Gold In Western Papua
p. 25 · Read in the full issue
Letter to the Editor.
YOUR reference to this in your widely circulated periodical encourages me to remind your public, which represents prob ably the most active and enterprising unit of the Australian community, that the first gold found in New Guinea in historic times was near the Observatory Bend, on the Strickland River, in 1885 —nearly fifty years ago, when the R.G.S. of A. sent an exploring party, each member of which represented one of the then colonies that had approached the Imperial Government to back up Sir Thomas Mcllwraith’s splen did action regarding what is now Papua.
There are only two surviving members of that party: W. W. Froggatt, the well known naturalist (whose son holds a scien tific position in New Guinea to-day) and tlfe writer (representing N.Z.) who placed the gold-specimens (in blue quartz) in the Auckland Museum in Mr. Cheeseman’s time.
I am, etc.,
Pokeno.
Pymble, Sydney, 23/10/’34.