Biographical entry: Moata, Dora Rande (1951 - )

Born

1951

Details

Dora Rande Moata was born in 1951, the daughter Henry Moata, a Methodist teacher from Marovo, and Dorcas, who held a high rank among the matrilineal Siwai people of Bougainville. This gave Dora herself a high status. Dora's family returned to Marovo for a year in 1950-1951, which brought Dora into contact with her patrilateral relatives there. As a girl, she lived at Kuliro and Koau and later at Kihili Mission station where she began school. From the age of five she was a foundation student at Sister Ada Lee's Kihili District Girls' School, where she remained as a teacher. She also became a leader in the Girls Brigade, was responsible for the school choir and in 1964 completed a Homecraft Teacher Training Course. She then studied at Gaulim Teachers Training College at Rabaul and as part of a group from the College that toured Australia. After teacher training, Dora went to Newcastle in Australia to extend her musical career. There she married Mr Leslie and settled. (Jacobson 2002)

Published resources

Book Sections

• Jacobson, Pat, 'Dora Rande Moata', in Alan Leadley (ed.), Ever Widening Circles: Stories of Some Influential Methodist Leaders in Solomon Islands and Bougainville/Buka, Wesley Historical Society (New Zealand), Auckland, 2002, pp. 42-44. Details