Spanking

Storm in Teacups Section: Four VIP’s Watch Spanking of Papuan Brat

A 12-YEARS-OLD Papuan, who in la a less squeamish age would have een written off as a dirty little boy, nd his case fixed with a good sharp ick in the seat, became something f a celebrity recently when questions rere asked and answered about him I Canberra.

It seems the boy was guilty of hat is technically called an “in ecent assault” on a native child of yen tenderer years. In solemn con ave, the Court decided that he lould have five strokes with a strap, his fearful punishment was carried nt in the presence of the magistrate, medical officer, an assistant district Eficer, a police inspector and the yo guardians of the child.

If the child does not now feel that ; is a mighty important being, then iere is nothing to child psychology, he proceedings no doubt will be ported to the next meeting of the N Trusteeship Council for the lification of the Russians in whom

the milk of human kindness runs so deeply.

A veil was drawn over what the dirty little boy actually did to the little girl—nonetheless it seems to be an absurd fuss over very little. If we can believe Malinowski, whose Sexual Life of Savages used to be set reading for budding anthropologists, what is called indecent assault in European communities was regarded with about the same degree of tolerance in some Papuan com munities as our teenage wolf-whistle.

Most Australian newspapers ignored the incident and the Canberra explanation, but the fiercely Pink Melbourne Argus headed their story, “Native Boy Lashed”.

Miss Nona Rice, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. P. Rice of Ba, Fiji was married early in October in Mel bourne to Mr. David Murray Hull.