Early Settlers In

Woodlark Is.

By D. H. Osborne

WHO were the earliest settlers in what is now Eastern Papua?

The Roman Catholic Mission made a settlement on Woodlark Island, but did not remain long. Some of the concrete foundations of their building still remain to mark the old site of the station.

A German settled in the Laughlin group off Woodlark, before Papua became a British possession. The Laughlins were recognised as a German possession, for a time, but were exchanged between the British and Germans for some other terri tory. The late Mr. R. E. Lee and his wife lived there for a time. At one time, a lot of copra was produced there —probably the first copra shipped from Papua. Of late years, the crops on the coconut trees have been small, due to the age of the trees.

The first traces of gold on Woodlark Island were found by a man named Burke. He was collecting orchids and birds. He saw colours of gold in a stoney bar in one of the water-courses. He re ported the matter to Dick Ede and Charlie Lobb. They prospected the creeks and found payable gold. Woodlark was a fairly rich field and living was cheap.

Some gold was worked on the coast.

There are several good anchorages, and boats from Cooktown could anchor near the mining camp. This Woodlark rush developed before the days of motor boats, and steamers were few. Miners had to depend on sailing craft. The S.E. winds were beam winds from Cooktown, and the sailing boats made fast passages during the S.E. season. The natives were friendly, and a fair quantity of native

food was obtainable at a reasonable price.

The late Jim Gallah was a hot-headed Irishman. He had hung his blankets outside his camp before leaving for his work, some distance from his camp. An other white man, passing, saw rain com ing and threw the blankets on to Gallah’s bunk. Gallah returned to the camp and missed the blankets. Without looking in his camp, he rushed off to a native village and started knocking the natives about. Two natives tackled him, one with a spear, the other with a stick. He was badly knocked about, but recovered after a few weeks’ nursing by other miners. The natives (father and son) were sentenced to imprisonment in Samarai for a short term, and the old man died before his term was finished.

Two or three years later a man named Penny was murdered by two Woodlark natives. Penny’s body was found in the water, and his death was put down to a crocodile. Later, it was proved that he was murdered, and two natives were hung for the crime. Penny had a brutal tem per and had served 9 months in Samarai goal for a savage assault on his mate on Woodlark. Penny was a hard worker.

While he was serving his sentence he cut the well known road around the island of Samarai. It was only a narrow track then, but since it has been cut much wider.

Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Barker, formerly of the Methodist Overseas Mission, Suva, Fiji, have now taken up residence in Western Australia.

Miss Helen Fagan, of the Melanesian Mission, has returned to her station on the island of Aoba, New Hebrides.

Mile. Ludovia Ozoux, formerly on the staff of Etablissements Ballande, Noumea, was chosen as the Free French “Queen” for Allies’ Day, held recently in Sydney.