Tribute to Late Mr. Ernest

Evenett

A FURTHER link with the past has been broken with the death of another of the Old Timers in the person of Mr, Ernest Evenett, who died in Sam arai, Papua, on December 28, 1952, at the age of 80 years. He had been in ill health for some years and it was only his indomitable spirit which kept him going long after medical opinion had given him up. He is survived by his widow and seven children, three of whom are resident in Samarai.

I do not know of anyone now living who had earlier contact with this country. Ernest Evenett first came to Papua in the Merrie Eng land in 1892 at the age of 20. After trying his hand at many things, including gold digging on Wood lark Island, he returned to Aus tralia in 1896, married at Coen, Queensland, in 1897 and he re turned to Papua in 1898 to take part in the Milne Bay gold rush and later in the Mambare rush.

For a time he ran boats with sup plies on the coast and made several trips io Australia. One of his trips from Cooktown, which was the jumping off place for Port Mores by then, was in a nine-ton cutter yhich was almost an open boat md among his fellow travellers on ;hat occasion was the late Bishop Elenry Newton.

He was again at Woodlark Island n the early part of World War I, larrowly missing travelling on the ast trip of the old Matunga.

Although, in common with many nen of his type, he did not iccumulate great worldly riches, lis willingness to help others was veil-known (and taken advantage if in many cases). An old account >ook shows loans made years ago, ome marked ‘ Paid In Full,” others narked “To Be Paid In Heaven.”

K hard worker, he lived a full and ruitful life and all were his riends. —J. D. Wilkinson.

Tinian and Saipan, US Trust 7erritory, have reverted to US Navy

)ept, control.