Ray Parer

Returns to New Guinea

AFTER being absent from New Guinea for over nine months, Mr. Raymond Parer, famous Australian aviator who has been conducting an aerial freighting ser vice in the Mandated Territory since 1926, has returned to the Morobe gold fields.

With Mr. Geoffrey Hemsworth, also of New Guinea he went to England during the latter part of last year to take part in the London-Melbourne Air Race.

Leaving Mildenhall on October 20 in a Fairey Fox ’plane they met with many hazardous adventures, eventually being compelled to withdraw from the big race.

They jogged along by easy stages to Australia, reaching Melbourne on Feb ruary 13.

Mr. Parer spent a month’s holiday in Sydney, and on March 30 left Mascot ’drome for Brisbane, Queensland. He was compelled to remain in hospital at Bris bane for a week, suffering from tetanus due to a scratch. Later, he went on to Cape York to inspect the landing ground prepared there some time ago by Mr.

Vidgen, Jun., of Thursday Island, for Pilot Marshall.

He remained several weeks at Cape York, investigating possible sites for an aerodrome. Then, so typical of Ray Parer, he left unostentatiously for New Guinea with Mr. J. Thompson as passen ger, in a ’plane owned by Mr. Davies, who recently joined P.A.T. Co.’s staff. Flying high, he passed over Thursday Island on April 20, went on to Port Moresby, Pa pua, and thence across to the New Guinea goldfields.

Mr. Parer plans to return to Australia by the first available steamer to fly his own machine back to New Guinea.

Mr. Geoffrey Hemsworth, his companion on the flight from England, had already returned to the Mandated Territory by the Macdhui on March 14, to take up duties again with Pacific Aerial Trans port Ltd., on the Morobe field.