transitions

Elected: New president of the Solomon Islands Public Em ployees’ Union, Mr Nelson Boso.

Mr Boso, a graphic artist from Madou village in Western Pro vince, was elected unopposed by the union’s executive.

He replaces former president James Kamasae whose job with the public service was terminated last November.

The executive also appointed two new members. They are Raymond Suinao and Frederick Iro both from the Administrative Training Centre at Vaya Vaya Ridge.

Invited: To rejoin the crew of a traditional Polynesian double hulled canoe on the final leg of its return voyage to Hawaii, Sione Fangatua of Nomuka, Tonga.

Mr Fangatua accepted the offer and will travel to the Marquesas later this month to join the crew who have all been invited as representatives of the various Polynesian islands and communities.

The canoe, Hokule’a (mean ing Star of Happiness) left Hon olulu in July 1985 on a 16,000 mile voyage of rediscovery around the far flung islands of Polynesia.

Hokule’a has already visited the Tuamotus, Tahiti, Cook Islands, New Zealand, Tonga and the Samoas.

Before sailing for Tonga the crew took on board Sione Uaine Ula of Neiafu to help guide them to Nukualofa.

He eventually stayed on board until the vessel reached Pago Pago.

Appointed: Senior engineer in Papua New Guinea for en gineering consultancy firm Hol lingsworth Consultants, De bahapuwe Banda.

He will be based in Port Moresby where he joins local director Geoff Perryman, geotechnical engineer David James and geotechnical lab oratory manager Bill Gardyne.

Mr Banda has experience in geotechnical and civil/structural engineering in Australia, Hon-

gkong, UK, Nigeria, Canada and the Philippines.

Anniversary: Of the Seventh day Adventist Church in the Cook Islands. The day was marked with a small ceremony in the prime minister’s office where pastors Hay and Reretiti gave Sir Thomas Davis two gifts, a set of Pitcairn postage stamps and a historical volume recording the first organised meeting of adventists in the South Pacific on July 4, 1885 in the Melbourne suburb of Rich mond.

Jailed: For five years with hard labour, former PNG minister for home affairs, Kindi Lawi.

The Western Highlands MP was convicted by the national court of two charges of mis

appropriating A 525,000 of

public money from the rural transport sectoral fund one a number of funds under which MPs receive money to be ap plied to projects in their consti tuencies.

The former Pangu minister had received the money in

1983 but delayed committing part of it until this year in order, he said, to win political support in the July election.

He said he did not know this was wrong. As more than 100 armed police stood guard around the court building, Lawi said he was not happy with the court’s decision but accepted it and would suffer for the people.

Appointed: Executive director of Kila Bowring Insurances Pty Ltd of Papua New Guinea, Henry Kila.

The company is PNG’s first national joint venture insurance broker.

Mr Kila, 36, of Delena villagr, Central Province, joined the company in 1979.

He replaces Ron Elias who remains a company director.

A long standing parliamenta rian, the Hon Luani had served 18 years as a nobles’ repre sentative in the Legislative Assembly since the 1957-59 session.

A keen supporter of the kingdom’s sports, he was one of five vice-presidents of the Tonga Amateur Sports Associa tion and president of the Tonga Amateur and Professional Box ing Association.

He was also a lay preacher of the Free Wesleyan Church and president of the Catholic Schools Ex-Students associa tion.

The Hon Luani was edu cated at ’Api Fo’ou College and at Tupou College.

Mourners at the funeral service were led by King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV and Queen Halaevalu Mata’oho.

The Hon Luani is survived by his wife, Alaki-hihifo, a son, Manu’uli, and daughter Talaumote’emoa.

Mrs Ida Partridge. After living most of her life on Norfolk

Mr Kindi Lawi, former PNG planning minister, talks to his supporters after being sentenced to five years jail on misappropriation charges.

Island, Mrs Partridge died on January 23.

Nicknamed “Putch” she was bom Ida Mabel Allen in 1908, youngest child of Gus and Mary Allen of Norfolk Island.

She was a keen gardener, bowler and angler.

Mrs Partridge is survived by her sister Avis and her son Allan and his family.

Ratu Meli Loki. The chief of Tamavua village and holder of the Roko Tui Colo title died aged 55 in Suva on February 11.

Ratu Meli had been admitted to the Colonial War Memorial Hospital after suffering a stroke two weeks previously.

A pioneer of Fiji’s tourism industry, he began operating his Marau village at Tamavua as a tourist centre 20 years ago.

He began his career as a proof reader with the govern ment printer in 1949 and joined the Suva City Council as an assistant health inspector in 1950.

He later became a senior programmer/announcer with the Fiji Broadcasting Commis sion before devoting all his energies to developing the tour ist village.

Ratu Meli served as a mem ber of the senate, as an appoin tee of the Great Council of Chiefs between 1979 and 1982. He was also a chairman of the Naitasiri Provincial Council.

He was a member of the Suva Rural Local Authority and the first chairman of the first South Pacific Arts Festival catering committee, the tourism convention planning commit tee, Hibiscus Festival Commit tee and the CWM Hospital Board of Visitors.

Ratu Meli was also a member of the Great Council of Chiefs, the Native Land Trust Board, a director of the Native Land Development Corporation, a member of the Central Division District and Divisional Deve lopment committees, and the Prime Minister’s Youth Re habilitation Committee.

Te’o Apelu. The noted rugby full back of pre-World War II days and one of Apia’s most colourful characters died after a heart attack at his home in Faatoia on January 19. He was 75.

His funeral was attended by

Head of State, Malietoa Tanu mafili 11.

Mr Apelu’s son Laki Uaea, general manager of Prinut, gave the eulogy which was heard by his nine brothers and sisters.

Te’o Apelu is also survived by his wife and several grandchildren.

Stephen Laverty Adams.

Known to all on Norfolk Island as “Snitch” has died at his home at Cascades.

One of the eight children of Amy Ruth (nee Christian) and Ephraim (Pumper) Adams, he was born on Norfolk Island on March 28, 1925.

He was educated on Norfolk and worked in New Zealand and Darwin, Australia before joining the island administration road gang.

He is survived by sisters Kath and Tagg and brother Bill and their families.

Vera Adams. Wife of Val Adams of Norfolk Island died in Sydney on December 18.

Mr Adams is the son of the late George and of Nella Adams. The couple had just finished building their home next to Mrs Nella Adams having returned to the island to settle.

Mrs Roberta Garrett. The noted Suva journalist has died of cancer in Sydney.

Mrs Garrett, 60, was born in the USA and graduated from the Columbia School of Journalism.

She came to Fiji with her husband, Rev John Garrett, in 1968 when he took up a lecturer’s post at the Pacific Theological College. Both later became Fiji citizens.

Mrs Garrett had previously worked for several years in the communications division of the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland.

In Fiji she worked for the Pacific Conference of Churches in Suva and served on the board of the YWCA.

She also did editing and writing work for a number of professional and trade publica tions including Fiji Sugar.

She also assisted her hus band in producing To Live Among the Stars, a history of the Christian missionaries in the South Pacific.

Mrs Garrett is survived by her husband, two sons and three stepchildren.

Dan Lusk. One of the best known Norfolk Island residents died on February 1 at the island hospital aged 82.

Daniel Lawler Butler Lusk was born the eldest of eight children at Auckland in 1904.

He first came to Norfolk in 1930 to work on Captain Swin nerton’s banana plantation.

He met Mary Robertson But tar known to most islanders as “Molly” who was then matron at the hospital and the two married in 1935.

He served with AIF in the New Guinea campaign during World War 11, mostly at Lae, while Molly went to Sydney to further her nursing career.

They both returned to Nor folk after the war where Dan worked for Bums Philp before joining the administration. He retired as registrar in 1968, becoming a law clerk and later worked in real estate.

Mrs Pilopo (Billie) Retzlaff.

The noted sportswoman, musi cian businesswoman and politi cian died in Western Samoa on January 12 after a long illness.

She was 74 on Christmas Day.

Mrs Retzlaff was the only

daughter of Taisi to remain in her father’s Methodist church until her death.

Her eulolgy was given by her nephew and holder of the fam ily title Taisi, deputy prime minister Tupuola Efi.

She had excelled in tennis, basketball and golf and repre sented New Zealand at hockey.

Mrs Retzlaff was also secre tary to the Mau and had great pride in its struggle for inde pendence. She played a lead ing role in negotiations with the governments of the US and New Zealand in the days before independence and typed the petition from Samoa to New Zealand asking for the return of the lands of the Trust Estates.

She was also a gifted musi cian, playing piano, guitar and several other instruments as well as composing music.

Of his aunt, Tupuola said: “The very stones and earth of the Land Tuaefu are sobbing in deep grief over the passing of Iliganoa Galuegapapa Piliopo Taisi Telefoni.”

She is survived by three of her four children, Leilani, Tuitautai and Telefoni and several grandchildren.