Newsletter from

the N.G. Highl'ds

From a Special Correspondent

November 14.

RECENT arrivals in the Central High lands of New Guinea, are old-time missionaries (Lutheran M ssion) Mr. and Mrs. Hannerman. They have been in America for some months where Mrs.

Hannerman underwent a serious opera tion. They are now at their previous station—Kerowagi. They are accompanied by their daughter, Caroline. * Departed during the month for Wewak, Dr. J. Akerman, previously District Medi cal Officer for the Central Highlands District who has left to relieve Dr. Mac- Inerney. Gorokaites will miss the “Doc.” as will all European residents of the High lands District, where during his stay, he proved himself to be a popular and effi cient Medical Officer. The well-known hospitality of the doctor and his wife will also be missed. * Medical Assistant Keyes, late of Manus is now in charge of the Native Hospital at Kundiawa (Chimbu Sub-District). He is accompanied by his wife. * Kerowagi (also in the Chimbu Sub- District) is to get a new native hospital.

The hospital buildings are well under way, and the establishment should be com pleted early in the new year. This will fill a great need as the population war rants a hospital. Natives in the area are looking forward to having it there. Pre viously patients from this area had to be carried to Kup, a distance of 10 miles, for treatment or hospitalisation. * Mr. M. C. W. Rich, the new Director of District Services, of Port Moresby, accom panied by the District Officer of the Cen tral Highlands, Mr. George Greathead, visited most stations in the Highlands re cently.

Mr E. J. Hallstrom, accompanied by a party which included the Administrator (Col. J. K. Murray) visited Nondugl dur ing the month. Owing to landing restric tions, the chartered DCS could not land on the Nondugl strip, so the party was landed at Kerowagi and ferried from there by Dragon Rapides. A member of the party was overheard to say that Non dugl was the “Wahgi Wonderland.” We agree with him. Our last visit there showed improvements carried out on all sides. This is due in no small measure to the capable management of Mr. N. B.

Blood The development of this Experi mental Station is well worth watching. * Natives of the Banz area weie staggered a while back by the large numbers of aircraft and masters that visited their airstrip in the Hagen sub-District. Some of them wanted to know if there was another war on. Maybe so —but happily, not the type of war they thought. It was only a large party looking for a suitable spot to construct an airfield, and if that does not constitute the commencement of a paper-war between departments and Canberra. I don’t know what does.

Mrs. Gordon Harris, who arriyed in Australia several ago to inquire concerning her interests in Djaul Island, New Gufnea (where, before the war her husband operated a plantation) has gone to Port Moresby, as a member of the temporary staff of the Production Control Board.