History tells us that the bonds of family and the love of your country are unbreakable.
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On 5 July 2014 these truths were proven by the gathering of the Carruthers family to intern the ashes of Irving “Eveni” Hetherington
Carruthers, his wife Moe and his daughter Hether at Tufuiopa, Apia, Samoa. In order to fulfil her father’s final wishes, Mona
Carruthers Bailey has returned Eveni , her mother Moe and her sister Hether to Samoa and has brought the Carruthers family together. It was an opportunity for the Carruthers family to finally lay Eveni , his wife and daughter to rest in peace at home in Samoa.
This gathering was also an opportunity to reflect on Eveni’s legacy and his contribution to the development of modern Samoa through the company I.H Carruthers Limited and through his community and charitable works.
Irving Hetherington Carruthers was born on 27 October 1884 and died on 5 July 1974. Eveni’s father Richard was a Scottish lawyer from Melbourne Australia. Richard married Matua and had 5 children.
Eveni ‘s first marriage was to Anne Jennings of Swains island. Of this union five children were born: Margaret, Richard (Dick), Phoebe, Caroline and Elizabeth. In the early 1900s, Anne died and is buried in Samoa.
In 1919, Eveni married Vaopunimatagi Seumanautafa of Apia. Sadly Vao died in the early 1900s and is buried in Apia.
In 1934, Eveni married Moe and had three children Mona, Hether and Malcolm. Through Mona, Eveni had four grandchildren Sonia, Marion, Ross and Andrew.
In 1925 Eveni established I H Carruthers Limited as a cocoa and copra merchant with trading stations all over the island. In 1932 Eveni was leader of the Legislative Council, the governing body of Samoa at that time. This was an important role as at that time World War 2 waged abroad and threatened in the northern Pacific.
Eveni was an active deacon of the Apia Protestant Church and a generous contributor to the church which is now a thriving congregation. The Apia Protestant Church continues to thrive to this day.
The company I H Carruthers Limited is Eveni’s most visible legacy and contribution to the development of Samoa. In 1952 through Eveni’s son Dick the company went through an explosive expansion phase. The little country store converted to a two storey building hosing offices upstairs and a retail department store downstairs. Dick encouraged his children to work with him in the company and with skill and drive, Dick’s children Gary , Kim, June and Anne have built the company to meet the challenges of the future.
After Dick’s death in 1987 his daughter Kim took over the management of the company and successfully positioned the company to be able to navigate the challenges it faced as Samoa developed economically. This included ensuring that its flagship store is on freehold land and no longer leasehold land. This was both Dick’s and Eveni’s wish. After Kim’s death, her son Alex took over as CEO of the company.
The Carruthers family motto is “Forever Prompt and Faithful” and Eveni’s life was a testament to that motto. The Carruthers family motto is a living one and it endures today through Eveni’s grand children and great grand children.
Eveni devoted his life to the development of modern Samoa and to providing for his family and future generations. That dedication continues to bear fruit today.
The Eveni story vividly demonstrates that life is a circle and that his return to rest in peace in Samoa completes that circle.
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