Fiji Pioneer

Mr. G. Wright's Part in the Murderous "Ba Campaign"

DURING the first week of last month, on April 6, Mr, Georgius Wright, an old pioneer of Fiji, celebrated his 88th birthday. Despite his years, he is still hale and hearty, and lives in retirement in Suva, with an unbroken period of 68 years’ residence in the Colony to his credit.

Born at Forest Hill, England, Mr.

Wright accompanied his parents to Aus tralia in 1856 and was there associated with various military bodies until his departure for Fiji 15 years later. In 1887 he married Mary Eliza, daughter of Captain Benjamin Hughes, of Water town, New York, U.S.A.

Mr. Wright is one of that fast dwindling band of adventurous men who took part in the stirring early days of Fiji that now belong to history, and a correspondent in Fiji has sent the fol lowing details of Mr. Wright’s career; — On February 7, 1872, the storm-bat tered barque “Meteor” wearily nosed through the reef passage at Levuka, at that time capital of the Fiji Islands, after a 21-days’ voyage from Sydney, and berthed at the little wharf opposite the Supreme Court House. Among the passengers was bluff George Augustus Woods, Premier of the Cakobau Gov ernment, and five young men whom he had engaged in Sydney to act as ser geant-instructors to the old king’s troops.

Two days later, the schooner “Marie Louise” set sail for the mainland, carry ing a punitive expedition to avenge the brutal murder by cannibals of the Burns family at Vunisamaloa, on the upper reaches of the Ba River. The troops comprised some 40 partly-trained native soldiers, a major, lieutenant, two gentlemen volunteers, and Sergeant- Instructor Georgius Wright—the only member of the five recent arrivals chosen to accompany the expedition, and, subsequently, the only European to go right through the murderous “Ba Campaign”, from the storming of the cannibal stronghold, Korowaiwai, to the of Nabutautau. From that time on, until the end of “Sir Arthur Gordon’s Little War”, in 1876, Mr.

Wright was prominently engaged in instructing and commanding the native troops against the savages.

Then followed long service with the British Government, culminating in the post of Governor’s Commissioner of Colo West, a large province of Viti Levu. He retired in 1912.

After a lapse of several years, Mr.

Wright was appointed Curator of the Fiji Museum, but at a later stage gave up all active life to live quietly at his residence, “Navosa”, in Suva.

Mr. Tom Lewis, of the Commonwealth Bank, Rabaul, left New Guinea for Aus tralia via New Zealand early in May.

Mr. and Mrs. D. A. Butler, returned to Suva, Fiji, late in April after spend ing furlough in New Zealand. He is man ager of the Union S.S. Co., Ltd.’s Suva branch.

Mr. J. Baird, treasurer of the Norfolk Island Association, arrived in Sydney re cently from N.I.