About Islands People

Dr. Thomas Moore Clouston, recently appointed Senior Medical Officer at Nauru, was married on December 20 to Miss Mona Duncan of Sydney. They left Mel bourne for their new home by the Triona on January 5.

Rev. F. R. Elder, who had been doing faithful work for the New Guinea Mis sion at Eroro, Papua, for over 20 years, recently relinquished active field work in the Territory, and returned to Australia.

In December he was appointed rector of Mulgoa (New South Wales), and, with his wife and three children, has now settled down in that peaceful country district.

Father Rockliff, who is described as “the international promoter of the Apos tleship of the Sea,” arrived in Sydney from Europe by the Oronsay on Decem ber 19. He left on the Makura the fol lowing day for the Society Islands, where he intends to make scientific researches regarding current changes, and, by sound ings determine the variations of the ocean bed due to submarine volcanic dis turbances. Father Rockliff holds a master mariner’s certificate.

Mr. A. H. Fletcher and Mr. H. S. Hipkin passed through Sydney on their way to New Zealand on furlough early in January, after serving for a considerable time at the Melanesian Mission at Siota, Solomon Islands.

Right Rev. W. H. Baddeley, M.A., D.S.O., M.C., Bishop of Melanesia, will visit Sydney in March next. The object of his visit is to place a number of pro minent matters concerning his large dio cese before the Australian Board of Mis sions, which, together with the Anglican Church in New Zealand and England, maintains the mission.

Miss Winifred Wilson, Melanesian mis sionary in the Solomon Islands, recently arrived in Sydney. Some months ago, at San Cristoval, she was bitten on the foot by a scorpion; the wound became serious, and, after being treated in Tulagi Hospital for a time, she was sent to Sydney for special medical attention.

Mr. D. Lloyd Francis, who has been studying theology for six months at St.

John’s College, Morpeth, N.S.W., left Sydney in December for Siota, B.S.I., where he was to be ordained as deacon.

When Mr. Francis was formerly in the Solomons he was stationed at the Melane sian Mission, Santa Cruz.

Mr. James Raines, headmaster of New stead State School (Victoria), has been appointed Director of Education at Nauru Island. As well as controlling the Euro pean school and supervising the native school, he will train the young Nauruan teachers and have charge of the boys’ farms. With his wife and son Ian, Mr.

Raines sailed for Nauru by the Triona on January 5.

Mrs. R. H. Green, wife of Rev. Green, of Lakeba, Fiji, returned to, the Colony by the December Monterey, after a short vacation in Australia.

Mr. I. H. Grabowsky, general manager of Guinea Airways, Ltd., who arrived in Australia at the end of December, has been seriously ill. He had no sooner reached Melbourne than he suffered a very bad attack of cerebral malaria, which apears to have complicated the thrombosis condition for which he came to Australia to receive attention. The doctors took a grave view of his case, and, in an at tempt to prevent serious developments of the thrombosis, they operated on Janu ary 14, and amputated the lower part of one of Captain Grabowsky’s legs. On latest advices he was doing as well as could be expected, and the doctors were confident that if he made the good general recovery they anticipated, he would be quite able to return to New Guinea and resume the duties of his important posi tion there.

Mr. G. H. Davis, who has been post master of the Cook Islands for the past four years departed from Rarotonga by the Makura with his wife on December 31. Judge Ayson. Resident Commissioner, in presenting Mr. and Mrs. Davis with a suitable gift, praised the courteous manner and mild patience exhibited by Mr. Davis during his term of office.