Notes

Thursday Is.

Chinese Junk Fou Po Wrecked

From Our Own Correspondent.

Thursday Is., August It.

NEWS has been received that the Chi nese junk, the Fou Po II., which was in the harbour recently, has come to grief in the Gulf of Papua. When many miles from the shore her mast carried away during a gale, and the rigging became en tangled in the rudder. The vessel was eventually cast up on to the beach.

Fortunately, Captain de Bischopp and his companion escaped injuries, and were able to reach Port Moresby. They will stay there until the season of the S.E. wind is over, and then make their way to Sydney.

New Church At Badu.

Mr. Harris, a master builder from Bathurst (N.S.W.), is making great head way with the building of the new concrete and fibrolite church at Badu Island with voluntary native labour. It is understood that about £1800 is being spent on the materials, to which cost the Badu Islan ders have willingly agreed to contribute funds during the next few years.

There is a friendly competition here with the people of St. Paul’s Mission on Moa Island, who are also erecting a very handsome concrete church by easy stages.

Visitors are loud in their praises of the workmanship that is being put into these buildings, which prove what can be done by natives under skilled direction.

Cape Otway.

The Commonwealth Lighthouse Service steamer Cape Otway has been in the har bour for a few days attending to stores and repairs. She is towing the Service launch Rooganah across to the Great Bar rier Reef to assist in the erection of two new unattended lights. These will help the navigation by night of what is con sidered to be the most dangerous portion of the coast of Australia. By means of

these lights the passage known as the Inner Route is being rendered compara tively safe for those who are familiar with the reefs and shoals.

T.I. Post Office.

The new Thursday Island Post Office is now almost completed, and should be opened shortly for public business. The telephone exchange was transferred about a week ago. The new building has a pleasing style, and is a distinct, addition to the public buildings of the township.

Tourists can see the Post Office as they leave the jetty.

Australia’S Early History.

An able, informative, and interesting lecture was given recently by Mr. P. R.

Frith, of Murray Island, at the monthly meeting of the T.l. branch of the Royal Geographical Society. Dr. Nimmo, Government Medical Officer, was in the chair as President, and there were a number of visitors. The lecture, entitled “Terra Australis Incognita,” was illus trated by several well-drawn maps in colour.

Personal Notes.

Mr. and Mrs. May, of Badu Island, are the guests of Mrs. Broadbent at Thursday Island for a few days.

Miss Sadie Brown, of Brisbane, is stay ing for a month with Mr. and Mrs. Harry Finter at the State School House.

Mr. and Mrs. Hennessey and their two younger daughters are looking very well after their holiday in Brisbane, Montville, and Sydney. The Misses Gladys and Joan Hennessey are now journeying to Maori land for their southern holiday.

Shooting parties continue to visit the swamps at the tip of Cape York Pen insula. A party which went across re cently got a splendid bag of wild ducks; the top score (21) fell to the gun of Mr.

J. Dunwoodie.

A dust-haze has been prevalent here for several days, a most unusual pheno menon caused by heavy storms in S.

Queensland. The bad visibility caused steamers to anchor in the daylight for some days both on the east coast and be tween here and Darwin.

Our local Aquatic Club held a dance a few nights ago, at which were presented the prizes for the last season. The club holds regular fortnightly sailing races in the harbour during the season, which al ways attract a large crowd of spectators.

The new 105 h.p. engine in the muni cipal power-house is now in active opera tion and running satisfactorily. Smoke boxes have been installed to abate the smut nuisance.

Mr. J. L. Adams, manager of the local branch of Messrs. Burns, Philp Limited, Mrs. J. L. Adams, and Mrs. Nimmo, wife of our Government M.O., have returned from Singapore after an enjoyable round trip.

Mr. and Mrs. Brookes have returned to Brisbane, having spent a brief holiday on Thursday Island. They speak highly of its beauties and the hospitality of its resi dents.

Mr. Tom Cussens is making slow headway as an inmate of the Torres Strait Hospital. The daily run given him by Mr.

Cleveland in his car is helping consider ably towards the recovery of the patient, whom we hope will soon be out and about once more.

We are glad to see Dr. Vernon, M.C., again, who is to be here for about a month as locum tenens. He is looking well and fit. Dr. Nimmo has gone across to the mainland on a medical trip, and will go overland to the Mitchell River Mission, in the company of Mr. McLean, the local Protector of Aboriginals.

Mr- W. Carpenter has returned from the Aru Islands, and is now off to the South on a brief business visit. He is somewhat concerned about the future of our local pearlshelling industry, as the clouds have not yet lifted.