Monsignor Hannan For

Mission Field

AFTER nine years as National Director of Pontifical Mission works in Aus tralia, Monsignor Hannan has resign ed in order to volunteer for practical work in the Solomons mission field.

War losses have sadly depleted the ranks of all missionary societies in the Pacific and to help solve this problem, the Roman Catholic Church in Australia recently ap pealed to Australian priests to volunteer for several years mission service. Pre-war, most mission personnel came from Europe or America.

Monsignor Hannan (who has the or ganising ability and shrewd vision usually found in trained business men), has done a great deal for mission work already; but

he has always cherished an ambition to work as a missionary in the field. He will be stationed somewhere in the Vicariate of the Northern Solomons (Bougainville).

His place in Australia as Director of Mission Works will be taken by the Rev.

Father A. R. E. Thomas, who has been Director of Mission Aid Societies in Syd ney since 1939.

United States Memorial Dav was ob served in Fiji on May 30, when a service was held at the Allied Military Cemetery in Suva in honour of the men who are buried there. The Governor was repre sented at the ceremony by his ADC, Major Preston, and the American Consul and representatives of the Fiji Military Forces and the RNZAF were also present.

Mr. James Ellis, formerly of Rabaul, who was one of the half-dozen civilians who survived the Japanese occupation of the town, is about to proceed to Port Moresby, where he will commence busi ness as an electrical contractor. Mrs.

Ellis, who was well-known in Rabaul prior to the invasion, left for Port Moresby by plane on July 5.

After 24 years residence in Papua as a member of the Public Service, Mr. A. W.

Marshall resigned from the Provisional Administration Service a few weeks ago, and he is now settled down in Brisbane.

He was president of the Papuan Public Service Association; and, in that office, he was not enthusiastic about what he saw when he returned to Papua last year.

He was one of the “old hands” who were sharply critical of Administration condi tions in the early part of 1946, and, after a series of incidents he decided it would be better to return to Australia and ac cept the status of “a suspended officer of the Papuan Administration.”

It has been officially confirmed that Sub-Lieutenant Con Page, RANVR, who was a resident of New Ireland, was ex ecuted by the Japs about July, 1942. He undertook very dangerous reconnaissance work in New Ireland, and was caught by the Japanese. He was Mentioned in De spatches.

Mrs. Frank Luff, formerly of Wewak and Madang, New Guinea, was a passenger on the “Montoro” which left Sydney on July 8. She will rejoin her husband in Madang.

During the war years she was a Red Cross officer in North Australia; she received her discharge only recently—after a spell in 113 AGH, this time as a patient.

Methodist missionaries who have re turned to stations in Papua and New Guinea in recent months include the Rev. W. B. Davies, the Rev. and Mrs.

A. W. Guy, and the Rev. and Mrs. H. T.

Shotton and their two children.

A number of New Guinea men are still in 113 AGH (Sydney military hospital).

Those there recently included Sid. Farn ham, “Scotty” Sutherland, Bill Money (since discharged) and Lieutenant Mos man. Territorian friends who have lost touch with them could contact these men there.