Torres Strait News

From Our Own Correspondent.

Thursday Is., May 3.

A YOUNG Japanese diver, working near Badu Is. from the pearling lugger Drayton, was drowned in fairly shallow water recently.

His air-line and life-line becoming fouled in coral, he pulled off his helmet and corselet in an en deavour to reach the surface by swimming, but died before he could be assisted.

Mrs. Stephen Davies, wife of the Bishop of Carpentaria, has given birth to a son, in Sydney.

He is the first child born to a Bishop of Car pentaria, the first Bishop being a bachelor and the second having no issue.

Mr. E. K. Thorpe, of Messrs. Thorpe & Vidgen, has left for the mainland on a holiday tour.

An old identity in the person of Mr. Kidman, recently passed away, after a long illness.

Rev. Schomberg, of St. Paul’s Mission, Moa Island, spent a few days at T.I. on business. He hopes to complete the new Badu Island church by July.

Mr. Michael Portley, B.A., has arrived from Bundamba to take charge of the T.I. State School upon the transfer of Mr. Harry Finter to a Bris bane School.

Dr. Dowling, of the Commonwealth Quarantine Department, has completed a medical inspection of the Torres Strait islands on the Melbidir.

A daughter has been born to Mrs. Ralph Cook, of the Lockhart River Mission, Papua. Mrs. Cook was formerly Miss Turner, of Wanigela, Papua.

Mr. and Mrs. May, of Dogai, Badu Is., have been staying at the Grand Hotel, Thursday Is., for a few days.

Mr. A. McLeod has returned from his furlough, having been obliged to spend a portion of it in Townsville Hospital. He will go down to the Mitchell River Mission by the next trip of the Francis Pritt.

Miss Byron and Mr. Cain were recently married at the Mapoon Presbyterian Mission. This is only the second European wedding to have been held there, the previous one being that of Rev. and Mrs. Love.

Mr. Jack Booker has been appointed master of the Queensland Government’s vessel Melbidir, in place of Captain Mortensen, who recently re signed. The new master is a returned man and well-known to T.I. residents, as he was here some years ago with the late Mr. Handley and Mr. Clay when they were pearl-fishing in the Torres Strait.

Mr. W. Carpenter has returned from his visit to Sydney. Most of the members of the Pearl shellers’ Association have signed new contracts with Mr. Gerdeau, of New York, for the disposal of local mother-of-pearl shell. This eases the situ ation considerably as the market has been un certain since the last contracts expired.

Mrs. Jack Partridge has come up from Bris bane to join her husband, who is the Town Council’s chief electrician.

Mr. J. D. MacLean (P.M. and Protector of Aboriginals) has returned from his furlough with Mrs. MacLean. Unfortunately, Mrs. MacLean is now ill in the local hospital.

The annual meeting of the local branch of the Royal Geographical Society was held recently, with Dr. Nimmo, President, in the chair. The programme for 1935 was discussed. It was re ported that the Museum Fund has reached £130, and that the building will be proceeded with shortly. Officers elected were:—Mr. Harman, Sec retary; Mr. J. I. Dunwoodie, Treasurer; Messrs. H.

G. Simpson, and A. Sullivan, vice-presidents.

Dr. Ian H. Hogbin recently addressed the Anthropological Society of New South Wales on his work in the anthropological field at Wogeo, New Guinea, and has also delivered broadcast lectures on the same subject.

Mr. Ruskin Henry Ward, of the staff of Messrs. Burns Philp (S.S.) Co., Ltd., at Lautoka, Fiji, was married to Miss Dorothy Ellen Williams, of Wai Wai.

Savu Savu, Fiji, on March 18. The ceremony, performed by Archdeacon Harris, took place at Suva Holy Trinity Pro-Cathedral.

Mr. E. Dunwoodie, Postmaster at Apia, returned with his family to Western Samoa in April, after several months’ va cation in New Zealand.