Notes From Norfolk Is.

From Our Own Correspondent April 16.

EASTER time on Norfolk Island was blessed with perfect weather and swimming and picnics were popular.

Highlight of the holiday was the race meeting on Easter Monday, run in metro politan style, with good fields of the Islands best horses handled by quite brilliant jockeys. There were seven races and the tote handled £l,OO0 —rather a good effort for a small island whose population is less than 1,000 men, women and children.

The big race, the Easter Cup, was won by Mr. K. Donkin’s Ngaio, ridden by Bill Knapton who also steered home the winners of the 4th, sth and 6th races.

RECENT visitors to Norfolk Island were well-known skipper of Burns Philp’s Morinda, Captain Brett Hilder and Mrs. Hilder. As he was on leave, Captain Hilder travelled by air, for a change.

MUCH beloved by residents and greatly admired by all visitors to the Island, St. Barnabas’ Chapel, formerly the headquarters of the Melanesian Mission, was f he scene of a pre-Easter working bee. Following a request by the Vicar, the Rev. Mr.

Holmes, a large band of

enthusiastic workers arrived complete with scrubbing brushes and buckets and eager to get to work. Everything moveable was taken outside, including carpets, banners, altar cloths, etc.; the many kerosene lamps were dismantled and the beautiful brass fixtures polished until they gleamed.

Floors were thoroughly scrubbed and the beautiful old wood-work hungrily soaked up oil until it took on a soft sheen.

Island women folk had contributed a wonderful lunch of cold fowl, fruit salad and their famous scones and cakes, and Mrs. Holmes, the Vicar’s energetic little wife, kept the kettle on the boil. At the end of the day, with everything back in its place ready for the Easter services, the working-bee considered their day well spent.

Set among magnificent old trees — English oaks, magnolias, pohutakawas— this beautiful, old, stone church is not the busy meeting house that it was when

the little Christian community was the heart of Norfolk Island. Since the stately Pine Avenue was demolished to make way for the aerodrome, access to the church is by a second-class road which in wet weather is almost impassable.

It is hoped that the road improvement schemes now being pushed on will provide an all-weather road.

The church possesses some beautiful Burne Jones stained glass windows; has exquisite marble floors, font and carved altar and pews inlaid with mother-of pearl. The fine-toned organ is played each Sunday by Mrs. Buffet, with the assistance of the Verger, Mr. Tuintal, who has given 45 years of service to the church. (Continued on next page)

Interior of the church showing the Burne Jones windows.

THE Island’s worst road accident, and the only fatal one for 25 years occurred on the night of April 14.

A jeep driven by Mr. Jim Baker, coming down Grassy Road from Mt. Pitt, ap parently swerved to avoid a parked vehicle, and capsized. One of the passangers, Mr.

J. Dee, of Sydney, was fatally injured, and Mr. L. Fitzpatrick, a local school master who had been on the island for two months, died of his injuries about 12 hours later.

Miss Boggs of New Zealand sustained a broken arm, but was able to return to New Zealand the next day. Two sisters Miss Robin and Miss Winsome Steele (Australia) were also injured, one seriously. They were flown to Australia where one sister had to have her leg amputated.

Fortunately it was possible to augment the Island’s small but efficient nursing staff when a visiting matron and two visiting nurses offered their services. In

addition, local women with nursing train ing also helped in the emergency, and other residents helped day and night in the wards and kitchen.