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   Rogorogo Terubea

Rogo A bigger than life character with a raspy voice attributed to when a devil grabbed him by the neck and choked him until he couldn't speak.  He ran all the way home and crawled under his grandmother's bed. Rongo starred in a couple school plays - check out the photos for One More River and A Sound Like Thunder. He was a Rewa Prefect and I even put him in charge of the foodstore. Apparently, he went on to become a Methodist Reverend running scams and periodically put into prison. He was chairman of the Rabi Council for 10 years before being kicked out with the council in 2001. He left before he could be kicked out and was studying (hiding?) law in Vanuatu. Died around 2004 after what I am sure was a thrilling life.
He had five daughters.
Excerpt from Fiji Parliament minutes for 29 Sept 2004: "HON. D. CHRISTOPHER. - Mr. Speaker, Sir, everything was rosy and cosy until Reverend Rogorogo Terubea came into the scene. He is dead now, Sir, but he was an ordained Minister of the Methodist Church and was also a qualified lawyer. He was also the Chairman of the Rabi Council and also the Chairman of the Banaban Trust Fund Board by virtue of the Act. He saw weaknesses in the Trust Fund Act and he was able to withdraw in excess of $3 million from the Trust Fund. On the pretext of further investments, he paid huge sums of money to his friends such as Tony Stephens, Samuela Matawalu, Sultan Ali and some other people. He took all the members of the Board about three or four times on around the world investment trips and based himself with all his Board members in Suva, and paid them hefty daily subsistence allowances. In the meantime, the net income that the Board was supposed to remit to the Council after the payment of the expenses, diminished slowly and eventually ceased. These resulted in the non-payment of wages to more than 100 employees, Council creditors and transport, and other essential services on the Island came to a halt. At about this time, Mr. Fred Caine and other officials visited the Island and were met by a very angry and hostile crowd. Indeed, they were very lucky to leave the Island alive. The Government eventually intervened to dissolve the Council".
Rongo     Rongo
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