Arrival From Ninigos

F. H. Beighton Brings News of N. Guinea Planters

THERE arrived in Sydney a couple of weeks ago Mr. F. H. Beighton, who had just arrived from Langan Plantation Ninigo Islands. The Ninigos are a very small group, lying northwards of New Guinea, and within the area now more or less occupied by the Japanese.

Mr Beighton was among the Europeans in the Ninigo and Admiralty Islands who, being isolated by the sudden Japanese invasion in January, were regarded as “a write-off”—there seemed no chances of succouring them. But, like hundreds of other Australians when thrown on their own resources, they displayed iniative and resource, and found their own way out.

Mr Beighton, a quietly-dressed, softlyspoken man did not look as if he were accustomed ’to hardship. Yet he was making his first trip south for 15 years, and he had just spent three months in open boats under the equatorial sun, and in marching hundreds of miles through some of the worst tropical jungle country in the world He brought news of a number of New Guinea citizens who had been regarded as “missing.”

“I did not see any Japanese near my island (Longan) until April.” he said.

“Then some Japanese warships came along and a seaplane came over and had a look at us.

“They did not stop—they went on to Morong Island, which is part of the Admiralty group It was occupied by Mr.

T J McEvoy. I see that you have reported that McEvoy was killed in Rabaul, or somewhere.

“ A BOUT the end of June four of us got A together, and left the Ninigos in a 30-feet pinnace. There were William Tupling of Telleluha; R. M. Crook, who managed Malmal plantation for Burns Philp; Morton Johnston, a trader; and myself. The boat had an old engine. which gave a lot of trouble, but Johnston knew a good deal about engines and he kent it going pe had plenty of food—the ship had called and left us six months’ supplies just before the Japanese war.

“From there we went on to Matv Island, where Ken McCall was stationed.

He joined us, and then we made south for the mainland We then were five

Europeans and seven natives. Yes, it was a bit crowded.

“We eventually made the mainland.

We had been four days coming from the Ninigos. The only European in this area was Wally Hooke, a well-known recruiter and trader.

“We proceeded along the coast, via Boram and Wewak to Madang. Most people had gone, but the administration officials were still there, on the job. At Sek (Madang) the engine of our boat gave up the ghost altogether, and our party broke up. 1 CANNOT tell you our route from there on; but Crook and I eventu ally arrived in the high interior. We had with us two men from the northern coast of New Guinea, who were too sick to walk —Roper, who was carried in a chair, and Gray, who was helped along.

Gray came from Karkar Island, and Roper was manager of Siar plantation.

“After waiting for a week, Crook, Ned Rowlands, Patrol Officer Neilsen and I decided to make out to the Papuan coast, by what appeared to be the most direct route. It is an impos sible route, but Ned Rowlands, who has been mining in that country for 10 years and knows it well, was able to show us the way. We had 30 carriers and two police boys, but not very much food.

“It is poisonous country—indescribably wild and rough, and the natives are very primitive and have seldom seen white men. No new chum ever would get through. We had to cross the limestone belt—very difficult country—but we avoided the Purari Gorge, which is reputed to be a sort of death-trap.

“We eventually struck the upper waters of a river which leads onto the Gulf, and we came down to the new jungle village of Kariava. It was our first sight of civilisation. We went down to the coast in canoes, and walked along the coast until we got a pinnace to Port Moresby.”

Mr. Beighton said that very few Euro peans now remained in the northern part of New Guinea. They had all gone from Manus (Admiralty Islands) before the Japanese arrived there, and there were none now left in the Ninigos. He had heard that the Japs arrived in the Nini gos a few days after his party left.