Plucky Woman Returns
p. 72 · Read in the full issue
To BSI Plantation
AFTER an absence of 5 1 years, Mrs.
E. Cruickshank, accompanied by her companion, Mrs. L. Gillespie, re turned to the British Solomon Islands by the June “Malaita”. They went by the “Malaita” to Rabaul, there to await transport to Mrs. Cruickshank’s planta tion, Tarolang, in the Shortland Islands, section of the Solomons.
Mrs. Cruickshank shows great courage in thus attempting to start life anew in the Islands. She went first to the Solo mons 38 years ago, with her husband; and, in the course of time, by hard work and enterprise, they established a couple of valuable properties—one in the Short lands and one in Bougainville. They made their properties self supporting— running herds of stock and establishing extensive gardens and orchards—with a steady output of copra.
Mr. Cruickshank died several years ago; and Mrs. Cruickshank decided to carry on alone. She was held in high esteem by all her neighbours, by the var -1(^ s . mi ssionaries and by Government officials; and she made quite a success of her plantations.
Then came the Japanese invasion, and Mrs. Cruickshank and Mrs. Gillespie were forced to leave hurriedly. They have not since seen their plantations— but they guess what they will see. It will be a matter of re-building from the ground upwards. So far as accommoda tion is concerned, all they can expect is that the Chinese boy whom they left in charge will have some sort of shack ready for them when they arrive in the Shortlands. Until they get there, they do do not know the conditions of their palms, or whether any of their domestic animals or their gardens have survived the last five years.
Planters returning to New Guinea and Papua usually receive substantial mone tary help from the Australian War Damage Commission and thus are able to carry on during the months when they are bringing their plantations back into bearing. But the plantation owners of the British Solomon Islands are in a different category—they get little help, to meet the heavy expenses of rehabili tation. By comparison, the New Guinea planters would be immediately better off than the BSI planters—were it not that the New Guinea planters have to suffer all the disabilities and irritations im posed by the Australian Socialist Gov ernment.