Retirement Of Mr. Tom

Lowney

AFTER 25 years in the Public Service of Papua and the combined Terri tories, Mr. Tom Lowney, of the Ad ministrator’s office, Port Moresby, has re signed. He will leave for Sydney on the next Bulolo and does not intend to return.

Mr. Lowney had been on the Adminis trator’s staff for 22 J years of his 25 years’ service. He was private secretary to pre war Administrator, Leonard Murray, and after the war he became the present Ad ministrator’s private secretary. This title was later changed to Official Secretary.

Mr. Lowney’s successor has not been ap pointed yet.

The PIM representative who visited Papua and New Guinea in 1946 remem bers Mr. Lowney as the most harrassed official in the two Territories.

There were two or three telephones on his desk in his office in Government House grounds, Port Moresby, and they rang incessantly. As well, he had a con stant stream of callers who wished to bring large or small matters to the at tention of the Administrator.

At a stage of the Territory’s post-war reconstruction when everyone was dis posed to let things wait on the morrow, Mr. Lowney appeared to be on tap all the time.

He served three Murrays in his 25 years in Papua—Sir Hubert Murray; Mr.

Leonard Murray, nephew of Sir Hubert; and, since the end of the war, Colonel J.

K. Murray—no relation to his two pre decessors.

Mr. P. A. Snow’s book, Cricket in the Fiji Islands, with a foreword by Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna, and an introduction by Sir Pelham Warner, is on sale. The edition was practically sold out in advance and those who have not bespoken a copy should get in touch with Mr. G. A.

Robertson, Suva, at once.