deaths

Roger Laroque In Noumea on November 17, aged 75.

One of New Caledonia’s leading political figures, Mr Laroque had been mayor of Noumea for more than 30 years.

A fierce opponent of the Mitterrand government’s plan to give New Caledonia a form of independence in association with France, Mr Laroque had been president of the territory’s main anti-independence party, the RPCR, since 1972.

He was descended from a family which first arrived in New Caledonia in the 1840 s.

Writing of what he termed the “extreme concentration of powers” in Noumea in relation to the rest of New Caledonia, a recent French visitor noted: “. . . the osmosis between eco nomic and political power is complete: the same group, even the same individuals, head the big New Caledonian firms and monopolise the levers of elective and administrative power. . . Mr Roger Laroque, for example, combines the functions of RPCR mayor of Noumea with those of chair man and managing director of Ballande, the biggest import export and trading house on the island; he has interests in mining, land, real estate, tim ber, and so on. A detailed study of the professional activities of the (white) ministers and senior officials of the territorial govern ment set up by the RPCR would show that in New Cale donia the economic powers that-be completely absorb local political power.”

No date was set immediately for the election of a successor to Mr Laroque as mayor, but in the meantime Jean Leques, president of the regional council representing Noumea in the territory’s new congress, was appointed acting mayor.

Winston Tshe In Sydney on October 17.

Winston Tshe was managing director of the KHYCO group of companies in Solomon Is lands.

In a message from the Baha

mas, where he was attending the Commonwealth heads of government meeting, Prime Minister Sir Peter Kenilorea told Mr Tshe’s widow, Joyce Tshe: “It was with great sadness that I leamt, early this morning, of the sudden and most untime ly death of the late Winston Tshe.”

Mr Tshe, Sir Peter said, had played a significant role in the development of trade and com merce in Solomon Islands, and the government had been a beneficiary in that regard through his contributions as a member of various committees and boards concerned with these matters.

“On behalf of myself and family and the government and people of Solomon Islands, I convey my sincere condo lences. It is my sincere hope and prayer that the good Lord will comfort you. May his soul rest in peace.”

Sarah Ijojo At Sirorata Village, in the Koko da district of the Northern Pro vince, Papua New Guinea, in October, believed to be aged 99.

Sarah Ijojo was a member of the Songe tribe, which was reported to have been first contacted by the resident magistrate for the Northern Dis trict, Charles Monckton, in March, 1906.

She married Wincelas Oera of the Pure sub-clan of the Songe tribe, and had six chil dren, four of whom survive her.

She became a Christian of the Anglican faith, and was baptised Sarah in 1960.

Sarah Ijojo was a remarkable repository of the oral history of her tribe, recalling many events, including an outbreak of mass fighting over land claims be tween the Songe and Wawon ga tribes in 1913. Many people on both sides were killed, but the conflict was resolved when a woman from the Wawonga tribe married a Songe man and peace returned to the area for decades. It was not until 1968 that a fight on a much smaller scale occurred. This time there were no casualties.

She also recalled incidents of March 1904, when police under the command of Alexan der Elliott, assistant resident magistrate at Tamata, are said to have shot five men at Papaki, and then, three days later, four more men.

Sarah Ijojo was the great grandmother of Maclaren C. J.

Hiari, director of the govern ment information unit in the department of the Prime Minis ter of PNG.

In a tribute to Sarah Ijojo, elders of the Songe tribe said: “We must not allow our history to be lost through the passing of our older people. Our young people must record the oral history of our people, and pass it on for the benefit of future generations.”

Rafaele Kavuru On October 13 in Suva, aged 50.

Father Rafaele Kavuru was the director of the St Thomas Aquinas Catechist Training Centre at Navesi, and executive priest of the worldwide Mar riage Encounter Movement.

He was ordained in 1962 after seven years of study in New Zealand.

Kavuru began his first minis try serving at Navunibitu, Ra.

Other parishes and stations he served at included Lau and Kadavu, Vanuakula and Nave si, where he joined the staff of the St Thomas Aquinas Catech ist Training Centre.

In 1981 Kavuru became director of the centre.

“Kavuru will be sorely missed by the Christian community in Fiji and Rotuma,” said the Rev Charles Duster, Vicar-General of the Roman Catholic Archdio cese of Suva.

“He made an important con tribution to the formation of the catechists during his years at Navesi which has aided the growth in faith, life and commit ment to gospel values in many communities throughout our nation,” he said.

“His leadership in the world wide Marriage Encounter Prog ram helped many couples en rich their family life,” he said.

Geoffrey Thomas Roscoe In Brisbane on June 7, aged 85.

Geoffrey Thomas Roscoe had a long and varied career in teaching two careers in fact.

One was in the Department of Public Instruction, Queensland, from 1919 to 1947, and the other in the Department of Education, Papua New Guinea, from 1947 to 1962.

PNG’s first Director of Education, W.C. Groves, plan ned and attempted to imple ment an education system for the country “to build a new structure upon real and solid foundations of existing institu tions and ideals”, to achieve “the blending of cultures”.

However, with the change of government in Australia in 1949, the new Liberal Minister for Territories, Paul Hasluck, saw the role of education in PNG rather differently.

The minister set out as over all government policy the politi cal, economic, social and educational advancement of the indigenous people: he aimed “to retain what was best in native life and to blend it with the influences of Western Civilisation”.

When Roscoe became the second director of education on the retirement of Groves in 1958 he saw his task clearly as lying wholly within the framework of his minister’s directives. A month after be coming director he presented to the minister in Canberra a concise and definite plan for universal primary education achievable over 10-15 years.

Success of Roscoe’s plan de pended on the co-operation of the missions in the administra tion of their schools and equally importantly in their co-opera tion and contribution to the teacher training programs. To this end rates of subsidies to the missions were significantly raised as well as grants for school buildings and a capital grant for the establishment of teacher training colleges.

Geoffrey Roscoe was a dis tinguished educationist. He was a remarkable man his whole life was remarkable. Theresa Jean Quinlan.