G.A.V. Has The

Good Oil

On New Guinea

G. A. V. STANLEY, of Port Moresby, is i distinguished geologist as well as a k© worker in other scientific and historiii fields in New Guinea. He was born in 19* and passed through the Sydney Technical Hii School on his way to the University of Sydnn He graduated B.Sc. and made his first contil with the islands on a visit to the Solomo in 1927, to do field work on Rennell Islam He was next employed by the Commonweaic Government on a survey of Cape Vogel, Papm for the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. He visit Rabaul, Aitape and Vanimo, before joining 1 Search, Limited, in 1930.

This began many years of service in t Aitape and Sepik districts, where he was the team which carried out extensive exploc tion and mapping of the Sepik Valley, mm of which was then uncontrolled. He was noti for his ability to make friendly and peaces contact with new tribes.

"G.A.V." won the confidence of the hintt land natives to a remarkable extent, whir was very valuable to him at the time as in the later war years. In 1938 he transfers to APC and carried on his geological wo until the advent of the Japanese war. He vw then commissioned as a Sub-Lieutenant RANT for service with the Far Eastern Liaison Oflfiir His previous experience in the Sepik distn enabled him to do valuable work in that am during the Jap occupation, for which he vw awarded the DSC in 1945.

In 1946 "G.A.V." rejoined APC and world in Papua until his retirement, at the age 50, in July 1954. While still associated wiv APC in an advisory capacity, he has time devote to his other interests. He has cd lected an extensive library dealing with NT Guinea, and has worked on the compilatiil of a bibliography of New Guinea.

A lot of his abundant interest and enen; is at present devoted to the preliminsr organisation of a full-scale scientific cruise New Guinea by the ANZAAS (Australian Nik Zealand Association for the Advancement Science). This would involve the charterih of a large liner for over 1,000 members ww could make the visit, possibly in 1960, as this will keep "G.A.V." working happily t some time. —BRETT MILDER.