Transition

Appointed: Mr Paula Tora, as the Fiji Visitors Bureau promotions manager for Australia.

Mr Tora, from Gau in the Lomaiviti group east of Suva, was formerly with Air Pacific: his 15 years of service for the air line included 12 months as sales devel opment controller in Air Pacific’s Australian head office.

Died: Mr Fakirbhai Vallabh Patel, 57, a prominent Lautoka businessman popu larly known as FV Patel, at his daughter’s home in Auckland, New Zealand, in May.

Mr Patel, who came to Fiji in 1947 and built up a range of business interests from clothing manufacture to general merchan dising and wholesaling, is survived by his wife Diwali Ben, six children and 12 grandchildren.

Honoured: Sione Latuila Tongilava, a senior officer in the Government of Tonga, for establishing forest reserves and nature parks and for initiating environmental legislation, by the United Nations Envi ronment Program on June 5. Announcing the awards in Bangkok, Thailand, UNEP executive director Dr Mostafa Tolba said Mr Tongilava and his fellow recipients (22 awards were announced from 800 nomi nations) “deserve the recognition of all Asia and the Pacific and the world. We hope these outstanding examples will en courage every one to conserve, enhance and rehabilitate the natural environment.”

Ms Sheila Davis, president of the New Zealand Forests Action Council, was also presented with an award for her efforts to protect New Zealand’s envronment.

Died: Suva businessman and former senator Chandra Prakash Bidesi, 66, at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital, Suva, on May 12. Mr Bidesi went into a coma and died a few hours later: he is survived by his wife Ram Kuar, six children and 15 grandchildren.

Mr Bidesi was a long-serving member of Suva’s City Council, deputy mayor from 1967 to 1968, president of the Fiji Munic ipal Workers’ Union and president and patron of the Fiji Taxi Union. He was ap pointed a senator in 1976 and awarded an OBE in 1983.

Died: Mary Grey, 86, younger sister of Aggie Grey, in Apia last month. Mary Grey was almost as well known as her sister, and was as involved and respected in the de velopment of the Western Samoa hospi tality industry as Aggie.

Invited: Sir Frank Moore, chairman of the Queensland Tourist and Travel Cor poration, to address the 1988 Fiji Tourism Convention in Nadi from August 8 to 10.

Sir Frank, who has done much to promote

Queensland as a holiday destination through his entrepreneurial activities, will speak on Queensland’s role in the future of tourism development in the South Pa cific and the establishment of a Chair of Tourism at James Cook University, Townsville.

The keynote address at the convention will be delivered by Mr David Pickering, Fiji’s Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation and Energy.

Appointed: Mr Phillip Parnell, general manager of Mitsui and Company’s Port Moresby officer, as president of the Papua New Guinea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Mr Parnell, who has been resi dent in PNG for 10 years, and vice-presi dent Stan Joyce will add “a new dimension of expertise and enthusiasm in represent ing the private sector in PNG,” according to former PNGCCI president Lawrie Cremin.

Died: We have just learned of the death on February 11 of Sir JohnGutch, KCMG OBE, at the age of 82 in England. Sir John, who was educated at Cambridge, joined the Colonial Administrative service in 1928 and served in Africa, Palestine, Li bya and British Guiana before being ap pointed High Commissioner for the Western Pacific in 1955.

Sir John was responsible for the British Solomon Islands, the New Hebrides and the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, and was both respected and highly regarded for his skills as an administrator and promoter of constitutional progress. He published three books, the last of which, A Colonial Serv ant, was his autobiography.

Sir John Gutch is survived by his wife Lady Diana, three children and five grandchildren.

Died: Fiji lawyer Epineri Vula, at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital, Suva, on April 27. Mr Vula, who graduated from the University of Wellington, New Zea land, in 1964, had a distinguished legal ca reer and served in the Senate as a representative of the Great Council of Chiefs before being appointed a Supreme Court judge in Brigadier Rabuka’s mili tary government last year. □

Sir Frank Moore

Mr David Pickering