Guinea

The Making of a Bishop in New Guinea

BY THE REV. JAMES BENSON IN THE CHURCH STANDARD

T>ISHOPS, of course, are the same all Lhe world over> and we in New Guinea are Perhaps too familiar with the “extraordinary” in a land in which the word “unique” is an overworked word.

Nevertheless, the consecration of the Venn Geoffrey David Hand to the office anoi work of a bishop on St. Peter’s Day, 19503* was a unique event in almost every way£ It was the first time a bishop had beem made in New Guinea.

Bishop David at 32 is the youngese bishop in the world. His own fatheri; Canon W. T. Hand, of Tatterford, Eng-£ land, preached the sermon. Surely neveis before has a father preached at his son’i'j consecration.

Bishop David was consecrated in th«r Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Pauli Dogura, a cathedral with which there hi neither road nor rail communication— could that be said of any other cathedrae than Dogura? So that the Archbishop oo Brisbane and Bishops of Grafton, Ades laide and Rockhampton who, with tlur Bishop of New Guinea, were co-conse-s crators, had to come by air and to lanoi on the tiny air strip half a mile awan down below the Dogura plateau on th« banks of the Wamira River. Indeed) Grafton and Rockhampton could noo manage that, but they got to Samarai he seaplane and travelled thence by night ori the very Vigil of St. Peter, in the missioic ship Maclaren King, by the way thir pioneers came—along the coast the 8® miles to Dogura in Bartle Bay, arriving at midnight on the very day of the conr secration itself.

QO were the bishops assembled for thr great event which opened a nev? chapter in the life of the Church in Papua-New Guinea.

His Honour, the Administrator (Colonel J. K. Murray), representing His Majesty the King, was first escorted to his seat ore the north side of the chancel by the] bishop and the sub-dean designate (thri Rev. Harold Palmer). The clergy of the diocese—white and brown —followed iri the order of their seniority; and all wen present save the Archdeacon of Samaras 1 (the Ven. A. J. Thompson) and the reco tor of Lae (the Rev. W. E, Moren). Theie came the processions of the bishops with His Grace, the Metropolitan (the Most Rev. Reginald Halse, Archbishop of Briss. bane), preceded by the Metropolitan Cross of Queensland, in the position od honour.

The copes and mitres of five bishops each exceeding magnifical, with atb tendant deacons of honour, in dalmatic)] proper; Mr. Justice Gore, chancellor o) the diocese, in his scarlet robes and hooc of his degree; with Mr. Notary Publiil Crombie of Port Moresby, also in his legs' wig and robes proper; the visiting priestts who were also in the chancel —the Rexe O. V. Abram, representing the Primate the Rev. John Hope, of Christ Church, Sg Laurence, Sydney, who attended the archl bishop; the Rev. E. A. Leaver and thl Rev. E. Hawkey, ABM secretaries respect tively of Victoria and Queensland, thl, Rev. E. R. Gribble, of Clermont, Queens: land; and the Rev. B. W. Roberts, heas; master of the Slade School, Warwiclo Queensland —these all with the copes o the cathedral chapter and other masses of colour in flowers, vestments, and hangi ings, all taper-lit against the pale gmi walls of the cathedral, made a picture o unutterable beauty.

But even more beautiful was the se)s of brown which filled the great nave tf overflowing—2,ooo and more Papuaej Christians: local folk of the Wedau, anu Wamira, Boainai, Taupota and the Mourn tain tribes; and delegates from 308

miles away, North-East in the Mamba, Gira, Eia countries and all the lands be tween; Gona, Sangara. Eroro, Sefoa.

Wanigela, Mukawa, Menapi; and from far New Britain.

The high moment, of course, was the act of consecration itself. I do not intend to attempt a description—newsreel re cords of the whole proceedings were made, and it will be your privilege to see and hear it all in Australia very shortly.

The final act of the great drama was also unique, and I am sure that we older members of the New Guinea Mission felt it to be the very highlight of all — when the new bishop stood at the chancel steps and unfalteringly blessed the vast congregation (both brown and white) first in the Wedau language, then in Übir (the language of Wanigela), then in Korafi (of Sefoa), then in Notu (the language of Gona, Eroro), then in Ora kaivan (the hill language), and finally in English.

It only remains to say that the beauty and dignity and happiness of this great occasion were largely due to our own Bishop, who had thought of every detail.