Shirley Baker and The King of Tonga (The Pasifika Library)

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Of all the Pacific Island Nations only Tonga has retained a degree of lasting political independence. It was Tupou 1, the first King of Tonga, who established an internationally recognised nation. A shrewd and determined politician, he enlisted the aid of a rebellious Wesleyan missionary. Noel Rutherford's book is an account of the life and times of this gruff, bewhiskered minister from London's East End, the Reverend Shirley Baker. A curious character, often at odds with his peers, Baker's achievements, whether motivated by altruism or self-preservation, contributed greatly to the Tonga we know today.