Finschhafen's

Christmas

Finschhafen, Jan. 10.

ONE Oriental bashed another with a bottle, putting him in hospital. Both were members of thel “Montoro” crew. A few jeeps were “stolen.” House breakers raided a naval officer’s liquor supply. Navy lads incurred the wrath of the gold braid by bathing in the nude during the dark, early hours of Christmas morning, when they should have been in bed or clad from neck to ankle in the twilight, anti-mosquito regulation garb.

But, taken all round, the Festive Season at Finschhafen was one of much gaiety and of considerable good cheer.

Lae literally invaded the place. Guests of HMAS “Tarangau” (local naval base), the visitors relished the cool beer and sumptuous fare, and the athletically minded were treated to a well-organised and varied sports programme.

Owen Pollard, Government Stores, Lae, was admitted to the Lutheran Mission Hospital, where his appendix was removed.

Unhappy climax to the Lae visit was the return trip in an open vessel—for two hours, in the early hours of the morn ing, the boys from the Butibum area lay shivering in a drenching, cold rain.

Personal

A SMILING, vivacious, charming young woman, Phyllis Keenan, has left us.

She had been hostess to numerous visitors to Finschhafen. She sailed South by the December “Montoro” and will be joined in March by her husband, A. D. O.

Jack Keenan. They intend taking a well earned holiday trip to East Africa.

Jerry Pentland, who has business in terests here with Tex Marshall, blew in late in the Festive Season. He certainly believes in moving around these days, and

we do not expect to have him with us long.

Flight-Lieut. Colin Bell, last of the RAAF at Finschhafen, left for Port Moresby on January 6. He was given a farewell at HMAS “Tarangau’s” wardroom.

Miss I. M. Green, a cultured, charming lady, well-known in Melbourne where she did valuable war work, has been staying with her popular, gold-braided brother, Commander Arnold H. Green. DSC, RAN

Minor Tragedies

NUMBER 1 Kiap belong Lae” was very much “in the gun” with the Tami gudu natives for not attending their Christmas “sing-song.” When “Robby” failed to turn up the first day, they thumped the “kundus” in desperation for two more days and nights—but still no “Robby.”

Alas! the only intimation of the big man’s coming had been a pencilled note in the Yabim dialect, written, apparently, by a bright native clerk at Lae, and the unfortunate revellers evidently took this as “official!” As a reprisal, I am told that when the Kiap at Lae wants the Tami gudduites to go down to Lae for a “sing sing” they will refuse to budge unless a vessel is sent for them!

It’s a long tramp from Satelberg to Katika, but a small borrowed coffee grinder repeatedly makes the trip. Labori ously, a Katika boy grinds up coffee beans which he buys from the hinterland kanakas, then, during his periodic trips to Lae, he sells the ground coffee to La 3 residents. With an eye to business, he now intends to buy a larger grinder from Sydney, “enough long £10!”

Queen Salote, of Tonga, who has been in Auckland since December 3, and whose stay in New Zealand is private and unofficial, paid a visit to Wellington during January.