June, aged 70.

Appointed Assistant Registrar-General to the Fiji Government in 1953, Terry Mackey and his wife Del spent most of their time in Suva until he was forced to retire through ill health in 1964.

He brought much expertise to his work in the Registrar’s office in Fiji, and was a con scientious and very capable officer. Among his spare time activities was a period of service as president of the Suva Bowl ing Club.

Fiji residents of the time will

recall with pleasure the Mackeys’ participation in social and dramatic circles in Suva, where Del Mackey produced and directed many musicals, as well as giving singing and piano

lessons.

R. A. Hewlett.

Robert Kay

In Florence, Italy, in June, aged 65.

A man who was once de scribed as ‘the father of Fiji’s basic tax’, Robert Kay worked for many years in Suva as an accountant.

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Mr Kay came to Fiji in 1947.

He first worked with Ramsay Main, then formed his own firm in 1950, which merged with Coopers and Lybrand in 1968.

He was secretary of the Sugar Price Stabilisation Board from 1959 to 1972 and the first chairman of the Fiji Electricity Authority from 1967 to 1972.

He was a member of the 1964 Fiscal Review Committee and the main architect of the first Companies Bill of 1969.

After retiring at the end of 1974, Mr Kay went to live in Siena, Italy.

Poase Mate In Apia in April following a cerebral haemorrhage.

A celebrated Fijian welter weight boxer, Poase Mate died the day after he had lost a 10-round bout in Apia to Samoan boxer Taualai Folasi.

According to referee Richard Schwalger and one of the judges, Poase was leading on points right up to the time he fell from fatigue in the 10th round, and was counted out.

Referee Schwalger said he be lieved Taualai (who was also hospitalised after the event) took more punishment than Poase in the course of the fight.

Ambilos lehsi At Ponape Hospital, Federated States of Micronesia, on March 14, aged 45.

Ambilos lehsi was secretary of resources and development for the FSM national govern ment, and a former senator to the old Congress of Micronesia.

FSM President Tosiwo Nakayama was among about 5000 mourners who attended funeral services held through out Ponape for Ambilos lehsi.

In his honour, President Nakayama proclaimed March 15-19 days of national mourn ing.