Alexis Yolou

Yolou was born in Lowanatom, the son of Pierre Yamak and a cousin of Willie Korisa, who later became a government minister.[2] He and was educated at the Montmartre school in Port Vila.[2] A talented boxer,[2] he was employed by boxing promoted Charlie Biddle as his assistant,[3] and married a woman from Aneityum.[2]

He joined the Francophone Union of the Communities of New Hebrides party at a young age,[2] He lived on land of John Frum leader Niluan and eventually became the political spokesman for the John Frum movement on Tanna.[2] He was elected to the House of Representatives from the Tanna constituency in the 1979 elections as a representative of the movement.[4] However, his party boycotted the Assembly following the landslide win of the Vanua'aku Pati and Yolou did not attend its sittings.[5]

John Frum members subsequently declared the independence of a new state named Tafea on 15 February. On 10 June 1980, Yolou convened a meeting of supporters in Sulphur Bay and marched on Isangel to try and free imprisoned supporters of the breakaway state. When they arrived, a firefight broke out and Yolou was found dead in the morning having been shot twice.[4] His seat in the Assembly was left vacant until a 1982 by-election.[6]