transitions

This new section of PIM combines the former “deaths” and “people” pages. Contributions are welcome and should be addressed to the editor.

New manager: Natoavatu Estate on the south side of Vanua Levu in Fiji has its first indigenous manager. He is the Rev William Billie Ganivatu, an Anglican priest ordained in 1981. Fr Ganivatu has had experience in hotel manage ment, accountancy, carpentry and building.

He and his wife Naomi hope to improve the plantation’s pro fit performance while Fr Gani vatu will continue to exercise priestly duties assisting the Venerable Paulisi Likiliki with the very large Cakaudrove parochial district.

The estate has timber, copra and cattle resources. It contains the Naviavia settlement, home for some 200 people of Solo mon Islands descent who have a portion of land set aside for their own use and who supply some labor to the estate.

A recent innovation is a share cropping scheme in which five families work copra for the estate on a 50-50 share basis.

Died: Joyce Christian, of Nor folk Island who returned home after several months of treat ment just two weeks before her death.

Bom Amy Joycelin Evans on July 9, 1915, Joyce Ya Ya (as she was always known after her marriage to Alec Christian whose nickname was Ya Ya) was one of the six children of George Evans, and Jane (nee Adams).

Both Joyce and Alec, who died in 1973, were solid supporters of the then Method ist Church. They have three surviving children, eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

New Chief: Bunu Katusela took up his appointment as police chief in Morobe pro vince, PNG with a promise to reduce crime. He invited suggestions from the public,

government and business on how the police force could be improved.

Accepted: The resignations of three disaffected Pangu Pati members by leader Michael Somare. Tony Siaguru, Sir Barry Holloway and John Nil kare, all former Somare gov ernment ministers, had been seeking to set up a pressure group within the party with some measure of autonomy.

However, this was not accept able to the party and the three resigned.

They join Karl Stack who had resigned earlier.

They have formed a new party, the League for National Advancement (LNA). The new party’s president Tony Siaguru pledged a new approach, abandoning the “Somare style” of leadership by “charis ma, consensus, compromise and patronage.” Siaguru con firmed that the LNA would carry on alone with its own policies and would field candi dates in the general elections due next year.

“There is no turning back,” he told a press conference.

New High Commissioner: New Zealand’s recently appointed high commissioner to Solomon Islands, Ms Alison Pearce arrived in Honiara. She succeeds Rodney Denham who has been appointed ambassador to Mexico. Ms Pearce is also accredited to Vanuatu.

Died: Dr Nazimuddin Khan, 33, of electrocution by a defib rillator machine (used to administer controlled electric shocks to patients whose hearts stop during surgery). How the shock received while Dr Khan was performing an opera tion in Apia was adminis tered remains a mystery.

His wife Dr Rehana Begum said he was very experienced in the use of the machine and did not believe he could accidental ly have received a shock.

Coroner, acting magistrate Aeau Semi Epati released Dr Khan’s body for a funeral in his native Bangladesh and announced that an inquest would be held.

Rita Champ chosen as swimwear model.

Queen: Rita Champ of Apia has been chosen as the model in a joint Polynesian Airlines- Maglia Swimwear advertising campaign. Rita was chosen by Polynesian Airlines Advertising creative director, David Frost, and Australian photographer Greg Barrett during the final judging at the Tusitala Hotel.

The campaign is due to begin this month and uses pictures of the swimwear collection in Sa moan locations.

Survived: A vote of no confi dence. PNG Parliament speaker Mr Brown Sinamoi had earlier apologised for his actions in the Parliament’s Strangers’

Bar, saying he had been told that he had urinated on the floor and that two of his guests got into a fight there.

Sinamoi said he could not remember urinating but agreed he had drunk alcohol and “must have had a black out.”

However, a bid to remove him was defeated on party lines.

Cleared: Former PNG Public Utilities Minister Michael Fon dros of false pretences charges involving $65,000. Pondros.

40, of Lorengau, Manus pro vince, was acquitted in the National Capital District Court by magistrate Clement Malaisa who said there was no evidence to support the charges.

Died: Port Moresby rascal, Raphael Haro. Therese Pirigi reported in The Times of PNG that Haro, known as “Flash Casino” to his street gang friends was killed by a police bullet following a late night chase in Port Moresby.

Pirigi found a picture of him: On the back of the photograph he wrote, “Not like a style one, hope you like it darling.”

Other writings on the back of the photo are: “Lost sheep of fool in unknown destiny” and “Never gonna break free.”

Indeed he did not know his destiny. On the night of April 2 he met that destiny at the hands of policemen on night beat. He was shot dead for allegedly being involved in the robbery, abduction and rape of an ex patriate woman.

Raphael had finally broken free. He was 20 years old.

“He was a humorous fellow,

Raphael Haro

had a lot of respect for other people and was liked by them,” said close friend Gibbes Kere kere.

How then did he meet with such a violent end?

He began his education at Hohola’s (a Port Moresby sub urb) Sacred Heart primary school in 1972. He was a bright student and consequently made it to Kila Kila high school in 1978.

His strict father George, a foreman, died in a car accident in early 1979. This was a turning point for Raphael.

He then had the freedom to move around. Thus, while he was in Grade 8, he joined the bigger boys for a ride in a stolen car which eventually over turned during a police chase.

The bigger boys fled leaving Raphael, then 14, unconscious.

He was taken to Port Mores by hospital and kept in inten sive care for three months.

Raphael missed his school ing, but escaped from hospital to sit his Grade 8 exams. But his teacher said he must repeat the grade. Unwilling to leave his classmates, Raphael dropped out.

Pirigi wrote: “His first criminal charge was for a very serious offence armed rob bery and he was sentenced to four years in jail.”

But he escaped from Port Moresby’s notoriously insecure Bomana jail and, after a spell at home in his village and an uncomfortable time with his big sister Anna, he went to stay with an aunt in Lae.

His aunt often complained and Raphael did not like the atmosphere there either. He wrote to his sister asking her to send an airline ticket so he could return to Moresby. He warned that if she refused, he would cause trouble in Lae.

He broke into a tradestore with others, stole a government car which ran out of petrol and was caught by pursuing police.

Raphael went back to jail, his fate now almost certain.

After a spell in Buimo jail iear Lae, he returned to Port Moresby where his life of crime continued.

He came from a family of twelve, including two adopted children. When the father died he family was “scattered” to case the mother’s burden, vrote Pirigi.

But the children all returned to the house in Hohola, where big sister Anna does her best to look after them.

The house does not have any chairs at all, or plants or other forms of ornaments. During my visit, I sat at the doorway on the bare concrete while they all squatted on the floor, the repor ter wrote.

As Raphael himself might have said, not a style house.

And not a style life.

How many more Raphaels are out there?

Appointed: Mr Tom Gal lagher has assumed his new position as regional manager Fiji with the Bank of New Zealand.

Mr Gallagher replaces Mr Keith Taylor who returned to New Zealand to take up his new position with the BNZ head office as senior manager, New Zealand business division.

Mr Gallagher was previously manager of the Banking Deve lopment Department in the Wellington head office.

He is a keen yachtsman and had previously visited Fiji to take part in the 1972 South Pacific Javelin championship.

Appointed: Alexander Castro, the first Chamorro to hold the post, has been appointed Attor ney-General of the Common wealth of the Northern Marianas by Governor Pedro P. Tenorio.

Castro, a graduate of the University of Papua New Guinea’s law school, is also the first person to hold the post who did not graduate from a U.S. law school.

Castro succeeds Rexford C.

Kosack who had served as Attorney-General since 1983, also by appointment by Gov ernor Tenorio.

Kosack, an islands resident since 1981, is a native of California, and was educated in that State. He remains in the Commonwealth as Counsel to the Governor and the Lt. Gov ernor.

His principal assignment is the encouragement of exports to the American mainland, a process which involves exten sive legal work, as such exports are geneally possible only under complex provisons of the U.S. customs code. From David S. North in Washington.

Replaced: Fiji’s Minister Eco nomic Planning and Deve lopment Mr Peter Stinson has replaced most of the board of the Fiji Visitors Bureau.

Out go: Mr Mahendra Patel, Mr Robin Mercer, Mr John Birch, Mr Surendra Prasad, Mr Francis Hong Tiy, Mrs Veronica Croombe and Adi Sainimili Takikveikata.

In come: Mrs Mere Samiso ni, Mr Mike Brook, Mr David Wilson, Mr Dhansukhlal Morarji, Mr Dhansukhlal Chauhan and Ratu Manoa Rasigatale.

Expelled: Ten leaders of a dissident group within the Fiji Public Service Association.

One of the leaders Mr Lepa ni Tale said they would chal lenge the expulsions in court.

The other are; Dr Filimone Wainiqolo,Dr Josaia Taka, Mr Taniela Tabu, Mr Inia Tamani, Mr Aisea Ledua, Dr Jona Senilagakali, Mr Leone Tuisowaqa, Mr Jonetani Bai and Mr Peni Kauvere.

All are members of the Con cerned Group which has been critical of the FPSA national

executive.

Appointed: As vice-chairman of the Iniversity of South Pacific Council, Mr Danny Philip, Solomon Islands minister for education. He succeeds Hon Patu Afaese, former Western Samoa minister for education.

New record: For crossing PNG’s Kokbda trail. Osborne Bogajiwai (22) a trek leader with a tourism company, com pleted the 98 km trail in 28 hours and fourteen minutes.

Appointed: Shadow cabinet by new opposition leader in Fiji, Harish Sharma. He named all 17 opposition MPs in his new team. Former leader Siddiq Koya takes up the new port folio of sugar industry together with foreign affairs.

Died: Former PNG House of Assembly member Ron Neville. He was killed instantly when his truck hit a bus head on between Mount Hagen and Mendi. Mr Neville represented the Southern Highlands from 1964 to 1977. He had earlier been a patrol officer and left the House to concentrate on his business interests in the South ern Highlands.

Mr. Tom Gallagher