Rev. J. F. Goldie

Native Tributes Mark 50 Years’ Mission Work

rE Rev. John F. Goldie, one of the pioneers of the Methodist Mission in the British Solomon Islands in 1902, left the Solomons in April and spent some time in Sydney before proceeding to Mel bourne, where he will make his home.

During the weeks before his de parture there were farewells at all

the mission stations throughout thee New Georgia Group, where thee Methodist Mission has been working? since the early years of the century..

Mr. Goldie was a young MethodisW minister in Queensland when Mela nesian sugar-plantation workerss were being returned to their islands,,, at the turn of the century. Hes volunteered for service in thes

Rev. J. F. Goldie, as he is to-day.

Methodist Mission, then being established to assist the natives, and he remained there for 50 years.

His wife, Mrs. Helena Goldie, who went to New Georgia as a bride, and

was one of the first white women to live in the group, died in Melbourne a few years ago.

Although retired, this old Chris tian war-horse will not lie down.

He has undertaken that this year he will see through the press a new hymn-book and a New Testament in the Roviana language. Later in the year, he will visit New Zealand to attend gatherings of the Methodist Church of New Zealand, which is responsible for the maintenance of the Methodist Mission in the Solo mons and Bougainville. He hopes to return to the Solomons next year for the Golden Jubilee of the Mission. People interested in mis sionary work have made plans to charter a passenger ship to take New Zealand supporters on this occasion on a cruise to the Solomons.

At numerous farewell gatherings to Mr. Goldie, the native leaders expressed their gratitude to Mr.

Goldie and other pioneer mis sionaries for what they had done to help the native communities, and commented on how the effort of 50 years ago had expanded into the present great organisation.

At Roviana, about 2,000 people assembled for the farewell service for Mr. Goldie. Speaker after speaker expressed heartfelt appre ciation of the sterling work of “the father of the Mission,” and insisted that the Mission has a bright future, because of the good foun dation work that has been done.

When Mr. Goldie left on the mis

sion ketch Roviana, to connect with the steamer Morinda at Honiara, a large crowd assembled. In the words of one correspondent: “It was almost necessary to appoint a harbourmaster to control the ship ping, so numerous were the canoes surrounding the Roviana.”

With the veteran missionary in this photograph at Roviana is Sam Angarau, who returned from the Queensland sugar plantations to the Solomons with Mr.

Goldie and the other pioneer missionaries, in 1902. They have been firm friends for 50 years.