Deaths

Adi Nanise Taiki Ranawai.

The Tui Ba collapsed at a festival ground in Ba town and was rushed to the Methodist Hospital but was found to be dead on arrival.

She had been suffering from diabetes and a heart condition.

A village spokesman, Mr Josefa Naisua, said chiefs from Tavua to Nadroga had been personally informed of the death in the traditional way.

“We personally went to the chiefs taking tabua and yaqona and traditionally informed them about her death,” he told The Fiji Times.

Adi Nanise, who was based at Nailaga village had an area known as Tiliva Bukuya exten ding to the west side of the Ba river.

The other Tui Ba who is based at Sorokoba village on the Tavua side of the town has an area extending to the east side of the river.

Adi Nanise, 64, a widower, had no children.

Her funeral, at the chiefly bure at Nailaga, was attended by more than 1,000 mourners.

Among them were the forests minister, Ratu Sir Josaia Tavai qia, health minister Dr Apenisa Kurisaqila, housing and urban affairs minister Ted Beddoes, Ratu William Toganivalu, Ratu Josua Toganivalu, chiefs from throughout the Western Divi sion and prominent Ba businessmen.

Kelepi Funilagi Gucake.

Brother of Lady Liku, widow of the late Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna.

Gucake, a member of the chiefly yauusa Vuanirewa of Tubou died at the CWM hospi tal after suffering a stroke in Lomaloma, Vanuabalavu, on his way to Fiji’s Great Council of Chiefs meeting in Somo somo.

The Tui Nayau and prime minister’s son, Ratu Finau

Mara, led the mourners at the funeral.

Joe Yaniakis. At Blenheim, New Zealand after a long ill ness.

He and his wife Gloria (Arthur) had been married for some years and were closely connected with Norfolk Island.

They have one son, Tyrone.

Dr Nane Zozzingao. The senior Papua New Guinean doctor of Finschafen, Morobe Province, died at Port Moresby General Hospital.

His body was flown to his home for a funeral service.

Josepha Michael Oiterong.

Former first lady of the Repub lic of Palau. She suffered a stroke earlier this year followed by kidney complications and died on August 25.

One of the “grandes dames” of Palau, she became, in 1940, one of the first Palauans to be trained as a nurse in Guam and served as a nursing supervisor at MacDonald Memorial HospU tal, Koror until 1963.

During the 1950 s she was

active in a number of women’s related organisations and issues.

This outgoing, ebullient lead er was one of the key organisers of the Ekei Women’s Group.

She attended many confer ences dealing with women’s issues in the Pacific both throughout the region and fur ther afield.

Josepha’s husband, teacher Alfonso Oiterong, was Palau’s first and second vice-president.

Following the assassination of President Haruo Remelik, he became interim president for a two-month period.

However, he lost the subse quent election to the current president, Lazarus Salii.

It was then that Josepha began to ail. Funeral activities took place at her Koror home for about four weeks.