deaths

Heimatu’ura Ma’atu In Nuku’alofa in September, aged 25.

Heimatu’ura Ma’atu, wife of the King of Tonga’s second son, Prince Fatafehi Alaivaha mamoa Tukuahoa, died in Vaiola Hospital of heart dis ease.

The couple married in Hawaii five years ago without the consent of King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV, who sought to annul the union and cancelled Prince Fatafehi’s right of succession to the throne.

However, after intervention by Queen Halaevalu Mata’aha, the couple returned to Tonga where the prince took the title of the Noble Ma’atu, and the accompanying estate of the re mote islands of Niuafo’ou and Niuatoputapu.

Widely regarded as a com moner, Heimatu’ura Ma’atu was the daughter of a Honolulu entertainer, Tavana Anderson, and a Tongan woman distantly related to the king.

The Queen returned to Ton ga from Auckland to attend Heimatu’ura’s funeral at the royal Loamamu tombs.

Papaliitele Molioo Laupepa Malietoa In October, aged 45.

Papaliitele Molioo Malietoa was the son of Western Samoa’s Head of State Malietoa Tanumufili II and Masiofo Lili.

After attending a number of schools at home, in 1951 he entered Newington College, Sydney, Australia, where he gained university entrance in 1959.

He worked in the New Zea land External Affairs Depart ment in Wellington from 1960 until Western Samoa’s inde pendence in 1962, returning to Apia to work in public relations for the Prime Minister’s Depart ment.

In 1964 he began training at the Australian Military College at Portsea, Victoria, graduating as second lieutenant in 1965. In 1967-69 he served with the New Zealand Battalion in Malaysia as assistant battalion adjutant.

He left the army in 1969 and

returned home to manage fam ily plantations. He had the title Molioo conferred upon him in 1974, and that of Laupepa in 1978.

In 1976-79 he served as aide-de-camp to his father with the rank of police inspector.

During this period he accompa nied the head of state on official visits to China, South Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, West Germany, and a number of Pacific Island coun tries.

In 1982 he was elected to parliament for Faasaleleaga No. 2, and in the same year was appointed minister of justice.

Western Samoa’s Prime Minister Tofilau Eti said in a tribute at his funeral: “Papaliitele was a man who loved life and always sought to enjoy to the full the company of his fellow men.

“He had a natural flair for public office. One of his first tasks as minister was to repre sent Western Samoa in a Com monwealth Regional Heads of Government meeting held in Suva. He met this challenge with confidence, dignity and skill, earning for himself and his country the respect and admira tion of those present at that meeting . . .

“But for his untimely death, his country would have witnes sed much more of this talent given in its service.”

John Womersley In Sydney in September.

An Australian who played a major role in setting up the Botanical Gardens in Lae, Papua New Guinea, John Womersley went to Lae in

1947 as a forest botanist.

He was for many years chief of the Division of Botany.

In 1950, he began deve loping the area, which is now the National Botanical Gar dens.

He retired in 1975, but was actively involved with the Royal Society in Adelaide, and work ed as a consultant in some countries.

“There are not many expatri ates of his era left in PNG, but many nationals will remember him, and with affection,” an old friend said.

Pokoina Tommy In Rarotonga on August 26, aged 44.

Pokoina was bom in Mauke January 1941 to Natua (Tararo Ariki) and the late Raemaki Karati. He was adopted by the late Mr and Mrs Tommy Strick land, also of Mauke.

The Stricklands left the island in 1949 to enable the children, brothers Nooapii and Pokoina and sister Pokotea, to attend school in Rarotonga.

Pokoina attended Avarua Primary School in 1952 and then Tereora College the next year.

After further education in the Cooks and New Zealand and a successful career in accountan cy in both countries, in 1972 he was appointed as the Cooks’

Acting Collector of Inland Re venue in January 1972 and became the Collector in March of the following year, a position which he held until his resigna tion in 1980 when he joined a

local accountancy/consultancy

private practice.

Pokoina was a very keen

sportsman, playing tennis, cricket and rugby for the Tupa pa Maraerenga Club. He was also a very active member of the Rarotonga Golf Club, and his happy and carefree counte nance will be missed by his fellow club members.

Pokoina enjoyed dabbling in oils and he was quite an accom plished artist, displaying his works at local exhibitions.

Haji Ibrahim Adam In Suva in September, aged 85.

The owner of Nausori’s Empire Theatre, Haji Ibrahim Adam was the patron of the Rewa branch of Fiji Muslim Sports Association.

He came to Fiji in 1931 from Bharuch in Gujerat State, where he was bom.

He began selling eggs in Verata and other rural areas and later opened a shop on the site of the present Nausori Bus Station.

In 1953 when Queen Eliza beth was crowned he built a theatre and named it “Empire” to mark the coronation.

In 1969 he went to Mecca on a pilgrimage.

Reuben Bennett Quintal In Sydney on August 12, aged 59.

Born on Norfolk Island, Reuben Quintal was a son of the late Rosa Amelia and her husband Ralph Quintal. He did all his schooling on Norfolk and worked for most of his life in Australia.

Because of ill health he had to retire early and had been in a nursing home for some years.

Allen Thomson Low At Savusavu, Fiji, on July 26, aged 78.

Mr Low was bom in Forbes, New South Wales, Australia.

He went to Fiji in 1936 to work for Burns Philp (South Sea) Co Ltd, and served in many of the company’s bran ches as either accountant or manager. These included Suva, Lautoka, Labasa, Ba, Norfolk Island, Niue Island, Rotuma Island and Pago Pago.

He retired to Savusavu in 1973.

Star-crossed lovers in life, now separated forever by untimely death: Heimatu’ura Anderson (right), pictured with Prince Fatafehi Alaivahamamoa Tukuaoha of Tonga during their honeymoon-in exile in Honolulu in 1981. - Sheree Lipton photo.