Missionaries

News of New Britain Missionaries

AN extract from a letter in the “Mis sionary Review,” from Etuat Matbit, a native of New Ireland, who was a teacher-in-training at the Methodist George Brown College, at Vunairima, New Britain, at the time of the Japan ese invasion: “The missionary who was. in charge of the college at Vunairima was put in prison by the Japanese; the Sister, Miss Beale, also. We did not see their faces again. They had gone amongst the people and were not able to return to Vunairima because the fighting had come. The Sister, Miss Beale, was put in prison at Vunapopi. Other missionaries, Mr. Linggood, Mr. Pearson, Mr. Wayne, and our chairman, who lived at Mala kuna, were also imprisoned. We did not see them, we only heard this word.

“The headmaster of the college, Mr.

Trevitt, and the technical instructor, Mr.

Beazley, took care of us all when Mr.

Pearson and Miss Beale went amongst the people and did not return.

“We have had no news of the other Sisters.

“The soldiers of Japan have come to Rabaul, and there are no pigs or fowls, the bananas and all other foods have all been spoilt. Now the people lack food, and when it was finished they made the people prisoners. There were 35 of us from Kavieng in the prison.

“Peni Vonana and I are now working at .the town they call Port Moresby.

There are a great number of us here who came from Rabaul. The Japanese took us prisoners to carry cargo. To-day Port Moresby is full of us. The place I work at is FELO, Port Moresby.

“Another thing the Government wished some of us to see the things of the war in Australia. They sent us from Port Moresby to Brisbane. The boys we were amongst have gone to some other place I do not know of, and I am by myself here in Brisbane. I am waiting until a ship comes that is going to Port Moresby, then I will go on it.

“Another thing I forgot to tell you about concerning the college at Vunai rima. The Japanese completely destroyed it and the house of Mr. Trevitt, too.”