The Press FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17,1965. Queen Salote

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30936, 17 December 1965, Page 16

The Press FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17,1965. Queen Salote

Polynesia has lost a notable leader in Queen Salote of Tonga. Named the Friendly Islands by Captain Cook, the Tongan islands have maintained the reputation for hospitality and friendship which they acquired nearly 200 years ago. They have also maintained their allegiance to the British Crown and their affiliation with New Zealand begun in the voyages of Tasman and Cook and cemented with the education of Queen Salote in New Zealand. The Tongan royal line is the oldest in direct descent; Queen Salote could trace her lineage back to the tenth century, about the time when Ethelred the Unready was King of England. Her grandfather, King Taufa’ahau Tupou, who abolished serfdom, set a pattern of enlightened monarchy which Queen Salote followed and enlarged. During her reign of 47 years she exercised a great influence on the destinies of her people. Education, infant welfare, religion, and youth movements were among her personal interests. Tonga’s contribution to the Allied cause in the Second World War, considering the size of the population, was unsurpassed; and Queen Salote was the mainspring of this war effort. Her appearance at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953 almost “ stole the show ”. Pictures of Queen Salote in an open carriage in the rain—she refused to close the roof—on that occasion earned her the sobriquet of “ the people’s monarch ”. Honoured by Queen Elizabeth with the rare title of Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order during the Royal visit to Tonga some years later, Queen Salote was always royal, and a little Victorian —in the best sense. Of commanding presence, she was ever dignified, never aloof. She would wear the Tongan tapa and mat of plaited grass at a Tongan function, often walking barefooted among her countrymen when occasion demanded. The two surviving sons of Queen Salote graduated from Sydney University. The elder. King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV, who has served is premier of Tonga, is well prepared for his role by his mother’s example and wise guidance. The many New Zealanders who knew and admired his mother will extend to the new king their sympathy, and thetr assurance of continued good offices to the ruler of the Friendly Islands.