Items From Santo

By Vernon Wheatley

Santo, Nh, Aug. 5.

SHIPPING: M. Graziani’s vessel arrived here recently from Sydney via Noumea.

She was held up in Noumea to undergo engine repairs.

Approximately a week later, Mr.

Roy Gubbay’s ship arrived from Sydney with cargo, including Mrs.

Gubbay’s new Holden car—the first in Santo, and possibly the first in the Group.

Mr. Gubbay’s boat is an acquisi tion to the Group’s fleet of small ships. She can take 120 tons of general cargo or 80 tons of copra.

Mr. Max Reading, formerly asso ciated with Mr. Gubbay in an en gineering business, is the engineer.

VOLCANO: The volcano on Am brym seems, from here, to be very active. Fine black cinders have settled everywhere.

One resident says that this ac tivity is a very good thing. He claims that the cinders deposited will eventually fill in the potholes on Santo’s roads.

Wishful thinking.

ACCIDENT: An English model jeep-type vehicle collided with a light § ton pick-up. A passenger

in the jeep, Mr. Fred Atkinson of Sydney, was thrown onto the road and received a bad cut on the head.

He is remaining in the Hopital Prancaise and it is expected that he will leave for Sydney on the Qantas plane of August 8.

Other occupants of the vehicles suffered minor injuries.

Both cars were extensively damaged.

Temporary Departure; Mr.

L. O’Shea is leaving for Noumea shortly where he will be engaged in demolition work for some months.

He will then return to Santo.

Mr. W. O’Shea (no relation) has left his position as accountant to Burns Philp (Santo) upon comple tion of his contract. He will go to the Banks Islands to operate a trading store which he has ac quired.

WRECK: The reefs of the Group have claimed another victim. This time it is the French Government vessel, “Concord.” a small auxiliary ketch of under 50 feet.

TROUBLE: The British District Agent at Santo, Major D. Fregard, is Island-bound.

A storm drove his launch onto a reef after tearing it away from its moorings. The shaft for his other launch will not arrive for some

months, and the official jeep was just one degree past redemption, so it was sold. The vehicle to replace the old jeep is on its way out from England.

At present, therefore, Major Pre gard’s visits to Santo (his head quarters are ten miles from Santo proper) are infrequent.