Sir Filoimea Telito (19 March 1945 – 11 July 2011) was a Tuvaluan politician and religious figure who served as the governor-general of Tuvalu from 2005 to 2010, and also served as the president of the Church of Tuvalu until his death.
Background
Born on the Vaitupu atoll on 19 March 1945, he attended Elisefou (New Ellice) primary school, and later attended King George V Secondary School in Tarawa, Kiribati.
He served as principal of the Motufoua Secondary School on Vaitupu, and was a pastor in the Church of Tuvalu (Ekalesia Klisiano Tuvalu), of which he eventually became the president, a position which he held until his death. In the 1997 New Year Honours, Telito was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for "community and public services, especially to education."
Governor-General of Tuvalu
On 15 April 2005 he took office as Governor-General of Tuvalu as the representative of Elizabeth II, Queen of Tuvalu. He stepped down in 2010. In January 2007, Telito was made a Knight Grand Cross of Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (GCMG) by Queen Elizabeth II. Herewith he resumed the practice by Governors-General of Tuvalu of accepting a knighthood, a practice discontinued on a personal basis by his predecessor to that office, Faimalaga Luka.
Death
He died on 11 July 2011 of a heart attack, and was buried in Funafuti three days later. All government activity ceased on the day of the funeral, in a sign of respect.
References