Jubilee of New Guinea

Mission

IN August this year the New Guinea Mission, the Church of England missionary organisation working in the eastern end of Papua, will celebrate its Jubilee of 50 years’ work in the Territory.

Plans are now afoot for large-scale celebrations at the head station, Dogura.

In addition, the Mission, through the Australian Board of Missions, will make a special drive throughout the Common wealth to provide funds for extending its fine work in Papua.

It was on August 10, 1891. that Rev.

Albert Maclaren and Rev. Copland King landed from a whale-boat on the shores of Bartle Bay and chose a site for the first mission station, on a plateau a mile back from the beach. There, to-day, stands the new Anglican Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, built in 1939.

Maclaren and King were joined in October, 1891, by Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Tomlinson and Mr. C. E. Kennedy.

Shortly afterwards, King became ill and returned to Australia. Two months later, on his way south for medical treatment, Maclaren died on board the steamer just before reaching Cooktown, Qld. Some of the supporters of the Mission in Aus tralia then advocated the abandonment of the enterprise, but the little party at Dogura carried on. Later, King recovered sufficiently to take charge in Papua again.

Nowadays, the New Guinea Mission has a staff of nearly 30 European and native priests and some 25 European women missionaries. The present bishop is Rt.

Rev. Philin Strong. MA, who came out from England in 1937.