Missionary
p. 35 · Read in the full issue
Death of Rev. A. Mason, Solomons Missionary
NEWS has just been received that Rev.
Albert Mason died in Christchurch, NZ, at the end of August, after 28 years’ service with the Melanesian Mission. Mr. and Mrs. Mason were in New Zealand, away from their station at Fiu, Malaita, BSI, when the Japs struck in the Solomons area, and they were un able to return. Mr. Mason was appointed priest-in-charge of St. Andrew’s, Canter bury, NZ, but towards the end of July he became seriously ill. It was thought that he would recover after treatment; but, on August 25, he passed away.
Mr. Mason was trained in England and joined the mission in 1914. The whole of his service was spent in Malaita, where much of his travelling was performed by whale boat.
He married in 1920 and has a son in the RNZAF. Mrs. Mason hopes to be allowed to return to Malaita eventually to carry on her work among native women, and also translation work.
Dr. J. M. Thomas, of Tavua, Fiji, has been granted an emergency Commission in the Indian Army Medical Service, and will leave Fiji soon to take up his duties.
The death has occurred in Noumea of Mr. Cecil Rudolph Lidgey, an English mining chemist, who first went to New Caledonia in the 1890’s, one of the band of mining experts (many of them Eng lish) who have helped to make the Caledonian industry what it is to-day.
War-useful minerals form 93 per cent, of exports of this Colony. This, together with its strategic position on the Australia-America supply line, is why Japan schemed for and coveted New Caledonia.