Rabaul Roundabout

From Our Own Correspondent

Rabaul, July 20.

Sailor’S Outing

A VISITING member of the crew of MV Citos recently had a rather expensive day out in Rabaul.

On the third day that the vessel was m port he appeared before the District Magistrate on three charges.

Namely, driving a motor vehicle without a licence, driving whilst under the influence, and driving a vehicle without the consent of the owner.

He was convicted on the three counts and fined a total of £45.

More Native Art

THERE was an interesting ex hibition of native art in the pleasantly situated Reimber village Council House on the North Coast, on July 12.

The exhibits consisted of paint ings, carvings, mats, and elaborately carved kundus. Prize monev amounted to £4O.

The winning painting was a striking example of native art—two long panels decorated with a pleas ing design in natural native paints These were “death sticks” which stand outside the Haus tamboran mto which no mere female may en ter, on pain of death.

The kundu which was awarded first prize was native art at its best. Made of wood, highly polished, it was decorated with a human hand in bas-relief, and a stylised design of twining lizards.

The , exhibition was a result of the District Commissioner’s wish to encourage native forms of art, which he had feared might have been lost or forgotten.

He spoke to the gathered natives and explained that he was happy to see their interest in the arts of their ancestors, and that he hoped the competition had encouraged them to go further with this worthy pro ject.

Only in the house building com petition, which was primarily an effort to encourage the building of better and more decorative dwell mgs, had he been disappointed.

Special sing-sings were performed by the villagers in honour of Mr. and Mrs. Macarthy and their guests.

In one dance the natives all earned tall carved sticks, decorated with designs and figures represent ing every phase of native life.

One of the most striking of these was a design of two clasped hands, each wrist decorated with a life like wristlet watch! Another rep resented a monkey, sitting on the stick, grinning with very realistic teeth, and entirely covered with real possum fur.

The obvious interest of the natives

who took part in the exhibition, and also the interest of the guests present, would indicate that this side of native life, is one which is well worth while encouraging.

ON June 23, at the Rabaul Hospi tal, a second son, Donald James, was born to Mr. and Mrs. Les Corbett.

Miss Pamela Palfreyman, who went South recently on leave, has announced her engagement to Mr.

John G. Best, eldest son of Mr. and Mrs H. Best, of Sydney. Pamela is the only daughter of Mr. and Mrs.

A.

T. Palfreyman, late of Rabaul, and Mr. Best is taking the place of Mr.

Tony Taylor—P-NG vulcanologist.

On July 11, at Nonga, Mr. J. A Barrett, of the PMG Department, in the course of his duties, came upon a strange looking snake in the grass.

Without hesitation he grabbed a sarif from a native standing nearby, and decapitated the snake.

It turned out to be a deadly tai pan.

Another Ship Lost

NEW Guinea Company’s eighty five ft. trawler, Madang, is the latest small ship to come Jo grief in these waters.

When in mid-July she was five days overdue on her return voyage to Rabaul from Madang, a MAL plane made a search for her and discovered her on a reef off Sand Island, in the Witu Group. Plane crew observed the ships’ personnel apparently living ashore in impro vised shacks.

Blake line vessel, Talasea, under the command of John Livingstone was asked to investigate and assist.

Talasea reports that the Madang will in all probability be a total loss; she is badly holed in one side, and well up on the rocks. All cargo, it is hoped, will be salvaged.

Sailors In Furs And

Feathers

MOST small ships in New Guinea waters carry a ship's cat, either as a mascot, or for purely utilitarian purposes.

Often they are the property of one man in the ship’s company, and one hears strange stories of de votion between Master and pet.

The most devoted of them, I think, was the ex-RN type, and his small white feline friend. The little cat was accustomed to sleeping on her master’s bed. All went smoothly until master began to use a mos quito net. To this the cat took violent exception, and in the course of time the net had been tom to shreds by her angry claws.

“Well,” the owner of the cat told us philosophically, “there was nothing else for it. I just had to get rid of it.

“What, the cat?”

“No, no,” was the astonished re ply, “the net.”

Stranger than any ship’s cat was the rooster I saw strutting possess ively around a small vessel the other day, an admiral-like glint in his eye.

He had been brought on board originally for the Master’s table.

But after two days on board, which Rudolph Rooster spent diligently chasing and devouring cockroaches, it became evident that the roasting dish was not to be his fate. He was appointed Chief Cockroach De stroyer instead.

Sometimes in port he ventured ashore for a limlimbur, but has never been known to miss a sailing.

On two occasions he fell overboard, and the vessel promptly put about and hauled him on board.

The complete absence of cock roaches on the ship testifies to the vigilance of Rudolph.

But recently he was presented to me, because sadly enough, it appears that a rooster cannot be housebroken.

As I carried him off the ship, 1 noticed how unusually bald he appeared aft. Glancing back at the grinning crew lining the ships rails I discovered that Rudolph had served a dual purpose on board.

Each black woolly head was decor ated with more than the usual number of shiny tail feathers.