Pioneers Of Papua
p. 42 · Read in the full issue
Prom a Special Correspondent
Port Moresby, Jan. 20.
TWO old pioneers of Papua crossed the Great Divide, in the Samarai Hos pital. at the close of 1939, in the persons of Frederick Wagner Kruger, who died on December 24. and Robert Boyd, two days later.
The late Fred Kruger was born in Bal larat in 1871 and, as a young man, went across to the Klondvke gold rush, but met with little success. He then wan dered over to Papua, and participated in all the early finds in this country—Yodda, Gira, Waria, Lakekamu. Cloudy Bav and Milne Bay rushes. He and the late Frank Pryke were one of the parties which, in 1913, crossed from here on to the Ramu River, in what is now the Mandated Territory.
Fred Kruger was a kindly, generous man, liked by all who met him. His dearest friend was Frank Pryke, a great prospector, and Fred’s partner in many of his ramblings through this country.
The late Robert Boyd. 83 years of age when the call came, arrived in Papua in 1896, from Charters Towers, and was an underground manager of the W.I.P. mines at Woodlark Island. Six years later he went to Misima, prosnecting, and remained there 36 years. His wife died two years ago.
Jack McLaren, who is now a writer of books —Hutchinsons are about to publish “Gentlemen of the Empire”—is said to have been a deep-sea pearl-diver, a san dalwood cutter, a hunter of birds of paradise, and a trader in copra in some of the Pacific Islands.
Captain Joseph Davies, an Englishman who went to Fiji about 40 years ago as an engineer and who later served with the Fiji Shipping Co. as master of several of their trading vessels, died in Suva on January 3. He was 71 years of age. For many years Captain Davies resided at Namuka, but latterly he had lived in Suva in retirement.