deaths

Strik Yoma In Honolulu on September 2, aged 47.

Strik Yoma, Lieutenant-gov ernor of Ponape State, Feder ated States of Micronesia, was in Honolulu on his way home from attending the South Paci fic Forum meeting in Tuvalu.

He was accompanied by Presi dent Tosiwo Nakayama of the

Fsm.

Mr Yoma was found lying on the floor of his room in the Pagoda Hotel, a telephone in his hand. There was no injury and no sign of foul play, accor ding to police. A few days before his death, Mr Yoma had been treated and released at Honolulu’s Straub Hospital after complaining of chest pains.

Mr Yoma was public affairs director for the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands on Saipan before he returned to Ponape in 1978 to become acting lieutenant-governor. He was elected to the position in 1979, and re-elected last year.

Mikaere Tebano In Manila in September, aged 41.

Fr Mikaere Tebano, priest to the Catholic communities of the Kiribati islands of Bern, Onotoa and Nikunau, was on his way to Rome to attend a Grand Re treat.

His death was described as “a great loss to the church as a whole” by Fr Kerouanton, speaking from church headquarters, Teaoraereke. Fr Mikaere attended St Patrick’s College at Tabiteuea, and in the early 1960 s was sent by the church to further his education at the Chanel College, Rabaul, Papua New Guinea. Later, he studied at the Bomana Semi nary in PNG, and was ordained in July 1971.

He was a noted composer of church music, and was most active in recent years in working in support of the building of the Emmaus Chapel, now used for the sick at Tungaru Central Hospital, Bikenibeu.

John Wansbrough Gittins At Fleet, Hampshire, England

Strik Yoma on September 20, aged 78.

Mr Gittins was posted to Fiji from the Colonial Service in May, 1930 and served at a number of centres in Viti Levu, Lomaiviti and Kadavu as a District Officer and District Commissioner before becom ing an assistant Colonial Secre tary in Suva.

He returned to England after he retired and he and his wife Anne took it on themselves to distribute copies of The Fiji Times and Nai Lalakai to men from Fiji who were serving with the British Army in Britain and Germany.

The newspapers were sup plied in bulk by The Fiji Times and Herald Ltd. and were flown, with copies of the Gov ernment Public Relations Office weekly bulletin News From Fiji, to Mr and Mrs Gittins in Hampshire.

Parcelling up the papers and posting them to individual sol diers or units took up many hours of time, but the resulting contacts with home were great ly appreciated by the men from Fiji.

The Gittins home at Fleet, Calthorpe Lodge, was always open to visitors from Fiji, many of whom called for a chat or a meal or to stay the night.

Ina Mai In Tahiti in September, aged 45.

Mrs Mai died instantly when the utility she was driving col lided head-on with a truck travelling in the opposite

direction.

With her in the vehicle were five children, believed to be hers, who were all injured, some seriously.

Mrs Mai was the wife and the active supporter of Tetua Mai, a noted and colorful figure in the pro-independence move ment in French Polynesia.

Faafili Seuseu At Afega Village, Western Samoa, on August 28, aged 103.

Following her funeral, food worth thousands and more than 500 fine mats were given to the village chiefs and orators and representatives from all parts of Samoa in keeping with Samoan customs and tradi tions.

With Faafili’s death the vil lage of Afega now has only one known centenarian left, Mrs Siota Savea, who celebrated her 104th birthday on August 24.

Andrew Evans On Norfolk Island on Septem ber 11, aged 80.

Andrew Evans was the last of Norfolk Island’s boat steerers from the island’s whaling days.

Born on Norfolk, he went to school on the island and, apart from a few years in New Zea land, spent his whole life there.

Feke, as he was known, was a very keen horseman, farmer and all-round Norfolk “character.”

Toua Vakatini Ariki In the Cook Islands in Septem ber, aged 60.

Toua’s investiture to the title of Toua Vakatini Ariki was held in 1976.

In his earlier days he went to New Zealand, and served in the New Zealand army in Korea in the period 1953-54. He re turned to live in Rarotonga in 1955.

He was an active and keen planter, serving the local market as well as exporting some pro duce to New Zealand. lese A’asa In Honolulu on September 26, aged 71.

The Reverend Elder lese A’asa served the Christian Con gregational Church of Amer ican Samoa in the village of lli’ili for 37 years.

A native of Tuvalu, he was a graduate of the Malua Theological College in Western Samoa. He and his wife Leaiseaiga became ministers of lli’ili in 1947.

In 1952 he was appointed by the CCCAS Conference to visit Tuvalu and conducted ex aminations for the church schools there.

A’asa was ordained as elder of CCCAS in 1979.

Bill Beaver In Honolulu on September 18, aged 71.

Bill Beaver was a well-known businessman in American Samoa. In 1962, along with his wife Lefaga and Solai Pine, he founded the territory’s largest store, South Pacific Traders.

Although born in North Carolina, Mr Beaver was in volved in business in Honolulu and Guam before going to American Samoa.

George Page In the Northern Province, Papua New Guinea, in October.

George Page was a long-time resident businessman in PNG.

He owned a photographic and audio-visual shop in Port Moresby, and a plantation in the Northern Province. He was at his plantation at the time of his death.