Leahys Or Detzner?

Who Was Discoverer of Central New Guinea Plateau?

By Sheila Lane.

Breathes there a man with soul so dead, Who never to himself hath said, This is my own, my native land.

DOUBTLESS Papua is only Mollie Lett’s land of adoption; but, nevertheless, the article written by her claiming Captain Detzner as being the first explorer of the Purari-Mt. Hagen district (Central New Guinea) in preference to the expedition of Messrs. Leahy Brothers and J. L. Taylor, last year, is partially, if not wholly ex cused, because of the above quotation.

To New Guinea residents —and indeed to many tourists —the jealousy that exists be tween the Mandated Territory and Papua, especially between the Administrations, is very similar to the friendly rivalry exist ing between Sydney and Melbourne, and I take it that it was this spirit that prompted Mrs. Lett to pen her article, which ap peared in this valuable islands magazine of April issue.

There is a Lutheran Mission now explor ing the possibilities of the Mogai Valley (in fact, the religious “rush” there exceeds the gold “rush”), and this Mission, accord ing to Captain Detzner, hid and fed him during the War years. Mr. Bergmapn, of this Mission, frankly admits that Detzner himself has since repudiated his book on New Guinea travels and has relegated it solely to the fiction class. No longer can it be accepted as authentic history.

This action was taken, following on a protest to the German Geographical Society by the Lutheran Mission, who accused Detzner of using information from the Mission to write his book. The contents of his book were entirely due to his powers of listening while he was temporarily domiciled at the Mission. He himself never saw the things he wrote about.

These Missionaries will tell Mrs. Lett and other staunch Papuans that Captain Detz ner most certainly never ever saw any valley on the Purari headwaters. His travels extended over the Watut country only.

Captain Detzner describes the men of the Purari headwaters as natives with shaved heads, with a patch on top whereon to hang their beads. The native peoples of the Purari headwaters actually build up and strengthen their growth of hair, by packing hair and bark on top, and cover ing the lot with a bark cloth—all the bet ter to withstand a thump on the cranium from a pineapple club, or more correctly one of those evil-looking battle axes that are used in that part of New Guinea be tween the Purari and Mt. Hagen.

During my own four months’ holiday in New Guinea, I was fortunate enough to see and inspect very closely some Kuku kuku “monkeys” which Mr. G. Hemsworth,

of P.A.T., had flown in to be tried for murder. These natives have exactly the style of coiffure described by Detzner. The Kukukukus, though a nomadic tribe, seem to haunt mostly the hills surrounding the Watut district, immediately adjoining the Morobe goldfield.

As to Mt. Joseph, there is no mountain answering to Detzner’s description of it anywhere, from the Ramu to the Purari headwaters.

With photographs, and other evidence of proof, such as aerial surveys, no one can dispute the claims of Messrs. Mick and Dan Leahy, Ken Spinks and J. L. Taylor to be the actual discoverers of this fasci nating new country between the Purari and Mt. Hagen.

No ill-feeling is conveyed herein: it is

merely a matter of giving honor where honor is due.

Papua is proud of Jack Hides, just as the Mandated Territory is proud of Mick Leahy. They are both New Guinea Wizards of the Interior, who have done marvellous work; so why not give credit where credit is due, regardless of Territory.

All Australians should be satisfied and proud that these courageous men are such worthy sons of Australia.