Magazine Section

Territories Talk-Talk

By "Tolala"

IT was only last month that I wrote of Tom Griffiths’ passing. This month we record the death of yet another of our old Administrators Brigadier-General Sir Walter McNicoll, KBE, who was called Home on Christ mas Eve. For some months, he had been suffering as a result of repeated heart attacks. He was the last of the New Guinea Administrators military and civil: Holmes, Johnston, Pethebridge, Griffiths, Wisdom have all answered the call in much the same rotation as they held office.

Sir Walter’s 11 years of office as Ad ministrator were filled with many prob lems: Political, economic and seismic; and his well-disciplined mind enabled him to grapple each situation in an effective manner. There were few cor ners of the Territory he had not visited at one time or another, and many of them the hard way; on foot, despite old war injuries collected on Gallipoli. * * * W'HEN the NG Women’s Club puts on a cocktail party one can be sure of a jolly “get-together,” and the Christmas do this season was most defi nitely up to the best standards. Over a hundred New Guinea people were present, and quite a number of them only recently arrived from the Territory.

There was Jerry McDonald (District Services) looking somewhat older, and rather tired. He had just returned from climbing over mountains up around Chimbu, so no wonder! And there was Mr. and Mrs. Horrie Niall, from Wewak way, optimistic as to the future of their own particular district. And old-timer Jimmy Duncan, down for a spell from his duties as Harbour Master at Rabaul, Jimmy was doing much the same job with the AN & MEF back in the early ’twenties. And there was also Bert Per riman’s happy laugh, mingling with the clinking glasses as it has done so often on other occasions Up Yonder.

Somehow, unless I was mistaken, there appeared to be a greater feeling of op timism in the air, less of frustration in their outlook on the future. And it was very good to see. If any community in this cock-eyed, post-war world of ours deserves a break, it is the men and women who have pioneered Australia’s territories, fighting against odds of some kind or another for the past 20-odd years —and taking it on the chin.

Mrs. Foxcroft, the President of the Club and her expert committee can take a well-deserved bow for the excellent turn-out. * * * NEW GUINEA sorcerers claimed at tention in the Sydney Press recently when the Papua-New Guinea Re port to the United Nations was released.

Five sorcerers were convicted in the period under review. The business must be becoming unpopular (or the law less vigilant) for in the 1939 TNG Report there were 77 convictions for this sort of thing. Adultery, according to the re port, had also fallen off among the natives, as the all-low figure of 42 con victions in 1946, compared with 195 in 1939, would seem to indicate. It only goes to show how well our civilisation is being absorbed!

BOMBERS of the 20th and 13th US Air Force have been carrying out aerial surveys over Australia’s man dated areas in the SWP. All very hush hush, so far as Canberra is concerned, and might indicate that the breach over the Manus base is not quite so wide as some people would believe.

Hydrographic surveys of New Guinea waters is something long postponed (save during the war years), in the old Ger man days there was a survey ship con stantly on the job in those waters and navigators know only too well how prolific is the growth of the wily coral polyps; in some instances growing at the rate of a foot a year. We may yet hear of a US survey ship tackling the job, one of these days.

C CAPTAIN Wilding, master of the BP j liner “Malaita,” was sketched at Madang, New Guinea, when he brought that ship to New Guinea on its first run from Australia, after being tor pedoed outside Moresby in 1942.

An Englishman, Bill came to New Guinea long years ago, and has served in tropical waters ever since. It has been stated that Englishmen revel in revealing themselves to the mid-day sun: this Englishman, better known as “Wild Bill,” would revel in any latitude, for he pos sesses a zest for life that increases as the years go by. A man of bulging

muscles, he possesses a voice to match, which easily drowns the sound of “Mal aga’s” siren. It has been said that he is the original model for Barnacle Bill others dispute this and say that Popeye the Sailor emanated from him. The ar tist’s opinion is that both these men of the sea are Dale and effete when com pared with the vigorous Captain Wilding.

A lover of community singing and making people happy, Bill is a most com petent and artistic craftsman in Mac rame (a sort of crochet) and combines oil painting with embroidery to make unique pictures. A charming man, and well-beloved throughout the Islands,

J.K.Mc.

APROPOS of the US-Australian en tente pacifique, it was pleasing to learn that the US Medal of Pree dom had been awarded to two New Guineaites; NGXB Major Fairfax-Ross and NGXS Capt. Alastair Maclean, for their excellent work with the AIB dur ing the war. The tactics adopted by these bush-fighters, with a score or so of trusted natives, led the Japs to believe a force of 20,000 Allied troops was oc cupying positions in the Wide Bay-Open Bay area on New Britain. I dips me lid to those blokes. Even Eric Feldt’s excellent “Coastwatchers” did not give them the full marks they deserve.

Speaking of awards: Another New Guinea lad has collected recently the Air Force Cross. He is Flight-Lieut.

Albert Starkey, of Lae, for a daring flight made in March, 1944.

AIR transport is becoming more and more popular in the Territories, due mainly to the very mediocre sea transport service. Latest adventurer in the air is nuggetty Bobby Gibbes—still remembered for his brave deeds of air devilry during the war. in a three seater, 130 hp Auster baby plane he has plans of running a trading service amongst the natives in the Sepik area.

Happy landings, Bobby! * • * MISSIONS have long been air-con scious in TNG, and the Divine Word mission has recently added a twin-engine Dragon to its fleet of buses.

It will be used to connect Alexishafen with Port Moresby—the priest will be a true sky-pilot. * * * A GOVERNMENT Inspector of Schools in Fiji (Mr. A. W. McMillan) who has had 20 years’ experience in the country, recently sounded a note of warning regarding the influences Aus tralian broadcasts had on the labour situation in Fiji. Unrest among the Fijian* workers was attributable, he said, to the frequent reports over the air of labour unrest in Australia.

That is the price we pay for passing on our civilisation. Broadcasting stations have a tendency to play up our weak nesses rather than our better charac teristics where news is concerned.

Fiji should take a leaf out of South Africa’s book of laws and make strikes, lock-outs and the like illegal, with sub stantial penalties for any breaches. * * * INCIDENTALLY not a little harm is done among New Guinea inhabitants through this same medium. Not al ways by what the natives actually hear

over the air, but what they think they hear, and the construction they put on statements which are not always intel ligible to them with their imperfect knowledge of pure (?) English. * * * THE name of the Lae township is prob ably better known than any other NG settlement. It is a favourite clue in crossword puzzles, DESPITE the draft bill, approved by the Canberra Cabinet, for the merg ing of Papua and TNG, which I mentioned last month, USA, China and Mexico, on the Trusteeship Committee, registered their disapproval of the mea sure. It might interfere with the long range target of self-government for the TNG natives, they claimed. * * * AT long last officialdom appears to realise the possibilities of radio active minerals being located in the Territories. The government is seeking the services of research scientists, and New Guinea is mentioned as one of the likely places of research. Old-time pros pectors have long anticipated just such a move, and it appears likely now that their tips may bear fruit. * * * BITS AND PIECES: Denise Judd was married last month in Melbourne to Capt. David Compton (Aust. Stan Corps). She was given away by Colonel Walstab. Several NG folk were present ... Mr. Alex Kingston, formerly a school-teacher on Norfolk Island, was married on December 20 to Mrs. Betty Carlton. Rev. Frank Slater (an old Nor folk Island identity) performed the ceremony ... The Curator of Intes tate Estates in Port Moresby is seeking the next-of-kin of Alan Vernon Camerpn, late of Rabaul (he was an internee with the Japs, and disappeared); and also ol Vincent Clement Johnson, late of Kelaua plantation, in the Madang area • • • • Gone to their Rest: John Robert For sayth (a son of the late Mr. and Mrs.

J. M C. Forsayth) on December 2, in Melbourne. He was a twin brother oi Mrs. Leishman ... Stanley Walter George Edmonds, in New Ireland, the re sult of an accident on December 15 . . .

George Broadfoot Little, at Suva, on December 3. . . . Meg Phibbs, wife of the late Brian Phibbs. on December 16, at Katoomba John Harcourt Scott, the result of an accident, at Lae, on January 3 . . . . Majority opinion in the two Territories is that the merger of Papua and TNG is a mistake. Most people have “had’’ the attempt, during the past couple of years, to run the two territories as one. Even government offi cials are human, and have their own particular jealousies.

Mrs. Mary Croudace returned to West ern Samoa, via Fiji, from New York, this month. In America, she said, fare well to her daughter, who is married to a member of the staff of Shell Corpora tion, and who has gone on to Egypt with him Mrs. Courdace brought her small grand-daughter back to Samoa with her.

Lieutenant Edward Smyth, RAN, of Toowoomba (Qld.), has been appointed second in command of the motor cruiser “Royal Flight,” which sailed for Fiji from Brisbane recently. It has been chartered by the British Production Co. for the filming of the picture, “Blue Lagoon.”

Pastor O. Thiele of the Lutheran Church, Victoria, recently made an ex tensive tour of New Guinea on behalf of the Board of Foreign Missions (Lutheran).