In early February, Rurutu lost one if its great ladies, Taaria Walker, known as Mamie Pare.Born in 1930 she experienced a life of change, as a young girl she earned a scholarship to study in Tahiti, the journey being undertaken by schooner back then. She became the first qualified nurse from Rurutu. A pionner and striking beauty, she married for love at a time when arranged marriages were the norm, she was a charismatic and outspoken character, best known for having written a book about her life, and Rurutu legends more generally, her take on oral history causing outrage amongst the council of elders! I will also remember her dancing on the table in the local snack!
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