Deaths Of Islands People

Mr. William Alexander Gill

William Alexander Gill, whose amusing stories and drawings were known to thousands of PIM readers, died in Sydney on January 24, a victim of lung cancer.

Bill Gill was born in 1899, at Macduff, near Inverness, and although he had spent more than half his life in Australia and Papua, carried his Scots accent to the end.

His father was a Master Mariner in sail, and when he was still a

child, Bill made a couple of voyages around the world with him. He studied marine engineering for a time, but World War I broke out and he joined the Gordon High landers.

After he was demobbed he went to Australia in 1922, and shortly after to Papua to become a planta tion assistant: later he managed a number of plantations for the bigger firms and finally became part owner of Loani rubber plantation in the Milne Bay district.

When the Pacific war began he was evacuated but in 1943 was back in Papua as a Warrant Officer in the Water Transport section of the Army. The following year he trans ferred to ANGAU and became well known as the skipper of the Ras putin (known to the natives as Rice Puddin).

He went back to Loani in 1946, but decided against settling there permanently although he continued to have an interest in the planta tion. In 1952 he leased it to Mr. R.

Donaldson, who is still there.

Bill Gill had always been in terested in drawing, so after his ANGAU discharge he took a four years Rehabilitation course in art — but he had his own style and a

natural talent and the course did not appear to influence him much, one way or another.

As well as the work that he did for PIM, he did freelance newspaper and magazine cartooning, comic strips, etc., while in the employ of a large Sydney industrial concern as a watchman.

He is survived by his wife and 14-year-old daughter, Diane.

A Tribute from the Editors According to the files of PIM, Bill Gill started to submit drawings in the mid-thirties, but it was only in the last 10 years when he began to live in Sydney that PIM staff and Gill became well acquainted. A couple of times a month he would wander in, shedding black-and white offerings, pieces of drawing paper and bottles of Indian ink from his pockets, and sit down to dis cuss the state of the nation, or thrash out an idea for a cartoon.

In sentiment he remained a Terri torian to the end and his insight into the attitudes and thoughts of Papuans showed clearly enough in his drawings.

As we knew him, anyway, he was part dour Scot, part temperamental artist, and part Territorian. He was a man who liked to enjoy him self in the company of his many friends but at the same time was well read and took a lively interest in international affairs. He spoke little of his personal life and what we knew of him was learned over the years in very small instalments.

He became an institution around PlM’s Sydney office—not only as an artist but as someone on whom you could sharpen an idea; or get a fresh and pertinent opinion on any current topic.

There are many people who can draw; many with the Territorians’ odd quirk of humour; but we feel that it will be a long time before we meet another Bill Gill who com bines the two —and was a very good friend, as well,— JT.

Mr. William Pickering

The death occurred in Levuka, Fiji, on January 20, of Mr. William Pickering, aged 80.

Mr. Pickering’s great grand father, Charles, was one of the first Europeans to settle in Fiji and there are now numerous of his descendants in the Colony.

Mr. William Pickering was born on the Rewa and worked as a carpenter at one of the Colony’s earliest sugar mills, at Navua. He later became a banana-buyer.

He is survived by his wife, two sons, Harry and Tom, and three daughters, Kittie, Jessie and Lizzie.