Sir Silas Atopare (1951 – 16 September 2021) was a

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

n politician who served as the seventh governor-general of Papua New Guinea from November 1997 until November 2003.

Early life and education

Atopare was born in Kabiufa, near

Goroka Goroka is the capital of the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. It is a town of approximately 19,000 people (2000), above sea level. It has an airport (in the centre of town) and is on the " Highlands Highway", about 285 km from ...

in what is now the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. He attended Kabiufa Primary School, which was a

Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath, and ...

school and then went to Kambubu Adventist High School in East New Britain Province. He always remained a member of the Adventist Church. In 1967 he joined the Department of Agriculture and Livestock and in 1974 he became a coffee plantation manager. A keen

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

player he formed the Asaro Hawks, which was the first team of Papua New Guineans to compete in the largely expatriate Goroka Rugby League.

Political career

In 1977, at the age of 25, he was elected to the

National Parliament of Papua New Guinea The National Parliament of Papua New Guinea is the unicameral national legislature in Papua New Guinea. It was created in 1964 as the House of Assembly of Papua and New Guinea but gained its current name after the nation was granted independence ...

, representing Goroka but failed to be re-elected in 1982. He subsequently held many roles, including being a board member of

Air Niugini Air Niugini Limited is the national airline of Papua New Guinea, based in Air Niugini House on the property of Jacksons International Airport, Port Moresby. It operates a domestic network from Port Moresby to 12 major airports while its subsidia ...

. In January 1989 he was appointed inaugural Chairman of the Eastern Highlands Capital Authority set up by the Provincial Government to manage the provision of urban services for the town of Goroka (until 1992) in the course of which Goroka town was restored to be the best serviced urban centre in PNG, and president of the Goroka Show Society. In 1991, he was made secretary-general of the PNG Smallholder Coffee Growers Association and in 1997 was appointed as governor-general. In 1998, he was knighted as a

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

. He had to bring order when violence and controversy marred the electoral process in PNG's oil and gas rich Southern Highlands Province. In 2008, Atopare was appointed Grand Chief in the

Order of Logohu The Order of Logohu is the principal order of the Order of Papua New Guinea. ''Logohu'' is a Motuan word for the bird-of-paradise, the official national symbol of Papua New Guinea since its independence. The Order consists of four ranks. Classe ...

. Atopare died in Goroka on 16 September 2021, during the 46th Independence Day celebrations. A state funeral was held in

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New Z ...

References

1951 births 2021 deaths Governors-General of Papua New Guinea Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Papua New Guinean knights Papua New Guinean Seventh-day Adventists People from the Eastern Highlands Province Grand Companions of the Order of Logohu {{SeventhdayAdventist-stub