Samarai’S G.O.M

Colourful Life of Laurie Henderson

Laurie Henderson—Dead A

72, and carried to his grave ii Rogea cemetery, Samarai, b; mourning comrades of the RSSAIU —really had lived three lives. Hi went from his High School in Wes Australia (where he had been notabl as an oarsman) to a bank, aru showed much promise. But the wide: world called; he threw in banking and before he was 27 he had joinei the Papuan public service. He be came Resident Magistrate a Kerema, then a rough and tougl station accessible only by whale boat. Five years later he was at Tufi, j.n the Cape Nelson area Following a regrettable inciden there, in which he suffered a badl; injured hand, Mr. Henderson re signed and went South. A subse quent inquiry showed that he wa not blameworthy. But he did no return to the public service.

A year later, in 1913, he returns to Papua, married in Port Moresbl and soon afterwards he settled dowi in Samarai as the owner and man ager of the Cosmopolitan Hotel He never returned to Australia.!

He sold the hotel after 15 years but the plantation and other in terests with which he became en gaged suffered severely in the De pression, and he lost nearly every thing. He tried pearl-diving in thi China Straits, various kinds of trad ing, recruiting. Many men gavi up and departed, but Lauri Henderson hung on, recovered hi: business, and met all his obliga tions.

Among other things, Mr. Hender son was a recruiter of labour foi the Misima goldmines. When thf Jap phase of World War II began and the New Guinea area was evacu ated, some 400 indentured labourer! were left on Misima with abou 3,500 Misima natives. There wai no doubt about what would happer to the labourers if and when foot ran short. Mr. Henderson, assistec by Mr. Ernest Whitehouse, made ii his business to repatriate every oik of those abandoned labourers, thus preventing what could have beer a major tragedy.

Mr. Henderson also managed t( salvage food supplies and oil fue from abandoned Samarai, and thu! was able to give timely assistant to refugees fleeing southwards froir Rabaul.

When the Japs reached Mil# Bay, in their southwards thrust Laurie Henderson and his luggei gave the Allies most valuable help He and his boat were strafed manji times when ferrying supplies t( troops along the coasts. He becaMj a member of the Forces—he wa:: beach-master at Oro Bay during

e Buna campaign—and he was warded the OBE.

After the war, he resumed his isiness as trader and recruiter, id his plantation interests became ofitable. Everyone held him in ?h regard—even his few enemies and most sought his clear-sighted [vice. After his experiences in ipe Vogel Oilfields, rice-growing, Id-mining, the Returned Soldiers ttlement on Goodenough Islands post-World War I project that v now know about) his know- Ige was varied and accurate.

His son, Rennie Henderson, rved as a fighter pilot in the during the war; survived a ish in France at the end of 3 war; and is now settled in

,nada as a businessman.

John

Wilkinson.