Henry Harrison Vaskess: Difference between revisions
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* [[Tofiga]] agrees that Vaskess was not the kind of man to be careless about his responsibilities. "You could squeeze blood from a stone more easily than you could get money from Vaskess." He thinks Vaskess retired in the mid-1940s (easily checked in the ''Civil Lists''; he seems still to have been in office in 1946,<ref>[http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/issues/37598/supplements/2761/page.pdf Supplement to ''London Gazette,'' 13 June 1946]</ref>). He was a good man, careful and responsible. His wife was in Australia. His room was barren--he was clearly not in the habit of taking things from the office to decorate his quarters. Vaskess did a lot of exercise to keep fit. He walked from his home each day up the Museum hill to the office, carrying a bag of sandwiches for his lunch and having a smoke. He would arrive before 8 AM and leave at 5:30 PM. | * [[Tofiga]] agrees that Vaskess was not the kind of man to be careless about his responsibilities. "You could squeeze blood from a stone more easily than you could get money from Vaskess." He thinks Vaskess retired in the mid-1940s (easily checked in the ''Civil Lists''; he seems still to have been in office in 1946,<ref>[http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/issues/37598/supplements/2761/page.pdf Supplement to ''London Gazette,'' 13 June 1946]</ref>). He was a good man, careful and responsible. His wife was in Australia. His room was barren--he was clearly not in the habit of taking things from the office to decorate his quarters. Vaskess did a lot of exercise to keep fit. He walked from his home each day up the Museum hill to the office, carrying a bag of sandwiches for his lunch and having a smoke. He would arrive before 8 AM and leave at 5:30 PM. | ||
:: (In 1946, Vaskess helped Tofiga's home community on Vaitup in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuvalu Tuvalu] (formerly the Ellice Islands) purchase the island of Kioa in Fiji.) | :: (In 1946, Vaskess helped Tofiga's home community on Vaitup in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuvalu Tuvalu] (formerly the Ellice Islands) purchase the island of Kioa in Fiji.) | ||
* "The enigmatic Henry Vaskess, Secretary of the Western Pacific High Commission, ... was an absolute loner (he lived with a part-European) given only to rare exclusive tennis on his own court | * "The enigmatic Henry Vaskess, Secretary of the Western Pacific High Commission, ... was an absolute loner (he lived with a part-European) given only to rare exclusive tennis on his own court."<ref>Philip Snow, ''The years of hope: Cambridge, colonial administration in the South Seas and cricket'' (1997: The Radcliffe Press), p. 235.</ref> | ||
* Short ad found in an old magazine in Auckland: "H. H. Vaskess (Proprietor). Fairview House, Suva Fiji." | * Short ad found in an old magazine in Auckland: "H. H. Vaskess (Proprietor). Fairview House, Suva Fiji." | ||
* Probate #10701. | * Probate #10701. | ||
Revision as of 05:50, 2 December 2012
Henry Harrison Vaskess, Esq., O.B.E. (~1891-1969)
- Colonial Secretary at the time the bones were brought to Fiji.
- The Colonial Secretary was virtually a dictator. The Governor was a ceremonial figure and might set policy, but the Colonial Secretary was the CEO. He had three telephones on his desk, gave orders, and approved spending.[1]
- "Prince of Bureaucrats" not just because he had an iron-bottom and a mind for endless details, but because he was incorruptible.[2]
- Tofiga agrees that Vaskess was not the kind of man to be careless about his responsibilities. "You could squeeze blood from a stone more easily than you could get money from Vaskess." He thinks Vaskess retired in the mid-1940s (easily checked in the Civil Lists; he seems still to have been in office in 1946,[3]). He was a good man, careful and responsible. His wife was in Australia. His room was barren--he was clearly not in the habit of taking things from the office to decorate his quarters. Vaskess did a lot of exercise to keep fit. He walked from his home each day up the Museum hill to the office, carrying a bag of sandwiches for his lunch and having a smoke. He would arrive before 8 AM and leave at 5:30 PM.
- (In 1946, Vaskess helped Tofiga's home community on Vaitup in Tuvalu (formerly the Ellice Islands) purchase the island of Kioa in Fiji.)
- "The enigmatic Henry Vaskess, Secretary of the Western Pacific High Commission, ... was an absolute loner (he lived with a part-European) given only to rare exclusive tennis on his own court."[4]
- Short ad found in an old magazine in Auckland: "H. H. Vaskess (Proprietor). Fairview House, Suva Fiji."
- Probate #10701.
- Born ~1891. Died July 7, 1969. Death record #65/69.
- His wife, Coral Loloma (Letford) Vaskess, died in Canberra on 20 Jul 1990.
- Two sons:
- Keith Harrison Vaskess, born 23 Aug 1924.
- Colin Francis Vaskess, born 12 Sep 1927.