Biographical entry: Waitasu, Peter

Details

Peter Waitasu from Ugi Island is said to have been sold by his father to a Queensland labour recruiting ship for the price of a rifle. He remained in Queensland for twenty-eight years, working in the sugar industry and also for Cobb and Company's coaches. After returning to the Solomons he served as District Headman of Ugi from 1919 to 1953, and received the British Empire Medal in 1948. Early in the twentieth century, Peter Waitasu also ran trading vessels out of Ugi, and Sango of Talise planted coconut groves there and ran a few head of cattle. Under Waitasu's guidance, Ugi villages came to be regarded as model villages, and he built up a flourishing business as a trader and planter. (NS 12 July 1955)

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Published resources

Journals

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