DEATHS of Islands People

Maika Brown At Levuka, Fiji, on July 13, aged 108.

One of the best known fig ures in the Anglican Church in Fiji, Maika Brown was born in Suva on July 13,1874, the same day of the year as that on which he died 108 years later.

His parents had been black birded to Fiji from the Sol omons, and elected to stay on in the country when their three-years indenture had been completed.

His father died while he was still a boy, and his mother remarried. His stepfather gave him a good education, for those days, and he was accepted for medical training at the old hospital in Suva. But when his stepfather moved the family to Levuka, he needed Maika’s help in establishing a fishing business in Ovalau, so the young man had to leave medical school.

Maika went to work for the Morris Hedstrom company in Levuka, and he remained with the company for the rest of his working life.

He was a lay reader and

preacher with the Church of England in Levuka for 64 years.

In an interview published in PIM (Sept. ’Bl, p 25) Victor Carell wrote of Maika Brown: “He is truly amazing . . . His command of English is excep tional and his memory is sharp. He can quote long sec tions of the Bible and delights in reciting one psalm after another, to be followed by excerpts from the Book of Moses, with no hesitation whatsoever.”

Taking his leave of Mr Brown, Victor Carell asked him how he felt. “I feel fine ... I feel strong ... I can even do a little dance,” he shouted. And he did, 107 years old as he was at the time.

He married his wife Merel ita in 1916. They had 13 chil dren.

John Kalomala In Papua New Guinea in Aug ust, of stab wounds to the head sustained in a hotel brawl.

Mr Kalomala, of Wabag, in Enga Province, had stood with out success as a candidate in PNG’s July general elections.

Madeline Edith Kerkham In Auckland on July 11, aged 86.

Mrs Kerkham (nee Ed wards) was a member of a very old established Fiji fami ly, her parents having arrived in the colony in the year 1876 from Oxford, England. She was born in Levuka in 1895 and lived in Levuka and Suva for more than 70 years.

Daughters Grace and Noeline and sons Onslow and Bruce reside in New Zealand, and sons Richard and Allen in Sydney.

With them are left 19 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren to mourn her loss. Her husband, Richard Charles Kerkham, who spent a lifetime of service in Fiji with Burns Philp (S.S.) Co. Ltd., died in Suva in 1963. A. S.

Kerkham Rev. Aisake Raratabu In Los Angeles, USA, on May 23.

The Rev Aisake Raratabu died while returning to his home in Fiji after attending an international conference. He had been in Holland for a

meeting of the executive com mittee of the World Associ ation for Christian Communi cations (WACC). Mr Raratabu was chairman for the WACC Pacific Region. Earlier he had worked for the Pacific Council of Churches for eight years, managing Pasifika Produc tions, and he had been an information officer for the council.

Senior Inspector Francis Kumbia Shot dead by another police officer in his Mount Hagen office in June.

One of Papua New Guinea’s most experienced police offic ers, Senior Inspector Kumbia was commander of the Special Police Unit, Highlands Mobile Police.

According to eye-witnesses, he was in his office at Bindon Barracks when his assailant came in with a rifle and started firing wildly.

The attacker himself was shot in the incident. A Mount Hagen Hospital spokesman said the man had been under observation for suspected mental illness.

William Thomas (Darkie) Johnson At Newcastle, Australia, in June, aged 78.

Darkie Johnson went to Papua New Guinea in 1948 as an aircraft engineer, first at Madang and then at Lae, maintaining aircraft for Qan tas, TAA, MAL, Crowley Air ways and others.

After leaving PNG he work

ed for Helicopter Utilities un til his retirement. C. Gane Joshua Hiua At Sulphur Bay, Tanna, Vanuatu, on July 13, after a long illness.

Joshua Hiua was the John Frum member of the TAFEA Island Government Council and had been so since creation of the council in 1981.

Thompson Samuel At Norsup Hospital, Vanuatu, in June, aged 47.

Thompson Samuel had 27 years of service with the New Hebrides/Vanuatu health ser vice, working mainly as a surgical dresser.

He was employed for many years by the Presbyterian Church.

Hira Singh While being rushed to Lautoka Hospital, Fiji, in June, of a heart attack, aged 50.

Mr Singh, an Alliance Party activist, suffered the attack at an election meeting at Votua levu, Nadi.

Bobbie Gaigo

In Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea in August.

For many years Bobbie Gaigo was a self-appointed spokesman for the people of Tatana Village on the outer rim of Port Moresby. In this role he was a controversial and colorful figure, sometimes at odds with the people he repre sented but in recent years increasingly respected. In the days of the Australian admin istration of PNG he was a frequent letter-writer to politi cians and senior officials in Australia. One of his major crusades was for the revision of land tenure legislation.

When Queen Elizabeth visited PNG on one occasion he orga nised a demonstration on land issues. But he freely conceded “the Queen got more attention than I did”.