Death of H. T. Coghill

Link With Papua's Early Days

ANOTHER Of Papua’s old pioneers passed away when Henry Thomas Coghill died from pneumonia at the age of 63, at a military hospital, on April 26, 1945. He was buried in the Port Moresby cemetery.

He was born at Gunning, NSW, in 1882, and was well-known in that State as a cyclist and sprinter.

Mr. Coghill arrived in Papua in 1910, and spent a number of years mining on Woodlark Island; later he managed the Bonivat Hotel at Kulamadau on Wood lark.

From Woodlark he went to Port Moreby, and opened a guest house. Old-timers will remember the interesting pioneering stories he had to relate, and also his wife, Lucy, who was one of the most charm ing and. lovable hostesses in the Terri tory.

In 1924 the Coghills left Port Moresby for the Upoia oilfields. It was in that district, at Orokolo, that Mr. Coghill took up land and started planting.

In 1929, Mrs. Coghill died in Cairns after a short illness; this came as a great blow to her husband, and it took him many years to get over the shock.

He carried on his business, with his only child, Lucy, whom he idolised. She was the replica of her mother in looks, charm, and manner.

In 1930 Lucy married W. P. Burke, a planter of the same district, and both businesses of planting and trading were amalgamated.

Two years later Lucy died very sud denly at Orokolo. The shock was so great to her father that he lost all interest in life, and he spent most of his time travelling from place to place.

When the Japanese invaded the coun try, he refused to leave, and being too old for military service went inland, liv ing on the country with the aid of his rifle.

As things settled he drifted back to the beach; the Army supplied him with rations, but he could not settle; one never knew where to find him.

His only survivor is Lucy Dawn Burke, his granddaughter, now in Melbourne.

Everyone in Papua, including ANGAU,

knew that Sgt. F. W. Burke was the son-in-law of Coghill, and that they had lived as father and son for 15 years.

Coghill had no other relative on the lASlr^(i 1 A S lr^ ( i’ TT a ? 1 d * s a P oor reflection on ANGAU that it took six weeks for that body to notify Burke of his father’s death despite the fact that Moresby HQ had had frequent telephone conversations with Sgt. Burke during that period.

As it was, an old pioneer passed away, and was buried by strangers.