About Islands People
pp. 77-78 · Read in the full issue
Mr. Wymberley de R. Coerr, has been appointed United States Consul in Fiji in succession to Mr. Winfield H. Scott. Mr.
Coerr arrived in Suva on the July “Marine Phoenix.”
Bishop Vesters, formerly of the Roman Catholic Mission at Vunapope, New Britain, recently paid a. short visit to his former Bishopric and to Port Moresby.
He is at present living in Australia.
The Rowe brothers, well-known plan ters, of Kokopo, New Britian, have im ported a de-hydration plant. This will be used for drying copra; but can be utilised for the drying of other vegetable products. The experiment is being watched with interest by other New Britain planters.
Mr. Tex Roberts, who is well-known on the New Guinea Goldfields as well as in New Britain, was in Rabaul in early August. His interests are many and varied and he has been kept busy re habilitating them.
Mr. and Mrs. Widdings, of Rabaul, will soon be transferred to Kavieng, where Mr. Widdings will be in charge of the Overseas Tele-Communications radio station there.
When he addressed members of the Methodist Women’s Auxiliary to Overseas Missions in Brisbane, recently, the Rev.
C. F. Gribble (a Methodist Missionary in Tonga) spoke of the immense, strides which education had made in Tonga. The Tongans, he said, were very anxious to learn English and that in order to meet their wishes, the school curriculum had been revised. Special courses in hygiene and child welfare were also being con ducted.
The Islands were well represented in Australia’s big Rugby Union match on August 9 —Great Public Schools (11) versus Duntroon Military College (14) D. Freeman, of Fiji, represented the GPS he was vice-captain; and Under-Officer Ted Swinbourne (son of a well-known retired officer of the Gilbert and Ellice Colonel was a prominent player for the Military College.
The Mt. Dore nickel mine Good Luck, belonging to M. Lafleur, who now repre sents New Caledoiiia in Paris, stopped work on July 1. In two years it has pro duced 20,000 tons of ore, with a working staff of six Europeans and 15 Javanese.
Mr. E. H. R. Paul, of the Administra tion staff on Nauru (where, apart from the Jap invasion, he has lived for 20 years) has resigned in order to take over the management of a large motor busi ness in Auckland.
Mrs. Gordon Marshall, of Papua, arrived in Sydney on a health-recruiting trip in August. She returned to Papua over two years ago. “Life is tough and conditions are muddled, there” she re ports. “Tea at 6/6 per lb., and butter at 3/6 are examples of the things that have got the planter worried.’’