Tropicalities

MODERN newspapers! The following report of the recent double Royal wedding in Tonga, from the Syd ney “Sun”, takes the literary bun. (Photo graphs and more authentic details of the event are published elsewhere in this issue). Says the, “Sun” with splash and enthusiasm: — “The richness and colour of the South Seas, combined with the simplicity of the Wesleyan Church when two Tongan Princes were married to two Maori Princesses.

“The massively proportioned Crown Prince of Tonga, Prince Tupoutautungi and his younger brother, Prince Fata fehi Tui Pelehake, married the slender, aristocratic Maori princesses, Princess Te Puea and Princess Piki in the Royal Chapel.

“Seven thousand hushed Tongans en circled the palace in a carpet of human colour, drenched in dazzling tropical sun shine as majestic Queen Salote (she is 6 ft. 3 in. tall) led her two sons from the Palace to the Chapel.

“Tall statuesque Samoans and bushy headed Fijians strode among European women in trailing party frocks and pic ture hats from Sydney and Auckland.

“The Tongan women wore voiles and cottons gathered at the waist by belts of finely-woven matting—a mark of for mality.

“A Maori wail of greeting heralded the two Princesses who, nervous, but stately, walked to the Chanel along a path of Tapa cloth smoothed out for them by the cld men and women.” * * * THE following two “howlers” occurred in native schools in Fiji. They are reported in the Church “Gazette” of Polynesia:— (a) “The Gote. —There is two kinds of animal, one which can fly and .another which can’t flv and have four legs. One of it is gote. He have four legs, two eyes, two ears one stumack, and a beautiful tale. When he is made into curry I like him. The End.” (b) “Flies cause disease because they carry germans on their feet,”

“For obvious reasons,” says the “Gaz ette”, smugly, “the authors wish to re main anonymous.”

A BRISK gentleman, who arrived on the latest plane, entered the office of a local trading establishment and inquired of the head clerk —himself a newcomer—if the store had in stock a certain type of lamp-glass.

The new clerk was most anxious to prove polite and helpful. “No,” he said, “I am very sorry, but we have none at present. Try at X. Y. Blank, Ltd., fur ther along the road there. But just take my tip—ask in the store for a fellow named O. So-and-So —he’s a good! sort —and get him to take vou round the back and look for one. It’s no use asking at the counter for anything in that place —they are too b lazy to stir them selves.”

The brisk gentleman drew himself to his full height and fixed the new clerk with an icy gaze as he replied: “I beg to differ with you there —I happen to be the travelling superintendent of X. Y.

Blank, Ltd.!” “B.” * * * THIS photograph, by A. Gibson of Port Moresby, was taken during the May conference between mission bodies and the Administration. It shows two of the best known Catholic missionaries in the Papua-New Guinea Territory—Brother George and Father William Ross.

Brother George (on the left) has his headquarters at Yule Island, Papua, and is Master of the 15-ton mission boat “Gemma”.

He holds a large native bamboo pipe in his hands —a unique instrument, according to Brother George, but it would need a professional anthropolo gist to describe it ade quately.

Father Ross is the pioneer missionary of the Mt. Hagen area in New Guinea, and was the first white man to follow the trail of the discoverers, Dan and Mick Leahy. He built a beautiful station there but when a mission brother was subsequently sneared by local natives the Mt. Hagen area ex cept close to the mission

stations, was closed. Father Ross therefore was jubilant when the Administrator announced at the confer ence that the Highlands were again to be opened up for missionary work.

Many residents of north New Guinea enjoyed Father Ross’ hospitality in 1942 when they walked overland from the Sepik and congregated at Mt. Hagen be fore being rescued by plane.

He celebrated the 25th anniversary of his ordination in June and it was expec ted that many distinguished mission visitors would be visiting Mt. Hagen for the occasion. Father Ross is an American —hailing from New Jersey—and he has a Yankee sense of humour. While strolling around Port Moresby he met a little girl playing with a balloon. He asked, “Where did you get it, duckie?”

“I got it from Father Christmas,” said the little girl.

“Well,” said Father Ross, “I’m Father Christmas’s twin brother!”

The little girl looked at him for a moment or two —particularly at his long

beard—then she said with finality; “Father Christmas is my Dad!” “M”. * * * THE latest copy of “Rabaul News (a roneoed newspaper published in Pid gin by the Administration, and dis tributed to the native community), runs a full front page story of the Admin istrator’s recent visit. “Administrator (No. 1 Gavaman) bilong Papua na New Guinea i kamap Rabaul,” announces the bold headline.

In its story the paper provides an in teresting account of a performance given for the Administrator by the Matupi choir at the home of District Officer, C.

D. Bates. This is one of the choirs which took part in a mass choral com petition on Empire Day.

After the performance, the Adminis trator addressed the assembled natives: “i tenkiu long 01, long oli sing gudpela tumas.” He was very pleased to hear them singing, he added, because song is an expression of happiness, and it is the aim of the Government to make all the peoples of New Guinea happy.

“Rabaul News” gives a fair local cov erage. In this one issue there are many pointers to conditions in present-day Rabaul. On page two, native owners of vehicles (a common phenomenon in post-war New Guinea) are told of the necessity for obtaining a motor licence.

Page three contains an apneal for hos pital trainees, pointing out the great im portance of medical services, and adding an alternative inducement for the less altruistic: “pai na kaikai baimbai i gud pela tumas.”

An exhortation to refrain from drink-

ing whisky underlines another post war social problem; there has been a serious epidemic of native drinking since the war. A more welcome note is struck by a long account of a large sing-sing and feast at Malaguna. And the last item in the paper continues the culinary theme; it announces that two gentle men named To Rokota and Tokunei have opened a “haus kaikai” at which they offer soup, tea and stew, among other attractions. PM. * ♦ ♦ MOST Territorians forget—if they ever knew —that it was once believed that the interior of Papua was uninhab ited.

It was Captain C. A. W. Monckton, in 1906, who exploded the fallacy. He led an expedition inland and did not find one ‘tract of country that had not been occupied by natives.

A much-used native track, travel sing

(Continued on page 46.)

the highest peak of Mount Albert Ed ward. and leading towards the Chirima River, convinced him that, even in those mountainous regions, natives were to be found. In that area Captain Monckton pitched camp (12,883 feet) with the ther mometer registering 34 degrees Fahren heit at 8 a.m.

On May 20 of the same year, Captain Monckton ascended the highest peak of Mount Albert Edward —named after the Prince of Wales —and found, in the vic inity of the summit, two lakes. Those lakes, although deep and tinged with a beautiful hue, were not extensive. Dur ing the night the thermometer fell to 26 degrees Fahrenheit and water was frozen.

This is a very different picture to that usually associated with “torrid” New

Guinea. Ross Milton Henry.

rESE two charming young ladies are members of well-known Fiji families.

On the left is Miss Suzanne Kings mill, ‘daughter of Mr. and Mrs. N. T.

Kingsmill, now of Chatswood, Sydney. On the right is Miss Jill Reay, of Fiji. The photographs were taken at the Empire Ball in Sydney in May. Miss Reav has now returned to Fiji. ♦ ♦ * r E regrettable indisposition of certain Sydney dock-side workers (reported in a recent “PIM”), after eating the attractive-looking island candlenut. recalls to this writer an exoeriment of his own in that direction.

It was hunger, not mere curiosity, that prompted me to eat one of these nuts, which resemble an American pecan. The nut had been baked in the earth oven to loosen the shell, according to local custom, and it looked and smelt good.

So I ate one. Then I ate another. It tasted vaguely like peanuts.

All went well for perhaps 15 minutes, then the trouble began. The only time I have felt worse was on the historic occasion, recorded some time ago in “PIM”, when we of Mangaia first made the acquaintance of the late- Dr. Lam bert’s hook-worm medicine.

It appears that the ancient heathen of this isle did eat candlenuts, but the nuts in that case were subjected to crushing and pressing during the cook ing process to expel the oil that, in var nishes and paints, does such excellent work, but in one’s interior is not so use ful.

The symptoms of candlenut poisoning are the usual symptoms of food poison ing. plus some interference with vision and a swelling of the tissues at the back of the nose. There seems to be no anti dote for it except time. The effects wear off after about a day. E.G.

Mr. Tex Thomas, well-known identity of the Morobe goldfields, who resided in Sydney during the war years, returned to his mining interests in the Territory on July 7.