deaths

Vainerere Tangatapoto On Mangaia, Cook Islands, on January 19, aged 74.

A native of Atiu, Papa Vaine rere Tangatapoto was a leading member of the Atiu community both at home and in Raro tonga.

The founder of the Life Boys and Girls Brigade movements in the Cook Islands, Papa Tan gatapoto served as the speaker for the Ui Ariki on the island of Atiu, and was the first local principal appointed for Atiu Pri mary School.

He supervised renovative work on many important buil dings on his home island, in cluding the CICC Church and Rongomatane Are Ariki.

After gaining the Maui Po mare medal twice, Papa Tanga tapoto became a teacher at primary school level at the age 15. He joined the crew of the Tagua in 1934 as cabin boy for six years, returning to Atiu Primary in 1940.

Serving national interests, Papa Vainerere Tangatapoto attended a ministerial confer ence in Manila in 1978 and another parliamentary confer ence in Australia four years later.

His service to the Cook Is lands’ Legislative Assembly spans over two decades. He held various senior positions before he announced his retire ment from politics in 1982.

His many services to the Atiu community were recognised in 1982 when he gained the Order of the British Empire award.

While serving in his capacity as speaker to the Atiu House of Ariki, Papa Tangatapoto led several delegations to Raroton ga, Tahiti and New Zealand to negotiate matters of benefit to the Atiu people.

Herbert Murray In Suva on February 17, aged about 80.

Mr Murray, a former director of Morris Hedstroms, was the deputy chief scout of Fiji.

The Chief Scout Commis

sioner, Jerry Tikaram, said that Mr Murray’s death was a great loss to the movement.

“I always leaned on him for advice. We will miss him a lot, ” he said.

He said Mr Murray had been involved in the Scout move ment in Fiji for more than 45 years.

A spokesman for the Fiji Scout Association said Mr Mur ray had reached the highest position in the Scout movement an ordinary person could attain.

The Governor-General of Fiji becomes the Chief Scout by his official position. The deputy chief scout is the next most important person.

Mr Murray had recently been awarded an OBE for his services to the country and the Scout movement.

Tuivakano In Nukualofa on January 19, aged 93.

Tongan nobleman the Hon orable Tuivakano composed the original Fijian national farewell song, Isa Lei.

The Hon. Tuivakano had close ties with the house of the Tui Soso in Nukunuku, Lake ba, Lau, Fiji.

He composed the music and lyric of the Tongan ballad, Sii Lile. The late father of Fiji Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba, translated the song into Fijian in 1914.

Former Radio Fiji announcer, Ratu Josua Bogidrau, told The Fiji Times that Sii Lile was brought to Fiji by a group of Tongans led by the Honorable Veikune in 1914.

He said the Tongans used to sing the song every night during yaqona sessions at Naiqaqi, site of the present Fiji Broadcasting Commission headquarters.

Isa Lei was first sung when the Tongan group was being farewelled at Suva Wharf.

The Hon. Tuivakano was buried in his village of Nukunu ku, five miles outside Nukualo fa. His funeral service was attended by more than 2000 mourners, including the King of Tonga, Taufa’ahau Tupou IV.

Robert H. Green In Melbourne on February 9, aged 101.

The Rev. Robert Green was a Methodist missionary in Fiji from 1921 to 1942, and is especially remembered there for his period (1937-42) as principal of the Davuilevu Training Centre for Methodist clergy and teachers, where he trained many of the present church leaders.

A small, white-haired man, Mr Green travelled extensively throughout his successive cir cuits of Kadavu, Nadroga, Lau and Bau, on foot or small boat. (He was shipwrecked three times!) He was the circuit minis ter for the Lau province in 1935, when the church marked the centenary of the arrival of the gospel by building the im posing Centenary Church at Lakeba, with its miles of traditional coconut ropework in the roof.

An early advocate of the independence of Fiji and in particular of its Methodist Church, he was honored to give a keynote address at the inaugural service of the newly independent Methodist Church of Fiji in Suva in 1964.

Robert Green maintained a close interest in his wide circle of relations, over 200 of whom attended the celebration of his 100th birthday in Melbourne in 1985.

On that occasion he also received messages from the Queen and from the Prime Minister of Fiji, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, who recalled Mr Green’s time in Lakeba.

After finally retiring from active ministry in 1968, he wrote his memoirs, copies of which are in church archives in both Fiji and Australia. A.D. W.

Brian Taylor In Port Moresby on January 13, aged 39.

Mr Taylor, Australian-born but a naturalised Papua New Guinea citizen, was secretary of the PNG Rugby League. Be fore turning his attention to rugby league, he was involved

in basketball and rugby union after arriving in the country in 1972.

Mr Taylor had been admitted to Port Moresby General Hospital suffering from malaria and bronchitis.

The Bums Philp personnel manager, Brian Mcßitchie, said that when his condition deterio rated, he was told to go to Australia for further treatment.

He refused.

In mid-December, he broke his right leg in four places after being attacked by a gang out side his home in Hohola.

Doctors said it would take four months for the leg to heal.

Mr Taylor was an Ela Motors personnel manager.

As a PNG citizen, he had been adopted by the Yabumbe family of Chambri Lakes, Ambunti, in East Sepik Pro vince.

In 1981, Mr Taylor went through the Sepik “skin-cut ting” initiation ceremony to pave the way for his citizenship.

“I regard the initiation and all PNG customs as the basis for strong character building,” he said at the time.

Mahendra Kumar Indar In Lautoka, Fiji, on January 8, aged 69.

Mr Indar served as a Nadi town councillor for two terms, from 1977-79 and 1983-85. In both terms he represented Namaka Ward as a Ratepayers and Citizens Association member.

Mr Indar retired at the age of 55 after working as a Fiji Electricity Authority plant oper ator at the Nadi Airport power house.

He served as secretary of the Nadi Arya Samaj and as assis tant secretary of the Arya Prati nidhi Sabha of Fiji.

The immediate past mayor of Nadi, Manu Patel, described Mr Indar as a dedicated councillor who was very effective in both of his terms on the council.

“He spent a lot of time on council affairs and served on practically all committees in the six years he served as a mem ber,” Mr Patel said.