People

Papua New Guinea and Fiji are both to have new govemors general.

A former Speaker of the PNG Parliament, Kingsford Dibela, was elected as PNG’s new gover nor-general at a special par liamentary session in December.

He will take over from the in cumbent, Sir Tore Lokoloko, on March 1.

A New Year announcement in Suva said that Governor-General Ratu Sir George Cakobau was retiring.

He will be replaced by the present Deputy Prime Minister Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau who is to take office in February.

Ratu Sir George has been Fi ji’s governor-general since 1973.

Among the major New Year Honors conferred by Queen Elizabeth II on citizens of Pacif ic Island Commonwealth coun tries were the following: Papua New Guinea Knights Bachelor: Bruce Re ginald Jephcott, CBE, politics and community; Niwia Ebia Olewale, politics and government.

CMG: Galen Lang, provincial and local government.

CBE: Paul Baundi Bernard Bengo, politics and government; Suinavi Otio, MP, community and parliament.

OBE: Daniel Joseph Leahy, de velopment of the Western High lands; Ramon Richard Thurecht, commerce, tourism and government; John Tion To vuia, community; Bernard Vogae, provincial and local government.

Fiji GCMG; Ratu Sir Kamisese Kapaiwai Tuimacilai Mara, KBE, prime minister.

CBE: Filipe Bole, ambassador to the United Nations and the Un ited States.

OBE: Ratu Ratavo Ganilau Lalabalavu, provincial govern ment; Reginald John Wood man, community; Abdul Hameed Yusuf, sugar industry.

Solomon Islands OBE: Alick Nonomiae, com munity; Dr Haynes Posala, medical services.

MBE: Rosemary Honor Clarke, education; Samuel Irofufuli, commerce.

BEM: Jesiel Chamatete, com munity and province; Lionel Giano, public service; John Kabwere, Royal Solomon Is lands Police Band; Andrew Yapela.

Cook Islands OBE: Vaine Rere Tangata Poto, MP, public and communi ty service.

MBE; The Rev Turakiare Teauariki, Cook Islands Chris tian Church.

Tuvalu CMG: Henry Faati Naisali, MBE, minister of finance.

The Norfolk Island-based writer, Merval Hannah Hoare, was awarded an MBE in the Aust ralian Commonwealth list for services to literature.

A 28-year-old Tongan, Sosefo Tofa Moahengi, is the new world heavyweight Kung Fu champion.

Competing on behalf of Aust ralia he lives in Melbourne

Moahengi, who hails from Lapa ha in Tonga, won the champion ship in Hong Kong last Novem ber. Great Britain finished in second place, with the United States and China equal third.

Moahengi told the Melbourne daily. The Herald : “I came home with the face I left with but not many others did.

“We were the only country which didn’t finish contests with black eyes and bruises everywhere.”

As The Tonga Chronicle told it: “Moahengi is the first Tongan to attain the world championship

in any field of sports. Moahen gi’s achievement has pulled us from the bottom to the top in a year in which Tonga’s sport could not have been any lower. ’ ’

Moahengi had made the pred iction that the world champion ship would be his Christmas gift to his mother, Talahiva. His father, the late Moahengi, is described by The Tonga Chroni cle as “one of the most feared heavyweight boxers, and, later, a well-known boxing coach.

Moahengi Junior is trained by Chinese Kung Fu master Wil liam Cheung, who stands eighth in line of Wing Chun Kung Fu

grandmasters from its originator,

Ng Mui. Mr Cheung heads the Australian Wing Chun Academy in Melbourne.

In the 1950 s he taught the late Bruce Lee many of the techni ques he was later to use in his successful film career.

Carmina Blake, Miss Cook Is lands 1982, had some sad, sour

comments reported following her

win.

Said she: “I would have loved to represent our country in the Miss World contest, but we just couldn’t afford to send an entrant.

“I wasn’t impressed by the winner, Miss Dominican Re public I didn’t like her mouth.”

John Webb, Senior, of Nikao, Rarotonga, Cook Islands, celeb rated his 97th birthday quietly last November.

He told Cook Islands News that he’s having no more birth-

Sir Tore Lokoloko (left) and Ratu Sir George Cacobau: To retire within a few days of each other.

Two new knights named in Papua New Guinea: Ebia Olewale KBE (left) and Bruce Jephcott KBE. Both are former prominent members of govern ments led by Michael Somare.

dustrial arbitrator. He is Profes sor John Young, director of the Industrial Relations Centre at Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand.

Professor Young had experi ence in industrial relations in Canada before taking up his post in New Zealand.

He has been a regular visitor to Fiji to conduct seminars run by the Ministry of Industrial Rela tions. He is to take up his new job in April.

Papua New Guinea’s High Com missioner to Australia, Austin

day parties until 1986, when he turns 100.

The News reported; “John, who is still regularly seen driving around Avarua in his Honda Life with his wife Matangaro, is proud of his good health. . .

“He is examined every year by his doctor and he has always been given a clean bill of health.”

John himself says he hasn’t changed since he was about 70.

Originally from Australia, he roamed all over the Pacific be-* fore settling in Rarotonga. He now has children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren in Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand and Tahiti, as well as

Rarotonga.

The Fiji Government has named the country’s first permanent in-

Sapias, has been named as the new chairman of the PNG Na tional Broadcasting Commission.

He replaces Leo Morgan, whose three-year term in the job ended in December.

Mr Morgan’s plans to in troduce television to PNG by Christmas 1982 were squashed by the PNG Government (PIM Dec. p 5).

Mr Sapias said in a statement following his appointment he be lieved that PNG needed to know more about television and the benefits it could bring people in different parts of the country. He said he regarded the introduction of TV as inevitable, but it was up to the government to decide when it should happen.

Pacific Island nations were well represented in the Marathon, the most gruelling event of last year’s 12th Commonwealth Games in Brisbane.

The Marathon, eventually won by the valiant Robert de Castel la of Australia, had two runners each from Papua New Guinea and Fiji, and one from Solomon Islands.

Shiri Chand from Fiji was running a very strong race in the middle of the pack of 38 runners until he was forced to retire at the 30-kilometre mark, suffering from leg cramps and vomiting.

Shin’s team mate, Wayne Mad den, was also running a credit able race until he too was forced to retire.

The Papua New Guinea team of Abel ’ Manmanua and Tau Tokwepota, ran together for most of the race, a tactic also adopted by some of the African teams.

However, the eventual Islan der hero of the superhuman 46kilometre road race was the di minutive McKay Talasasa from the Solomon Islands. Talasasa ran a calculated race on his own, oblivious to the many thousands of well-wishers who lined the meandering course through the streets of Brisbane.

Finishing 26th overall in a time of 2 hours, 36 minutes and 27 seconds, Talasasa firmly es tablished himself as a world

class athlete.

Greg

Nosworthy.

Married in December In Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral, Su va: The Right Rev Jabez Bryce, Bishop in Polynesia, and Tilisi Faupula from Tonga. Guests came from the communities and churches of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa. Anne Livingston picture for The Fiji Times.

Austin Sapias

Tau Tokwepota, PNG

Shiri Chand, Fiji