Madang Patriots

Fine Record of 113 Madang Patriots

mHE Repatriation Commission, which JL controls all patriotic funds, has approved of a proposal put forward by the Committee of the Madang War Charities’ Association to wind up the Association by paying the balance of funds in hand to the New Guinea Women’s Club for the fund for the re habilitation of civil internees and pri soners of war and their dependants.

The Association has done good work since its establishment in January, 1941.

From its inception it received the whole hearted support of the residents of the Madang District, and its disbursements include: — £lOO to London Relief Funds; £lOO to Lady Gowrie Red Cross Fund; £5O to the Salvation Army; £75 to the Rabaul Comforts Fund; £lOO to Great Britain Civilian War Victim Relief Fund; £25 to the Australian Red Cross: Presents to local AIF enlistees, £45 In April, 1941, a general meeting re solved that a drive be started to collect £75 per month to be forwarded to the Commonwealth Government for a war effort, and that sum was realised and despatched without fail up to the time of the Japanese invasion of the Terri tory.

Considering that the Madang District had a white population of about 113, aided generously by the Asiatic residents, the Association has a record of which it may well be proud.

Now that the war has ended, and the New Guinea Women’s Club had estab lished a fund for assistance of New Guinea

people, the Committee of the Association felt that it could not do better than hand over the balance of its funds for rehabilitation purposes. In doing so, it is hoped that the Asiatics who sup ported the effort, when they were able, and who have been through such stren uous and difficult times in enemy hands, will not be overlooked.