Sir Colin Hamilton Allan (23 October 1921 – 5 March 1993) was a New Zealander who spent most of his professional life in the British administration of their overseas territories. He was the last
Governor of the Solomon Islands
This is a list of the resident commissioners of the British Solomon Islands protectorate (1893–1975) and the dependent Solomon Islands (1975–1978).
Resident commissioners of the Solomon Islands Protectorate (1896–1953)
The resident com ...
from 1976 to 1978, prior to their independence.
Early life
Allan was born in
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
on 23 October 1921. He was the son of John Calder Allan and Mabel Eastwood.
He was educated at the Cambridge Primary School and
Hamilton High School. He obtained a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
degree from
Canterbury University College
The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was f ...
in 1943 and then graduated
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
in 1945. He also obtained a Diploma in Anthropology from
Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary ...
.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
he was a naval officer in Wellington in 1942, transferred to the New Zealand Signals the same year and was in the Army Education Service until 1944 where he held the rank of lance corporal. In 1945 he was posted to the British Solomon Islands Protectorate Defence Force where he served as a lieutenant until 1946.
He married Betty Evans in 1955. They had three sons: Timothy, Johnathan, Christopher.
Colonial service
Towards the end of the Second World War the British
Colonial Service
The Colonial Service, also known as His/Her Majesty's Colonial Service and replaced in 1954 by Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service (HMOCS), was the British government service that administered most of Britain's overseas possessions, under the aut ...
had a vast number of vacancies in its 50 dependent territories around the world. Restoration of basic civilian administration was a priority for the Service, particularly in those countries that had been invaded. Because of the shortage of suitable staff, the Service appointed some colonials, including Allan.
Solomon Islands
The post-war period was a particularly difficult one for the Service, with various independence movements springing up around the globe. In the
British Solomon Islands Protectorate
The British Solomon Islands Protectorate was first declared over the southern Solomons in 1893, when Captain Gibson, R.N., of , declared the southern islands a British protectorate. Other islands were subsequently declared to form part ...
where Allan was appointed as Administrative Officer (Cadet) in 1945, the
Marching Rule
Maasina Ruru was an emancipation movement for self-government and self-determination in the British Solomon Islands during and after World War II, 1945–1950, credited with creating the movement towards independence for the Solomon Islands. T ...
was one such movement.
He was appointed as
District Officer on Nggela (1945), Western Solomons (1946), Ysabel and Choiseul (1948), and
Malaita
Malaita is the primary island of Malaita Province in Solomon Islands. Malaita is the most populous island of the Solomon Islands, with a population of 161,832 as of 2021, or more than a third of the entire national population. It is also the se ...
in 1949. From 1947 to 1948 he was District Commissioner for Western Solomons. He became District Commissioner for Malaita in 1952. From 1953 to 1954 he was Special Lands Commissioner. By 1954 Allan had organised the first Council of Malaita for the local population. This effectively ended the influence of the Marching Rule.
Western Pacific High Commission
From 1954 to 1955 Allan was attached to the Western Pacific High Commission's Secretariat (Finance and Development). He became Senior Assistant Secretary in 1955. Appointed to the Special Lands Commission from 1956 to 1957, member and Secretary BSIP Agriculture and Industry Loans Board (1956–1957), Secretary for Protectorate Affairs (1957–1958), Chairman BSIP Copra Marketing Board (1957–1958), and UK member of the South Pacific Commission Research Council (1958).
In 1957 he wrote a book called ''Customary Land Tenure in the British Solomon Islands Protectorate'' in which he outlined the native land ownership.
Vanuatu
Allan was Assistant British Resident Commissioner to the New Hebrides (now
Vanuatu
Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...
) from 1959 to 1966 and British Resident Commissioner from 1966 to 1973. Allan's residence was on
Iririki
Iririki is a privately leased island, located in Mele Bay, near Port Vila, the Capital of Vanuatu
Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island ...
by
Port Vila
Port Vila (french: Port-Vila), or simply Vila (; french: Vila; bi, Vila ), is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu. It is located on the island of Efate.
Its population in the last census (2009) was 44,040, an increase of 35% on the pr ...
.
Seychelles
In 1973 Allan was appointed
Governor of the Seychelles
This is a list of colonial governors of Seychelles, an archipelago, archipelagic island country in the Indian Ocean. Seychelles was first History of Seychelles#French settlement and rule, colonized by the French in 1770, and captured by the Bri ...
, a post he held until 1 October 1975 when he was appointed High Commissioner from 1 October 1975 to 28 June 1976, when the Seychelles became an independent republic.
Return to the Solomons
Allan was appointed
Governor of the Solomon Islands
This is a list of the resident commissioners of the British Solomon Islands protectorate (1893–1975) and the dependent Solomon Islands (1975–1978).
Resident commissioners of the Solomon Islands Protectorate (1896–1953)
The resident com ...
from 1976 to 1978. His appointment ended when the Solomons gained their independence in 1978.
[Allan CH (1983). The Transfer of Power: Ministerialization in Island Countries. ''International Review of Administrative Sciences'', Vol. 49, No. 1, 49–60 (1983) ]
Retirement
When he retired the
Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...
and the Universities of Auckland, Otago and New South Wales all invited him as a visiting lecturer or fellow.
Allan was awarded the
OBE in 1959, the
CMG in 1968, and
KCMG KCMG may refer to
* KC Motorgroup, based in Hong Kong, China
* Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, British honour
* KCMG-LP, radio station in New Mexico, USA
* KCMG, callsign 1997-2001 of Los Angeles radio station KKLQ (FM) ...
in 1977. He was also awarded the French Commander l'Ordre National du Mérite.
He died on 5 March 1993 at
Howick, New Zealand.
Publications
*''Solomons safari 1953–58'', Christchurch, Nag's Head Press (1990)
References
External links
Sir Colin Allan Papersvia Pacific Manuscripts Bureau
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allan, Colin
1921 births
1993 deaths
Governors of British Seychelles
New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire
University of Canterbury alumni
Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge
New Zealand writers
People educated at Hamilton High School
Governors of the Solomon Islands
People from Wellington City
Resident Commissioners of the New Hebrides (United Kingdom)
Royal New Zealand Navy personnel of World War II
New Zealand military personnel of World War II
New Zealand expatriates in England
New Zealand expatriates in the Solomon Islands
New Zealand expatriates in Vanuatu
Expatriates in Seychelles