We Of The Gira

Lett's New Book Revives Old Memories

MR. R. A. VIVIAN (formerly Papuan Public Service, and now living in retirement at Magnetic Island, Townsville) writes in warm praise of Mr.

Hewis Lett’s new book, “Papuan Gold.”

He says that the only people now remain ing, who have memories of the old gold digging days, are Mr. W. H. Osborne (who was a storekeeper and digger at Gira), Mr. L. A. Joubert (who was a digger at Milne Bay and Yodda), and Mr. Vivian himself, who was an official and digger at Gira. Two others, who came a little later, were Mi. L. P. B. Armit and Mr.

T. Craig, who were in mercantile employ ment at Samarai.

Mr. Vivian says that Mr. Lett probably met those old hands about 1909, when the remnants of them went through Port Moresby to Lakekamu. The principal ones were Matt Crowe from the Kelly country of Victoria), Frank and Jim Pryke, and Jerry Ford, one of the most dry (albeit, generally most wet, alcoholically) of Erin’s sons.

“The word ‘digger’ had a British New Guinea application,” writes Mr. Vivian, “and well I remember Frank Pryke, one day in Samarai, reciting in an hotel ‘The Digger’s Brigade,’ a composition of his own. Probably the most interesting ‘characters’ of those days had gone West before Mr. Lett entered Papua, and I sup pose much of his material was culled from official records —which, none the less, always had ‘colour’ in them. It is to his credit that they have been resuscitated, well and worthily, * “We Gira-ites knew that we were only on the fringe of a very rich alluvial de posit of gold. This later was proved when Matt Crowe, A. Darling, and a few others sneaked over the border into Ger man New Guinea —and, before them, one, Bob Cairns. Hence, when Billy (Shark eye) Park made a break into the for bidden land, in 1916 (I remember the year, because Billy had asked me to accompany him) he knew that if he persevered he would strike something rich.

He did.

“It amuses me to read ‘discoveries’ in Papua by Army personnel, and sundry war correspondents. They are not aware that the Silent Service had its counter part in British New Guinea and, later, Papua. In fact, we of the earlier days, generally regarded those who entered Papua as new chums.”