Capt. S. Elder Now

"Nearer The Fun"

From Our Own Correspondent

Noumea, Jan. 1.

AN old Solomon Islands voyager of 25 years’ standing—and still on the active list—popped in to say farewell the other day. He is Captain (“Pansy”) Syd. Elder, who has been employed on small ships, working for the American Army in these waters for the past year or more. He came to say that at last his longing to get back “up North nearer the fun,” in the places he knows best, is to be fulfilled. He has exchanged his US employ for the badge of Australia’s merchant marine.

Captain Elder is a Londoner. Since he came to the Pacific, 25 years ago, adventure has always been his lot. He was in New Guinea, in the neighbour hood of Port Moresby, in January and

February, 1942, when the place was first bombed, and was occupied in taking stores to the Australians. He brought evacuees from Samarai to Australia. The Customs Department dealt him a hard blow in Sydney, when they killed off his two cats, Whiskey and Soda, and tried to seize his fox-terrier, Gunner. Gumtier was “too fly” for them —so they put a £5O bond on him, instead.

The skipper ran the Carpenter vessel “Desikoko,” with headquarters at Pondo, in New Britain. The “Desikoko,” like himself, is still on the job. He was also captain of the motor ketch “Rogeia,” which was in the Solomons trade for years, recruiting for Burns Philp. She was last heard of in the hands of the Japs in Rabaul.

When D. O. Bell and Cadet Lillys were murdered on Malaita in October, 1927, by Sinerango native chiefs, Noru and Basiano, 17 European volunteers, includ ing Captain Elder, played a large part in Basiano’s capture (Noru conveniently died of dysentery). Basiano was after wards strung up.

The natives were very fond of Bell, whom they used to call “Father Belongme Bello,” and they were so incensed when he was murdered that 200 armed with bows and arrows came down in canoes

from North Makaita to clean up the Sinerango people.

“We brought carriers up,” Elder told me, “but Captain Harrison of the cruiser ‘Adelaide’ said ‘no fighting,’ so strategy was used. It was a brain wave, attributable to Alan Campbell, BP in spector in the group, that sent a party round to the other side of the island to come across from there, and in this way the chief was captured. Campbell won the MC in the last war; he is now a lieutenant in the navy and back in the Solomons, I understand.”

The new Resident Commissioner of BSI, Mr. O. C. Noel, OBE, has been appointed Deputy Commissioner for the Western Pacific.

Mr. Henry Dexter, formerly a trader at Milne Bay, Papua, is still growing toma toes successfully (when weather per mits!) at Hay ling Island, Hampshire, England. He writes that another old time Papuan, Mr. Jack Maclaren, is engaged in the Department of Informa tion, in London.

Lieut. E. B. Lawson, of the Ist Bat talion Fiji Labour Corps, has been appointed Secretary of the Fiji Service men’s Welfare Committee. He replaces Mrs. M. L. Bernacchi, who has resigned.

Four Seventh Day Adventist mission aries, Pastors Mitchell, Brennan and Campbell, and Mr. Howell, are now back in service in the Papua-New Guinea region.