deaths

Dwight Heine In the Marshall Islands in November, aged 63.

Mr Heine was the first person to appear before the United Nations to protest against the United States’ action in explod ing an atomic bomb in the 1950 s at Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands.

He was also the first Microne sian to graduate from an Amer ican college, and the first Speaker of the Council of Mic ronesia, and, later, the Con gress of Micronesia.

Mr Heine frequently repre sented Micronesia at Pacific re gional meetings.

John Aba In Port Moresby on November 12, aged 28.

PNG’s greatest boxing hero, John Aba died from injuries sustained in a car accident on November 7.

He was pushing his car which had developed engine trouble to the side of the road when another vehicle ran into him.

From Rorovana, North Solo mons Province, John Aba was the Commonwealth junior lightweight champion from 1977 unitl October 19, 1982 when he relinquished the title because of medical and family reasons.

Prime Minister Michael So mare said: “As a champion boxer John Aba attracted in ternational focus on PNG. John Aba did PNG proud by becom ing the first Papua New Gui nean boxer to hold a Common wealth professional title.”

Mr Somare said Aba was an excellent ambassador for PNG whenever his boxing commit ments took him overseas.

Mulya Dhanraji At Nausori, Fiji, on September 5, aged 70.

Miss Dhanraji was for more than 35 years a popular teacher and confidante of the orphaned inmates of Dilkusha Girls Home.

She herself was raised in the Dilkusha Girls Home from the age of two, when her mother died during the influenza

epidemic, and she remained in the home until 1930, when she became a teacher.

Her two brothers were also brought to Dilkusha Home when their father, a Hindu priest, died some years after their mother.

The Rev. Daniel Mastapha, a former president of the Methodist Church, described Miss Dhanraji as “the Mother Teresa of Fiji” because of the quality of dedication she had for the girls at the home.

He said she brought up many girls at the home and ensured they enjoyed life as much as everybody else.

She was a dedicated servant of the church, a wonderful teacher, and a friend to all.

More than 300 people, most of whom were girls she had brought up at the home, attended her funeral at Nasinu Cemetery.

Edith Tarte In Taveuni, Fiji, on October 16, aged 87.

Mrs Tarte (nee Carr) was born and educated at Levuka.

Her father, Frederick Carr, was English and her mother, Alice, a New Zealander.

Mrs Tarte took up nursing when she left school and rose to the rank of sister before she resigned and turned to teaching.

She set up a kindergarten in

Suva and taught for several years before she married Aug ustus Rood Tarte and moved to Vuna, Taveuni, with him.

Her husband died in 1956.

Mrs Tarte spent her life on the family estate, tending and caring for the people in the area and using her nursing skills.

Dayabhai Parshottam Patel In Lautoka, Fiji, on October 22, aged 77.

Mr Patel was a pioneer su permarket owner in Nadi, where he started the D.P. Patel Company’s supermarket in 1970. At the time the only other supermarket in Nadi was own ed by Morris Hedstrom Ltd.

Mr Patel went to Fiji from Gujrat, India, in 1928 and worked for the A.J.C. Patel Company at Ba for the next five years.

In 1935 he opened a store at Korovuto and moved to Nadi in 1945.

Joseph F. Screen In Honolulu on August 15, aged 58.

An administrator and later a businessman in the Common wealth of the Northern Marianas, Mr Screen first went to Saipan in 1966 as commis sioner for administration in the Trust Territory government.

Delivering the eulogy at the Garapan Catholic Church, Governor Pedro P. Tenorio

praised Mr Screen’s work as a government official, saying “he increased the budget and im proved public services to all districts of Micronesia”.

The governor went on: “As a businessman, Joe was without equal. He was tough, but he was fair and honest.

“He cared about little guys, and looked out for their in terests.

“He was tourism’s greatest advocate, having served as chairman of the Marianas Visi tors Bureau,” Governor Tenor io said.

All flags in the common wealth were flown at halfmast for 12 hours in appreciation of Joseph F. Screen’s contribu tions to the government and people of the Northern Marianas and Micronesia.

John D. Patterson At Pago Pago on October 21.

Harbor pilot training officer with American Samoa’s De partment of Port Administra tion, Mr Patterson died in an accident just outside Pago Pago harbor.

A report from the office of the territory’s Commissioner of Public Safety indicated that Mr Patterson fell overboard and was caught between the vessels Kai Kai and Demarco XI.

He was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.

Dwight Heine (left) leads the way into the first joint session of the Congress of Micronesia in 1966.