Lady Of The Ramu

Another New Guinea Pioneering Story by Alice Allen Innes

rR sheer pluck and dogged determina tion, It would be hard to beat Mrs.

Alexander Pea don, of the Ramu, who settled on a spot marked “Uncontrolled Area,” and “Unsafe lor women. it was on the Upper Ramu River, with no other white women nearer than the Kambai dam, four days’ walk away, and where an assistant district officer was later speared.

Very often during her residence there Mrs. Peadon heard blood-curdling battle cries and saw the various tribes going out on raiding and punitive expeditions, and almost daily tribal fighting raged around her very homestead; but she remained by her husband’s side un daunted.

WHEN the Pea dons arrived in Rabaul in 1932, they applied to the Adminis tration lor a permit to travel into the Uncontrolled Area. The “powers that be” in Rabaul refused permission, but suggested that they approach the District Officer in charge at Madang. So off to Madang they went. The Madang District Officer tried to dissuade them, and refused to take the responsibility of issuing a permit. He suggested they radio Rabaul, but Rabaul authorities merely radioed back, “Too unsafe for women.” As far as they were concerned, that closed the matter.

But they had reckoned without Mrs.

Peadon. She was bitterly disappointed, but not beaten. Feeling it was within her power to assist her husband in many ways in that new country, she decided to do her best to enter it despite official disapproval.

A dairy herd and a pony were sent on ahead, with trusted natives accustomed to handling cattle, and meanwhile, in Madang, Mr. and Mrs. Peadon prepared for the trip. Six horses, a bullock and seven native carriers were loaded, also a number of Dilbu boys who were return ing to their mountain village and had offered to carry and act as guides for the party.

Their road ran through an area of tropical forest, swampy in some parts, hilly in others: dense jungle tracks where flowering vines hampered their passage.

A wealth of strange tropical flowers and gaily plumaged birds were sources of incessant interest. A climb of 2,000 feet brought them to the first house-kiap or Government rest house, and there they made camp.

It was a remarkably clear night, cool and intensely still, save for the dark shadows that passed ever backwards and forwards near the great welcoming fires

the natives had prepared for them. Miles below, lay the forests and coastline, with Madang away in the distance; and there Mr. and Mrs. Peadon sat and planned their route. Inspired by the primitive beauty- of it all, feeling that the uncon quered lands were going to be kind to them.

At sunrise the next morning they packed for the second stage of the great adventure: A day of climbing up and down mountain spurs—“fashion belong fly.” Mrs. Peadon, who had fever badly, was so exhausted that she had to be car ried for six hours, up a narrow, tortuous path barely the width of the bush stretcher on which she lay. On one side rose the steep face of the mountain; on the other, the cliff dropped sharply away to its base hundreds of feet below. She had to steel herself from screaming as the stretcher swung dizzily out over the edge of the path, its slight frame all that stood between her and the .horrifying depths below.

Towards sundown they came, gladly,

to Azinu Mission Station, on the border of the uncontrolled area. Man, woman and beast alike were grateful for the brief rest. The cattle had been coaxed and driven with untiring patience. Often they had been dragged up steep, slippery slopes, shouting boys tugging furiously as the animals slipped back. This tug of war gave the natives a great chance to yell and scream, until the hills echoed the din, and all bird life was agitated into calls, pipings, or parrot screams.

The travellers went to the house-kiap and unpacked gratefully after that stren uous trip. In the little kunai-grass house Mrs. Peadon made camp, and took out the two prospecting dishes which served also for culinary purposes—two prospect ing dishes make a fine stove in which to bake a jam tart. At any rate, a four course dinner, perfectly cooked by Mrs.

Peadon, was served to the hungry ones— a feast to remember for the rest of the trip, after many monotonous meals of rice and boys’ biscuits. rjIHEN, once again at sunrise the little A party set off. They must have needed a tremendous amount of pluck for this stage, as the country is notoriously wild, and before then no white woman had ever penetrated beyond the mission, owing to the natives, who

were still an unknown quantity.

They climbed down the steep slopes that led to Ara-Wasa village, and what a commotion was caused among the wild kanakas by the sight of their first white woman!

Yelling and shouting, over a hundred men, women and children danced around the newcomers. Mrs. Peadon was poked about the arms and body, her hair was pulled to see if it was real, her face was patted with grimy paws, and her clothes were thoroughly examined. Might was right here, so Mrs. Peadon wisely sub mitted to her role of a mannequin in the wilds, smiled and made friendly gestures as she underwent her examination.

Unfortunately, her appearance so in trigued the natives that she could get no privacy even to undress or bathe, and in that lawless land one dared not even appear resentful, much less attempt to drive off invaders.

Then once again they trekked. The kunai plains, with never a tree or stunted bush in sight, had to be crossed. Four days of nightmare! Bush mochas, those most vicious of bush insects, caused the most intense agony from itch.

During this part of the trip, the Ramu River was crossed and recrossed thirty times altogether, some of the crossings being very dangerous. Then they came to the Markham’s upper reaches. It was swiftly flowing and dangerous-looking.

The party camped and decided to test the river and find a ford. Fortunately, a Markham native came into the camp and offered to show them across at a spot where it was safe and shallow.

Maybe the river had recently altered its course, as is not unusual, or maybe the strange youth was a bad judge, though most natives are very reliable in such matters. Whichever it was, that crossing gave the master and mistress a narrow

escape from death. Huge boulders and torrential waters almost swept Mrs. Pea don’s pony off its feet, and only the strength and promptness of the Markham lad saved her from being washed away.

Bruised against the boulders and drenched to the skin, the party finally landed on the opposite bank where, worn out, they made camp.

On again they weSt over more uneven country, recrossed the Markham, and once more climbed up the steep ranges. At last they reached the Morobe fall of the range, and Kambaidam, where Mr and Mrs. Bergmann of the Lutheran Mission had their lonely home. mSS® 1 thT g ? ouse - kiap Azinu Mission, there had been no rest houses 0 f any kind; but here indeed they found a most hospitable reception, and a home a traveller’s dream come true m the way of a rest house. beautiful gardens, where grew po^toes ’ cabbages and aspara- J h + l re mplb K erry trees proved the fertility of the soil by coming into bear- S? “s° ld - J L wa ?

Dst unbelievable to see this wealth of I°^ “ a spot which lay only a few miles away from the tabu country S £s®**°?* and most untamable tribes ° f NeW GUlnea ' (was compelled to stay ere r , for thr . ee ? 01 i th ! whl , le Mr cnifohS^? 11 f wen t ahead to select a suitable site for their first permanent last Mrs Peadon IK chos ? n Slt £ K sk of + a f h i? me -f. uc & a wilderness, a £2? g ± to f tally ” ncivlllse( i natives whose chief object in life seemed to be waging war upon rival tribes, must have been to make the stoutest heart quail Sf, times but a letter I received from Mrs. Peadon some time later gives no

indication of the nightmarish times through which she had oSsed 1 5 are inoSr new hom and have a top-hole tennis court almost cSmoltted ” she wrote, “Our garden if welf stlrtea We are three-auarters nf an hn irl S from the newly made RamS choml and you will know how grateful we arcto have contadt with the outer world Vn d^ excitement was |om of mlgazhies and papers most appreciated and Mr O’Dea the cX P nTto see Do come and visit us’’ g TOURING my residence in New Guinea I U tried to carry out a good-neihbour policy and, Ihenever^SsZf magazines, papers etc to those lonelv women, well what a boon any reading mltter would be to them I mlde it my Cness to Mrs.

Peadon at the earliest moment, and the same Pilot O’Dea referred to by Mrs.

Peadon made my trip doubly interesting by varying his usual route to cover many new native villages From the air one of thesehadan S tonosTim appear! ance, with round houses grouped on a hilltop-the first New Guinea round houses I had seen A very delighted hostess greeted me, her first white woman visitor thifbltag the first tad se“r since farewelling her at Salamaua.

So, on my battered suitcase is scrawled a rare travelling label nestling nmonp labels country 111 Eur °P e > concrete evidence of my flight from Salamaua to Ramu. It is one of my proudest possessions, for I felt it a great privilege to be able to visit and personally congratulate vet another such outstanding g New Guinea woman pioneer as Mrs. Lex Peadon of Ramu.