Beginning.

Papua In The

Robert Hunter’s Memories of 50 Years Ago.

By Mollie Lett.

ACROSS the harbour from Port Mores by, sheltered from the strong winds and currents, lies a tiny oasis—an intermixture of evergreens and coconut palms, faced by dazzling sands and vivid waters. Against the forbidding rugged ness of the surrounding hills, it stands out in relief and beauty.

There is seclusion, almost forgotten, and out of sight of the community he helped to bring into existence, lives Papua’s best-known man, Robert Hunter.

It was as early as 1883, in the days of the Rev. W. G. Laws, of the L.M.S., and Andrew Goldie, storekeeper, that Robert and George Hunter crossed over from Queensland, young Englishmen fired to adventure by the swash-buckling tales of the traders and pearl fishers who sailed their schooners along the dangerous shores of this romantic island.

Violence, pillage and slaughter were their daily risks. News of the unpro voked attack and massacre of seventeen white men, wrecked and stranded off the Fly River in 1882, had reached Queens land and had stirred the imagination.

Robert and George Hunter crossed in the “Ellengowan,” the L.M.S. schooner, via Somerset Island, early in 1883.

On their arrival they won the approval of the Mission in their dealings and the two brothers soon got in touch with the natives; and, as they had had al ready considerable experience of bush life in Australia, it was not long

before they visited districts outside the Mission influence and, picking up the Motuan dialect, they became friends and gained the confidence of other tribes in the neighbourhood.

Sir Peter Scratchely, the first Special Commissioner to the Protectorate, ar rived in New Guinea in 1885. He was advised by the Rev. Mr. Lawes and, on account of their familiarity with the language, their travels and experience, he took the Hunter brothers into the Government service. Their duties were, for the one, forester and inspector of the timber trade, and the other, inspec tor of the beche-de-mer industry, There was a considerable industry in those days as regards beche-de-mer among traders, both Australian and Chinese. Ten schooners were occupied in the work. It was given to Robert Hunter to inspect the vessels and to re port on their operations. As regards timber, the glowing reports in the news papers of the prospect of timber trade in New Guinea had “raised the expecta tions of a sanguine nature”, and had at tracted companies to start felling opera tions. Supervision was needed.

After Sir Peter Scratchely’s death, Robert and George Hunter worked under Deputy Commissioner Romilly, Asst. De puty Commissioner Musgrave, and Spe cial Commissioner Douglas, in 1886. It was while assisting D.C. Musgrave in his absence, that Mr. John Douglas, the Special Commissioner, made mention of Messrs. R. and G. Hunter, for one reads in his report: “A.D. Commissioner Mus grave has been faithfully and intelli gently aided in his policy by Messrs. G. and R. Hunter, who were appointed as native protectors by the late Special Commissioner. They are both familiar with the native language, and have con stantly been employed in moving along the coast and inland.”

Later, on account of the judicious combination of firmness and moderation

they showed in dealing with native cases, and their energy, the influence of the Hunter brothers widened rapidly in out lying districts. Robert Hunter was made Superintendent of Natives, to settle the native difficulties and disputes, and George Hunter was sent to establish a Government station at Rigo, where the natives were in continual warfare with their neighbours. From then onwards, in the continual warfare between the tribes of Hula, Kaile, Kerepuna, Jupselei and others, George Hunter acted as an intermediary in the disputes and settled in conjunction with Asst. Deputy Mus grave the murder compensations, by gifts to the dead one’s relatives.

In 1886, in the absence of both the Special Commissioner Douglas and the Asst. Deputy Musgrave in Australia, the Hunter brothers administered the affairs of the country from February 22 to June 1 with the help of the Rev. Mr. Lawes and Andrew Goldie, storekeeper, then the only residents in the Protectorate.

George Hunter, continuing his work at Rigo, later visited the head waters of the Kemp Welsh and the tribes in the district; and accompanied Mr. Hart mann; and later ascended a peak of Mt.

Olree, over 10,000 feet, with Mr. Cuth bertson under the management of the Geographical Society of Victoria.

Studying the native dialects on a sys tematic method and making a road from Port Moresby to Aroma, were the last efforts of George Hunter, for in 1890 he was foully murdered by the natives of the Rigo district, with whom he had worked for five years and whose country he had made peaceful.

Robert Hunter, in the west in the Motu Motu district, at the same time, also did excellent work. He settled dis putes, marked out limits of tribal trans gressions and brought the principal cul prits to justice in Port Moresby.

With Sir William MacGregor, the first Administrator, in 1889, came changes, and conditions altered. Further districts were brought under control along the coast and inland; vast tracts of land were thrown open by Government ex peditions and enterprise; and Sir Wil liam MacGregor, with his organised staff and chief judicial officer, found little continuous employment for Robert Hun ter, though his services were retained and his advice sought at intervals on native matters.

Therefore, except for occasional plant ings on Government reserves and beaches, and prospecting for timbers and metals, Robert Hunter, after his brother’s death, retired to private life, to trade and to enjoy the peaceful con ditions of the country he had done his bit to secure.

Now, nearly 80 years of age, pensioned by the Government, an old man, he is still to be seen once every week plying his small craft across the harbour, on a visit to the town, which he and those earliest pioneers, helped to bring to ex istence. Of them all, he is the only one left.

Husband and wife were seated in the garden in the dusk of a summer even ing. He was doing most of the talking.

“Very interesting,” she said, when he finally concluded.

“I’m glad to find you’re so interested and impressed, dear, by these explana tions about banking and economics,” he told her presently.

“Yes, darling,” she replied. “It seems wonderful that anybody could know as much as you do about money without having any of it.”