Biographical entry: Talasasa, Milton

Details

Milton Talasasa of Roviana Lagoon, New Georgia, was a District Headman, President of the Roviana Council and, in 1950, one of the first four Solomon Islanders nominated to the BSIP Advisory Council. His father was Kereviri, who was originally from Vella Lavella, Simbo and Gizo. 'Talasasa' means to go fishing, sasa being the term for fishing with bamboos in the Roviana language. Tala simply means 'to go'. In his earlier years he was a wireless operator, and he was probably the first Solomon Islander to learn Morse code. He received a Badge of Honour in the 1957 Queen's Birthday Honours. In 1960, he became the first Chairman of Silas Eto's Christian Fellowship Church (q.v.) when it broke away from the Methodist Church. He presented the CFC Constitution, written by his son Francis Aqorau Talasasa (q.v.), to the Methodist Church Synod in Rabaul in Papua New Guinea, which allowed the CFC to separate. He was the elder brother of Mendana Kere and Dr John Wesley Kere (both q.v.). (NS 30 June 1957; Trompf 1983, 51; Allan 1989, pt. 1, 37; Transform Aqorau, personal communication, 7 July 2011)

Related Concepts

Related Corporate Bodies

Related Cultural Artefacts

Published resources

Books

  • Allan, Colin H., Solomons Safari, 1953-58 (Part I), Nag's Head Press, Christchurch, 1989. Details

Journals

  • British Solomon Islands Protectorate (ed.), British Solomon Islands Protectorate News Sheet (NS), 1955-1975. Details

Journal Articles

  • Trompf, Garry, 'Independent Churches in Melanesia', Oceania, vol. 54, no. 1, 1983, pp. 51-72. Details