people

Fiji’s “Aunt Pearl” (Miss Mar garet Jennings) turned 100 in March.

Silas Hakwa, 29, has been appointed attorney-general in Vanuatu, the first Ni-Vanuatu to hold the post.

Mr Hakwa was educated at Ndui Ndui and Londua senior primary schools on Ambae, the then British Secondary School (now Malapoa College) in Port- Vila, the University of the South Pacific, and the University of Papua New Guinea, where he graduated with a bachelor of laws degree in 1978.

He joined the Vanuatu Gov ernment in 1980 as an assistant state counsel, was promoted to senior state counsel and was appointed attorney-general on February 28.

He replaces William Kattan.

Daniel Dupont has been appointed France’s new ambassador to Fiji, replacing Robert Puissant. Mr Dupont was previously first counsellor at the French Embassy in Tananarive, Madagascar.

Fiji’s former secretary for education, Epeli Kacimaiwai, has been named as Fiji’s new Roving Ambassador to South Pacific Forum countries.

Mr Kacimaiwai, a former Fiji high commissioner to Australia, replaces Major Jesoni Takala, who has retired from the Minis try of Foreign Affairs.

J. K. Dowling has been appointed a director of Bums, Philp and Co Ltd, filling a position vacated by F. M.

Osborne, who has retired after 12 years on the board. Mr Dowling is prominently associ ated with a number of com panies with similar interests to those in the Bums Philp group as chairman and/or director, including Walter Reid & Co Ltd, New Guinea Finance Ltd, ANG Holdings Ltd, and Reed Stonehouse Ltd. Mr Osborne, lawyer and former Australian Federal MP, was also chairman of Mauri Brothers & Thomson, now part of the Bums Philp group.

A former Irish Olympic show jumper has been sworn in as a judge of the Supreme Court of Fiji.

He is Mr Justice B. P. Culli nan who was a member of the Irish Olympic show jumping team in 1956. The equestrian section of the Olympic Games was held in Stockholm that year.

Mr Justice Cullinan is based at Lautoka.

David McConachie has been appointed a director and chief manager, Westpac Bank-PNG Ltd. He replaces Dick Frost, who has returned to Sydney.

Mr McConachie was formerly deputy chief manager, Len ding, in Westpac’s Corporate Banking Division.

A senior Australian public ser vant, E. J. (Jim) Wilkinson, has been appointed to the position of Program Controller, South Pacific Telecommunica tions Development Program.

In a statement on his appointment which he made available to PIM, Mr Wilkinson said; “I am very pleased to have been selected to undertake the management of this important program.

“The features of the work which are especially attractive to me include: “The nature and the range of the technological problems

which must be solved if ade quate telecommunication facili ties are to be provided to all areas of the South Pacific at acceptable costs to the govern ments; “The unusual management concept embodied in the con trol of the program. All the countries participating in the benefits of the program, along with New Zealand and Australia who are involved as advisers and aid donors, will work to gether in a joint ‘board of management’ to reach de cisions on the methods to be used and on the project priori ties; “This collective management offers potential for substantial savings in the cost of the deve lopment program, and is a unique example of regional co operation. The requirement to successfully complete the prog ram and thus prove the efficacy of the management method presents a very exciting chal lenge to the program controller; “Much of my work over about 45 years in the Australian public service has been in the area of project control. In recent years, my work in the In ternational Telecommunica tions Union has involved con sensus-seeking by committee discussion. I am attracted by the opportunity to combine both of these activities in a work which offers such ultimate benefits to

the countries and people of the South Pacific.”

A pioneer in education and former principal of Adi Cako bau School, Miss Frances Charlton, 76, left Fiji in March after more than 35 years living there.

“Bui” Charlton was a mother, teacher and friend to thousands of girls who attended ACS during her 18-year term as principal, and about 100 of them farewelled her at an afternoon tea at the Young Women’s Christian Association headquarters in Suva. They came from as far away Nadi, Lautoka and Lomaivuna.

Miss Charlton left Fiji to re turn to South Africa where she will live with her sister, who is her only surviving relative.

A former pupil, Dr Laisa Naivalulevu, paid tribute to Miss Charlton at the farewell.

“We have reason to thank God for you ... for your life, your influence, and the high standards which you set for each of us,” she said.

“When ACS was first opened on October 1, 1948, most of us who were founding members came from village schools.

“At ACS we were taught how to bathe using soap and face cloths, how to use handker chiefs when blowing our noses, and the simple things that the

Continued on page 58

J.K. Dowling

E.J. Wilkinson... “telecommunications challenge”

children of today take for granted but which to most of us were all new.”

She thanked Miss Charlton for also instilling in them a sense of humility and said that they looked back with gratitude to the time that they had together with her at school.

In response, Miss Charlton told her former students; “Girls, you make me feel very humble.

I was just a principal of a girls school which developed wonderful girls. You were my family and 1 loved every one of you.

“I used to stand on the veranda at night and think of you all sleeping inside and I felt happy.

“And sometimes I walked through the dormitories and tucked you in.

“I feel rich, rich in my lovely girls.

“I feel that there is nothing I gave you. Nothing was sacri ficed. It was a giving on your part to me that enriched me and made me feel a mother of a hundred girls.” Vasiti Siki uou The Fiji Times.

Australian diplomat Oliver Cordell has taken leave of the Pacific for a time to serve as deputy ambassador in the Aus tralian Embassy in Paris.

Until his new appointment Mr Cordell was deputy high commissioner to Papua New Guinea. Before that, from 1979 to 1982, he was high commis sioner to Nauru, with re sponsibility also for Micronesia.

Brian Smith has been appointed Australia’s high com missioner to Tonga, replacing Miss Maris King, MBE, who has retired.

There has also been a change in Australian repre sentation in Western Samoa, with Tony Godfrey-Smith re placing K. R. (“Ric”) Fraser, who has been in the post since 1982.

Kaliopate Tavola, 38, has been appointed London repre sentative for the Fiji Sugar Marketing Co Ltd.

He takes over on July 1 from Sung Kangwai, who will return to Fiji to take over the post of deputy chief executive of the company.

The board of Cook Islands Tourist Authority has announced several new appointments following some restructuring of the authority.

Rex Moore, who has been with the authority since 1982, has been appointed general manager with immediate effect.

He was previously marketing manager.

In the position of marketing manager now is Dorice Reid who returned in 1983 to the Cook Islands to join the market ing division after a number of years with Air New Zealand in Auckland.

Also joining the Tourist Authority is Metua Ngarupc who recently returned to the Cook Islands following comple tion of university studies in Hawaii. His position as tourism development officer gives him responsibility for development of tourist facilities and infras tructure in the Cooks.

Dorice Reid

Rex Moore