Lutheran Mission Ship Sails
p. 81 · Read in the full issue
For New Guinea
NINETY children from St. Peter’s Lutheran College, Indooroopilly, Brisbane, attended a farewell service recently for the 114-ton mission schooner “EMK" which left for New Guinea in April. Hundreds of members of the Lutheran Church stood on the Nixon- Smith Wharf and took part in the service which was conducted from the bridge of the schooner.
The president of the Queensland District (the Rev. M. Lohe) said that the “EMK” would replace tw'o mission schooners which had been lost during the war after they had been used to evacuate hundreds of Australian soldiers from Rabaul.
The Rev. Lohe said that the story of the bravery and sacrifice of Lutheran missionaries during the war had never been fully told. Hundreds of thousands of pounds would have to be spent to re habilitate the missions, not one of which was now standing.
On board the schooner were several Americans, one Canadian, and two Aus tralians all bound for Lae to minister to 60,000 natives between there and Madang.
In charge of the party was the Rev.
Arnold M. Maahs, 37 year old Pittsburg preacher who served for three years in
Brisbane during the war as a Lieutenant- Colonel padre with the American Far East Air Force. His wife, and three children accompanied him.
The Australians were Mr. August Bertelsrnaier, lay missionary of Temora (NSW), and Mrs. Bertelsrnaier. Mr.
Bertelsrnaier was a prisoner of war of the Japanese for 16 months. The Canadian of the party was Mr. Douglas Daechsel, lay missionary. The other Americans were the Rev. and Mrs. Paul Schultz, of West Virginia.
Mr. Richard Humphries does not get many opportunities, nowadays to wield his facile pen. He is now Director of Native Labour in the Provisional Administration of Papua-New Guinea, and report says the job is no bed of roses. However, we are reminded of his literary gifts when we hear the Education authorities broadcast ing from Port Moresby, in Motuan, some of his dramatised stories, for the enter tainment of Papuan villagers with receiv ing sets. “Dickie” Humphries was senior Magistrate, resident in Port Moresby, when the Jap invasion destroyed the for mer Civil Administration. He did a war time job in ANGAU, and to him was en trusted the rather horrible task of investigating and officially reporting upon the cruel murder of missionary women by the Japs in North-east Papua.