Passing of a Papuan Pioneer
p. 31 · Read in the full issue
From Our Own Correspondent „
Samarai, July 16.
ANOTHER pioneer ot- Papua died in Samaiai Hospital on July 7 Cap tain Richard Ryland Small, who was 61 years of age.
A native of Scotland, he came to Papua around 1910 and took command of Whitten Bros, mail steamer Kaiora . In V fn the Teuton- nlme and fame were known to every miner of that period from Daru to Mambare.
At the outbreak of the great war, Cap tain Small went home to England, where he obtained a commission in the Royal Navy and was engaged in mine-sweeping
in ,he North Sea. After the war he went out to Sydney, as second mate of a vehicle ferry and then sailed up to New Guinea as mate on one of Carpenter’s ships. The call of England was strong, however, and he went home again on a copra boat.
Returning t 0 the islands in 1931 on the maiden voyage of the “Macdhui".
Captain Small spent some time in Papua, and then took a sma u launch across to the Solomon Islands. Later, when he came back to Eastern Papua, he was master of the “Yela Gili” for Osborne Brothers, of Bossel Island, which position he held un his t 0 Samarai Hospital at tne end of 1938> Tlie Captain was buried at Rogeia Is land on July 8, Rev. Arthur Jennings, of the New Guinea Mission, officiating at the graveside.