Robert Julian Dashwood (1899 – 5 September 1970) was a British-born Cook Islands writer and politician. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly between 1963 and 1966 and served in the territory's first two cabinets.

Biography

Dashwood was born in England in 1899, the son of a vicar.Graeme Lay (2004)
The Miss Tutti Frutti Contest: Travel Tales of the South Pacific
', p26 During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

and

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

. Following the war, a varied career saw him become a teacher in England, a farmer in

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name ''Transvaal''. * South African Republic (1856–1902; ...

and a rubber plantation owner in Malaya. He also worked as a car salesman and shell dealer. He relocated to the Cook Islands in 1929, where he became manager of a shop owned by A.B. Donald & Co.They've Been Too Long In The Bush
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', September 1963, p13 Initially settling in

Rakahanga Rakahanga is part of the Cook Islands, situated in the central-southern Pacific Ocean. The unspoilt atoll is from the Cook Islands' capital, Rarotonga, and lies south of the equator. Its nearest neighbour is Manihiki which is just away. Raka ...

, he later moved to

Mauke Mauke (Ma'uke also Akatokamanava) is an island of the Cook Islands archipelago, lying in the central-southern Pacific Ocean. Part of the Nga-pu-Toru, it is northeast of Rarotonga. Geography Mauke is a raised coral atoll, with a central volcan ...

, where he married a local woman named Kopu. He began writing under the pen name Julian Hillas (his mothers' maiden name), publishing books including ''I Know an Island'' and ''Today is Forever'' (republished as ''South Seas Paradise''),Tropicalities
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', January 1964, p15 as well as having several articles printed in ''

Pacific Islands Monthly ''Pacific Islands Monthly'', commonly referred to as "PIM", was a magazine founded in 1930 in Sydney by New Zealand born journalist R.W. Robson. Background ''Pacific Islands Monthly'' was started in Sydney in 1930. The first issue ran in August ...

''. Dashwood was elected to Legislative Assembly from the Mauke constituency in a 1963 by-election.David J. Ston
''Self rule in the Cook Islands: The government and politics of a new micro-state''
/ref>''The Journal of the Polynesian Society 1970'', p130 In November 1963 the Executive Committee was revamped, with members given specific portfolios. Leader of Government Business

Dick Charles Brown Dick Charles Brown (1905 – 6 May 1969) was a Cook Islands businessman and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly between 1958 and 1965, and became the territory's first Leader of Government Business in 1963. Biography B ...

appointed Dashwood as the Member for Broadcasting, Health, Justice, Police, Prisons and Social Development.Talks Soon On Political Future Of The Cooks
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', January 1964, p35 However, he was sacked in August 1964 after refusing to resign,Cook Is. Minister Fired–But No One Quite Knows Why
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', October 1964, p35 due to suspicions that he supported Brown's rival Albert Henry. Dashwood subsequently joined Henry's

Cook Islands Party The Cook Islands Party is a nationalist political party in the Cook Islands. It was the first political party founded in the Cook Islands, and one of the two major parties of the islands' politics since 1965. From 1999 until 2005 it sometimes ...

, and was re-elected to the Legislative Assembly in the 1965 elections. He was then reappointed to the Executive Committee in May.Independents Walk Out Of Cook Islands Assembly
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', June 1965, p31 In August a new cabinet was formed, with Dashwood appointed Minister of Police and Social Development and Associate Minister for the Post Office, Hotel and Printing Office.Era of Self-Government Begins In The Cook Islands
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', September 1965, pp27–29 Soon afterwards he swapped portfolios with Tiakana Numanga, becoming Minister for Public Works and Survey. However, he resigned from the cabinet in May 1966, and the following month was convicted of corruptly attempting to obtain a bribe whilst a Minister of the Crown. As a result, he lost his seat in the Legislative Assembly.Ex-minister seeks seat he lost in bribe case
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', November 1966, p75 He died at his home on Mauke in September 1970.Mr. Robert Julian Dashwood
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', October 1970, p139

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dashwood, Julian 1899 births Royal Navy personnel of World War I English educators British emigrants to the Cook Islands Cook Island writers 20th-century Cook Island businesspeople Members of the Parliament of the Cook Islands Government ministers of the Cook Islands 1970 deaths Royal Air Force personnel of World War I British expatriates in South Africa British people in British Malaya