Day Scenes

Behind The Coronation

In Port Moresby

This is a private letter, written to the Editor of the PIM, and not for publication. It is published be cause it gives a very interesting be hind-the-scenes glimpse of Corona tion Day events and atmosphere in Port Moresby.

Save me from more Coronations!

The pace here was quite as hectic as in London; but I must say that a splendid job was done by every body.

This was the result of long and careful planning by voluntary District Coronation Committees and the close co-operation of the Administration and private citizens.

I think the week’s programme has done a lot of good; and cer tainly our native population now knows that though we are sober people in many ways, we can cer tainly put on our own form of “sing sing” for the crowning of a Sovereign.

As I’ve mentioned, the Port Moresby parade was tremendously encouraging. Many people who have spent their lives here said: “Well, we’ve often wondered if we were getting anywhere with the natives, or really achieving any thing, and to-day has shown us that we are.”

And it really was so. I felt terri fically encouraged myself to think that the native people here had come up to such a standard.

I watched the parade from among the native spectators, right in the middle of them, and they behaved with dignity, and appre ciation of the significance of the ceremony. Even the babies were hushed when they cried at the wrong moment.

The people were clean, surpris ingly well dressed, courteous and very attentive.

Never at any other ceremony here have I seen such marked improvement in the general stan

dards of the natives; and I’m sure that many of them understood the significance of the occasion, and appreciated it.

The Administrator and his wife did a fine job too, and I’m con vinced it enhanced even more his standing with the community. He was the right figure for the cere monial parade inspection and salute; they are both excellent hosts at the Government House social affairs. He dashed off on visits to the Native and European Hospital; over to the TB Hospital at Gemo; kicked off at a Native Rugby match on Saturday; and generally was in everything and anything. They must be dead beat to-day, but they both were very much a part of the community, and can be that without losing any of the Government House dignity.

If the forthcoming Labour Government makes any change in the Administratorship, it will be a sad day for the Territory.