Mary Laufa Gilu is a

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, east o ...

an former politician. She and

Tessa Fowler Tessa Fowler is a Vanuatuan former politician. She and Mary Gilu were the first women elected to the New Hebrides Representative Assembly, serving from 1975 to 1977. Biography Born Tessa Franklin, Fowler earned an MA in philosophy, politics and ...

were the first women elected to the

New Hebrides Representative Assembly The New Hebrides Representative Assembly was a unicameral legislature in New Hebrides Condominium (international law), Condominium from 1975 to 1980. It was the first elected legislative arm in the condominium. The Representative Assembly replace ...

, serving from 1975 to 1977.

Biography

After working as a staff nurse for the

British Solomon Islands The British Solomon Islands Protectorate was first established in June 1893, when Captain Herbert Gibson of declared the southern Solomon Islands a British protectorate.''Commonwealth and Colonial Law'' by Kenneth Roberts-Wray, London, S ...

government, Gilu attended the SPC Community Education Training Centre, graduating in 1965.''Report to the South Pacific Commission on Community Education for Better Family and Village Living in the South Pacific, 1970-72'', p26 She subsequently became an assistant women's interests officer in

Honiara Honiara () is the capital and largest city of Solomon Islands, situated on the northwestern coast of Guadalcanal. , it had a population of 92,344 people. The city is served by Honiara International Airport and the seaport of Point Cruz, and lies ...

, She later married Francis Gilu, a vicar, and moved to the

New Hebrides New Hebrides, officially the New Hebrides Condominium () and named after the Hebrides in Scotland, was the colonial name for the island group in the South Pacific Ocean that is now Vanuatu. Native people had inhabited the islands for three th ...

. She became a member of the New Hebrides National Party and contested the Santo Town constituency in the November 1975 elections. Although she was elected to the Representative Assembly, in May 1976, her election – and that of three other members – was annulled.Playing to New Hebrideans' gallery
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', July 1976, p11 An appeal to Joint Court in July was unsuccessful, but Gilu was re-elected in the by-elections on 25 October, increasing her majority. The National Party boycotted the

1977 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1977. Africa * 1977 Afars and Issas Constituent Assembly election * 1977 Algerian legislative election * 1977 Gambian general election * 1976–1977 Guinea-Bissau legislative election * 1977 Malagasy ...

and Gilu lost her seat. Following independence she worked as a civil servant, becoming a social skills social development coordinator for the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. In 1982 she was awarded the Vanuatu Independence Medal by President

Ati George Sokomanu Ati George Sokomanu, (born George Kalkoa; 13 January 1937) is a Vanuatuan politician who served as the first president of Vanuatu from 1984 to 1989. Early life Born in 1937 in Mele, Sokomanu was educated at Iririki District School in Port Vil ...

.The Honours Regulation, 1980
Republic of Vanuatu Official Gazette, 13 December 1982

References

Solomon Islands civil servants Solomon Islands women civil servants Members of the Parliament of Vanuatu Vanua'aku Pati politicians Vanuatuan civil servants Vanuatuan women civil servants Possibly living people Year of birth missing Vanuatuan women in politics 20th-century Vanuatuan politicians 20th-century women politicians {{Vanuatu-politician-stub