About Islands People

Mr. W. H. Brabant, formerly Comp troller of Customs in Fiji, arrived re cently in Melbourne from Europe, accom panied by his daughter. He left Fiji in April and has been travelling with his daughter, Miss S. M. Brabant, in Eng land and France. After spending the summer in Sydney, Mr. and Miss Brabant will return to Fiji.

Miss Ella Angermunde, daughter of the late Mr. Theodore Angermunde and Mat ron Angermunde, of Chelmsford Hospital, Newtown, Sydney, left on October 16 by the Mariposa for Fiji, where she will be married on October 26 to Mr. Bert Silva, elder son of Mr. and Mrs. F. Silva, of Inverell. Miss Angermunde, who trav elled with Mr. and Mrs. E. G. Theodore,

received many handsome presents before leaving Sydney, and was given an official farewell by the Mayors of Erskineville, Darlington and Newtown, Mr. G. A. V. Stanley, a geologist who is attached to the staff of Oil Search Ltd., arrived in Sydney by the Macdhui on August 30 on furlough. For several months recently he was with a party in New Guinea mapping an area in the Sepik district.

Dr. W. M. Strong, Chief Medical Of ficer of Papua, who brought a party of Papuans to Australia to be trained at Sydney University, returned to the Ter ritory by the Montoro from Sydney on October 5.

Mr. A. T. Acton, manager of Burns, Philp (S.S.) Co. Ltd. at Levuka, Fiji, proceeded to New Zealand on furlough at the end of September, During his absence, Mr. N. O. Carlson is acting as manager.

Mr. F. L. Pinching, S.I. travelling medi cal officer for Lever’s Pacific Plantations Pty. Ltd., who recently was ill in Tulagi Hospital, came South by the Malaita at the end of September.

Rev. Alfred E. Teall, of the Melanesian Mission at Vureas, Banks Islands, New Hebrides, has been inducted as Arch deacon of Southern Melanesia in place of Rev. R. Godfrey, who recently retired on account of ill-health.

Mr. J. S. Mutch, of the Port and Marine Department in the Solomon Islands Ad ministration, arrived in Sydney from Tulagi on leave by the September Malaita.

Mr. J. Clark left Sydney for Papua by the Montoro on October 5 to take up a position on a coconut plantation near Port Moresby.

Sister Amy Thompson, of the Mela nesian Mission at Aoba, New Hebrides, has been transferred to Siota, the mis sion’s headquarters in the Solomon Islands.

Mr. J. Gable left Brisbane for Samarai, Papua, en route to Misima Island by the October Montoro. He has been appointed assayer for Misima Gold Reefs (N.G.) N.L., relieving Mr. J. McNair.

Rev. C. Seiller, S.M., of the Marist Mission at Kieta, Bougainville Island, New Guinea, returned to his station by the Malaita from Sydney on October 5.

A native of Alsace Lorraine, Father Seiller has been a Catholic missionary in Melanesia for over 30 years.

Mr. P. J. Martin, a planter of Mioko Island, Duke of York Islands, New Guinea, arrived in Australia by the Montoro on October 1 with his wife and baby son, Murray James.

Dr. Northcote Deck, F.R.G.S., a former South Sea Evangelical missionary for 20 years in the Solomon Islands, who re visited the Protectorate in July, returned to Sydney by the Malaita on September 26.

Mr. I. H. Grabowsky, manager of Guinea Airways Ltd. in the Mandated Territory, arrived in Sydney from Port Moresby, Papua, with his wife on October 1, They later went on to Victoria.

Mr. Arthur Milner, who has been for some' time in charge of the Melanesian Mission’s ketch Patteson, has been trans

ferred to the Mission’s Central School at Pawa, Ugi Island, in the Solomons.

Mr. I. F. Champion, with his wife and child, departed from Brisbane for Port Moresby early in October. He is assis tant Resident Magistrate at Misima Is land, Papua.

Mr. John C. Sinclair, of Lautoka, died suddenly at Suva on September 30, at the age of 67. Son of a prominent agri cultural family in Australia, he went to Fiji 25 years ago to join the Colonial Sugar Refining Co. Ltd. During recent years he had been engaged in gold pros pecting. He had claims at Cuvu and Tavua, being associated at the latter field with Mr. W. Borthwick, who originally ■discovered the rich deposits there.

Mr. Robert Rudland Bode, of Lami, Fiji, died in the Colonial War Memorial Hospital, Suva, on September 20, aged 72.

He was an accomplished musician, having been organist at Suva Holy Trinity Pro- Cathedral and also at Honolulu Cathed ral, Hawaii. For the past two years he .had been teaching music at Lami.

Dr. Gerrit Wilder, of Hawaii, who was well known in Fiji and Polynesia as an ■expert botanist, died at his home in Honolulu on September 29. He was born dn Hawaii about 1865 and in his endeav

ours to introduce new plants to Hawaii made many visits to other South Sea Islands. Dr. Wilder spent some time at Tahiti studying Pacific flora, particularly the cultivation of the breadfruit tree, upon which he was an authority.

Messrs. A. W. Hopfield, J. Nutley, and J. W. Scott, who have been acting as technical advisers to Bulolo Gold Dredg ing Co. Ltd., arrived in Sydney from New Guinea by the Montoro on October 1.

They left later for the United States of America to spend a year’s furlough.

Rev. H. C. Howard, of Enfield, N.S.W., sailed for Fiji by the Katoomba in Oc tober to take part in the Methodist Mis sion’s centenary celebrations. He is a grandson of Rev. W. Cross, one of the (Continued overleaf)

Rev. Geoffrey Herbert Donald Ross, who was educated in England, recently joined the Melanesian Mission’s staff. At present he is stationed at Arawe, New Britain.

Photo, by courtesy of “Southern Cross Log."

pioneer Methodist missionaries, who first landed in Fiji on October 12, 1835.

Mr. Raymond Hill, of the Melanesian Mission, has been transferred from the Solomon Islands to the Anglican Mission station at Arawe, Ilak River, New Britain. A New Zealander, he studied scientific farming for several years at Hawkesbury Agricultural College, New South Wales. Later he spent 12 months as overseer on a plantation on Bougain ville Island, New Guinea, and then re turned to Australia to receive training prior to entering the service of the Melanesian Mission.

Mr. W. J. Bryant, Government Super intendent of Saibai, Dauan and Boigu Islands in the Torres Strait, left Sydney for Queensland by the Montoro on Octo ber 5. At Brisbane he joined the Wan dana and journeyed to Thursday Island; later he went across to his headquarters at Saibai on the Government ketch. Mr.

Bryant has been at Saibai Island for three years.

Major Stuart Love, Oroville Dredging Co. Ltd.’s engineer, who has been testing for some time Misima Gold Reef’s property on Misima Island, South-Eas tern Papua, left for Samarai by the Montoro on October 5, after a business visit to Australia. He said that Misima Island interests are strongly advocating a direct steamer service between the island and Australia.

Mr. C. J. Baldey, of Messrs. J. Gollin and Co. Ltd., Sydney, left by the Malaita on October 5 for Rabaul via the Solomon Islands. He will return to Australia from New Britain by the Montoro. Mr. Baldey is also Islands traveller for Messrs.

Nicholas Pty. Ltd., of Melbourne, manu facturers of the well-known product, “Aspro,”

Mr. N. J. Tudberry, of Arigua Estate, Bougainville, New Guinea, returned to Kieta by the Malaita on October 5.

Miss Gellweiler, Matron of the Euro pean Hospital, Port Moresby, left on October 13 for Misima, where she will marry Mr. P. J. McDonald, a well-known resident of Papua. Miss Gellweiler, who had held the position of matron for over five years, was known widely for her efficiency, and she will be greatly missed by the residents of Port Moresby and district.

Mr. J. Svensen, a plantation owner at Ovi Harbour, Guadalcanal, Solomon Is lands, arrived in Australia by the Malaita on September 26.

Mr. George Kingston, an English gold prospector, who had been in New Guinea since 1928, died at Wau Hos pital on September 3, aged 45. He was one of the pioneers of the Black Cat mining area, Morobe goldfields.