New Guinea’S Famous

Names

From Leslie F. Gill, of BSI I HAVE not the pleasure of know ing Mr. Nixonwestwood (he must have come on the Lolorua scene after I had left there for the Solo mons) but I, too, worked with Mr Guy Manning on clearing Lolorua before he was stricken with dysentery and had to leave for Port Moresby.

Quite a job of work was done at Lolorua, in double-quick time. In about 15 months, 1,000 acres of jungle were belted down and burnt off, and the rubber seedlings were about to go in when I left.

The estate was owned by a Lon don concern, Pacific Papuan Pro ducts Limited, irreverently called by its ace recruiter, the irrespressible Les. Joubert, “Pox, Piles and Paralysis.”

Some very well-known New Guinea men were in that show, or had a hand in putting Lolorua on the map.

Arthur Jewell helped to found the Company. The brilliant, volatile Les. Joubert, trader, miner, re cruiter, chased gold from the Gira, the Yodda, Mambare and Buna to the Lakekamu, and finished up by taking a fortune out of Koranga, the Bulolo, and Edie Creek fields.

Linked with the famous Pryke Bros., he is one of Papua’s immortals.

Dacey, son of that Labour NSW Minister of Public Works, after whom Daceyville (the Sydney suburb) was named, was there; as was also Tom Nevitt, son of a Queensland Labour MP. Tom be came one of Papua’s most respected men—a business tycoon, and Mem ber of the Legislative Council.

Guy Manning, son of NSW Judge Manning, was one of the Lolorua men also. He went to World War f? a b a ul, later was given charge of Native Affairs, and was killed in a car accident in NG.

Towering dynamically amongst

those significant men—their peer, out so different—clamoured and worked 11 geri s h 1 y the human tor ’™ Harry < Ha rdy) Gofton, of The Towers—Australian bushman and famous roughrider, the first man to ride the outlaw “Bobs ” The Goftons have been Big Names in P-NG ever since.

All those men have written their names big across Papua and New Guinea for more than a generation.

Come to think of it, they and a few more like them, are New Guinea. In fact, they made New Guinea. They are its History.

Strange that that gallant company should all have been around Lolorua (Aroa in those days), within the short space of about 18 months of elapsed time.

II Mrs. Jocelyn Windsor, wife of Mr. Ken Windsor, purser-radio officer of Maui Pomare, returned to New Zealand late November after spending several months as an in structor of Girl Guides on several of the Cook Islands. Her services had been provided by Girl Guide Headquarters in New Zealand.