About Islands People

Captain E. Nelson-Turner, of the British Solomon Islands, where he is officer com manding the Armed Native Constabulary, arrived in Sydney by the September “Malaita”, accompanied by his wife, on long leave. He is now in the hands of a throat specialist and will shortly undergo an operation in Tusculum Private Hospital, Potts Point, Sydney. Later, he will visit England.

Senator C. W. Grant, of Tasmania, sailed from Sydney by the “Neptuna” early in September for Rabaul. He will spend some time in New Guinea, return ing to Australia by the October “Montoro”.

Rev. H. S. Hipkin, who has been a mis sionary for six years in the Solomon Is lands for the Melanesian Mission, arrived in New Zealand by the “Southern Cross VII” on August 29. He left within a few days for England by the “Rangitane”. Mr.

Hipkin will return to Melanesia in April next year.

Dr. W. J. C. Kau, a Dutch mining engi neer and scientist, who recently spent several months in Western Papua assist ing one of the large concerns in its search

for an oilfield, left Sydney by plane for Batavia at the beginning of September.

Mr. H. W. Simmonds, formerly Fiji Gov ernment Entomologist, arrived in Sydney with his wife from Suva by the “Niagara” late in August. He later went on to Java on a special mission on behalf of the Ad ministration of Western Samoa, seeking parasites to attack the rhinoceros beetle.

Messrs. R. Swift, N. Proud, and S. Clark, young Sydney mining engineers, who for the past three years have been stationed at Wau, came South from New Guinea by the W.R.C. airliner which, reached Sydney on September 4.

Rev. S. G. Phillips, of the London Mis sionary Society, arrived in New Zealand from Western Samoa by the “Matua” in September, having retired from mission ary work after serving for eight years.

He was principal of the Leulumoega Fou Boys’ High School at Malua Mr. F. H. Doherty, of A.W.A.’s staff at Wau, New Guinea, is at present in Aus tralia with his wife on four months’ leave.

Mr. D. B. Smith, of Morris, Hedstrom, Ltd., Suva, arrived in Australia from Fiji by the “Monterey” on September 5, on furlough.

Mr. A. H. Fletcher, who has been a lay member of the Melanesian Mission in B.SJ. for 11 years, arrived in N.Z. by the “Southern Cross” late in August to spend a short holiday with his parents in Auck land.

Dr. A. H. Pearce, of Suva, has resigned his post as Director of Medical Services in Fiji. The new director is Dr. V. W. T.

McGusty, 0.8. E.

Messrs. J. and T. Fox, well-known New Guinea prospectors, reached Sydney by the August “Neptuna”. Having spent 16 years in the Territory, they now intend to settle down in Australia.

Mr. H. R. Elves, a Canadian mining engineer, who spent a short time in New Caledonia examining chrome and nickel mining activities, arrived in Sydney from Noumea by the August “Tasman”.

Mr. George Pratt has retired from the Papuan Public Service, owing to ill-health.

Mr. W. Craig, of Wireless and Cable, Limited, was in Suva with his wife and young son early in September spending a short holiday before proceeding to Fan ning Island to live at the cable station for several years.

Rt, Rev. L. S. Kempthome, M.A., Bishop of Polynesia, arrived in Sydney on Sep tember 10 to do deputation work for the Australian Board of Missions. He came from the outposts of his diocese, Ocean Island and Nauru.

Mr. “Wally” Hams, who recently dis posed of his taxi service at Wau, New Guinea, arrived in Australia by the last “Montoro”.

Mr. Alf Pearce and Miss Molly O’Grady were married at Salamaua, New Gumea on August 13, the ceremony being per formed by Rev. Father Kirschbaum. Mr.

Pearce is manager of the Hotel Salamaua.

Mr. and Mrs. Lucas Staehelin were the guests of the Pacific Islands Club, Sydney, on September 7. Mr. Staehelin. who was leader of an expedition from the Swiss Ethnological Museum at Basle to Tahiti, the Tuamotus, the Marquesas, and the New Hebrides in 1932-34 gave a most interesting address about Tahiti, Moorea and the Marquesas. He made th (3 first ascents of Mts. Mouaroa and Tamaxu toofa, in Moorea.

Miss Nathalie Graham, at present in Auckland, is to proceed soon to the Solo mon Islands as a missionary in the ser vice of the South Sea Evangelical Mission.

Prior to her naturalisation as a British subject, Miss Graham was Miss Gruschen kova, member of a well-known Russian family. During the last four years she has been in London undergoing special training in medical mission and theo logical work, Mr. C. V. Caldwell, a District Com missioner in Fiji, accompanied by Mrs.

Caldwell, returned to Suva from leave by the last “Niagara”.

The death occurred on August 27 of Hatu Penijamini Veli, a notable Fijian, aged 64, who had been 43 years in the service of the Fiji Government. He was a sub-inspector of native constabulary in 1906, and was appointed Roko Tui Macuata in 1909. He had retired, but was again in charge at Macuata when he died. He was a most loyal and respected public servant, with a gift for admini stration. He had visited England twice.

Mr. Henry A. Bentley, of the Admini stration staff, Ocean Island (G. and E.

Colony), passed through, Sydney in Sep tember on his way home, after long leave.

Mr. W. Granger Johnson, a director of Brown and Joskei, Ltd., Suva, was in Sydney at the end of August, on his way to New Guinea.

Mr. Alexander Comm resigned his posi tion as Mayor of Thursday Island early in August, after having filled that posi tion for more than 20 years. He has spent most of his life on T. 1., and is editor-man ager of the Torres Strait “Daily Pilot”.

The new Mayor is Mr. E. H. Vowles, who has been an alderman for 16 years.

Sir Maynard and Lady Hedstrom re turned to Suva by the “Pinna” on Aug ust 9 after a visit to Tonga and Samoa.

Dr. I. Hamilton Beattie, of Suva, re turned to the Colony by the August “Maunganui”, after a visit to N.Z.

Mr. H. B. Gibson, elected member of the Fiji Legislative Council for the East ern Division, returned to Fiji from New Zealand by the August “Niagara”.

Mrs. H. A. Ragg, wife of Mr. Ragg, Postmaster at Tavua, Fiji, died in Aug ust from peritonitis, aged 23.

Mr. D. C. Chalmers, of Lautoka, was an outward passenger from Suva, Fiji, by the “Monterey” at the end of August.

Rev. W. Zisohler, Lutheran missionary at Kalasa, New Guinea, recently married Miss Elizabeth Strobel, of Rothenburg, Germany.

Mr. E. A. James, hard-working editor proprietor of the “Papuan Courier”, recently developed appendicitis. He boarded a W.R.C. Airliner, stepped off at Cairns, spent 19 days in hospital there, and was back on the job in Port Moresby exactly 24 days after leaving it.

“Thank goodness for the air service”, said he—and meant it.

Mr. C. A. Leembruggen, Assistant Director of the Lands and Survey De partment, Fiji, is now en route to the United Kingdom, on long vacation leave.

Mrs. E. F. Reye died in Apia Govern ment Hospital in August at the age of 64. A descendant of the prominent Betham family of pioneers, she was well known in Western Samoa, especially among the Seventh Day Adventist con gration, of which her son, Pastor R. Reye has been minister for many years.

Rev. J. D. Bodger, who was recently appointed diocesan chaplain to the Bishop of New Guinea, left Sydney for Dogura, Papua, by the last “Macdhui”, after short furlough in Sydney.

Mr. B. G. Marshall, of Bulolo Gold Dredging Co., Bulolo, New Guinea, arrived in Sydney with Mrs. Marshall and their 16 months’ old son Colin, by the August “Neptuna”. They are on four months’ furlough.

Mr. C. Dupertuis, entomologist, arrived in Sydney by the “Morinda” on August 24 from Port Vila, New Hebrides. Mr. Duper tuis said that the coconut pest, Promeco theca, which had been troubling planters in the Condominium for 25 years, was beaten into almost extinction in several months by the introduction from Java of a parasite, Pleurotropis Parvulus.

MR. V. G. SMITH (known throughout the length and breadth of the South-west Pacific as “Smithy”), sailed for Papua and New Guinea by the “Tasman” on August 24. He is one of the best known commercial travellers in the Pacific. His two best known “lines” are, in a sense,

complementary - Dewar’s Whisky and

Nestle’s Condensed Milk.