Why Not Suva?
pp. 39-40 · Read in the full issue
Medical School Advocated For Papua
JI/ITH 35 years of South Pacific mission work to his credit, Pastor A. G.
Stewart, of the Australian Union Confer ence of the Seventh Day Adventists, was visiting Perth, WA, on conference work in March. Interviewed by the Perth “Daily News,” he had several interesting things to say about the “Fuzzy Wuzzies” —particularly in regard to medical and technical instruction for these natives in the post-war set-up.
“T AM a strong believer in the principles X recently voiced by General Smuts when he said, ‘Fundamentally the world needs honest and courageous appli cation of the historical Christian idea/ ” said Pastor Stewart.
“Whatever post-war plans are made for the people of the South Pacific they must include a full-time missionary programme “Much is being said of the Fuzzy- Wuzzies being worthy of the best that we can give them. Whatever form of gov ernment is to take control of this primi tive people, it should aid the missionary activities in every legitimate way pos sible, subsidising their educational and medical work, “Medical and technical schools should be established and the natives taught how best to help their own people.”
Pastor Stewart, stressing the need for making the natives self-reliant, pointed out that the force of example is much stronger when it comes from their own countrymen.
He referred to the medical school established at Suva, to train the natives as general practitioners. Such a school, he said, should be established in Papua.
Trained native nurses to travel the vil lages would save hundreds of young lives. The natives had no idea of hygiene and sanitation, and the infant mortality rate was very high.
“It is the same with education work, for which there are vast opportunities,” he said, “Natives make very effective teachers, and I have seen villages where, 12 months after the advent of a native teacher, better houses, gardens and gen eral living conditions are apparent.
“They look on the. way a white man lives as just ‘white man’s ideas.' When they see one of their own people adopt that .standard of living they will follow his example.”
The natives, he said, were keen, and quick to learn- They were very fond of music and loved to sing hymns translated for them into Pidgin English.
They were keen on games, such as cricket, football and rounders, were quick to grasp the principles of sportsman ship.
They were affectionate, reliable, and rated very highly the ideals of friendship.
Editorial Note
PASTOR STEWART’S ideas are valu able and interesting. But we can only reiterate what has already been said in the December, 1943, issue of this journal: there seems to be no good rea son why medical schools for the train ing of native medical practitioners should be set up in Papua (or anywhere else in the South Pacific) when a school for doing just that already exists, and has existed for many years, in Suva, Fiji.
Of all the Territories in the South Pacific, the Australian Territories alone did not play ball when the Suva Medical School was inaugurated. As the native health services provided in the New Guinea Territories by Australia, in place
of Suva-trained NMP\ did not exactly tower up as an imposing monument for the world to see, many people have won dered what reasons prompted Australia’s reluctance to participate in the benefits enjoyed by the other Territories. To date, no one has been able to give a satisfactory answer. Perhaps it is just a naive, natural wish to “be different.”
The argument that the New Guinea natives are “at a different stage of development” does not hold water. They are Melanesians; and, fundamentally, no different from other Melanesians in the New Hebrides, Solomons or, for that matter, Fiji. Any Territorian of any per ception whatsoever, should be able to recall at least one or two natives who,
within the scope of their limited environ ment, were 100 per cent, intelligent- It is this type of native who, with the requisite training, could bring immense benefits to his fellows.
There is only one way to see if the Suva scheme works: send a few chosen New Guinea natives there for training.
If, as appears possible, a South Pacific Regional Council is set up to .keep a steadfast, democratic eye on such gen eral matters as native health, it is unlikely that Australia will continue in her somewhat ridiculous isolationism of the past. (See article, page 5, this issue.) Two cards have recently been received in Levuka, Fiji, from Pte. Henry March ington, NZEF, who has been a prisoner of war in Germany for three years. He states that he is fit and well and is work ing in a lime quarry.