George Aumuller

In Tribute to the Late George Aumuller

Letter to the Editor DURING the last few days several friends have suggested that I record some thoughts and memories of George Aumuller. I feel that I should do so, although it needs an abler pen than mine to do justice to his memory.

Not that George Aumuller was a great marl, in the accepted sense, he was too serene, too modest to achieve that sort of eminence. But he was a good man, in every sense of the word, with nothing pretentious about him. He had dignity and charm and culture, but this last quality was of the simpler kind. George Aumuller knew nothing of the intricate formulae that show men of erudition how to destroy a simple belief.

Most of us spend our lives in the pursuit of happiness; some men find it in constant work; some in family affection and the companionship of friends; others achieve it by storing up all that is best out of the past, and by using it as a talisman against the ills of the present.

George Aumuller sought and found a good measure of happiness in each of these diverse ways. But he seemed to find a deeper joy in helping others over broken roads and the rocks of misfor tune. All sorts of men went to him for aid and guidance, and few, if any, went empty away. He seemed to regard it as a part of his daily task to help all those who went to him for advice or assistance.

Not infrequently, we come upon men who seem to be neither good nor evil.

They are morally indefinite. But George Aumuller was not like that. Although he was slow to criticise his fellow men, he would not palliate wrong doing. He was morally definite.

Many years ago, I saw much of him, especially in Samarai, and there I had many glimpses of his standard of thought and conduct. Clear, undimmed by the passing years, is a memory I have of him in that town. A mutual friend was complaining to George that a certain Doctor who had practiced in that town had, by wrong treatment, done only harm to “A” and “X,” and had done nothing in respect of his own complaint. George listened patiently to this disappointed man for some time, and then said “Yes, John, but think of all the good he did for others.”

That was George Aumuller, of whom we who are left can say, each one of us who knew him well, “He was my friend, faithful and just to me.” 1 am, etc.,

Richard Humphries.

Port Moresby, 21/3/47.

A Tribute From Samarai

Prom Our Samarai Correspondent THE news of the death in Sydney of George Aumuller, on March 10, came as a shock to all residents at this end of the Territory.

He was a man extremely well liked by both Europeans and natives, and his pass ing will leave a gap that will be difficult to fill. His friends were numerous and his enemies few, if any.

George Aumuller was a good man, strictly honest in his dealings with his fellow-men. He had a sympathetic nature, and always was ready to help those who got into difficulty. He had spent many years, in Samarai and elsewhere, as a manager of Burns, Philp branche; and his business ability was unchallenged.

This country needs men like George Aumuller. The difficult times we are passing through require such men, with stability, understanding and endurance.

I can picture George Aumuller now, standing half-way up those 110 steps which led to his home on the Island, hat

in hand, on a hot day, just waiting there long enough to get his breath, before pro ceeding to the top. He will never be seen standing there again, but his memory will live on here, where he spent many years of his life.

On behalf of the residents of Samarai and surrounding Islands, I offer to Mrs.

Aumuller and her two daughters our heart-felt sympathy.